Ascension of the Cybermen - The First Review

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DOCTOR WHO: SERIES 12 EPISODE 9! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Starring Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill and Tosin Cole, with Julie Graham, Steve Toussaint and Ian McElhinney.

Written by Chris Chibnall.
Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone.

The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Ashad (Patrick O'Kane) face down in a dramatic confrontation.

The aftermath of the Great Cyber-War. The Doctor arrives in the far future, intent on protecting the last of the human race from the deadly Cybermen. But in the face of such a relentless enemy, has she put her best friends at risk? What terrors lie hiding in the depths of space, and what is Ko Sharmus?

"Ascension of the Cybermen" is the first part of the big, grand-standing series finale for Series 12 of Doctor Who. There's a lot riding on this episode: Chris Chibnall has, across the series, set quite a few plates in motion, and there is a lot of expectation with this episode. So, it will come as no surprise to anyone that all that build up is mostly ignored, in order to tell a competent, if messy, by-the-numbers quest narrative. I enjoyed it, but I did find myself being pulled out of the story more times than I wanted to, and it certainly didn't feel like it warrants the hype that has been built around it, even at this early stage.

"If you have a problem... if no one else can help... and if you
can find them... maybe you can hire... the A-Team."

Following on directly from the events of "The Haunting of Villa Diodati", the Doctor and gang show up on a planet where the last surviving members of the human race are fleeing from the Cybermen in a desperate attempt to reach Ko Sharmus, which they believe will allow them to permanently escape the Cybermen. Now, these sections of the episode are clearly the strongest, and the ones that Chris is probably the most invested in, and its not hard to see why. They're fulled by the kind of fast-paced, pulpy action that Doctor Who does well, especially when you've got strong characters, dialogue and villains, all of which this story has. They're simple, down-the-line fun, and that makes for an enjoyable combination. However, these sections are continually slowed down by every other element that this story decides to bring up. Not just content with dealing with one very good and easy to execute plot, Chris Chibnall throws in a number of elements that are seemingly disconnected from the main narrative, which aren't that intriguing, to be honest. I'm trying to see what the point is in any of the scenes involving Brendan, as they don't really add anything to the narrative, other than pure clickbait. Which, let's face it, has been the whole point of this story arc so far. I can understand a want to build up tension and excitement, but there's not even any real signs of answers, as far as this arc goes. It's just left unrelated to anything that has taken place thus far in the episode, and therefore it just seems like a (very feeble) attempt to build up excitement for something with no real answers. It just seems unnecessarily confusing, at least to this viewer. As mentioned before, the main Cybermen plot of the episode is actually really great, and, if allowed to breath, would make for one of the most exciting episodes since series opener "Spyfall". That being said, however, it isn't stunningly original, and could even be described as 'predictable'. But that doesn't really matter when the story is compelling, and I think this qualifies as such. Due to the events of the previous episode, the stakes for the Doctor are as high as they could possibly be, and she is driven to the edge by the escalating tension. Stories that feature the Doctor pushed to the edge are some of the most engaging stories in the show's history, especially if they are used sparingly. Since most of this era has seen the Doctor pretty cool and collected, this is a radical change, and it works well here, as, bar the previous episode, we haven't seen this Doctor really pushed into a corner, even against the Recon Dalek or the Master, so this makes for a great change. It is hard to talk about the plot of a part one, without having seen part two (and this story is mostly definitely a two-parter), but it does seem that, unlike "Spyfall", this is going to be a story where both parts feel very different to each other. I would have liked a consistent story all the way through (something that a number of the single episode stories this year can be accused of failing to do), but it will all depend on how Chris ties everything up in the next episode.

Ryan (Tosin Cole) find that piloting a stolen Cyber-Ship isn't
as easy as it looks.

