h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"But Lumic's physical condition was his motivation: he created the cybermen *because* he was dying. If he was 100% A1 BFT grade then he wouldn't have created them, and umm, there wouldn't have been a story."

I agree. Lumic was not merely disabled, he was dying and his creation of the cybermen was motivated by his desire to escape his dying body. Making him wheelchair-bound was not motivated by the idea that disabled=bad.

Having said that, making Lumic able bodied but still obsessed with creating "perfect" Cybermen would have been a more interesting plotline. Unfortunately, the "Rise..." two-parter was some of the laziest, unimaginative, cliche-ridden sci-fi I've seen in many years. A real low-point of Series Two for me.

Although I have to say, some of the issues I had with those two episodes are less annoying given the finale. Some plot points which felt redundant completely pay off. It's a bit like The Long Game paying off in Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways.

But I still think RotC/AoS was the poorest story in the series. Not actually bad, just a bit meh.

"Unfortunately, the "Rise..." two-parter was some of the laziest, unimaginative, cliche-ridden sci-fi I've seen in many years. A real low-point of Series Two for me"

- blessed are they who, for want of better Sci-Fi, have never needed to sit through an 'Andromeda' marathon.

I rather enjoyed RoTC and AoS. I admit, it wasn't the best Doctor Who ever but I'm happy to have the Cybermen back, happier that they show up again in the series finale and happiest of all that they insulted the Daleks. And then got the schooling they so badly needed. We've obviously not heard the last of either group.

" - blessed are they who, for want of better Sci-Fi, have never needed to sit through an 'Andromeda' marathon. "

Oh, I'm not arguing for more hard sc-fi (Who is not a hard sci-fi show and never has been). I just feel that "Rise..." with its parallel-earth "reset" of the Cybermen offered enormous potential for interesting ideas and concepts and instead decided to pile cliche on cliche and not properly explore some of the interesting ideas (why was Britain a republic, why the curfews, why airships?). I thought the Cybermen were fantastic, unlike the Daleks I felt the Cybermen needed a whole new look and it delivered in that regard.

Did we sort out why the cybermen were briefly 'on our side' when the Doctor had his sonic-screwdriver moment?
I'm guessing it was bad editing, and there was an alliance made which ended up on the cutting-room floor.

I for one think we have not heard the last of the "alternative universe". I think it could become a leit motif story ark (a la the alternative universe in DS9) which periodically crops up.

They will have to find a way of getting Rose out of the way (not hard) but I will lay odds with have not heard the last of Mickey and the Tylers.

Doubt it, I think there's one of those regular semi-reformattings that DW's always had on the way.

I thought that RotC/AoS were flawed but still watchable - better than the first two episodes and Idiot's Lantern, to name but three.

"enormous potential for interesting ideas and concepts and instead decided to pile cliche on cliche and not properly explore some of the interesting ideas (why was Britain a republic, why the curfews, why airships?). "

Good point.

I think it comes down to this: the show is only 45 minutes long, even a two parter doesn't have time for the kind of exposition that exploring these ideas would take when instead they want to show the Cybermen in action and the Preachers running about doing good stuff.

I think the Republic, the curfews and the airships had some implied meaning, though. Allow me to elaborate? Cool.

First, only the rich own an airship - remember Jackie berrating Pete about them not having one? This sets them literally above everything. Yes, that's a cliche, but it's working well so far.

Second, although the Brit republic is ostensibly doing well (lots of high-tech stuff, apparently a small satire on HMG's insistence on getting the UK 'wired') the situation on the ground is worse than ever - there's a clear divide between haves and have nots which has clearly lead to some kind of civil disturbance: there are troops on the streets and there's a curfew. If you compare this with recent events in France, it might be that in order to Upgrade the UK, business is getting a bit repressive.

So, we've got the leadership with their heads in the clouds and the ordinary man updated with news and humour over a soley owned and operated network through high-tech toys that give the appearance of affluence and prosperity. But behind all this, something horrible is growing - there's a definite underclass causing social tension, and something far nastier still happening within Cybus - and only the Preachers seem to be aware of it.

Yes, that's a cliche. But it's also not too far removed from the antics of certain current figures - Silvio Berlusconni might not have Cybermen, but he was a media mogul who, quelle suprise, used his control over what people see, hear and read to achieve power. Prime Minister of Italy, no less, despite being a kind of Prince Phillip/George W Bush hybrid.

So...time to re-evaluate AoS not as Sci-Fi but as satire?

I don't think the 45-minute (actually 90 minute for this story) thing is an excuse. It takes a matter of seconds for characters to explain things with good writing:

"Why all the Zeppelins?"
"Only the rich can afford them. Up above everyone else and all the trouble. It's symptomatic of what's happened to this country in the last twenty years"

"...the President of Britain?!"
"Well, yes"
"Britain's a republic?"
"Yes. You've done history? You know about the martial law in the 1960s and the revolution that followed?"

"There's curfews everywhere"
"Curfews?"
"Where have you been? There's been curfews since the looting and riots last year. People getting desperate but the government didn't see it that way..."

There's three examples of a bit of interaction that would have provided explanations for the viewer and given more colour and realism to the alternative-earth.

Granted, but I got all of the above without any explanation and about thirty seconds musing. So if I, certainly not the brightest star in the firmament, could extrapolate all this with no help, surely other people could too?

And in the meantime, more stompy cybergoodness. Which is what I was watching for in the first place.

I also disagree it's bad writing. I think its writing for the target audience who, frankly, don't give two hoots about social and political change or inequality. Zeppelins are cool to look at. Presidents are not Prime Ministers or Royals. Soldiers aren't policemen. All this means this is not real earth. There we go, job's a good'un and we'll leave the alternative history speculation to the adults.

"I think its writing for the target audience who, frankly, don't give two hoots about social and political change or inequality. Zeppelins are cool to look at. Presidents are not Prime Ministers or Royals. Soldiers aren't policemen. All this means this is not real earth. There we go, job's a good'un and we'll leave the alternative history speculation to the adults."

This is one reason why I hate the "kids show" excuses - bad writing becomes acceptable. Sorry, the original was a "kids show" as much as this one and some of the writing and plotting in that was excellent.

Also, two-thirds of the viewing audience for the current series of "Who" are over 16, so there's no excuse for bad plotting or dumbing the series down.

And, as you say, children watching don't really care about the ins and outs of the plot so if there's padding and explanation for the adults then it's not going to affect their enjoyment in the slightest as long as the SFX and monsters keep up regular appearances. Bad plotting and lazy writing never has any excuse.

Valid points.

We're going to end up going around and around on this, Zagreb, because you wanted more from the ep than I did. My 'needless exposition' is your 'wasted opportunity for colour and ideas'.

You've started me wondering, though. I'm going to have to go back watch RoTC again, see if there was anything that could have been repurposed. Ah, the inner fanboy is loose. Someone warn Tokyo.