Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel [TV/2006.5.13 ~ 5.20]

★★★☆☆

  "Delete!" was never gonna catch on.

  There's a decidedly enjoyable factor in this two-parter, namely in how much of a time capsule it is. Just like how the original concept of the Cybermen back in the 1960s were about their contemporary fears (organ transplants), Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel is very much a 2006 story — the entirety of today's news and other forms of media, downloaded straight into your flip phone and into your brain through futuristic earpieces. The early Russell T Davies era of the New Series is already a fascinating relic into how life was in the mid-naughts, but this pre-iPhone science fiction sensibility mixed with the tried and true notion of Cybermen brings out something unique indeed.

  Now, I wouldn't say this is overall a standout two-parter. The Cybermen in question are bulky, robotic creatures that never really caught my fancy (even now, the only New Series design of the Cybermen I can say I love is the look from Series 12). David Tennant's struggle to get his Doctor right is apparent, and this story might just be one of his least flattering outings, though Billie Piper delivers a fantastic performance. Everything's a bit emotionally detached, too by-the-numbers for me to truly love it... which is ironic, since the former is the exact reason I held back from giving Spare Parts (which this was loosely based on) a full five stars. However, Mickey Smith is treated much better than he ever was, and there are a few Cybermen moments which show me that Tom MacRae and the team really cared about making these silver menaces creatures of tragedy. 

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  As Cyberman origin stories go, this is perhaps the weakest of the lot. In the case of Cyberman stories in general, it manages to hit that sweet spot between average and very good. It's good, is basically what I'm trying to say. With a stronger performance from Tennant and a willingness to go much deeper, much grittier with these newborn monsters, I would have loved it even more.