Doctor Who (TV Series) Ascension of the Cybermen (2020) User Reviews

An epic episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 23 February 2020]

That which is dead can live again, I hope that applies to this as a two parter, and the show in general, it's a real shame the viewing figures have declined so much, there have been some much improved episodes.

Whatever your thoughts on Series 11, I'm sure many would agree that the finale, The Battle of Ranskor Av Kalos was a subdued finale, and far from dynamic. Ascension of The Cybermen sees a return to the more traditional epic two part finale.

Finally in the first attack Jodie is animated, she's energetic, emotional and engaged, it's taken a while, but it was great to see, just a shame at the end of the scene she had her usual perplexed, open mouthed look. She also finally shows some concern for her companions.

Plain to see a good proportion of the budget was used on this, it looks terrific, it's also very well produced. The awakening of The Cyver Army looked amazing. I loved the mix of Cyberman styles.

This felt like it could have been written by Steven Moffat, it had that kind of vibe, it was somehow complicated, with different threads seeming to not be connected, but I'm sure they will next episode, I mean of course Brendan.

I am really looking forward to next week. 8/10

One of the better Cyberman treatments in a long while.

[jackVSjack · 8/10 · 23 February 2020]

Going to reserve a proper critique until the next part. But a positive has to be the Cyberman treatment. They actually seem quite menacing. Which lets face it has been hard to pull off from previous stories. We will see if they can pull together a finale worthy of the Doctor Who name after the final part.

Ascension of the Cybermen

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 23 February 2020]

Ireland in the 1950s, an abandoned baby who when he grows up can be resurrected. A Garda Station with Tardis like windows.

Garda is police in the Irish Republic and scenes of Brendan were interspersed throughout the episode. I do wonder what is the link?

It had been said for years that Cybermen have never been scary. Chris Chibnall has certainly made them a powerful force in Ascension of the Cybermen.

Ashad the lone cyberman returns with two sidekicks. Both the human race and cybermen are down to a rabble after cyber wars. Ashad's goal seems to be more than mere assimilation, he can make the cybermen scream.

The remaining humans seek Ko Sharmus and a boundary that would lead them elsewhere, far away from the cybermen.

Chibnall has certainly dialed down the exposition here after the initial scenes. He also ramped up the jeopardy, I thought for a moment Ryan might be in grave trouble.

Like another sci fi series, Star Trek both are pointing to the influence of drone warfare in today's society. Here drone cyber heads are the advance wave set out to destroy.

Great special effects, well paced action, a few surprises and an intriguing story that leaves me anticipating how it will be resolved.

Wow

[ianajjames · 9/10 · 23 February 2020]

Great episode, far superior to any of the others this season, the Cybermen are at their terrifying best

Series 12 offers promise. Hopefully this is a transitional period after S11!

[trulydulyignored · 8/10 · 24 February 2020]

Solid first half of a two-parter. I'd give it a 7/10 because I think that's the most accurate, but in the system I'm giving it an 8 because of the inevitable review-bombing.

Not the best thing ever, awkward moments as always, third companion made useless again (in this case, Ryan). Whittaker's Doctor has become slightly less stiff with every passing episode, as they have given her more emotional moments as well as characterisation. Her happy-go-lucky persona has been clearly an overcompensatory charade and it's been steadily breaking down over this season, and she is snapping more at her companions and other characters, which hopefully paves the way for 13 finally coming into her character in the following series. I liked the segments with the Irish Guard -- was the cliff scene a nod to Chris' work on Broadchurch? I certainly got that impression. Doctor Who has never LOOKED this good -- we HAVE to hand it to the sfx team, and the prop designers, and cinematographers and other crew, even if the scripts and direction are still awkward in places.

