Today’s
missing episodes news got me in the mood for some black-and-white Who,
so I hopped onto iView for Tomb of the Cybermen. I’ve been told several
times about how racist this story is, and while I could acknowledge
these elements, they just couldn’t take away from the sheer thrill and
suspense of the story.
Don’t get me wrong – the plot is very simple, and when you think about it, not a whole lot actually happens. And the villains don’t have a very complex motivation for wanting the power of the Cybermen (what specific power exactly?) – just a general will to rule the world (with a dose of madness thrown in for Klieg). But the story is tight, with no boring bits. It never makes itself out to be anything other than an adventure/horror story, and from that point of view it succeeds tremendously.
Don’t get me wrong – the plot is very simple, and when you think about it, not a whole lot actually happens. And the villains don’t have a very complex motivation for wanting the power of the Cybermen (what specific power exactly?) – just a general will to rule the world (with a dose of madness thrown in for Klieg). But the story is tight, with no boring bits. It never makes itself out to be anything other than an adventure/horror story, and from that point of view it succeeds tremendously.
Those iconic scenes of the
Cybermen escaping their tombs? Yeah, they’re pretty cool (pun not
intended). I found the music really added to the atmosphere and I think
it will stick in my mind from this point onwards – though it was helped
by the fact that I watched the Proms just yesterday and it was included
in that. And there were some really great moments of dialogue: from the
Doctor’s chat about family with Victoria (the kind of nice, quiet
character moment you’d expect in the new series) to his testing of
Klieg’s sanity (a predecessor to Davros’ moment in Genesis?). I also
thought the characterisation of the Americans was hilarious.
Okay, I’ve mentioned race so I’ll keep going with it. Everyone knows this already, but it is problematic that the European Klieg and the (Middle-Eastern?) Kaftan are the baddies, while the rest of the white, English party are the goodies. And it is even more problematic that the only black member of the party is a servant, who says about 10 words in total, and whose sole value is based on his strength rather than his mind. One could compare him to another giant of British sci-fi – Gan from Blake’s 7 – but while Gan did make use of his muscles, he was also very loyal and friendly; a gentle giant who used his strength only when he needed to.
I had made it through three episodes without thinking too much of Toberman’s characterisation, but that changed the moment Kaftan died. The Doctor convinces Toberman to come back to the human side by talking to him like he’s a child; this could very well have meant to come across as keeping things clear enough for Toberman’s Cyber side to understand it, but given the emphasis on the character’s physical abilities over his mental ones, it just seems like Toberman is a bit simple. Even worse is when the Doctor says, “They've tried to make you their slave. They just want to use you. They are evil. Think of Kaftan.” The irony of telling someone’s personal servant about how he was going to be enslaved, and to think of his former mistress, is almost too much to bear.
The treatment of women is, I think, a lot better. Even though the male characters are constantly telling the women to stay put, Victoria puts up a fight (if a Victorian character recognises sexism then the writers probably don't agree with it), while Kaftan is quite happy to be underestimated and use the situation to her advantage. This story is arguably Victoria’s best. Of course she gets scared sometimes (who wouldn’t?), but she genuinely seems to try her best, even when she doesn’t get it right (e.g. being drugged by Kaftan). In some respects here she’s similar to what they were trying to do with Mel – someone who wants to be the Doctor’s companion, but just isn’t terribly good at it. And when she thinks she’s out of her depth, she calls for help from the pilot. I don’t see that as weak – I see that as recognising her own abilities and those of others. She’s arguably even braver than Jamie, who wants to return to the TARDIS at several points throughout the story.
There are a lot of good things going for this story, and some of the worse ones could be changed by a simple recasting. I’m mostly happy with what we’ve got, but there’s just one thing which confuses me: why would Cybermen build guns that would kill other Cybermen?
Okay, I’ve mentioned race so I’ll keep going with it. Everyone knows this already, but it is problematic that the European Klieg and the (Middle-Eastern?) Kaftan are the baddies, while the rest of the white, English party are the goodies. And it is even more problematic that the only black member of the party is a servant, who says about 10 words in total, and whose sole value is based on his strength rather than his mind. One could compare him to another giant of British sci-fi – Gan from Blake’s 7 – but while Gan did make use of his muscles, he was also very loyal and friendly; a gentle giant who used his strength only when he needed to.
I had made it through three episodes without thinking too much of Toberman’s characterisation, but that changed the moment Kaftan died. The Doctor convinces Toberman to come back to the human side by talking to him like he’s a child; this could very well have meant to come across as keeping things clear enough for Toberman’s Cyber side to understand it, but given the emphasis on the character’s physical abilities over his mental ones, it just seems like Toberman is a bit simple. Even worse is when the Doctor says, “They've tried to make you their slave. They just want to use you. They are evil. Think of Kaftan.” The irony of telling someone’s personal servant about how he was going to be enslaved, and to think of his former mistress, is almost too much to bear.
The treatment of women is, I think, a lot better. Even though the male characters are constantly telling the women to stay put, Victoria puts up a fight (if a Victorian character recognises sexism then the writers probably don't agree with it), while Kaftan is quite happy to be underestimated and use the situation to her advantage. This story is arguably Victoria’s best. Of course she gets scared sometimes (who wouldn’t?), but she genuinely seems to try her best, even when she doesn’t get it right (e.g. being drugged by Kaftan). In some respects here she’s similar to what they were trying to do with Mel – someone who wants to be the Doctor’s companion, but just isn’t terribly good at it. And when she thinks she’s out of her depth, she calls for help from the pilot. I don’t see that as weak – I see that as recognising her own abilities and those of others. She’s arguably even braver than Jamie, who wants to return to the TARDIS at several points throughout the story.
There are a lot of good things going for this story, and some of the worse ones could be changed by a simple recasting. I’m mostly happy with what we’ve got, but there’s just one thing which confuses me: why would Cybermen build guns that would kill other Cybermen?
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