'Doctor Who' | 'The Lie of the Land' S10E08
The Monks have taken over Earth, and have rewritten themselves into human history, thanks to the deal Bill (Pearl Mackie) made to get the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) his sight back.
SPOILER ALERT!
The world has reverted to a military rule, with the population mind-controlled to prevent dissent. Those who remember that the Monks have only been there for a few months are taken away to labour camps, charged with ‘memory crimes’.
In scenes reminiscent of ‘Turn Left’, (the episode at the end of Season 4 where Donna experiences an alternative timeline in which the Doctor never saved Earth from alien threats), Bill witnesses people being taken away by soldiers and forces herself to remember the Doctor and Nardole (Matt Lucas), and that the whole state of the world is a farce.
In another easter egg for earlier times, people are watching television through the window of Magpie Electrical, the shop from ‘The Idiot’s Lantern’ back in Season 2.
Bill is conjuring up images of her mother to help her keep the memories alive, when Nardole bursts in on her, saying that he has found the Doctor with the Monks on a ship at sea. When they eventually catch up with him, he reveals that he is working with the Monks, and that their control is better for humanity than what they are doing to themselves.
In a particularly riveting scene, Bill can’t believe that he can be working with them, or that he believes this is truly better than humans having freewill. She shoots him, and he begins to regenerate, which is possibly slightly redundant because the fans know that the regeneration won’t be due until the end of the season. In any case, the deception is revealed and they all have a good laugh at Bill’s expense.
Bill apparently passed the test, but she is unimpressed with the whole charade and rightly so. Why they had to wait six months before extracting her is unclear, especially after he said that the safest place for her was by his side.
The Doctor and Bill escape the Monks’ ship and return to the university, where they consult with Missy (Michelle Gomez) in the vault as to how to defeat the Monks. They must disrupt the signal that broadcasts the mind-control message, through the person who first gave consent for the Monks to take over - Bill. The Doctor refuses to sacrifice Bill, and decides they must get into the pyramid in London to hack the broadcast system himself.
Once they get in, the Doctor tries to hack the broadcast, but the Monk fights him off. Bill decides she must try to do it, and uses the image of her mother to override the Monks message. The Monks abandon Earth, and the population of Earth suddenly don’t remember them any more, even though supposedly some of them had been hauled away to labour camps or given up their jobs to be part of the militia. It was an ending swept under the carpet, but a satisfying conclusion to this three-part story.
Missy appears particularly vulnerable in this episode, which is a change from the snarky, borderline psychotic timelord we know and love. Why is she suddenly trying to be good?
‘The Lie of the Land’ was an enjoyable return to an alternative-timeline feel, but with the end of the story not particularly well-executed, this episode wasn't as good as last week's. Mackie was particularly brilliant in this episode, incredulous and horrified, but then overjoyed to see that her friends were all right.
Director Wayne Yip is new to the show, and did an amazing job bringing this story together, with compelling pacing, even if the subject matter was rather dark and dreary.
Next week, tune in for some Ice Warrior action in ‘Empress of Mars’.
Watch ‘Doctor Who’ every Saturday night at 7:20pm on BBC One; 9pm on BBC America; and Sundays at 7:30pm on the ABC and iView in Australia.
