The Lie of the Land

"The Monks have only been here for six months."

Writer: Toby Whithouse
Format: TV
Broadcast: 3rd June 2017
Series: 10.08

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill, Nardole

Synopsis

The Monks have been with us from the beginning. They shepherded humanity through its formative years, gently guiding and encouraging, like a parent clapping their hands at a baby's first steps. They have been instrumental in all the advances of technology and culture. They watched proudly as man invented the lightbulb, the telephone, the internet. They were even there to welcome the first men on the Moon. They have defended us, too. Who can forget the time the Monks defeated the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Sontarans? And they have left their imprint in the arts as well. The Monks have found their way into Dickens and the Jason Bourne films... Two species, sharing a history as happily as they share a planet.

Verdict 

The Lie of the Land was an excellent episode and a great conclusion to what has been a very good and interesting Monk trilogy. When reading the DWM preview prior to watching the episode, there seems to be some debate over whether this was the third part of the same story or rather the conclusion of a story arc. I'm going to go with the latter and maintain my stance of giving three separate ratings dating back to Extremis. This episode followed on nicely from The Pyramid at the End of the World and we joined things six months after Bill basically sold the world so the Doctor could have his sight returned following the events of Oxygen. It was an interesting place to join and I liked the idea of having a story so focused on the Monks without them actually appearing too much. It was the idea of them that was the threat and that really helped sold the myth that they had orchestrated on the human race. The Doctor serving as their spokesperson at the start of the episode was really intriguing and whilst we always knew that he hadn't really joined the Monks, Toby Whithouse did a darn good job of trying to convince us that just maybe he had! Bill certainly seemed to be convinced and I think the scene where she was reunited with the Doctor, only for him to sell her out, was Pearl Mackie's best scene to date. She could not believe that the Doctor was on their side and this made her distraught. She even went so far as to shooting him as she believed that if the Doctor was not eradicated then the human race stood no chance of eradicating the Monk incursion on their life and history. The fact that the Monks had changed the past and imposed their imprint on history was really good and I liked Nardole's comment about people not thinking anything was wrong if they believed it had always been the case. The reunion of Bill and Nardole was very comical and I really am loving them as companions now. They really have grown on me as a pairing and alongside the Twelfth Doctor, this trio really is absolutely terrific. Bill shooting the Doctor was a surprise and even though I knew there was no change of Doctor coming, I must admit that I sat up and took notice of the screen when the regeneration sequence seemed to be initiated. I love the prospect of anything involving regeneration and I did like how it was used as a gag for Bill. She wasn't too thrilled to be the subject of a group plot but she soon understood why. The Doctor explained that he needed to ensure that Bill was not the subject of the Monk influence and despite a nice reference to Thin Ice in code, she passed the test with flying colours. There were also a number of good references to The Pilot which I enjoyed. Missy's involvement in the episode was superb and despite appearing in a limited capacity, Michelle Gomez was once again sublime. I really do love her and the prospect of the Master wanting to be good really fills me with scepticism. I don't believe it for a second but the fact that Missy shed a tear as she remembered the names of those she has previously killed was really intriguing. I thought the ending of this episode was very powerful with Bill using the memory of her mother that she created to rid the world of the Monks and as she was the one that brought them here, it was she who could take them away. The way that the human race didn't even acknowledge the statues or the past six months as being significant was good and I absolutely loved the Doctor's comment about Bill and why he puts up with the seven billion other humans. What a way to make her feel special. Overall, an excellent episode!

Rating: 9/10