Doctor Who: Old vs New: Inferno vs Rise of the Cybermen
By James Aggas
Both Inferno and Rise of the Cybermen have presented different takes on the parallel Earth story in Doctor Who. But which story handled it better?
It’s funny to think, but we haven’t had many takes on the parallel universe idea in Doctor Who. There always seemed to be so much storytelling potential in our universe alone – especially when your main character’s ship could travel not just anywhere but anywhen – that there never seemed much of a need for parallel universe stories.
Of course, Doctor Who still gave us two clear examples. One was the Third Doctor story Inferno, and the other Tenth Doctor story Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel. These are two very different takes on the parallel Earth story. But which one was better?
Story
By it’s very nature, the parallel Earth genre allows for a lot of possibilities. In fact, an entire series was made in the Nineties that focused on the idea called Sliders. So it’s unsurprising that these two stories are radically different.
What’s interesting about Inferno is its length. At a total of seven episodes, it’s not just a long story. But it’s also a story that justifies that length. It takes its time to introduce the situation and some of the extra characters, so that the time spent in the parallel Earth has more impact.
With Rise of the Cybermen, the main reason why we’re given a parallel Earth story is to explore a fresh origin on one of Doctor Who‘s greatest monsters. The Cybermen have had a long and complicated history in the series already, so they wanted to find a way to start from scratch. The parallel universe option seemed the best way to go.
Both of these ideas are intriguing, but they are generally handled differently. Particularly with the idea of a parallel Earth.
Alternative Earth
In Inferno, one thing that was so intriguing about the story was just how much nastier Earth was in the other reality, or at least, the UK. Much-loved characters like Liz and Benton are still in this universe, but they’re part of a highly fascist, more aggressive alternative to UNIT. As a result, the Doctor isn’t able to make friends in this reality quite as easily.
The biggest shock comes with “the Brigade Leader”. In our universe, he’s Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, a close ally to the Doctor with a lot of class. In the parallel universe of Inferno, the Brigade Leader is ruthless, aggressive, and has no problems killing someone on impulse. It’s shocking to see such a dark take on one our heroes…but at the same time, almost satisfying, too.
With the Earth presented in Rise of the Cybermen however, it’s a world that is far closer to our own. There are some key differences, but there’s nothing there that makes it an “evil” Earth.
Unsurprisingly, this allows for plenty of the characters we already know to remain “friendly”. We’re not presented with “evil counterparts” here. It’s an interesting move, but considering that this is exploring a completely fresh take on the Cybermen, it’s also understandable, too. Especially as one of those characters is Rose’s father Pete, who died at the end of Father’s Day. The parallel universe setting was a neat way of bringing the character back, while at the same time re-introducing him.
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Impact
In terms of impact, each story leaves plenty in different ways. With Rise of the Cybermen, the parallel Earth not only survives, but we get to see it a couple more times across the series. Particularly in Doomsday and Journey’s End (but very briefly, in that instance). So it essentially created a clear arc for the series.
We never revisit the world of Inferno after this story. But that’s mainly because it was completely destroyed by the end of it. While some parallel versions of our favorite characters died in Rise of the Cybermen, Inferno goes all the way and presents a vision of the Earth destroyed by fire. It’s a truly horrifying moment, and helps to make Inferno even more memorable.
Both Inferno and Rise of the Cybermen work well as interesting explorations of a parallel Earth. But overall, Inferno has to rank as the stronger story. By exploring a much darker alternative, we get to see versions of our favorite characters do some shocking and nasty things. Even better is that it goes all the way and actually gives us a story where we see the Earth destroyed, or at least, an alternative version of it. Rise of the Cybermen couldn’t really do that, as it was setting up some major arcs. Still, it does allow Inferno to hit harder than the later story.
dark. Next. Growing up during the Wilderness Years
Which do you prefer? Are you more of a fan of the darker and apocalyptic Inferno? Or do you prefer the fresh take on the Cybermen given in Rise of the Cybermen? Let us know in the comments below.