Solid episode -- like Fugitive and Villa Diodati, shows great promise for the show going forward and moving past the stiff, bland and poor series 11. I was worried about this finale after the unmemorable and poorly-constructed Ranskoor, but I am hopeful going forward. Not a perfect story -- people must remember that even the episodes of Doctor Who they remember most fondly are definitely far from perfect; the show always has been (except for Heaven Sent which is absolutely without flaw ;) Some stiffness remains but it's been noticeably allieviated. Sacha's cameo as the Master was very abrupt but he plays the role well and I can't wait to see more of him in the series.

My only complaint is that I didn't get to see my girl Ruth -- I hope she isn't just reintroduced and discarded in this final episode; I'd love to see more of her going forward (anyone else want her to be a future Doctor? Anyone...?) and I think her arc is much bigger than what two episodes could ever conclude meaningfully.

FINALLY!

[W011y4m5 · 6/10 · 23 February 2020]

Where the HELL has THIS Chris Chibnall been!? Why can't we see more of him instead of the writer we're usually lumped with? I'm floored.

"Ascension of The Cybermen" was surprisingly BRILLIANT.

Phenomenal direction, stunning production design, uncharacteristically impressive writing, great cinematography & cinematic visual effects; this is what we've been wanting from the show for SO LONG but never got until now... A story with character, great science fiction, heightened personal stakes, a genuinely threatening villain; if anything, this episode has proven the creators ARE CAPABLE of pulling off this sort of thing so why it's taken them this long, I have no idea but let's hope from now on, it'll continue - & just savour this moment of bliss while it lasts...

Mmmmm...

[SpiralScratch · 4/10 · 23 February 2020]

A lot of puzzling bits which made little sense and made me fell like am I missing something. The pay off best be worth it. 2 scenarios either this is very much a disjointed mess and will not pay off or it finally makes up for all the mess previously. However I do worry that Chibnall is about to mess up the whole history of Doctor Who as we know it. Guess we will find out next week. The redesign of the Cybermen are really cool. Think there are way too many storylines running to be wrapped up neatly, lets hope Chibnall knows how to end it and not make it up like the power of three.

Great first part of the finale!

[super-mooney · 8/10 · 24 February 2020]

Blimey! Another solid episode - everything is shaping up for an excellent finale...hopefully the quality is maintained.

How is that Possible? (She Cries)...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 7 January 2022]

You have to contrast, penultimates past, the last one just wasn't a blast (the oratorical frog). Alas, while this gave us more, you couldn't give it a score, that would indicate close to top drawer. Although, it leaves the boundary open, albeit shaded by a curtain, outcome still dubiously uncertain (the past suggests). Let's wait and see, where the Master takes thee, while he chuckles away tee hee hee!

Maybe next season will recover.

[tallsingle · 1/10 · 24 February 2020]

Another flawed episode Flying cyberheads Cyber men now allergic to gold The doctor using mundane weapons which are completely useless when she could get any technology in the universe. Talking about defenses and weapons like a simple soldier. The doctor continuing to contradict herself one minute to the next. Preaching like an insecure school teacher rather than acting like an ancient time god.

If the bbc gets rid of Chibnall And Whitaker then maybe the franchise can revive. You would think two Disastrous seasons so up I'd give them enough of a clue.

A shocker the cybermen are back

[jamieaster · 10/10 · 24 February 2020]

I loved the old cybermen and the new Cyber warrior designs it looks brilliant and I love the masters return it was all so perfect

Best looking episode. And best written in chibnal era.

[dexterbmet · 7/10 · 23 February 2020]

This is probably one of the best written doctor who episode in the Chris chibnal era. It's also one of the best looking doctor who episode. The directing and the production design Is brilliant as well as the cgi. It was good to see the doctor show her darker side instead of being an all known hero than she has been recently and it was good to see her genuinely not know what to do next. The one problem I had was the change in pacing between the two stories. It had the same problem as resolution when there was two stories both with completly different pacing which can be a bit draughting when one second its a small village and the next it's full of explosions. Other than that and some exposition it's fine

Cyber-conversion... Anyone?

