I had to stop you, or at least not stand in the way of someone who wanted to, because the guns were getting bigger, the stakes were getting higher, and any minute now it was going to be goodnight, Vienna." Toby Whithouse has been a frequent contributor for Doctor Who - a writer who has brought a lot of imagination and colour to the Whoniverse. His plots aren't always sound, but from evidence such as his first contribution, School Reunion, and his two-parter two years ago, Under the Lake/Before the Flood - he has genuine style and flare. With The Lie of the Land, he has conjured a dark and bleak image of an alternative Earth where the Monks have taken over the free will of the Human race, and indoctrinated them by means of brainwaves. This may seem vague and candid, but the way it is portrayed is gruelling - even more so when you realise the Doctor's working for the Monks.
Or not. In one of the biggest tricks in the book, the Doctor deceives the Monks into believing that he has been shot and killed by Bill. Now, at first, this all seems incredibly shocking, seeing as Bill was the one who shot the Doctor, something that some younger viewers might find distressing. But, the Doctor adding a regeneration effect and a full-bloated performance into the mix, makes it all quite comical. This trickery may not work on all frames of reference, but for me it felt like a symbolic foreshadowing of the Doctor's fragility and his impending death very soon. I really enjoyed the opening sequence too. It has become a staple in Capaldi's era that there be some sort of monologue or voiceover exposition at the beginning of an episode to provide the audience with a notion of what is to come. This one works really well, as it shows the full scale effect the Monks have had on the history of Earth and the Human race. Even seeing the Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels brought back some wonderful connections to past seasons. Bill and Nardole also worked well together, continuing their flourishing chemistry from Oxygen and Extremis. Pearl Mackie has adapted really well to her role, with arguably her greatest performance in this episode, when Bill attempts to reason with the Doctor after he confesses that he's working with the Monks. Even better, we got another snippet of Missy, a favourite character of mine, who appears to have vital information on the Monks. Michelle Gomez plays her character far more subdued this time, but she never stops being mad. Some of the lines Whithouse wrote for her were bloody brilliant. It's great to see the development of the series as well, as the Vault was first revealed, it was hinted at who was inside, Missy was revealed, and now it has finally been opened. The big question now is, after that final scene, has Missy truly started to turn good. Considering some setbacks in the story, I'm going to have to point out some negative factors. Whilst the resolution of the Monks was lovely, in every sense of the word, having Bill use her imaginary connections of her mother as the method of defeating the Monks was a tad ridiculous. Love is a powerful thing, yes, but seeing as how the Monks have a dear connection with love themselves, surely these thought-processes wouldn't harm them in any way, shape or form. Regardless of that, I'm also inclined to point out that the Monks have had little to say, despite featuring in three episodes. Extremis introduced them well, and the Pyramid at the End of the World, gave them a motive, but this episode hasn't properly ended their plan. Indeed, they wanted to take over the Earth, but what was their destination - their end goal? Cons aside, I feel like this was a winning episode, giving the Doctor and Bill a chance to reassert their relationship as tutor and student, but also as close friends who enjoy challenging each other with question and hypotheses. Having Missy in the episode was a positive decision, and Whithouse writers her character very well in my opinion, almost as good as the maestro himself. But, in the end, it concludes in lacklustre style, save for that beautiful final scene between the Doctor and Missy. 8/10
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AuthorA very passionate Welsh nerd... Archives
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