The scene with Victoria and the Doctor was really touching 😭😥 and the Cyber Leader had the best ever lines from a Cyberman "You belong to us, You shall be like us! "
When this story was recovered, and released on vhs tape, in British realms, often, we in the America’s got videos months or a year later. I had been to the UK a few times (first 1984) and my Parents had friends they would visit. So, when they went in ‘91, I asked them to buy the video of “Tomb”. There was a shop, local here in south Ohio that I found would convert PAL to domestic tape, at cost. Yet, I could view “tomb” months before the official US release. I had read the Target novel before. I had seen a bootleg copy of the 4 episodes of “the Ice warriors” in 1990, through a fellow fan, at University. American PBS had a set of Troughton from only Season Six, broadcast in 1986. And the JN-T produced “years tape” video for Troughton, with three lone episodes, was also out in 1991 - more 2nd Doctor!!! The current state of recovered episodes, audio and tele’ recons’, full animations -would have made many fans heads overload back in 1991.
I'm glad I can enjoy this one again. Here in the US we have this streaming service called Pluto TV and they show classic episodes and in the beginning this was the ONLY Second Doctor story to air. I never thought I'd get sick of this one but because of Pluto TV I did. They have since expanded which episodes they air and I can rewatch it again.
This is one of those stories that has ended up on permannent rotation for me whenever i want to watch a doctor who that isnt nextin my marathon. It does a brilliant job sci-fing mummy movies, the cast are all excellent, and its just such an easy watch for me every time. Absolutely brilliant
I always think of ‘Tomb’ as the first ever softest of reboots. The opening TARDIS scene is a wonderfully upbeat reintroduction to the show. It really is just two companions now and the necessary exposition’s so brilliantly written and wittily acted it feels like natural dialogue, not weighty exposition (something new Who should genuinely re-look at). I think the Victoria/Doctor scene is about a newer familial sense of The Doctor and an understanding of the obvious lost ‘Alice-ness’ of Victoria, but ‘my’ more storytelling sense of it is, it’s about bringing in the telly audience. Here The Doctor isn’t a curmudgeonly grandfather, he’s more a kindly father/uncle, completely understanding this newly adopted-daughter-like Victoria needs emotional reassurance. What I think’s really clever though, is when Troughton declares… ‘no one in the universe can do what we’re doing’, he’s stepping outside the screen. It’s not he’s only silently/exitably telling Victoria, he’s telling it to a largely family based audience of kids. It’s such a communally embracing line, that just might make whoever the viewer feel a greater connection to the show, to The Doctor even. A differing connection they’ve perhaps not experienced before. It’s not just the TARDIS crew travelling time and space, the children watching are also in on this now highly emotive secret… they’re doing the exact same ‘do’ as their televisual heroes. Another lovely review of one of my favourite ever stories. Gx
I’ve been doing a marathon of classic who too; I found this episode felt insanely different than anything from season1-4. Really interesting that this episode feels closer to anything else classic who after season 7 then before
I quite like Victoria as a companion. I always found Zoe way too smug and Jamie ended up pushed to the background later in her run. Don't get me wrong there are moments where Zoe shines but she's not my fav lol. I remember buying Tomb on VHS when it was released for £9.99. Lol. I always enjoyed the Second Doctor as a child my first introduction to him was the old BBC edited (Movie length) VHS Seeds of Death and I loved his Doctor.
I do love some parts here and there. The production, scene with 2 and Victoria, the metal breakdown gag and the Cybermen’s spooky tomb. But overall the story feels over rated.
I like the style of Tomb of the Cybermen but I find its lack of substance to be disappointing. I wish that instead of Victoria, it was a Zoe story and she was the one gleefully solving the intelligent tests while the doctor said "no, don't do it..." while egging her on a bit, giving him some plausible deniability... that will just get wrecked again by the next story because it's the second Doctor. Am I fan of that Victoria scene? No, it's just too weird. It's a tomb, you're in a tomb, don't talk about seeing the dead in a tomb.
