As for the episode itself, it was pure and true Doctor Who -- the plot was a little silly, some of the Doctor's knowledge odd, and the villain truly over the top. It was exactly what I was hoping for… except that it ended. I would have loved for it to have been hours and hours longer, but I guess I'm going to have to wait for the next series to get that.
The Cybermen certainly make for intriguing Doctor Who villains — they would kind of have to be, to have been brought back oh-so-many times, but I'm still more of a Dalek fan (not that the bad guys can always be the Daleks, that could get kind of dull). It's one of the great things about the show (old and new versions — the recurring villains have become incredibly three-dimensional because different facets of their history and personalities have been explored through the years. Thus, in an episode like "The Next Doctor," even though we don't learn all that much about Cybermen and where they come from, who they are, etc., the long-term viewer can bring in all the Cybermen's past history to flesh the story out. Does that point out a weakness in last night's episode? Probably, but then again, I can't imagine anyone having tuned in for the special who didn't already care about the show.
In the end, I really can't wait for the rest of the specials and the new season (this last bit is a way off in the future). At least, I won't have to wait for the next series to find out how the Tenth Doctor becomes the Eleventh Doctor — that's allegedly going to happen in the 2009 Christmas special ("The Last Doctor" being the 2008 special). And, fingers crossed, BBC America HD will be on the channel lineup provided by my cable company (the HD channel launches July 20) by the time that happens.
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Article comments
1 - Cen_Tex_Whovian
With the regeneration about to take place, have the writers figured out a way to allow the Doctor to move past his 13th life (12th regeneration)? It would be a shame to see this wonderful trip through time and space come to an end in three years.