Nightmare in Silver

"The next model will be undefeatable."

Writer: Neil Gaiman 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 11 April 2013

Series: 7.12

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

Hedgewick's World of Wonders is the perfect theme park day out, and ground zero for a deadly silver resurrection.

Verdict

Nightmare in Silver was another great episode to continue our way through Series 7 on the modern era rewatch! I always remember liking this episode despite my opinions on the change of design of the Cybermen not being all that favourable. This sparked a discussion in my household on the designs over the years and I mentioned my favourite design being either those from Earthshock onwards in the Classic era or their return in Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel. I commented that the upgraded versions here were almost too slick and a little too small for my liking. They seem more technologically proficient which is good and I appreciated the story being told here far in the future with the Cybermen constantly on the upgrade, but I like them to be scary. My partner Gemma commented on how I loved the design of the Mondasian Cybermen she would see in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls which was a fair comment, but I think the retro factor there sells a lot and considering that was the first ever design, I like how they've evolved since then. This almost feels like a backwards step. That seems incredibly harsh especially as I own both an action figure and Eaglemoss figurine of this new sleek design! The episode itself was a good one and whilst I'm not a huge fan of Angie and Artie featuring, they were soon sent into a walking coma and not physically present which helped. They were part of what needed rescuing which was good and I liked how Angie would work out that Porridge was the Emperor after all. I thought the setting of Hedgewick's World of Wonders was very good and the scale of it was incredible! It's a shame they came in the aftermath of the Cyber Wars and the world was closed. The Doctor having a golden ticket was amusing and that coming into play to tackle the Cybermen later was a nice touch and a good throwback to days gone by. We all know gold is a weapon against the silver nightmares. I thought the Cyberman playing chess was an incredibly striking image. I was fine with the Cybermites and was glad they didn't play too much of a role. The Cyberiad itself was terrific and actually having an internal battle with the Doctor was enthralling stuff. The performance from Matt Smith was superb and he really was able to shine in going back and forth between the Doctor and the Cyberiad. The aim to build a new Cyber Planner was another fun throwback and it's nice to have a writer clearly familiar with the history of the Cybermen in the show. It was also good to give just enough detail on the Doctor thinking of Clara as the impossible girl ahead of the finale. Things have been building slowly since The Bells of Saint John but we're getting there now. It's set to be a fantastic trilogy to see out the Eleventh Doctor and I for one can't wait! The way things ended here with Porridge setting off the desolator was good stuff and the explosive nature of the planet being destroyed to wipe out the Cyberiad was great stuff. The punishment platoon did alright in the end! I liked the little hint of a survival at the end with the ticking of something silver to leave a return open. The discussion on if the Doctor fancies Clara were also fun on both occasions as he found himself saying she wasn't pretty but then pondering on her skirt being just a little too tight. It's fun to think about! Who could blame him. Overall, a great episode! 

Rating: 8/10