Nightmare in Silver Review

This is probably my favorite Cyberman story. I generally don't like the Cybermen, I don't like anything where humans or human society becomes "more perfect," but this episode was good.

It appears that the Cybermen have never actually fully upgraded their software. They've never done a full rewrite of their operating system, they've just stuck on a series of patches. The fact that the Cyberplanner fixed the gold bug probably means that we're never going to see that trick used again. That's too bad, because I wanted to see someone use a makeshift glitter gun like what was mentioned in Revenge of the Cybermen.

I want to know what the 0.238% of the Doctor's brain that neither of them could control was. The Doctor initiated a complete mental block against the Cyberplanner, but was unable to block that tiny portion of the brain. It was probably either some low-level processing section, like the brain stem, or some special Time Lord thing with some unique purpose.

The Cyberplanner's comment that "he's had some cowboys in here" in reference to the Doctor makes it seem like the Doctor has undergone some sort of brain scan. Now, seeing as this was followed by a bit about "ten complete rejects", that could be referencing all the previous regenerations that have inhabited his mind, or it could be ten different mind probes that he's forced out. If it was the mind probes, I just want to know what happened to the 11th (was it successful?). This may be connected to the 0.238%, they could have stuck something into him that he couldn't control.

I really don't like just pointlessly reinventing the Doctor's enemies. I feel like the only reason the writers upgraded the Daleks and Cybermen was so that Matt Smith could have a new version. I suppose there is a point in that they don't want the bad guys to get too predictable, because that's when the ratings plummet. The problem with doing it with the Cybermen, is that they don't have time travel technology, but the writers are probably going to ignore that and put the Cybermen in the 21st century in the next episode. Without time travel, it's going to take some sort of extraordinary plot device to get the Cybermen back in time. Either that, or they're just going to put the Cybermen back in time with no explanation. Either of those is going to subtract from the story because the viewer is going to be distracted by these elements. The only other solutions are either limit all the stories to the distant future (after Nightmare) or give the Cybermen time travel capability.

Behind the Scenes of Nightmare in Silver

Behind the scenes video for today's episode

Nightmare in Silver Spoiler Summary

Here's the weekly round-up of spoilers and other info for Nightmare in Silver.

Videos

• Next time trailer
• BBC America trailer
• Preview clip 1
• Preview clip 2
• Introduction

Teasers

• Doctor Who TV 1
• Doctor Who TV 2
• Cultbox 1
• Cultbox 2
• Combom 1
• Combom 2
• Doctor Who Spoilers

Synopsis

Hedgewick’s World Of Wonders was once the greatest theme park in the galaxy, but it’s now the dilapidated home to a shabby showman, a chess-playing dwarf and a dysfunctional army platoon. When the Doctor, Clara, Artie and Angie arrive, the last thing they expect is the re-emergence of one of the Doctor’s oldest foes. The Cybermen are back!

Clara convinces the Doctor to take the kids she's caring for time traveling. He obliges, and decides to take them 250,000 years in the future to see Hedgewick's world, since he has a Golden Ticket. The park was built in the aftermath of the cyberwars, when there are no more Cybermen left in the universe. The team arrives long after the park has closed and finds an army platoon and a single showman. Somehow or another, the Cybermen are reborn, due in part to the Doctor.

Introduction to Nightmare in Silver

Introduction to this week's episode, featuring Matt Smith and Neil Gaiman.

Cyberman Attack!

Preview clip 2 from Nightmare in Silver.

The Cyber Wars

New clip from Saturday's episode, Nightmare in Silver.

New Promotional Images from Nightmare in Silver

BBC Pictures has released 44 new promotional pics from this Saturday's episode, Nightmare in Silver.

Nightmare in Silver Trailers

Next time trailer



BBC America trailer

New Details on Nightmare in Silver and The Name of the Doctor

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine has included some new details on the final two episodes of the season, Nightmare in Silver and The Name of the Doctor.

Nightmare in Silver

• The Cybermen are the 699th wonder of the universe
• The Cybermen apparently play chess
• The Doctor and Clara visit the Moon
• The new Cybermen's faces are designed such that the eyes and mouth line up with the eyes and mouths of the human operator - giving them a more human appearance
• The Doctor: "I am putting Clara in charge. Clara, stay alive till I get back – and don’t let anyone blow up this planet!"

The Name of the Doctor

• Time traveling damages reality and the Doctor has done this more than anyone
• Richard E. Grant is back as Dr. Simeon
• River Song is there post-Library (don't ask me how)
• Not everyone makes it out alive (my money's on Vastra, Jenny, or Strax)
• Nothing will ever be the same again
• The Doctor: “The path I carved through time and space, from Gallifrey to Trenzalore. My own personal time tunnel, leading back to every moment I ever lived. Every step, every tear, every kiss. Even the days I haven’t lived yet. Which is why I shouldn’t be here. The paradoxes… very bad…”

BBC Interview with Matt Smith

BBC Entertainment conducted a recent interview with Matt Smith about the rest of Series 7.

