Doctor Who: 10 Most Underrated Tenth Doctor Episodes

‘Rise of the Cybermen’ and ‘The Age of Steel’ combine to make the Tenth Doctor’s first two-part story. Granted, there are better multiple-episode stories throughout Tennant’s run, but these two episodes still deserve more recognition.

As fun as it was to witness the return of the Cybermen, the real strength of these two episodes is the exceptional character development.

Mickey Smith – who up until this point had been mostly used for comic relief – undergoes a considerable transformation. Amidst the Cybermen’s attempted takeover of London, Mickey blossoms from an amusing sidekick into an admirable hero.

Owing to the fact the story takes place in a parallel world, the other key point of interest is Rose’s interaction with her father, who in the real world had died many years ago. Both Billie Piper and Shaun Dingwall nail their dialogue, making the interactions between Rose and her father both tense and sweet.

As great as the action is in these two episodes, it’s really the script and the character development that raises them to the next level.