Revenge of the Cybermen

Anticipation is wonderful sauce for life, but it can sometimes spoil reality something fierce.

Case in point: a week or two ago, I got a copy of the much-awaited Tom Baker Cyberman story, "Revenge of the Cybermen."

It's the conclusion of the "mini-arc" around Nerva station that started with the "Ark in Space", went into "The Sontaran Experiment", and then into "Genesis of the Daleks".

I interrupted my viewings of "Arrested Development", eagerly plopped the new disc into my DVD player and sat down.

And disappointment set in.

Don't get me wrong. I remain a devoted fan of Tom Baker's era as the Doctor. I love the Cybermen as villains and enjoyed the bits with the hokey Cybermats.

I completely forgot how wrong the Cybermen seem in this. They're so... not-robotic. I swear, if the Cyber-leader had a cyber-moustache, he would have been cyber-twirling it as he did his nefarious death traps.

Just seemed silly.

I did enjoy a random bit of observation. The emblems worn by the Voga aliens seemed strangely familiar when I watched the episode. It took me a whole three minutes to realize they're the Seal of Rassilon the BBC recycled later for the Time Lords.

Ah, shoestring budgets. Gotta love 'em.