Having already battled an Ice Warrior and seen off a ghost, the opening episode to the next run of four finds the Doctor exploring the depths of his own home, the TARDIS.  In Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS, a spaceship salvage team drags the TARDIS on board, sending its systems into meltdown. As the Doctor marshals the motely salvage crew outside, he realises Clara is still trapped within his malfunctioning ship, pursued by a dangerous group of ossified monsters. He has just 30 minutes to find Clara and save his TARDIS before it self-destructs.

But what would Matt want to see at the centre of the TARDIS? I think what we’ve achieved in this episode is exactly what I hoped would be at the centre, explains Matt. It is a really interesting take on something that could have been quite obvious and it’s visually stunning.

Mark Gatiss returns to script-writing duty for The Crimson Horror and introduces for the first time on screen together mother and daughter, Dame Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling. It was an intriguing and creative experience watching mother and daughter work together, explains Matt.  Dame Diana has had such an illustrious career and Rachael is a great actress, he concludes.   

The penultimate episode of the series in the show’s 50th year marks the return of one of the Doctor’s oldest foes, the Cybermen. Penned by Neil Gaiman, the Cybermen have been given a makeover – they’re faster and more deadly! Nightmare In Silver sees the Doctor travel to the greatest theme park in the galaxy, Hedgewick’s World Of Wonders... or at least it used to be. Now dilapidated, it’s home to a shabby showman, a chess-playing dwarf and a dysfunctional army platoon. When the Doctor, Clara, Artie and Angie arrive, the last thing they expect is the re-emergence of one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies.  The episode continues the run of stellar guest stars with Warwick Davis, Tamzin Outhwaite and Jason Watkins. 

While mystery surrounds the finale, we do know a couple of snippets. Firstly, that the Doctor will finally find out just what makes his new companion so impossible and secondly, he’ll be put to his ultimate test when his friends start to be kidnapped, leading him towards the one place that he should never go. Making the debut in this episode is a new foe, the Whispermen, which dressed in sartorial finery Matt considers a modern day classic with a brilliant style.  They’re truly terrifying! 

So is there anything Matt can reveal about the finale? With the 50th, this is going to be by far the biggest year in the history of the show. And the finale is just the start. It focuses on a pivotal moment in the Doctor’s life and the life of his companion. It’s a complete game changer and it all starts now.

BBC Interview With Steven Moffat

Here's a transcript of an interview BBC Entertainment did with showrunner Steven Moffat.

Question: Opening up the final part of this series we get to explore the Doctor’s time travelling machine in Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, but what surprises can we expect?
Steven Moffat: We’ve already revealed that the Doctor has a swimming pool and the TARDIS has a problem with Time Zombies, but there’s much, much more than that.  We guarantee there will be surprises, but you’ll have to watch to find out exactly where we’ll be going as we finally explore beyond the console room.  

Q: Why did you decide to introduce creepy new monsters, The Whisper Men, in the last episode?  What was your inspiration for them?
SM: The great dilemma is that Doctor Who is never more like Doctor Who when it is introducing a new monster, but equally when it’s reviving a foe from the classic era.  Having brought back two of the classics, the Ice Warriors and the Cybermen, this year we wanted a brand new monster to create chills in the finale.  And the thought of stylish whispering almost faceless creatures was an idea that firstly scared me and that I thought would work well in an episode that looks forward and back.

Q: We know that the Cybermen return with an updated design, why did you decide to change them?
SM: One of the things that the Cybermen historically like to do before involving themselves in a new military campaign is run up a new outfit. Throughout the classic series they always changed their appearance and we’ve been very consistent with them.  I thought it was time that they went back to their tailor and had a re-model!

Q: How was it having mother and daughter Dame Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling on set for The Crimson Horror?
SM: It’s obviously a great honour to have either of those actors on the show, but to have them acting together for the very first time on anything is quite extraordinary.  Only Doctor Who can do this and possibly only when Mark Gatiss is behind it.

Q: What can you tell us about the finale?
SM: It’s full of surprises and questions that have never been answered in the history of Who, including the Doctors greatest secret. We’re not pretending, we’re not kidding, it’s actually going to happen.  The episode is called The Name of the Doctor and involves our hero in a conflict that is very, very personal to him.  Usually he’s saving other people, but this time he might be the one who needs to be saved.  We’ll also find out what makes his new companion so impossible and there’s a surprise that no one has got right so far, and one that will change the course of Who forever!

Source

Nightmare in Silver Synopsis

With the rate that these are being released at, we'll probably get the finale's in a week.

Hedgewick’s World of Wonders was once the greatest theme park in the galaxy, but it’s now the dilapidated home to a shabby showman, a chess-playing dwarf and a dysfunctional army platoon. When the Doctor, Clara, Artie and Angie arrive, the last thing they expect is the re-emergence of one of the Doctor’s oldest foes. The Cybermen are back!

Three More Movie Posters

The movie artwork for Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, The Crimson Horror, and Nightmare in Silver has been released.

There's still nothing on the finale. We've received almost no news or spoilers about it. Not even the name.