Doctor Who: Ascension of the Cybermen (12x09)

I am intrigued!

Cons:

The start of this episode dropped us in with very little context. We're at the end of the Cyber-Wars, as the last of the humans and Cybermen are still duking it out. But where we left things last week, I didn't realize that their plan was to go and deal with the situation immediately. It goes back to the thing I've been struggling with all season - pacing. There is one more episode of the season. What happened to the other Doctor, who our Doctor can't remember? The Master has just now turned up again... do we really have time to unpack all of that, the return of Gallifrey, etc. etc. in one single hour? I think not! I hope not, in any case.

Pros:

I want Yaz and the Doctor to kiss, okay? Yeesh, these two are in love with each other. I love the tension between them here, as the Doctor tries to send her human friends away to safety, and Yaz is the one who immediately buckles down and says she doesn't want to leave her. Sure, the Doctor is worried about Graham and Ryan too, but the big confrontation goes to Yaz and the Doctor, and it is charged. When they hear each other's voice again, after being separated, they are both so incredibly delighted to hear from one another. So cute!

This episode did a good job of creating a theme about the resilience of the human spirit. You've got this tiny enclave, just seven humans left trying to hold out against the Cybermen. They're not warriors. They're teachers, and caretakers, and they only have each other. When the Doctor and the fam show up, they continue to bolster the spirits of the run-down humans. I loved that Graham kept up a confident air the whole time, sure that they'd somehow make it through, despite insurmountable odds.

Another example of beautiful humanity comes in the form of Ko Sharmus, a man who selflessly remained on Earth just in case there were any other humans coming, to be sent through a portal and to possible safety. It's enormously moving, what this man was willing to do, and it puts everything about this struggle into perspective, for the viewer and arguably for the Doctor as well.

The Doctor's characterization here is fascinating. She can be somewhat mean, biting and sharp, but it's all covering up her own self-loathing. I love how her confidence spikes when she's trying to hide deeper emotions. And then once again everything turns upside down with the re-appearance of Gallifrey and the Master. Next week we'll get to see the fall-out from this reunion play out, and I am beyond excited.

Interwoven with the above plot, we see a story of a man named Brendan, who was found and adopted by a nice couple, grew up to be a police officer, and lived a distinguished and good life. Just one weird thing - apparently, he can't be killed. And as the episode ends, we see him being taken by mysterious men and hooked up to an odd machine. Ostensibly, he becomes a Cyberman. But is he the "last Cyberman" that we saw last week, and have heard so much about? There's clearly more going on here than meets the eye. I found this whole story really intriguing, and I was oddly caught up in Brendan's fate - I wanted him to get to enjoy his retirement, darn it!

So that's all I've got for this one. It's hard to be too harsh on any of the small flaws in this episode, because it's meant to be only the first half of the story. I'm definitely hooked and eager to see what the finale brings!

9/10