Disclaimer: This Review is the exact same, as my Review to 'The Age of Steel', both Episodes are Part of the same Story, both leave me with the same Thoughts

This one is very much frustrating, there are great things to it and I enjoy the parallel universe aspect of it all (while it’s far away from the best execution). I absolutely loathe this Cybermen Design, it’s horrible, not the worst but easily one I very much dislike. I don’t really want to repeat points others did, but yeah, the whole Origin story part of it. There are some great moments, that remember what Cybermen are, then we get stuff like the entire Catchphrase Thing with “Delete” feeling more appropriate for a generic robotic enemy not the Cybermen.
Part of me wonders if this Story should have focused more on the alternative Universe Part. Since that part does easily work for me the most, meanwhile the Cybermen Part of this entire Story leaves me mixed. It’s by far not the worst outing for them in NuWho (Shoutout to whatever they were in the Smith Era), but yet it does bring out some of the very worst aspects that later got used again and again.

New Who Review #19

Rise Of The Cybermen

This story was fun. It was a good setup for this story and served as a part 1. The story is about a man called John Lumic who is a mad scientist in a parallel universe and he's kidnapping people off the street and "upgrading" them into Cybermen. I thought the story was great. This episode is also important for all the other Cybermen stories in new who because this is their origin. The acting was great from everyone. The Cybermen are a classic villain so their good. It's nice to have them back. This was a solid 6/10

Decent episode, The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey get stuck in a parallel earth that is about to become overrun by Cybermen

Rose once again gets an opportunity to meet her father, though a much different one than the one that happened in her universe

Mickey visits his Gran who is dead in his timeline, and finds out his alternate self is a rebel in this world

This episode is a bit slow just because it has a lot of setup for part 2

2025 REWATCH (Posted on both parts)

• • This is the story, especially since listening to 'Spare Parts, that I wouldn't mind skipping. not sure it does it for me. I love the Cybermen, but not this tale for them
  • Mixed feelings about Mickey. Not that he was bad in this story- he was great, but it's taken so long for him to get this material. Serves Rose and 10 right for taking him for granted
  • The solution to the story seemed a tad underwhelming; just a quick text, sure? But the escape of the Cyber-Factory at least made for a thrilling ending
  • Maybe if this story had a hint of more body horror, something I know the show can't exactly dive into greatly, but something a little more like Ashad, it would have been cool. It's a Cyberman genesis story, like Go Wild
  • It was nice to see an alternate, Jackie, Pete, and Mickey, give the actors a chance to do something a little different

📝7/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

This time: Poor Man's Spare Parts I

MY SCATTERED AND TOTALLY IRRELEVANT NOTES:

This two-part story takes us to a parallel Earth, where the London skyline is dotted with blimps, Pete Tyler (Rose’s dad) is alive, and Mickey has an alternate self named Ricky.

While the script draws inspiration from the Big Finish classic Spare Parts, it diverges significantly in tone and content. The focus here is on reimagining Rose’s family dynamics, critiquing the dangers of wearable technology, and creating a new origin story for the Cybermen, complete with a sleeker—albeit less effective—design. The main idea borrowed from Spare Parts is the chilling concept of everyday people being abducted from the streets and forcibly converted into Cybermen in a horrifying process.

The main cast delivers familiar performances: the Tenth Doctor is his usual mix of flirtatious, condescending, and energetic; Rose is caught up in her longing for an alternate version of her father while jealously guarding her connection to the Doctor; and Mickey continues to search for his place in the team. However, Mickey finally receives some meaningful character development when he meets his parallel-world grandmother—a touching moment that leads to his eventual decision to leave the TARDIS.

Roger Lloyd-Pack (rest in peace) gives an over-the-top performance as John Lumic, a feeble, Davros-like villain who serves as the creator of these new Cybermen. His portrayal falls into the category of “so bad it’s good” villains, much like Zaroff from The Underwater Menace.

Shaun Dingwall shines as Pete Tyler, while Camille Coduri gives a fresh spin on Jackie. However, these more successful (but personally unfulfilled) versions of Rose’s parents shift focus away from the more compelling elements of the story, leaving the narrative feeling overly crowded.

The subplot involving the resistance group—led by Ricky, Jake, and eventually joined by Mickey—is serviceable but underdeveloped. Ricky, in particular, feels more like a caricature designed to contrast Mickey than a fully realized character. The group’s role becomes more prominent in the second part, but they lack depth and impact in this episode.

The build-up to the Cybermen's rise is effective, though a moment involving "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" undermines an otherwise tense scene. The episode follows a classic Doctor Who formula: a slow burn leading to a dramatic cliffhanger, with most of the action reserved for part two.

Unfortunately, these redesigned Cybermen—clunky robots stomping around and repeating their catchphrase—are a far cry from the eerie, humanoid cyborgs of the classic era.

Overall, while the story has its moments of intrigue and tension, it stumbles in balancing its numerous subplots, and the new Cybermen fail to live up to their chilling legacy.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• This marks the second production within a year featuring David Tennant and Roger Lloyd-Pack, following Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), where they played father and son.
• Poor Mickey. He finally gets to travel in the TARDIS, only to be sidelined. Still, he has a poignant moment when he refers to himself as "a spare part," a nod to the inspiration behind this story.
• This is the first parallel-world story in Doctor Who since Inferno (1970).
• It’s also the revived series' first foray into the classic mad scientist trope.
• Mickey’s alternate self, Ricky, shares a nickname originally given to him by the Doctor in the regular timeline.
• Russell T. Davies’ decision to give the Cybermen a catchphrase ("Delete!") in an attempt to rival the Daleks’ "Exterminate!" feels unnecessary and diminishes their menace. Thankfully, this gimmick has been abandoned in more recent episodes.
• The introduction of the new Cyber Controller is a highlight, as its design is genuinely impressive.