It seems that Steven Moffat has finally given in to Peter Capaldi and brought back the Mondassian Cybermen for the Series Ten finale. There are a few slight modifications to the design, including a smaller chestplate, and a smaller headlamp, but these are recognisable as the originals. It's going to be interesting to see how they're integrated into the modern series. Is the Doctor actually going to visit Mondas or are they just on Earth? Are they invading the planet or have they brought there by time travel shenanigans? Will they even be the main enemy in the episode or is this announcement just a smoke screen to hide a bigger threat? Numerous possibilities present themselves, but expectations have certainly been raised.
As with the return of the 60s Daleks in The Magician's Apprentice, I'm somewhat happy about this but somewhat weary at the same time. It feels as if the modern show is becoming increasingly self-indulgent when it comes to bringing back old designs. Older fans might see this as a return to the 'good old days' but it's often been the case that these older fans tend to overstate the the body horror aspects of these original Cybermen. Only a few of the original series Cybermen stories actually presented the horror of Cyber Conversion. The Tenth Planet did not feature any conversions, even if the characters discuss it. These original costumes were considered ineffective enough to be replaced for The Moonbase. Some people find the sing-song voices creepy, others think they sound silly. Fan's like them, but today's audiences may not be quite as willing to indulge them. Time will tell.good news is that the finale is being directed by Rachael Talalay. If she can make the Mondassian Cybermen as scary as the Veil from Heaven Sent, then we're in for a great story.
As with the return of the 60s Daleks in The Magician's Apprentice, I'm somewhat happy about this but somewhat weary at the same time. It feels as if the modern show is becoming increasingly self-indulgent when it comes to bringing back old designs. Older fans might see this as a return to the 'good old days' but it's often been the case that these older fans tend to overstate the the body horror aspects of these original Cybermen. Only a few of the original series Cybermen stories actually presented the horror of Cyber Conversion. The Tenth Planet did not feature any conversions, even if the characters discuss it. These original costumes were considered ineffective enough to be replaced for The Moonbase. Some people find the sing-song voices creepy, others think they sound silly. Fan's like them, but today's audiences may not be quite as willing to indulge them. Time will tell.good news is that the finale is being directed by Rachael Talalay. If she can make the Mondassian Cybermen as scary as the Veil from Heaven Sent, then we're in for a great story.
Another old enemy making a welcome return for this finale is Missy but it is not yet known whether she is working with the Cybermen. I hope it's different this time, otherwise it all sounds a little too similar to Dark Water, with even the same director coming back.
It's nice that although Peter is leaving the show, he will at least have had the opportunity to fight some of his favourite monsters. Given the way he's talked about The Web Planet, perhaps this will pave the way for the return of the Zarbi in the upcoming Christmas special? Now that would be something.
No comments:
Post a Comment