My Thoughts on "Nightmare in Silver" · 3:37am May 12th, 2013
The penultimate episode of Doctor Who Series 7: Part 2 has aired and it's time to give my thoughts on it. If you haven't seen Nightmare in Silver then read no further as spoilers will be discussed.
Nightmare in Silver is easily one of the top three most highly anticipated episodes of Series 7: Part 2 (alongside Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS and The Name of the Doctor); and, while this episode does have a few flaws, I found it to be a pretty fun episode. The Doctor and Clara both got to shine in this episode. The Doctor's mental battle with his "evil" counterpart was quite entertaining and, of course, it was cool to see mug shots of the ten previous Doctors. Matt Smith looked like he had a lot of fun with his role in this episode. The evil Doctor personality was a fun mix of hammy acting and intimidating sadism (as was seen in the character of Mrs. Gillyflower in The Crimson Horror). It was also cool to see Matt Smith give both a Christopher Eccleston and a David Tennant impression within the span of ten seconds. I also really enjoyed Clara in this episode. It was cool to see her take charge of the punishment platoon and I enjoyed her banter with both the Doctor and his evil counterpart. Warwick Davis also provided an interesting and complex character and the scene where he proposed to Clara was both funny and deep at the same time. The other side characters were fun to watch as well. I can honestly say that the Cybermen certainly creeped me out at certain parts in the episode. They've sure come a long way from the stomping and almost laughable Cybus Cybermen introduced back in 2006. The scene with the Cyberman running at practically the speed of light and kidnapping Angie was both cool and suspenseful. This episode, like the previous episode, transitioned its tone nicely. At moments it was funny, at moments it was suspenseful, at moments it was creepy, and at other moments it was heartwarming. I can certainly say that the ending left me quite satisfied.
There are a couple problems with this episode. I didn't hate Angie and Artie but they were a bit annoying at the beginning of the episode with Angie insulting and complaining about everything and Artie being just sort of meh. However, I was happy to see their attitudes improve by the end with Angie even apologizing for insulting the TARDIS (even though she did remain a bit annoying). They really didn't do much in the episode but, from the looks of things, a bunch of people should be happy about that. I remember lots of people complaining about the ending of The Crimson Horror and saying that the kids were annoying and that they would ruin this episode. I personally found these complaints to be stupid as we had barely seen Artie and Angie before that. Now that we've seen them enough, it's fair to critique their characters. Overall, they weren't bad additions to the episode and I even enjoyed them in a few parts but they could have been better. There were also a few moments where the evil Doctor became a bit too hammy (such as him going by the name of Mr. Clever). It didn't bother me that much and I could tell that Matt Smith was having a blast but it became a bit too hammy at points. But it was still fun to see the Doctor argue with himself.
Overall, Nightmare in Silver was a fun episode and a good reintroduction of the Mondasian Cybermen. Next week is the finale of Series 7: Part 2, The Name of the Doctor, where the mystery of Clara Oswald shall finally be solved; Vastra, Jenny, and Strax are captured by the threatening Whispermen; the Great Intelligence in the form of Dr. Simeon brings the Doctor to the Fields of Trenzalore; a post-library River Song shall aid Clara; and the Doctor's greatest secret shall be revealed. OH MY GOD! THIS EPISODE! I CAN'T EVEN-
You can check out two promos for The Name of the Doctor below:
I liked this episode too. I especially liked Clara taking charge and seeing an evil version of the Doctor. (Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge) I especially like Warwick Davis in this episode, being the Harry Potter and Star Wars fan that I am. When I saw him, I was like "Warwick Davis!"
Angie was kind of annoying. "I'm bored and you're stupid." Should have been "You're bored and I'm stupid."
They're going to reveal what Clara is already.
Seems kind of soon. Then again, I used to watch LOST.
1071826
You didn't know that the secret behind Clara was going to be revealed in The Name of the Doctor? A lot of people from BBC made it clear that Clara's secret would be revealed in the finale. I'm so excited for the next episode! I can't wait!
I've never seen LOST. I love Once Upon a Time, though.
I miss the sound that cybermen used to make when they walked.