Tomb of the Cybermen

There's no purpose to this post other than to say "Hey, isn't Tomb of the Cybermen a fantastic Doctor Who story?" I watched it again recently, and though I already knew I liked it, I was surprised to find out just how much I liked it. Yes, it's fairly campy. Yes, there's some... interesting acting (Lady who plays Kaftan, I'm looking at you!). :) And yes, there's an abundance (well, two characters at least) of amazingly fake American accents. But it's also got Patrick Troughton in top form, an extremely personable and affable Frazer Hines, and good ol' screamin' Deborah Watling ("You scream real good, Vic!").

And the Cybermen! I'll be honest here - the Cybermen creep me out, especially the 60s versions. Something about the design of those costumes freaks me out for some reason. (For the record, the only other Doctor Who monsters to "scare" me are the Ice Warriors!) Anyways. They're fairly menacing, with some great lines. "You will be like us" is a pretty frightening threat, while the Cybercontroller's response to the statement that "We're not like you" or somesuch is delivered, even through the vocal processing, in a chilling manner: "You will be." (I think it's "will," though it may be "shall." Whatever, you get the idea!)

The set design is fantastic. The shot of the Cybermen emerging from their tombs is great, and the "lobby" of the building is suitably "futuristic." Even the quarry looks

good. And the music! Well, OK, it's a bit bombastic at times, but the Cybermen "theme" is very distinctive. Very menacing, and, to me, really suits them. I may be alone in that, but I stand by my opinion! :)

There's some wonderful dialogue in this story, usually delivered by the Doctor. His "special method" for finding things out involves "Keeping my eyes open, and my mouth shut." Victoria thinks her dress is too short, but the Doctor points out, "Look at Jamie's!" Blond American Accent Guy has an amusing exchange with Victoria: "Oh, who'd be a woman!" To which he replies, "How would you know, honey?" And of course there's the lovely scene with the Doc and Victoria, talking about family: "I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they sleep in my mind and I forget. And so will you..."

All in all, a great story! :)

Cheery bye, Scarlett