Last of the Cybermen

"I want only to bring our two species together."

Writer: Alan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: May 2015

Series: Monthly Adventures 199

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

It's been ten years since the final assault on Telos, the last act of the Great Cyber War. Thanks to the Glittergun, humanity prevailed – and the half-machine Cybermen were utterly obliterated. 

Out on the furthest fringes of the galaxy, however, they left their mark – in the form of a giant Cyber-head, hundreds of feet high. A monument? A memorial? A tomb? The Doctor, the Cybermen's most indefatigable adversary, sets out to investigate... but he fails to return to his TARDIS. Leaving the Ship, his two companions – brave Highlander Jamie MacCrimmon, and super-intelligent Zoe Heriot – find a stranger in the Doctor's place. A strange in a coat of many colours, who insists that he's the Doctor – transposed in time and space with one of his former selves...

But why here? Why now? Has the universe really seen the last of the Cybermen?

Verdict

Last of the Cybermen was a great story to continue my way through the Monthly Adventures! This served very nicely as the middle instalment in the wrong Doctors trilogy which I am a massive fan of because it's just so much fun to mashup different Doctors and companions. In saying that, I do feel slightly cheated by the combination here because even though it wasn't exactly the true versions of the companions, Legend of the Cybermen feels like it got there first with this trio. That's not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy things because that would just be false, but I would've preferred things changing slightly. That's just me being picky though and I wonder if there will be some significance of the Doctor changing places with his previous self of four incarnations prior for each edition of this trilogy? I do hope we get the answers in the next story because it was alluded to here just as it was in The Defectors that there is certainly somebody behind it. But why? What do they gain? The Sixth Doctor here tackling the potential of history changing if he acted differently to how his second incarnation might have was fascinating and it almost feels like this is Big Finish wanting to do in this case a Main Range story for the Second Doctor. They've just injected the Sixth in his place! That's no bad thing and I'm intrigued by the use of the earlier Doctor's theme arrangement. I thought Jamie and Zoe watching the Second Doctor running away from something was an intriguing way to start the story but before they knew it he'd been replaced by the Sixth. Zoe was quick to believe that he was who he said he was, whilst the tension between the Doctor and Jamie was incredible! It was genuinely tense at times and I really did think things were going to get physical. It made for both compelling and humorous listening. I thought the setting was really strong and the proximity to the Great Cyber War was fantastic. There was so much continuity here with the obvious being to The Tomb of the Cybermen with Jamie and Zoe thinking they were in a Cyber tomb, but for them it was only a few weeks after the events of The Invasion which was fascinating. Jamie's retort about being shot and not actually meeting the Cyber Planner when one was revealed here was marvellous. I thought the Doctor referencing Orion was intriguing and I loved the reference to The Isos Network because it came before that Early Adventure had actually been released! That's a clever little idea and it is incredibly effective. It really can just be the little things. I thought the discussion on memories in this story got a little emotional with the Doctor realising that this was likely his former companions' final trip before The War Games where they would lose nearly everything. The Doctor being so open about all of their fates when constructing the hypercube was quite shocking but the emotional toll will never be dampened on the serial. It's incredible. I thought some of the guest cast in this one were intriguing with Zennox the absolute highlight as the villain. Her desire to have the Cyber Planner as the central piece of her collection as a part of Cyber consciousness. That was never going to end well and restoring the Planner meant the Cybermen were returned, at least the last of them that is. Who would have thought a lightning strike would be so important? I wasn't a huge fan of Lanky unfortunately because he just didn't work for me as a character. I don't like the idea of a fake Cyberman either! Findel though was tremendous and the way he hit things off with Zoe was superb. Their share love of mathematics meant solving the logic gates was right up their alley. I wasn't expecting Zoe to be installed as the vessel for the Super Controller, but I appreciated her brain power being sufficient! It was an audacious plan, but it would actually be Findel who made the ultimate sacrifice to wipe out the Cybermen seemingly for the last time. I thought the imagery in the story was impressive with the description and cover art of the five-hundred foot Cyber head quite spectacular! The history of the Glittergun ties in nicely to come with Revenge of the Cybermen and this almost fills a gap between the two which is great. Overall, this is a great adventure and I just wish we actually had more of the Cybermen! 

Rating: 8/10