WiC Watches: Doctor Who season 12

Episode 1209: “Ascension of the Cybermen”

The Cybermen are here, emphasis on men, plural. In fact, part one of the Doctor Who season 12 finale brings us a whole freaking Cybermen army, an entire ship filled with hundreds, probably thousands of them…and it’s epic!

The Doctor and her companions touch down on a desolate war-torn planet to find that only a handful of people remain alive in the devastating aftermath of a Cyber war. It’s a frightening sight, but never fear, the Doctor and her sidekicks are here!

One of my favorite parts of the episode was seeing the companions channel their inner nerds and explain all the science-y equipment to people. It shows how far they’ve come and just how comfortable they’ve become in this world.

Unfortunately, all their knowledge is rendered useless when Cybermen head drones come flying down and destroy everything in sight. I thought Cybermen were freaky, but seeing just their heads flying around might be the scariest part.

Before we know it, the entire group is split up and things descend into chaos. Yaz and Graham manage to make it onto a ship with the refugees they met on the planet. They barely make it out alive but end up in space…aboard a ship filled with dormant Cybermen soldiers. It’s very scary when you realize what they’ve walked into.

But the Doctor has taught her companions well, and Yaz and Graham hold down the fort in her absence. I have to say, I’m pretty darn proud of them. Also, I’m so happy we’ve upgraded from one companion per Doctor to three — it’s everything this show was missing.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Ryan are left behind on the planet and find their way onto one of Ashad’s ships. If you’ve forgotten who Ashad is, then let me catch you up. He is the Cyberman we met in last week’s episode whose mask was half ripped off, revealing his human face underneath.

I know Doctor Who has had its share of interesting villains, but there’s something about Ashad that just scares the crap out of me. He’s not all robot, and he’s not all human. Being stuck in limbo with all his human/Cyberman parts hanging out is so weird and unsettling. It just feels too real, but in a futuristic, murderous kind of way.

Eventually, our heroes meet up with someone known as Ko Sharmus. Ko minds a portal that leads somewhere one can get protection from the Cybermen. And where does it lead?

Um, GALLIFREY. Yes, the home of the Time Lords, and our very own Doctor. What does her birthplace have to do with all of this? No idea, but wait, there’s more mystery: Out of the Portal jumps none other than the Master.

We have a lot of questions about the Cybermen, the Master, the Time Lords, Gallifrey, the other Doctor, and the Timeless Child, hopefully all of which will be answered in next week’s big finish. I can’t even begin to fathom what it all means, but I’m so here for the ride.

Also vital to this episode is a man named Brendan. Throughout the hour, we see glimpses of a child found and adopted by a young couple. We see him grow him into a young man and become a police officer, and eventually retire.

At the very end of the episode, we see the elderly Brendan walk out of the station only to be greeted by his adoptive father and the policeman that found him. For some reason, while Brendan has aged, these two men have not.

They guide him back into the station and attach him to tech to wipe his memory. It’s unclear what this equipment is, why these two men haven’t aged, and what the heck is going on. But perhaps we’ve gotten our first look at how Cybermen are created: was Brendan the first one? Or is he the Timeless Child? Maybe he’s forever going through a time loop after his memories are wipe, taking him back to the moment that he was found as a baby.

I’m grasping at straws here, but wherever this story is going, it’s going to get crazier and scarier. If the Cybermen army activating and marching down the ship isn’t an indication of that, I don’t know what is.

Onwards to the season 12 finale!