So, watched the DOCTOR WHO episode "The Age of Steel"...
...and it was amazing, but sweet bejesus was it sad.
Things I Loved:
-The Doctor *pwning* the Cybermen with the TARDIS crystal from earlier.
Fucking awesome.
-Moments of humor in there, such as Mr. Tyler's snark about "Scooby Doo and his gang", and Ricky confessing that he's London's Most Wanted for parking tickets. Definitely needed considering how dark the episode really was.
-Ricky! ;.; But seriously, it was really well-done, especially Jake's reaction. Heartbreaking, though.
-Dr. Crane attempting to stop Lumic. Granted, it didn't work, and he was attacking him more for self-preservation reasons, but E for effort, I think.
-I also like the scene where Lumic is taken to be upgraded. My headcanon says that the Cybermen weren't turning on him like the Daleks did to Davros in "Genesis of the Daleks", but were, in a twisted way, trying to help him. After all, the Cybermen aren't aware yet to what Lumic's done to them, while the Daleks were programmed to exterminate all non-Daleks. But yeah...that was a chilling scene, especially with that hellish gasping of Lumic's. Fucking chilling, but well-done.
-The Doctor and Rose hugging before Rose goes into the factory with Pete.
-Learning more about Ms. Moore/Angelica Price. Seriously, she was a great character, and it really sucked when she died.
+ The Doctor and Angelica finding that one Cyberman, Sally Field. It starts off awesome with Angelica's "Upgrade this!" but quickly turned sad when Sally started to recover some of her emotions. It's not immediate -- probably because the emotional inhibitor was accidentally broken instead of...you know -- but the little things, like the fact that she was about to get married before being upgraded ("Is Gareth here? It's bad luck to see me before the wedding.") and "Why am I cold?"... *Sniffle* And the Doctor Mercy Killing her. I think that's one of those moments I love the Doctor...showing compassion where others wouldn't. Which makes his brief stints of ruthlessness all the more frightening, and no doubt reveal how far an enemy's pushed him.
-Pete and Rose finding the upgraded Jackie Tyler. God, Pete's reaction, and Rose's... ;.; Even though Jackie was kind of callous to Rose in the previous episode, I still feel bad for her. Then again, I don't think that anyone deserves that fate. *Shivers*
+ I also love the visual of the upgrading process -- how we don't see much except the tools doing their work, and the Cyberman mask being lowered. It really leaves one's imagination to do the work partially, which makes it all the more frightening. Gratuitous blood and gore will just make me nauseous -- I know -- but leaving stuff like this to the imagination...that's all the more frightening and effective. And even heartbreaking. Especially considering none of the people there consented to this; they were innocent victims to Lumic's megalomania and fear of death. It's an interesting pattern, really, that some of the most despicable villains of the RTD era (such as Rassilon, Brian Greene from CHILDREN OF EARTH, and Lumic) have motives rooted in some form of self-preservation. Granted, they can't all be summed up so succinctly, but it's a part of their characters.
-I love the reveal of the Cyber Controller. Just the build-up to it is amazing. And Lumic/The Controller's speech to the Doctor, talking about bringing peace to the world, and unity, and uniformity. It really makes it all the more frightening because the Controller genuinely believes that what he and the Cybermen are doing is right. The new race of Cybermen will never age, never get sick...things like that. And no prejudice, no grief or pain or rage, no dissent, etc. Just helping others, in a sick twisted way. The problem is that they'll completely eliminate the things that make us human -- imagination, for example, and independent thought. Things that got us this far. It's an argument, I think, against the ideal of the perfect human -- even if we reach perfection, what cost will it be? And even the idea of purging oneself of emotion, whether it be literal in the case of the emotional inhibitor, in a way, or figurative (there are many examples of this, I think)...perhaps it sounds good to some on the surface -- especially since, as the Doctor said, emotions hurt for them -- but to purge it erases everything that makes us human. As Sarah Jane said in "School Reunion", grief, loss, etc. are part of life. I think it really depends on what we do with them, whether we let them consume us, or we cope with them. Emotions are a natural part of humanity. It's our actions that really count. And to be "liberated" from those emotions -- perhaps some are all right with that, but I'm not. Because if it were a choice between my emotions and my life -- I might choose the former. Because living like a Cyberman, literal or figurative...I don't think I'd be able to bear it. Especially considering...well, I wouldn't have gotten far in writing if not for my emotions. It's how I cope, and it's who I am, and having to live like that...that's what I wouldn't be able to bear. Imprisoned in a cold metal suit of armor, no more than a brain, cut off from emotions...no wonder they went insane when the Doctor switched off the emotional inhibitor.
