Doctor Who Series 12: 10 Things That Need To Happen In The Finale
Let's face it, JUST the Cybermen would be a disappointment...
After a series full of major revelations and the return of some surprise characters, Jodie Whittaker's sophomore series as the Doctor has largely been an improvement on her first. There's some serious story threads at play, but there's a lot of questions that need answering before the end.
Now that we have the titles of the two-part finale, 'Ascension of the Cybermen' and 'The Timeless Children', we're being teased a couple of clues ahead of the end game. The Cybermen look set to be front and centre (certainly in the first part at least), but there's clearly something bigger at play, and hopefully we'll start to get answers to a long-running mystery leading back to thirteen's second episode.
Series 11's finale proved to be an entertaining episode in its own merit, but it fell short of NuWhovian standards due to a lack of major story arc. Chris Chibnall is now clearly upping the stakes, but there's a lot of things that need to happen to make the coming episodes real classics.
10. A Strong Story Which Makes The Cybermen Scary Again
The last time we saw the Cybermen, fans were treated to an early Mondasian version of the cybernetic race, who closely resembled humans. This, in this author's opinion, is when the Cybermen are at their most frightening. Their similarities to our physical looks remind us, especially in a modern world fuelled by technology and the threat of global warming, of what we could actually become if we abuse our resources.
Trailers for the finale have shown a new upgrade on the classic villains who are much more metallic in appearance, which is clearly intended to highlight their power. However, while the design itself is pretty cool (there are some nice throwbacks in there to the late 60s versions), they don't look particularly menacing based on this alone.
'Ascension' needs to have a strong plotline for the Cybermen, and their actions need to prove that they are still a serious threat in the Whoniverse.