Doctor Who Series 7, Episode 12 Review: Nightmare in Silver
- doctorbrick
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
What did you think of this episode?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
Nightmare in Silver is, unfortunately, one of the more disappointing episodes in Doctor Who's recent run. As much as the episode tries to build suspense and excitement, it ultimately falls short in nearly every regard.
The biggest regard though, is irritating children. They add absolutely fuck all to this episode other than to grate on me. If any child is on another planet with scary metal men, a bunch of strangers, and walks into a room and says I'm bored - well, they should just be converted there and then. No messing, I'd take them to the Cyberman myself. Possibly the worst interaction in all of Doctor Who.
"I hate the future. It’s stupid. There’s not even phone service. I’m out of here."
Said no one, ever!
Sorry, got that off my chest now, on with the show.
No, I'm sorry, this is actually going to be one big moan! Whilst I am on it, Clara was built as this super nanny the kids loved, and then the kids are slagging her off. Why exactly?
I actually thought I might like this more on a rewatch, if anything it has gone down in my estimation. Maybe there is some Gaiman is a shit bias hidden in the back of my head, or maybe, he just wrote all the characters to be irritating.
Clara, who I really was starting to warm to during this series, is suddenly put in charge of the planets army, and she does so with no opposition from anyone and then proceeds to cockily wander around as if she has been some war general for years on end. How did people just accept this? Why is Clara quite happy to play army whilst she has taken two kids (annoying fuckers granted) to a planet facing a Cyberman invasion. Why don't they at least leave the fuckers in the TARDIS? Honestly, why?!
"Clara? She’s not my sister. She’s stupid. She’s talking to Porridge."
These quotes are filling me with rage!
Clara Oswald has been the companion for four episodes. Clara is an odd one in that regard, she was barely in it and suddenly bang, she is running an army, an episode later she is jumping in graves and another episode later she is in the Time War, stopping the Doctor killing his people, She really doesn't fuck about!
It was quite hard to take seriously. This is nothing against Jenna Coleman by the way, she is an amazing actor, I just wasn't buying how someone had to ring a helpline to connect to Wi-Fi was suddenly running an army.
The episode was all over the place, it was hard to keep up. There was a shit army, a bloke with a sandwich, a Cyberman, a chess game, General Clara, a bloke called Porridge, annoying kids, a theme park, Cybermen attacking, Cybermen weirdly upgrading as they went, Cybermen flashing by the screen and not stomping, what the F is going on here?!?!
Were the upgraded Cybermen meant to be more impressive and/or terrifying than previous versions? Rather than being terrifying and impressive they were oddly unremarkable. You cannot beat the menacing stomping in unison.
The chess game as well, all that build up and they didn't even finish the match.
Yes Matt Smith is fun as Mr. Clever, but even that is a bit too much for me. Oh and then we get the Clara is so amazing she gets a marriage proposal from a stranger bit, sigh!
"Thank you for having me. It was very interesting."
Just to add insult to injury, I love the most hated line! Matt Smith's face when he delivers the line is priceless!
Ultimately, Nightmare in Silver tries too hard to pack in everything without delivering on any of it. The pacing was off, the character dynamics were forced, and the villainous Cybermen were a shadow of their former selves. It’s hard to see this as anything other than a missed opportunity for a thrilling adventure. Fans of the show - and the Cybermen - will find little to love here.
Am I completely wrong? Are the Cybermen menacing here? Am I being harsh on the kids? Am I being Mr. Thick? Let me know in the comments below.
RATING: Exterminate!
BEST LINE: "Impossible girl. A mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt that’s just a little bit too tight."
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