I also liked the speech from the Doctor about the traits of humanity that Lumic is trying to suppress in a way the ones that keep humanity moving forward. Because it's true. Without things like ingenuity and such, without obstacles to overcome...well, I doubt we would have gotten this far. And I liked the speech being a sort of signal for Mickey to release the code to switch off the inhibitor.
-The Cybermen's reactions were heartbreaking. I mean, granted, some of it got a bit unintentionally funny, what with...well, they're trying to communicate that the Cybermen can't bear the emotions, that it's literally killing them, but on occasion, it looks almost like really bad breakdancing. On the other hand, that one Cyberman (parallel!Jackie?) crying...goddamn. And the Doctor's "I'm so sorry" also broke my heart. I'll admit I nearly lost it at that point. Just...goddamn.
-Mickey taking another level in badass and helping fly the Doctor, Rose and Pete out (also a bit of a Crowning Moment of Funny with the "Playstation!" line) in time. Honestly, this is one of my favorite Mickey episodes. :3
+ Also, the scene where the Cyber Controller climbs the ladder after them and Pete knocks him off with a "Jackie Tyler! This is for her!" Seriously, And There Was Much Rejoicing. Honestly, Lumic was bad enough in the previous episode but here...he was just *evil*.
-Ten telling Jake to tell Angelica's family she died saving the world.
-Mickey leaving the TARDIS. *Sniffle* I'm going to miss you, Micks. Granted, he comes back later, but still...
+ I mean, stuff like, "Go on. You're going to miss your flight." and "Good luck...Mickey the idiot"...yeah, let's say that Mickey's departure broke my heart and warmed it at the same time. It's one of many reasons I love DOCTOR WHO, because it's just really damn good at making you feel. And I think that's the lifeblood of fiction , amongst other factors...a good plot's all well and good, but it's really kind of useless without good characters and emotion. It gives us reasons to give a damn. And in a way, characters can drive plot -- through what they do, why they do it, how others react, and a lot more. And I think WHO handles it beautifully.
-The ending, which, while bittersweet, was hopeful and lovely at the same time. I loved Rose's reunion with Jackie and the latter giving her a much-needed hug, and Mickey and Jake going to kick ass and take names.
So overall? Loved it. Definitely recommended.
Things I Loved:
-The Doctor *pwning* the Cybermen with the TARDIS crystal from earlier.
Fucking awesome.
-Moments of humor in there, such as Mr. Tyler's snark about "Scooby Doo and his gang", and Ricky confessing that he's London's Most Wanted for parking tickets. Definitely needed considering how dark the episode really was.
-Ricky! ;.; But seriously, it was really well-done, especially Jake's reaction. Heartbreaking, though.
-Dr. Crane attempting to stop Lumic. Granted, it didn't work, and he was attacking him more for self-preservation reasons, but E for effort, I think.
-I also like the scene where Lumic is taken to be upgraded. My headcanon says that the Cybermen weren't turning on him like the Daleks did to Davros in "Genesis of the Daleks", but were, in a twisted way, trying to help him. After all, the Cybermen aren't aware yet to what Lumic's done to them, while the Daleks were programmed to exterminate all non-Daleks. But yeah...that was a chilling scene, especially with that hellish gasping of Lumic's. Fucking chilling, but well-done.
-The Doctor and Rose hugging before Rose goes into the factory with Pete.
-Learning more about Ms. Moore/Angelica Price. Seriously, she was a great character, and it really sucked when she died.
+ The Doctor and Angelica finding that one Cyberman, Sally Field. It starts off awesome with Angelica's "Upgrade this!" but quickly turned sad when Sally started to recover some of her emotions. It's not immediate -- probably because the emotional inhibitor was accidentally broken instead of...you know -- but the little things, like the fact that she was about to get married before being upgraded ("Is Gareth here? It's bad luck to see me before the wedding.") and "Why am I cold?"... *Sniffle* And the Doctor Mercy Killing her. I think that's one of those moments I love the Doctor...showing compassion where others wouldn't. Which makes his brief stints of ruthlessness all the more frightening, and no doubt reveal how far an enemy's pushed him.
