Earthshock part 3

[Craig @craig Emperor]

A little late again I’m afraid, but I’m back on track hopefully.

Now that the Doctor and Adric have been caught aboard the ship the Cybermen plot to take control of the freighter.

The Doctor and Adric plead innocence for the murders and try to convince the captain that there are some conspirators on board.

Remember, we’re watching this as it was first shown, one episode at a time, so NO SPOILERS for the final episode.

Earthshock is available on DVD for only £6.49 from the BBC:

http://www.bbcshop.com/drama/doctor-who-earthshock-dvd/invt/bbcdvd1153

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Another “Excellent” episode! Tegan as action hero! Cybermen in plastic bags! Beryl Reid dispensing sarcasm and karate chops! Traitors feeling the wrath of the Cybermen!

Bring on the final episode!

[The Krynoid Man @thekrynoidman]

As much as I love the design of the 80’s Cybermen, I don’t think they are as creepy as the ones from the 60’s. Mostly because of the voices, I think they sound a bit too human here.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@thekrynoidman

A good point, and I agree with your assessment of 60’s and 80’s Cybermen . In fact, it raises the question of when and why the Cybermen stopped speaking in their current incarnation. Or have I got that wrong? I can recall talking Cybermen in “The Next Doctor”, but do they talk under Moffat?

[Anonymous @]

Non stop action, really good, the breaking out of the cans is my all time favorite cyber-scene. The frozen door was cool too. The Cybermen are very human but they are just as good because you can see the jaw inside the helmet moving when they talk. The chin looks cadaver-ish. The rest of the cybermen bodies are less mechanical than AG cybermen, so from the chins you can imagine what the rest of them must look like.

I agree with @thekrynoidman that the voices are not as creepy and more human sounding than the 60’s cybermen, but it’s easier to understand what they say,.

I think the AG cybermen voices are the best so far. However, the cybermen in Nightmare in Silver only say one or two words at a time like “Upgrade complete”, so Moffat’s cybermen don’t talk as much. But Moffat’s cybermen are almost all machine, so it makes sense that the BG cyberman would talk more being more human.

@blenkinsopthebrave – the plastic bags are a mystery… Maybe cybermen leak?
Possibly the fleshy parts need to be kept fresh or the smell would give their hiding place away. 🙂

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

The Cyber kisses to the past continue. Now we’re on to The Invasion — and why not, it is the best Cyber-story bar none (unless you include Spare Parts ). BG stories tend to really find their feet in episode threes and this one’s quite a belter. Beryl’s is not quite so terrible here but she’s still no Hobson or Cutler. Scott gets to be the proto-Brigadier he’s been lined up to be and Tegan gets to get her Ripley on.

The polythene is a call-back to the Invasion, of course and the cocooned Cybermen of that story. I seem to remember that the tabloids of the day half-heartedly try to stir up some outrage about it as encouraging kids to put plastic bags over their heads in emulation in a way that not one kid did ever.

Cyber campness going off the scale here too. ‘My army awakes… Doktorr!!’. And surprisingly vengeful too.

The Cyberman fused in the door is a great effect though and is one of the few that still impresses today. And a cracking cliffhanger. Although it’s one that is seemingly obligatory for every Cyber story — and there are some that do it better — it nicely amps up the tension.

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

On the Cyber design. I think it’s one of the better ones — the translucent ‘chin’ plate is a masterstroke that emphasises the organic nature of the creature inside. None of the AG iterations have really worked because they just look far too much like robots in their entirety. The latest ones are a nice design but it’s too slick, too robotic. They really need to dirty it up a bit. I’m with Capaldi that the Mondasian Cybermen were the original and best.

Actually I’m really in favour of this version that Who designer Matt Savage came up with for them but which was not used.

My problem with the 80s one is one that is shared with the iterations that came after them too. They’re too militaristic. The Saward assumption and one that’s been built on since is that the Cybermen were essentially soldiers. I don’t see them like that. The 60s versions were essentially scientists gone bad, who had taken up arms to perpetuate their theories. Making them just like ranks of robot soldiers renders them just a bit too boring.

[ichabod @ichabod]

@jimthefish  Wow, that’s gorgeous!  I’ve always thought of the Cybermen as robotic soldiers because that’s how they look and how they act.  Maybe we need a story about them restoring themselves to a less armored look?  I don’t remember their origins at all, but I don’t like the super-muscular macho look they have now.

[Anonymous @]

@thekrynoidman and @blenkinsopthebrave

now, see, I like the Cybermen’s talking and their personalities. They’re a bit distinct, real and scary. There’s a sense you can exchange a dialogue with them beyond “delete delete.” It shows how perverse they are in the face of compassionate humanity 😉

The language type is a problem. Saying, “indeed” a lot is very Doctorr but hardly cyber-speak.

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