Looking back on it, Gerry Davis was indispensable in the early years of this program. As a script editor, and as a frequent collaborator with Kit Pedler on the stories that first developed the Cybermen, he certainly left a lasting mark. It's a pity that his time on the series ends with a story that was almost completely rewritten from his original, and so bears very little of his thumbprint as a writer. I've heard that Davis's original vision, Return of the Cybermen (a very Star Wars distinction), is available as an audio story from Big Finish, and I'll probably check it out sometime.
It kind of shows, because in their first appearance since 1968's Invasion, and their last until 1982's Earthshock, these Cybermen aren't exactly... Cybermen. They have the look, albeit slightly modified, especially that cool black helmet on the Cyber-Leader. But they certainly sound a little too emotive for my liking, and there's nary a hint in the entire story that they're anything more than big, hulking robots. As the Cybermen are some of my favorite Who monsters, I can't help but to find this conceptual simplification disappointing. What was the point of having them back at all aside from the recognition factor?
Although this aspect underwhelmed me, the story is generally a fairly strong one. Although it's clearly a cost saving measure, we do feel we've come full circle by arriving back on Nerva Beacon, where our journey this season really began. Similar to the last Ark we were on, a great expanse of time separates this visit from the last, but this time we're in the past instead of the future. The one really interesting concept relating with the Cybermen that's introduced here is their allergy to gold. This calls back to the sort of concepts that Davis's predecessor David Whitaker wrote about (gold being silver's alchemical opposite) and so, while a little silly in practice, is still a cool idea.
The best part of the story is totally Kellman, though. Jeremy Wilkin is really good in the part, which isn't very subtly written in the script, but is performed with some subtlety by the actor. I like his little barely-hidden smirk of satisfaction when he realizes the Cybermen are on their way and he's going to have back-up. Curiously, it turns out that he was only working with the Cybermen on the instructions of one of the Vogans, who try to lure the Cybermen to Voga and into a trap in revenge for an attack on Voga centuries before. The Vogans themselves aren't the most successful aliens the show has tried so far, but the sets of their city look interesting, as do the location shots of the caves.
All in all, a fun story, but not the most groundbreaking outing for the titular silver titans. There are a lot of fun moments as long as you don't try to think about it too hard. Our roundup for Season Twelve will be coming up next.
"HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILE!"
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 17 April 2021.)
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