On Doctor Who, after chasing the Monks from Earth, and bringing the Ice Warriors back to the galaxy, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), with companions Bill(Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas), arrive in ancient Scotland, right in the middle of where the Picts and the invading Romans are supposed to be. But everyone seems to have disappeared… and something sinister is roaming the land.
During TARDISblend 108, we discuss the final one-parter of Season 10, the return of Rona Munro from Classic Doctor Who with her first writing effort for Nu Who, and look towards the finale with questions and predictions.
In Part One of our episode: The Monks have taken the planet, and it seems that only Bill (Pearl Mackie) remembers the truth, as humanity believes the invaders have been there forever. Reuniting with Nardole (Matt Lucas), the pair try to discover what’s going on. And where is The Doctor (Peter Capaldi)?
In Part Two of our episode: we re-enter the universe of the Ice Warriors, as writer Mark Gattis delivers a daring and significant chapter into the history of the species in Doctor Who.
During TARDISblend 107, we close out The Monk trilogy where we discuss the mixed reactions from fans online, examine the return of the Ice Warriors, and look towards what we can expect in the coming episodes.
Doctor Who
Season 10, Episode 8 “The Lie Of The Land”
Directed by Wayne Yip
Written by Toby Whithouse
Starring Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas, Michelle Gomez BBC America
Air date: June 3, 2017
Ever since the dawn of modern mass media, there has been this concern that media has a meta-textual element designed to mislead the public. Call it subliminal advertising or even the Discordian fnord, but there is always this notion that the newspapers, the TV, the Internet that people so willingly and gleefully consume is actually putting us to sleep somehow. Though it informs us, that very act also allows it to control us. It creates a method for the direct manipulation of the human psyche, and since mass media systems make the replication of controlling information so easy, the many can be controlled by the very few.
This dystopian idea of control through mass media is what Doctor Who examines with Episode 10.8 “The Lie Of The Land.” Having established last week that a new alien species (the Monks) has arrived on Earth that behave something like a shadowy, Illuminati-like group, the gimmick of “The Pyramid At The End Of The World” was the setup for a choice. Bill (Pearl Mackie) must pick the uncertain future of life on Earth with the Monks, or let the Doctor die. She chooses the former, and now we see what life with the Monks looks like.
Doctor Who
Season 10, Episode 6 “Extremis”
Directed by Charles Palmer
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas, Michelle Gomez
BBC America
Air date: May 20, 2017
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term in extremis means in extreme circumstances; especially: at the point of death. After the horror and jeopardy of “Oxygen” last week, what does that mean for Doctor Who? It cannot mean the Doctor, can it? Given a fifty year history of the Doctor’s survival, that seems highly unlikely.
No, what we get with this week’s episode, “Extremis,” is part Dan Brown and part the Wachowskis as something new menaces Earth. We also learn a lot about the mysterious vault, and this season’s long story arc. Our twelve episode journey for the year is now half over. Let’s see what it is all about.
On the latest episode of Doctor Who, “Extremis“: after returning from space, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) must face a new challenge, one he has never encountered before. But before coping with his new circumstances, he is sought after by the Pope, who needs him to translate a mysterious text called Veritas. Recruiting Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) on the mission, the trio quickly find out that not everything is what it seems to be…
During TARDISblend 105, we enter the midpoint of the season and begin discussing the secret of the Vault and the return of a familiar villain. We also examine the writing style of this episode, both the highs and the lows.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
