The Lie of the Land
| 272 – "The Lie of the Land" | |||||
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| Doctor Who episode | |||||
Promotional image for the episode
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Others
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| Production | |||||
| Directed by | Wayne Yip | ||||
| Written by | Toby Whithouse | ||||
| Produced by | Nikki Wilson | ||||
| Executive producer(s) | Steven Moffat Brian Minchin |
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| Incidental music composer | Murray Gold | ||||
| Series | Series 10 | ||||
| Length | 45 minutes | ||||
| Originally broadcast | 3 June 2017 | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer) | 90% |
| Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score) | 6.74 |
| The A.V. Club | B- |
| Entertainment Weekly | B |
| SFX Magazine |  |
| IndieWire | B |
| IGN | 8.7 |
| New York Magazine |  |
| Radio Times | |
| Daily Mirror | |
"The Lie of the Land" is the eighth episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Written by Toby Whithouse, it was broadcast on 3 June 2017 on BBC One. "The Lie of the Land" received mixed reviews from television critics.
Continuing on after Bill (Pearl Mackie) gives her consent to the Monks, she and Nardole (Matt Lucas) have to find a way to rescue the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) after he is imprisoned, and end the Monk's invasion of Earth. It is the third and final of three loosely connected episodes called "The Monks Trilogy".
The Monks are rulers of the Earth, and appear to have been on Earth for millions of years, guiding human development. Bill and a few others are aware of the truth: the Monks have only been present on Earth for six months. Those who hold this view are imprisoned for "memory crimes". The Doctor appears on television praising the Monks' guidance over humanity.
Bill keeps herself grounded in reality by imagining that she is talking with her long-dead mother, based on pictures the Doctor gave her. Nardole, also aware of the truth, locates Bill and helps her to find the prison hulk where the Doctor is thought to be a captive. Inside, after a team of commandos swarm inside, the Doctor tells Bill he is cooperating willingly with the Monks, believing that humanity was doomed without their guidance. Bill becomes distraught and shoots the Doctor, who appears to begin regenerating, but quickly stops. The entire scenario is revealed to have been a test by Nardole, the Doctor and the team, to make sure Bill was not under the influence of the Monks.
At the university where the Doctor and Bill work, they enter the Vault to talk to Missy, who says she has encountered the Monks before. She confirms the Monks maintain control by broadcasting a signal containing the false history to their subjugated victims via the numerous statues they have built across Earth, enabled by a psychic link established through the person who originally gave "consent"; Missy claims she defeated them during her own encounter by killing that individual. The implication is that Bill must die as the one who gave consent on Earth.
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Wikipedia