Review: Doctor Who Series 7.2 Episode 7: Nightmare in Silver (Spoilers)
In every series of Doctor Who, there comes a time when an old enemy must be revisited. Though the second half of Series 7 would seem to have fulfilled this requirement with “Cold War,” the episode focused on the Ice Warrior Skaldak, it was decided that Neil Gaiman‘s episode would be about the classic Cybermen. This had me worried for several reasons. In almost every episode of New Who that has featured these baddies, their stories have been near carbon copies of one another. They have been characterized by a lack of imagination in terms of plotting, and little to no evolution of the Cybermen themselves. Which is why “Nightmare in Silver“ was, hands down, the best Cyberman episode that we have had in a long, long time (as well as one of the best episodes of Who overall).
The episode had some of the best pacing we have seen in an episode of this season, as well as creativity of plot and setting that dazzled. The Cybermen were scary once more, and Matt Smith had an incredible opportunity to prove himself as the brilliant actor that he is. Clara showed her mettle yet again as she took charge of her situation as commander of a tiny army without batting an eyelid, Warwick Davis was wonderful as the endearing Porridge, and did I mention that Matt Smith’s acting was absolutely fantastic? Many expected Nightmare in Silver to be a sophomore slump after the success of The Doctor’s Wife, but the two were so different that the comparison is difficult to make. (The Doctor’s Wife will forever remain my favorite episode of all time, but Nightmare in Silver is a close contender for second place.) While the ending could have been more satisfying and Angie and Artie’s roles seemed like an afterthought, the episode was an overall success, and I enjoyed it tremendously.