6 Ups & 0 Downs From Doctor Who Series 12 - Ascension Of The Cybermen
4. The Brendan Subplot
Something rather unexpected throughout Ascension of the Cybermen was a subplot featuring the life of Brendan, an Irish orphan. After joining the constabulary and being shot off a cliff, it transpires that this character cannot seem to die. Fast-forward to his retirement, he leaves the station only to be stopped by two men, one being his father, the other being the man who hired him. However, neither have aged a day.
Being taken back into the station, Brendan is handcuffed to a chair, and his memory is painfully wiped. But why? He's not shocked to see this ageless pair, nor does he appear to resist when they tie him down. No more of Brendan's story is explored throughout the episode, and it's unclear as to which arc this sequence plays into. Is he the Lone Cyberman? Does he have something to do with the Timeless Child? Has his memory been wiped due to retirement because he knows too much? Could this be Torchwood, even? Everything is to play for, and it's excruciating being made to wait and find out.