Who Review: The Lie of the Land
As a result of events in the previous story (see “The Pyramid at the End of the World”), the world has been taken over by the Monks, and all the inhabitants of Earth have been brainwashed to believe that the Monks have always been there. Every significant event in the development of the human race was inspired and encouraged by the Monks. Without the Monks, mankind would have died out centuries ago. At least, that’s what people are being told to believe. And on the basis of this “truth,” the inhabitants of Earth are willing to subjugate themselves to their benevolent dictators. After all, isn’t that how it’s always been? “Truth” deniers are sent away to labor camp, or executed. Yet somehow, Bill has survived, holding out hope that the Doctor will save the day. That the images of the Doctor reinforcing the history of the world as told by the Monks is just a ruse, part of some grand scheme he has to bring them down and set the human race free. He can’t really be working for the Monks. Can he…? Bill is about to learn some very uncomfortable truths. And an unlikely ally will give her the secret to defeating the Monks. But will it be worth the price?
SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those that haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!
This episode is the third in the “Truth Monk” trilogy–which is what I expect this will be called. Last time, Bill ceded control of the Earth to the Monks in exchange for the Doctor’s eyesight, which enabled him to escape the exploding test lab. Throughout that story, the Doctor warned people not to relinquish control to the Monks. The price would be too heavy; whatever would happen to the world, it would be worth it not to give control over to the Monks. But Bill ignored him…
Now the world is under the Monk’s control. But they took a sneaky way in, by means of transmitters in every city that fill everyone’s minds with the idea that the Monks have been around from the beginning of time, even though they’d only been around for six months. Bill knew the truth, however. And to make sure she didn’t forget, she created an “imaginary friend” version of her deceased mother to talk to. In the tradition of the best Who writing, this seemingly daft, but touching tribute to Bill’s mum proved to be the Monk’s downfall.
Yes, this is another great piece of Who story telling. It’s a shame Peter Capaldi couldn’t have had two previous seasons as good as this. Season nine was good, but not as consistent, and it suffered from Clara, “the impossible girl who we now totally understand but don’t know what to do with.” (Don’t get me wrong, Jenna Coleman was great, but they should have left the reveal about the “impossible girl” until the end of her time on the show, i.e., last season.) Brilliant writing, and two phenomenally good actors firing on all cylinders, is making this season one of the best of the Moffat era, at least as good as Season Seven–Matt Smith’s last, oddly enough.
I don’t know about you, but I’m warming to Nardole a lot. At first I thought he would just be a plot device, or some useless comic relief. But I think his character truly compliments the TARDIS team. Matt Lucas plays him with just the right amount of comedy: enough to bring a smile, but not too much that it detracts from the drama. And he’s not simply the Curly of the trio. He’s smart, and actually offers ideas and encouragement to the team. In this episode, he makes use of an electronic tracer he found in the TARDIS to help him and Bill find the Doctor. Of course, it turns out this was all part of the Doctor’s scheme to escape from the Monks, so the Doctor may well have told him where to find it. Even so, Nardole sold the idea to Bill as if it was his own, and in his lovably charming way, convinced her to go along with the plan.
And then we have Missy, the monster in the vault. Bill’s reaction to her is great, because she does look like a harmless woman. But I think she becomes convinced listening to Missy talk, especially when she reveals how to stop the Monks. I’m not a fan of the Missy-Master, but I have to hand it to Michelle Gomez for really selling the character as extremely dangerous without having to argue the case; just by the way she talks, and her mannerisms. Superbly done. But the tears at the end, when she and the Doctor are talking–is she really beginning to regret her past? It’s hard to believe, but maybe she does start to turn good, which is where the John Simm Master comes in…? We’ll have to wait and see, I guess. 🙂
Two thumbs-up from me for this story. I hope the season continues on this roll.
What did you think?
By the way, have you noticed the retro posters I’ve been using for each New Who story over the past few years? They’re designed by Stuart Manning, a freelance graphic designer based in London. The “Truth Monks” poster used in this story, and featured above, was actually commissioned from Stuart by BBC Worldwide! For my indie writer friends, Stuart also does cover artwork. His is top-quality work (as you can see), so I imagine he doesn’t come cheap. But I bet your books would look awesome with one of his designs. Worth an inquiry…)
