Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three. After some truly mediocre and downright awful episodes in this half of the season, this was going to be my highlight. Neil Gaiman, Warwick Davis and the return of the Cybermen? You’re damn right this is an awesome episode! Fun banter, astounding actor performances and an atmosphere of dread and tension pack this episode with everything a great Who episode is and what Gaiman has delivered before.

*Insert Poltergeist score here*

Following on from last week, this is the kids first (and hopefully last) outing with the Doctor and Clara. Travelling to the Hedgewick’s World of Wonders, a theme park sadly now abandoned apart from a kooky man in a top hat, a rag-tag platoon of the worst soldiers an Empire can offer and a mysterious little man by the name of Porridge. What unites these lost souls and how can the Doctor fight the enemy within and without?

HAX! I call HAX!

The new Cybermen design is brilliant! It’s sleeker but no less powerful looking. We learn that during the 1,000 year long Cyber-Wars (a callback to the 5th Doctor story, Earthshock) that the Cybermen have upgraded themselves to a state of near indestructability. They’re faster, stronger, not so weak to gold and they walk like Robocop now! Their new ability to adapt quickly is quite reminiscent of The Borg, along with their capacity to convert all organic species quickly and easily using Cybermites. This is a huge improvement and definitely a step in the right direction in making them a formidble fighting force again. In their efforts to become more powerful and destroy all organics, the Cyber-Planner infests the Doctor and this is where Matt Smith shines as he plays the steadfast Doctor, resisting and fighting to regain his mind and the Cyber-Planner, using his memories and Timelord knowledge to taun both the Doctor and his companions. Smith plays schizophrenic really well and I love the Cyber-Planner, he’s trying to play Clara and using other Doctor’s catchphrases. He’s amazing!

“I have seen the enemy, and he is a handsome devil!”

Speaking of Clara, she really steps up in this episode and shows us why the Doctor trusts her. Just like her previous incarnations, her sheer force of will and personality can make anyone follow her into battle and even fall in love. Warwick Davis plays Porridge, a mysterious guy who is hiding some deep secret and holding on to a lot of guilt, and he’s a great character and yet another one that I hope returns. Finally we come to the Maitland children who are essentially bargaining chips/meat shields to drive the plot forward. Artie is alright but Angie is a right cow but I guess that fits her MO as moddy teenage girl. I hope they never travel in the TARDIS again.

Nightmare in Silver is a fantastic episode and I cannot recommend it highly enough. You should be watching it right now! GO!

Next week sees this season end with The Name of the Doctor and secrets shall be revealed but for now, check out this prelude to the finale.

Whiskers… Okay, whether it due to laziness, illness or Silence, I’m sorry for the delay and without further ado, here’s “NO, You’re a TARDIS!” for the episode ‘Closing Time.’

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD

In the last few days of his life, the Doctor pays a farewell visit to his old friend Craig Owens, and encounters a mystery. People are going missing, a silver rat scuttles in the shadows of a department store, and somewhere close by, the Cybermen wait.

In an interesting bit of plot development, this episode takes place 200 years after ‘The God Complex’. From the Doctor’s perspective anyway, he’s now the age he was when he was killed at the start of the season, setting the Doctor on a crash course with the events of the first episode and there‘s more of that plot later in the episode involving River Song but I‘ll save that for you to see. But that’s not what you came for…..
The Doctor makes a house call to old flatmate/companion Craig, intent on it just being a social visit but gets embroiled in Craig’s life again because of the Cybermen snatching people from a local shopping complex for…… some reason. To be honest, the Cybermen are ineffectual and have no bearing on the plot other than to have Craig go all Ma-Ti on their metallic arses. Utterly wasted but I can see that Cybermat becoming a big hit once it gets released as a toy (and it will.)

Matt Smith and James Corden again make a great double-act, especially with the added element of The Doctor speaking baby to Craig’s child, Stormageddon. Yes, he has a human name but once you hear “Stormageddon” you’re not going to call the kid anything else. They’re a fun little trio though the whole deal of The Doctor and Craig being a gay couple is a little overplayed for such a bog-standard punch line.

It’s nice to have a little relief before the Doctor makes his final stand but this is another case of the character interaction carrying a piss-weak plot. It was nice to see James Corden reprise his role as the lovable, bumbling Craig and his character does a lot to break the Doctor out of his funk, even if it’s only for a little bit. Matt Smith balances the right amount of pathos and fun into his performance and Stormageddon will be the name of a fair few firstborn sons coming down the line.

Come back next week for the conclusion to the series and ‘The Wedding of River Song!’