[michael-04313 · 3/10 · 24 February 2020]

Words fail me as to how disappointed I am after seeing the Cybermen used improperly. AGAIN! Why on Earth are the Cybermen eradicating humanity instead of Cyber-converting them? There was only one mention of conversion in the whole episode. Granted Moffat had the same problem in Nightmare in Silver. On top of that, Jodie still has irritating expositional dialogue in the middle of a battle scene, I'm surprised a Cyberman didn't convert... I mean shoot her. It does have good pacing and it did make me anticipate what the ending might be. Still, it's the first part, and there are many questions to be answered. Many questions. I am almost at the end of the rope with Chibs.

An amazing start to the finale

[otv-14729 · 8/10 · 23 February 2020]

I'm so looking forward to next week! It looks like it's going to be a big one. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time!

!!THE MASTER IS BACK!!

Another excellent instalment with another surprise ending

[maxglen · 8/10 · 23 February 2020]

This week was action packed, tense and enigmatic. We got to see the 2005 Cyberman design again as well as the Lone Cyberman and a new addition, the "CyberDrones" also the brand new Warrior class which look like a mixture of the invasion Cybermen and the Nightmare in Silver design. We also got the Master to lead us into next week's big finale. Also a little tidbit, in the next time teaser the Master says "Look upon my works and despair" which is from the poem Ozymandias, Ozymandias was written by Percy Shelley who we met last week :)

Decent story but not executed brilliantly.

[2004Daniel · 6/10 · 23 February 2020]

The story with the cybermen and the whole "all you know is a lie" stuff going on is actually a good story arc across this series, and I'm looking forward to see what happens in the next episode.

However this episode in particular was quite boring. Just too much prolonged speech which doesn't need to be there, and the direction of the episode was poor, the scenes and pace were all over the place

The master's cameo at the end was good and I look forward to seeing him play a big part in the finale!

Interesting but unfulfilled

[scaone · 5/10 · 24 February 2020]

Having watched most all the shows since the 2005 series began and many prior to that from the first show onward I find the last couple of series disjointed and fairly bland on the whole. There is little in the way of 'unforgettable' moments and make me want to watch them again moments. This last episode threw me a little, and although I am sure the scenes with the abandoned baby and his growing up will reveal there relevance in the next show, I cannot help but think how disjointed it made the episode feel. At the point of the policeman coming back to life I immediately thought of Captain Jack (referring back to the similarity in the way Captain Jack recovered after being exterminated in previous series) and the fact that he issued the warning about the lone Cyberman, led to this thought. As this is written prior to the relevance of this character being revealed I will not go down that line but follow the assumption that he is the lone Cyberman. There are, I am sure, that neither of these paths could be true anyway. I feel what spoils this and other shows of the last two series is the multitude of companions the Doctor has. In the time allotted for each show there is never enough time to fully develope each of their characters. Also it would have been interesting to see how a female doctor would relate to a single male companion as a kind of role reversal of previous male doctor female companion relationships. The next episode will (hopefully) wrap up all the unanswered questions and tie up all the loose ends. Question.... did this episode say what year the main even was supposed to be? (I may have missed it)

Doctor Who at its finest...

[shaneokeefe-78700 · 10/10 · 23 February 2020]

All the elements of what makes Doctor Who special are here in this incredible first part episode. Action, mystery, excitement and a lot of running... Chris Chibnall has officially mastered the formula!

Can the last of humanity survive the last of the Cybermen?

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 24 February 2020]

As this, the first of a two part story, opens a man finds a baby in rural Ireland, he and his wife later adopt him and name him Brendon. Over the course of the episode we return to Brendon's life as he grows up, joins the Garda Síochána (Irish police), survives an incident that should have left him dead to the point of his retirement.

