#8 (5.1 - 5.4): The Tomb of the Cybermen.

The Doctor is trapped by the Cybermen!

4 episodes. Approx. 97 minutes. Written by: Kit Pedler, Gerry Davis. Produced by: Peter Bryant. Directed by: Morris Barry.


THE PLOT

THe TARDIS arrives on the planet Telos just in time for the Doctor to witness an archaeological team uncover the entrance to the Tomb of the Cybermen. Professor Parry (Aubrey Richards), the expedition's leader, explains that they have come to find out why the Cybermen died out. But the Doctor worries that the tomb is a little too accessible, and that the entire edifice is an elaborate trap.

Inside, they discover a control room but no Cybermen. They do find a hatch to an area below, which logicians Eric Klieg (George Pastell) and Kaftan (Shirley Cooklin), who funded the expedition, believe must lead to the actual tomb. With a nudge or two from the Doctor, they are able to open it, and the group makes its way underground.

Where they find the Cybermen waiting in stasis - Dormant, but very much alive. Which is exactly what someone in their ranks was hoping for...


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: From the moment the Doctor hears the word "Cybermen," he decides he has to stay until he is able to make sure they will not reawaken. He's shrewd in how he goes about this. He doesn't step forward and take charge - Instead, he nudges the egotistical Klieg into figuring out how to turn on the power to the complex, then surreptitiously opens the hatch leading to the tomb. There's also a wonderful scene, a quiet character moment in the second half, in which the Doctor talks to Victoria about her father's death. He tells her that the pain will fade, and talks briefly about his own family and how he can let them sleep in his mind except when he actually wants to remember them.

Victoria: Her first proper story as a companion. Though Victoria's reputation in fan circles is very much that of a "screamer," she does show intelligence. When held at gunpoint in Episode Three, for example, Victoria glances at a dormant Cybermat and screams - distracting her assailant's attention long enough for Capt. Hopper (George Roubicek) to disarm her. Later, when most of the party has been locked in another room, Victoria is able to bluff her captors into believing that it's at least possible that the others may have a Cyber-weapon at their disposal. Deborah Watling is appealing throughout, able to sell that she's a character from a 19th century background even while taking part in this futuristic adventure.

Jamie: Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines put in some wonderful bits of business that make their interaction special. When first entering the tomb, the Doctor and Jamie catch themselves holding hands and, in mutual surprise, all but throw their hands away from each other. At the start of Episode Two, when the Doctor is testing a control sequence that has just killed one member of the party, he advises that anyone who wishes to leave may. He then immediately adds, "Not you, Jamie," as the Scotsman prepares to make his exit. The result of these throwaway moments is a relationship that feels authentic, which I suspect is why this particular team is so well remembered a good 50 years after the fact.

Cybermen: "We will survive..." The early Cybermen stories work in a way that later ones often didn't, precisely because their goal is as simple as survival. Humanity is simultaneously a threat to their existence and a potential farm for them to create new Cybermen. Their attacks on humanity are motivated by their own urge to survive and reproduce - which ultimately amounts to the same thing. The story pauses to weave the Season Four Cybermen stories together, creating cohesive links between The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase, and this. The result is that, at this point in the series run, the Cybermen have a coherent, cohesive mythology... Though that wouldn't last for much longer!


THOUGHTS

For a long time, The Tomb of the Cybermen was among the many missing stories of the Second Doctor's era. The BBC even prepared an audio release, with narration by Jon Pertwee - a release that was rendered instantly obsolete by the 1991 recovery of a complete copy. Until the 2013 recovery of The Enemy of the World, it was the only complete serial from Season Five; it remains the earliest complete story of Patrick Troughton's era.

Bizarrely, its recovery led to a negative re-evaluation. During the time it was lost, the reputation of its visual element - particularly the scene in which the Cybermen break free of their tombs - was magnified to the point that many (rather unreasonably) expected it to have the production values of a feature film. When it was discovered that the serial had the usual hallmarks of the series' low budget, including a wobbly tomb door and a visible wire on a man meant to be held in mid-air by a Cyberman, some fans griped that being found was the worst thing that could have happened.

Thankfully, that balderdash has long since receded, and most seem to again recognize the story for the classic it is. Sure, it's low-budget. It is also imaginatively-produced and tightly-scripted - One of the Troughton era's highlights, and in my opinion the best Classic Series Cyberman story.

Though certainly exemplifying the "base-under-siege" format so popular in the Troughton era, it also anticipates the Hinchcliffe/Holmes formula. A team of archaeologists and their shady (conveniently foreign-accented) financial backers enter a booby-trapped tomb, only to be preyed upon by monsters... It's the Doctor Who version of The Mummy, and all the better for it.

Holding the Cybermen back until the midpoint of the story proves to be a good choice. The first two episodes build atmosphere and explore the tensions and mixed agendas among the group. Three members of the party die before the Cybermen awaken, two thanks to the various traps within the tomb, and one more thanks to treachery. The Cybermen themselves are viewed by the human villains as tools to be exploited - much the way the various human factions in Power of the Daleks viewed those creatures.  As was true of the Daleks in that story, the Cybermen here view the human villains no differently than the rest of the group, which reinforces how alien they are.

Contained to a briskly-paced four episodes, and peppered with effective suspense and good character bits, The Tomb of the Cybermen is one of the easiest Sixties stories to watch in a single sitting. Sure, its age and budget show - But it remains wonderfully entertaining, and is a story I have no hesitation dubbing a "must-see."


Overall Rating: 8/10.

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