2.8: The Tomb of the Cybermen
In which we watch a mummy movie, only with Cybermen.
Broadcast: September 1967
Watched: September 2019
This one exists! In full! Huzzah.
The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 1
“What are all these knobs?”
Wow this story is really racist and everyone in it is a moron, including both the regulars and the villains.
Interesting that they start with the Doctor explaining how the TARDIS works to Victoria. You’d think this could be assumed by now. [It’s a new season, but they’ve never done this before – but since Evil felt like the first season finale, maybe this is the first conscious season opener?] Also her deduction that he’s really old based on having some advanced technology – which he claims to have invented – is nonsense.
But then so is everything else. It’s a long time since I did maths but all the stuff about power functions and everything sounds like utter guff to me. We’re a long way from Ian and Barbara: people keep pressing buttons for no reason, even though literally the first thing that happens at the tomb is someone dies by electrocution because they touch the wrong thing. WTF.
Why do the cybermen
a) have a tomb, or
b) decorate it?
…other than because Ancient Egyptians did? [This is of course the main reason: it’s a mummy story, but with Cybermen. Reading back now I’m surprised at how negative these notes are, I thought I’d quite enjoyed it. Oh wait, here we go:]
But all that said... this is hugely atmospheric and tense and very watchable, even if it is in the horror movie “NO DON’T DO THAT WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!” kind of way. The Doctor and Jamie accidentally holding hands is very funny. There’s some lovely direction, with all the low camera angles. And playing “spot the next to die” is always a lark.
Good quarry action btw. Probably not the first time – I imagine we had a quarry in The Savages? But I think it’s the first we can still see.
I have been mispronouncing Telos for years by the way. [Jim tells me I’ve been pronouncing it the way it’s pronounced in Earthshock, which is a story I had on video as a kid.]
The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 2
Viner to die next I think. He whines a lot.
The Doctor’s “let’s see if we can make the monster shoot at us again!” strategy is an interesting one.
This is an influence on Silence in the Library isn’t it? In the same way Time of Angels is influenced by Earthshock. Same factions and furniture to tell a different story.
“This is unique in archaeology” yes mate they’re visibly moving about. The tomb set is great, though hard to get a sense of scale until it thaws.
Oh look I was right about Viner. Kleig is owning up to being the villain sooner than I expected.
Victoria is less useless than I remembered.
“The brotherhood of logicians” oh wait I just got that.
It’s The Moonbase music! Are the cybermen the first regular feature to get a theme?
The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 3
Cybermen are far less interesting than the looming threat of Cybermen.
Sort of like the way it looks like Jamie has escaped and so will be the one to rescue them... then he immediately gets zapped.
The American captain is played by an Austrian. The Germanic one by a Cypriot. Weird.
“Are you happy with us Victoria?” She’s only been here about eight hours and has spent much of that running about, mate. But it’s nice that they do sort of address her loss.
Anyway, the cybermats are stupid and the cliffhanger (”Kleig shoots!”) a let down after the last couple. Jamie groaning and the Doctor apologising for his terrible pun is great though.
The Tomb of the Cybermen, Episode 4
“There’s another one down there! (But we can’t see it because of the budget.)”
The portrayal of Toberman is really pretty bad. Although at least he turns out okay I guess. Oh right no obviously he dies at the end. At least it’s heroic I guess. [For the uninitiated – Toberman, the archaeologists’ largely mute servant, is played by Jamaica-born Roy Stewart. A big lad, the cybermen choose him for partial conversion. It’s all a bit hmmm.]
Running the tape of the thaw backwards is cool.
But all the fun of this story, ridiculous as it is, is in the build up. The last episode is all action and bleurgh.
“That really is the end of the cybermen isn’t it?” “No Jamie, they’ll be back for the finale. Can’t afford Daleks you see.”
The “next week” title card is cool.