One area this story does score big, in my opinion, is in the guest cast. While no one would ever say we were breaking new ground with any of them, I do think they were interestingly portrayed and the acting level was, across the board, some of the best this year. The last humans are an interesting group of people, mostly because of who they are, and what the Cybermen have forced them to become. For the most part, these people are farmers, teachers and other such types, and, as such, have no experience in combat. And yet, because of the Cyber War, they have been forced into trying to fight back as best as they can. This makes for some potentially interesting conflict, as these people are not born soldiers, yet have had to survive against the odds. Sadly, I wouldn't say this element was explored as well as it could be, but it is at least attempted, particularly with the character of Ravio, played by Julie Graham. There are a couple of wonderful scenes she shares with Graham, where she gets a chance to show that she isn't just a tough-nut character in a story that, traditionally in Doctor Who, is full of them. The characters constantly subvert your expectations: Ko Sharmus is another great example of that: at first, it sounds like Chris Chibnall is once again pulling out his unpronounceable names (I'm looking at you Ranskoor Av Kolos). However, once it turns out that Ko Sharmus is a person and not a place, we get to see a very interesting character with plenty of potential. Ian McElhinnery is a phenomenal actor (anyone who has seen Derry Girls will know just how funny he is), and here, he gets the chance to play a quiet, wise sage with experience and knowledge. It's a lovely, understated performance that may seem at odds with the crash-bang-wallop of everything else going, but actually adds an quiet, gentle touch to proceedings. The rest of the guest cast are pretty great as well, although their characters are a little more bog-standard than the others previously mentioned. They populate the story well, and are interesting when watching the story, but you certainly won't remember them when its over. Ashad, played by Patrick O'Kane, continues to be a very intimidating villain, and one of the most interesting individual Cybermen in the show's history. This time around, he's not quite as central a threat as he was in "The Haunting of Villa Diodati", which is a bit of a shame considering how interesting he was in the previous episode. That's not to say his interesting threat is diminished here, but, due to the multitude of things going on, he slightly fades into the background of the story a little more. Its also nice to see the regulars given plenty to do, even if the Doctor is clearly the primary focus of the story. Partnering Graham and Yaz together is a great idea, especially considering they are the team that have spent the least amount of time on-screen together. We get to see a caring side between the two, which, of course, means only one thing - one of them is about to die horribly. That being said, we at least care about them, something that might have been difficult to do even a few episodes ago. Jodie Whittaker also turns in her best performance here, as the Doctor pushed to desperation and even beyond by events. The final cliffhanger is actually vastly improved by her shocked reaction to events. And, of course, the return of Sacha Dhawan as the Master is a cause for celebration. Unarguably the best thing about this season, his return in the next episode promises that we'll at least get some more of his great Master, even if the rest of the story happens to be rubbish.

"Oi, Chris, I thought you'd promised there would be no
running in this one!"

The production standards of this episode are, once again, fantastic. It really does go without saying, but I feel like it should, because the amount of work that is put into making the show look this good does need constantly praising. The new design of the Cybermen is fantastic, and a real homage to the old and the new. While maintaining the basic shape of the Cybermen first seen in "Nightmare in Silver", the faces and heads are much more reminiscent of those seen in "The Invasion". If I was being a nitpick, it would be that, by comparison, the two Cybus Cybermen that the production team pulled out of the cupboard look pretty naff, and feel very out of place in this story. The Cyber-Drones are both terrifying and absolutely hilarious, which, lets face it, sums up most Doctor Who monsters. They're a bit of a silly concept (I mean, flying Cyber heads, come on?), but what sells the drama is the way they are shot, the reactions of the actors and the effect they have on the story. They help make the scene, as far as I'm concerned. Director Jamie Magnus Stone plays around with some interesting elements in order to make this episode stand out, but focuses mostly on making the action as exciting as it can possibly be, something which I'm pretty happy with. Unlike something like "Can You Hear Me?" or even "Orphan 55", this isn't attempting to be anything more than a straight bit of action-adventure pulp, and Stone directs it as such. This is absolutely the right approach, and it pays off. And, although I have issues with the way it is integrated into the narrative, the Brendan sequences are wonderfully shot, and the landscapes are utterly beautiful. Stone makes these sequences almost dream-like, and I wonder if that will have any impact upon the resolution... What I do want to briefly talk about while I have the time is some criticism I have seen online about the style of direction and presentation of Doctor Who in the past couple of years. Some have said they find the programme difficult to watch, as it looks murky and artificially darkened. I woul personally counter these criticisms, however, by saying that the show, to this viewer at least, has never looked so good. I get a sense that a lot of this era's visual appeal depends on what equipment you are using to view the episodes. I'm watching these episodes as they air, on BBC One HD, on a fairly powerful TV. I mean, it's not brand-new or anything, but it still packs a hefty punch. But this is an era of Doctor Who that doesn't benefit to older sets, those watching in standard definition or even those catching up online with poor internet connections. To get the most out of this era, you really need to be watching it with the right equipment, in my honest opinion, because you will appreciate how much time and effort has gone into it so much more than if you don't.

"So... Do you guys come here often?"

Overall, "Ascension of the Cybermen" is what I would describe as an ok start to this two-part story. Not all the elements really work, and some things are clearly more interesting than others, even at this early stage. It is, however, at least watchable, and there's some things that could spring off in interesting directions, depending on where we go next. I can't really say I'm optimistic for "The Timeless Children", but "Ascension of the Cybermen" was, at least, entertainingly enigmatic. It will just depend on how well the whole thing is now wrapped up.

All pictures copyright to the BBC. Thank you very much for reading.