Intertwined with these scenes we get the main story. The Doctor and her three companions are in the distant future seeking the last handful of survivors of the war between humanity and the Cybermen. She hopes to protect them from the remaining Cybermen but during an attack all their equipment is destroyed. They are split up; Graham and Yaz escape with survivors or a particularly rickety spaceship while The Doctor, Ryan and another survivor steal one of the Cybermen's ships. They hope to be reunited at 'Ko Sharmus'; a gateway to safety.

This was a fairly mixed episode. The scenes involving Brendon were intriguing as they raised many questions without really answering them. The main story provided some exciting moments but it was also somewhat spoilt by silliness... I really didn't like the Cyberdrones; flying Cyberman heads that fired beam-weapons from their eyes! When our protagonists are divided the tension rose nicely and there are some decent twists... unfortunately the main twist at the end will be spoilt for anybody who checks IMDb before watching thanks to the picture used to illustrate the episode! The ending left me eager to see what happens next. Overall not the best episode but solid enough; it is hard to judge fairly at this point as much depends on the quality of the conclusion.

boring and confused

[howlee-65895 · 1/10 · 24 February 2020]

Just a mess, lots of pointless running and shouting, a complete nonesense, bring back the old writers or give up on the juvenile twaddle

Fantastic

[dormesher-21565 · 9/10 · 24 February 2020]

Doctor Who Ascension of the Cybermen. Another fantastic episode of Doctor Who this season finale is becoming my favourite of the Jodie Era and this is definitely Chibnalls best work In Doctor Who.

The Cybermen are fantastic they feel like an absolute threat and that's how they should feel they haven't felt in a long time and seeing my favourite Doctor Who villain like this is amazing.

Love the new ideas it brings to the Cybermen the CyberDrones are really cool and love the design of the Warrior Class of Cybermen.

The story is simple but keeps on the edge of your seat through out the runtime. And the companions have more to do in this one and I love Graham trying to keep the hope.

I only really had one issue what was the story with Brendon about it seemed a little out of place for me but hopefully it gets picked up in the next episode.

9/10 another fantastic episode of Doctor who great potrale of the Cybermen and a solid cliffhanger can't wait for next week loving this finale so far.

Good bridging episode

[jamesrupert2014 · 7/10 · 26 February 2020]

After showing up heavily armed to defend the last bastion of humanity, and failing, the Doctor and her posse become separated as she (with Ryan in tow) hijacks a Cyberman shuttle in an attempt to get to a place of refuge while the other two escape with some of the survivors only to find themselves trapped and pursued on a massive Cyberman troop-carrier. Meanwhile, eons earlier on Earth, a foundling lives an unusual life. 'Ascension of the Cybermen' is essentially a linker episode that sets up the season finale and can't really be judged as a stand-alone story. The imagery is good, with lots of 'space opera' scenes to satisfy fans who want some old-fashioned 'sci-fi', and the story well-paced and interesting (so far). The opening battle with the original cyber-bullies would have been more dramatic if the 'cyber-drones' weren't flying cyberman heads, which just looked silly. I'm still not a fan of Jodie Whittaker's take on the iconic Time Lord character but she's is a bit more restrained in this episode and the simplistic (and polarising) moralising that permeated much of the last couple of seasons is mostly absent.

Flying Cyber heads? Wtf

[aidanlyle · 1/10 · 23 February 2020]

Great graphics and yet again Bradley Walsh is the only redeeming cast member to this so called Fam (cringe). It just doesn't feel like doctor who anymore, more of a fan film that a college student with a budget would make

An amazing episode.

[wetmars · 9/10 · 24 February 2020]

Man, I really liked this episode. What's good about it is that this episode isn't all about cyberships nor war. This is about the Cybermen's legacy and it's great to see the "classic" cybermen designs to come back.

I also really hope the finale will have good writing. MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT THE FINALE: I heard that Billie Piper and John Barrowman will return in the finale. I really hope they could make an awesome return. Oh and also Rasslion!

The cliffhanger was meh, it was great to see The Master tho.