-Pete and Rose finding the upgraded Jackie Tyler. God, Pete's reaction, and Rose's... ;.; Even though Jackie was kind of callous to Rose in the previous episode, I still feel bad for her. Then again, I don't think that anyone deserves that fate. *Shivers*
+ I also love the visual of the upgrading process -- how we don't see much except the tools doing their work, and the Cyberman mask being lowered. It really leaves one's imagination to do the work partially, which makes it all the more frightening. Gratuitous blood and gore will just make me nauseous -- I know -- but leaving stuff like this to the imagination...that's all the more frightening and effective. And even heartbreaking. Especially considering none of the people there consented to this; they were innocent victims to Lumic's megalomania and fear of death. It's an interesting pattern, really, that some of the most despicable villains of the RTD era (such as Rassilon, Brian Greene from CHILDREN OF EARTH, and Lumic) have motives rooted in some form of self-preservation. Granted, they can't all be summed up so succinctly, but it's a part of their characters.
-I love the reveal of the Cyber Controller. Just the build-up to it is amazing. And Lumic/The Controller's speech to the Doctor, talking about bringing peace to the world, and unity, and uniformity. It really makes it all the more frightening because the Controller genuinely believes that what he and the Cybermen are doing is right. The new race of Cybermen will never age, never get sick...things like that. And no prejudice, no grief or pain or rage, no dissent, etc. Just helping others, in a sick twisted way. The problem is that they'll completely eliminate the things that make us human -- imagination, for example, and independent thought. Things that got us this far. It's an argument, I think, against the ideal of the perfect human -- even if we reach perfection, what cost will it be? And even the idea of purging oneself of emotion, whether it be literal in the case of the emotional inhibitor, in a way, or figurative (there are many examples of this, I think)...perhaps it sounds good to some on the surface -- especially since, as the Doctor said, emotions hurt for them -- but to purge it erases everything that makes us human. As Sarah Jane said in "School Reunion", grief, loss, etc. are part of life. I think it really depends on what we do with them, whether we let them consume us, or we cope with them. Emotions are a natural part of humanity. It's our actions that really count. And to be "liberated" from those emotions -- perhaps some are all right with that, but I'm not. Because if it were a choice between my emotions and my life -- I might choose the former. Because living like a Cyberman, literal or figurative...I don't think I'd be able to bear it. Especially considering...well, I wouldn't have gotten far in writing if not for my emotions. It's how I cope, and it's who I am, and having to live like that...that's what I wouldn't be able to bear. Imprisoned in a cold metal suit of armor, no more than a brain, cut off from emotions...no wonder they went insane when the Doctor switched off the emotional inhibitor.
I also liked the speech from the Doctor about the traits of humanity that Lumic is trying to suppress in a way the ones that keep humanity moving forward. Because it's true. Without things like ingenuity and such, without obstacles to overcome...well, I doubt we would have gotten this far. And I liked the speech being a sort of signal for Mickey to release the code to switch off the inhibitor.
-The Cybermen's reactions were heartbreaking. I mean, granted, some of it got a bit unintentionally funny, what with...well, they're trying to communicate that the Cybermen can't bear the emotions, that it's literally killing them, but on occasion, it looks almost like really bad breakdancing. On the other hand, that one Cyberman (parallel!Jackie?) crying...goddamn. And the Doctor's "I'm so sorry" also broke my heart. I'll admit I nearly lost it at that point. Just...goddamn.
-Mickey taking another level in badass and helping fly the Doctor, Rose and Pete out (also a bit of a Crowning Moment of Funny with the "Playstation!" line) in time. Honestly, this is one of my favorite Mickey episodes. :3
+ Also, the scene where the Cyber Controller climbs the ladder after them and Pete knocks him off with a "Jackie Tyler! This is for her!" Seriously, And There Was Much Rejoicing. Honestly, Lumic was bad enough in the previous episode but here...he was just *evil*.
-Ten telling Jake to tell Angelica's family she died saving the world.
-Mickey leaving the TARDIS. *Sniffle* I'm going to miss you, Micks. Granted, he comes back later, but still...
+ I mean, stuff like, "Go on. You're going to miss your flight." and "Good luck...Mickey the idiot"...yeah, let's say that Mickey's departure broke my heart and warmed it at the same time. It's one of many reasons I love DOCTOR WHO, because it's just really damn good at making you feel. And I think that's the lifeblood of fiction , amongst other factors...a good plot's all well and good, but it's really kind of useless without good characters and emotion. It gives us reasons to give a damn. And in a way, characters can drive plot -- through what they do, why they do it, how others react, and a lot more. And I think WHO handles it beautifully.
-The ending, which, while bittersweet, was hopeful and lovely at the same time. I loved Rose's reunion with Jackie and the latter giving her a much-needed hug, and Mickey and Jake going to kick ass and take names.
So overall? Loved it. Definitely recommended.