Wow, what an incredible episode. Putting aside the dodgy physics, the episode had a wonderful but strange blending of humor and darkness.
I was probably a little slower than others that Simm was masquerading as Razor (heh, he was rather Zathras-like, wasn't he?), but when Bill and The Master were "outside" the hospital, something about the excessive make-up finally stood out to me. It had bothered me before and I wondered why he looked so different from the nurse and doctor, but I couldn't put the my finger on it. During that outside scene, I suddenly could see his eyes and remembered how much The Master loves his disguises. Pity the name he chose wasn't an anagram of The Master (or even Harold Saxon).
And finally we get The Simm Master with a proper goatee and dressed in black!
The episode explored the Cybermen in a way that I haven't seen done properly in a long time (certainly not since the classic series and certainly not during the rubbish in series 2). The Mondasians are in complete pain from the conversion, and while it wasn't necessary to explain, we learn how each part of the Mondasian Cybermen costume was developed. The chest component for the heart, the hospital gown is directly incorporated over the entire body (which had been implied before), and the headpiece acts as an emotional inhibitor. Even Bill's tear echoes the future costume design (and works far better than Yvonne's allusion).
So, if I correctly understand the exposition from the end of the episode, this ship is from Mondas and therefore developed the Cybermen independently from the Cybermen seen in
The Tenth Planet, which would mean this story doesn't conflict with Big Finish's
Spare Parts origin story. Assuming I understand the exposition correctly.
I have only two complaints about the episode. I wish we had the opportunity to see the horror of Bill's slow conversion by showing her "heart" transplant. It wouldn't even involve any kind of nudity because the chest device completely covers the front side of her torso. The other problem with the episode was the godsdamn stomping. I've always hated the new series Cybermen stomping and it looks and sounds all the more ridiculous when it's applied to the Mondasian Cybermen considering they walked normally (relatively so).
I can only hope "The Doctor Falls" is a satisfying conclusion in ways "The Last of the Time Lords" and "Hell Bent" absolutely weren't.
I sure wish people hadn't spoiled me about what appeared in the teaser for the next episode.
Oh, and I guess Spare Parts is no longer the go-to story for the Cybermen's origin. Too bad.
Actually, I think it might still work (see my above review).
Well, that was.... unsurprising. And if Chibnall never does the "Doctor Who" name reference within an episode, it'll be twenty billion years too soon.
Honestly, this was the one time I didn't mind it because it played well with Missy's test. But I can see how it would be annoying along with all of Moffat's endless gags about his name.
Tell you what, though, all of Capaldi's finales have definitely benefited, visually and tonally, from having an actual Hollywood director in charge. I'm glad she's helming the Xmas Special to see him out as well.
Absolutely! The only other director whose style has stood out to me in the new series has been Graeme Harper's and I sure wish he would return.
Did anyone else recognize a shot from the series 8 finale? I thought I saw one, anyway.
Which shot?
Someone needs to have a word with the BBC Publicity department as about 95% of the story was already revealed in advance from the trailers and other officialy released materials.
Really apart from the pre-credits sequence* there wasn't a single surprise in it. And they've done it again for next week by having a shot of the unCybered Bill in the Trailer. (Not the "Next Time" one, the seperate one.)
No kidding. Granted part of the problem is my own lack of self-control to look for these details, but I agree the BBC needs to work on their publicity.
I'm assuming so, and that it'll be a cliffhanger into the Xmas Special.
That's my guess as well. One of a number of lovely callbacks to
The Tenth Planet.
I think we're all trying to forget that horror. Including Chris Chibnall.
