History Recap / DoctorWhoS36E8TheLieOfTheLand

** The Doctor says it's time to [[Film/BluesBrothers put the band back together]].

* SittingSexyOnAPiano: Missy, though she discusses {{exposition}} with the Doctor instead of [[FoeYay serenading him]].

* ClickHello: The Doctor discovering one of his soldiers has fallen under the Monk's control.

* MoodDissonance: Bill's calm voice providing a PsychicBlockDefense over the soldiers headphones in the middle of a desperate shoot-out with the Monks. There's a MoodWhiplash when a tape player gets broken and we suddenly cut to the sound of the firefight.

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Among all the other fascist paraphernalia, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schutzstaffel note the lightning bolt SS]] in the Monk's SigilSpam.

** When attacking the Pyramid, the humans wear headphones playing a tape of Bill's voice reminding them that the Monk's version of history is not real. When a tape player gets smashed by a stray bullet, that soldier quickly falls under the Monks' control.

* ThirdActStupidity: The Monks. They spent so much time planning and seeing through their actual invasion over the previous two episodes, and are {{Reality Warper}}s capable of observing the entire planet's history or just one person from afar and sensing ulterior motives. Once they have the planet in their thrall, they blindly trust the man who fought them tooth and nail to be a PropagandaMachine with no ulterior motive at all for six months, allowing him to slowly put a plan into motion all that time, rather than just killing him. They don't think to imprison or at least keep an eye on Bill despite the importance of her being kept alive. They don't notice how many people the Doctor is converting to his side. They don't do anything to stop the prison ship from returning to the mainland. They don't have the pyramid's exterior guarded by anything more than the psychic field that is easily endurable via Walkmans. They don't have the throne room's interior guarded by ''anything at all!'' The only reason for all of this is that if the Monks had been as competent in this episode as they were in the previous two, they would be nigh invincible. According to Missy's exposition, however, this is a character trait of the Monks; they're great at gaining control of a planet but not so great at keeping it.

** The Doctor is held in the middle of the North Sea, near where Azkaban would be in ''Literature/HarryPotter'', and the Monks resemble Dementors.

* RunningGag: The Doctor is still reluctant to admit that anyone is smarter than him, even the Master/Missy (who for the record, beat the Doctor in cosmic science at the Time Lord Academy).

** Missy points out that if she really wanted to escape, a mere door wouldn't hold her in the Vault. She's held in a forcefield too, but this ''is'' the Doctor's EvilCounterpart (and smarter too, despite what he claims) so it's likely she's not bluffing.

* RunningGag: The Doctor is still reluctant to admit that anyone is smarter than him, even The Master/Missy (who for the record, beat the Doctor in cosmic science at the Time Lord Academy).

* ThirdActStupidity: The Monks. They spent so much time planning and seeing through their actual invasion over the previous two episodes, and are {{Reality Warper}}s capable of observing the entire planet's history or just one person from afar and sensing ulterior motives. Once they have the planet in their thrall, they blindly trust the man who fought them tooth and nail to be a PropagandaMachine with no ulterior motive at all for six months, allowing him to slowly put a plan into motion all that time, rather than just killing him. They don't think to imprison or at least keep an eye on Bill despite the importance of her being kept alive. They don't notice how many people the Doctor is converting to his side. They don't do anything to stop the prison ship from returning to the mainland. They don't have the pyramid's exterior guarded by anything more than the psychic field that is easily endurable via Walkmans. They don't have the throne room's interior guarded by ''anything at all!'' The only reason for all of this is that if the Monks had been as competent in this episode as they were in the previous two, they would be nigh invincible.

* NotSoDifferent: The Doctor is tempted to use the Monks' machine to brainwash the human race; not just to free them from the Monks, but to improve humanity. Yes, eliminating racism is good, but it's the same anti-free will mindset which the Monks have.

-->'''Bill:''' Oh. My. ''God.'' [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar I am going to beat the sh]]--\\

* FascistButInefficient: The Monks' control takes the form of a fascist police state crushing any dissent, but this is both unnecessary and ineffective; the mind control is what is keeping people in line (with the police handling those few who resist the control), and once it is removed the people easily oust the Monks. Worse, Missy mentions that apparently the Monks have never figured this out even after controlling planets for thousands of years. They work hard to control the world, and then the lynchpin who they have forgotten about gets killed, and they are immediately defeated.

** Truth: The Monks have humanity deceived, and Bill and the Doctor must convince them to see the ''real'' truth. In a parallel, over the course of events Bill herself finally learns the truth about the Vault (and Missy), the Doctor's oath to watch over it, ''and'' gets a hint at what regeneration is -- all things she asked him about in previous episodes that he refused to go into detail on.

[[caption-width-right:300:'''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou Reader. You are charged with the viewing and possession of propaganda intended to undermine the True History. This is in contravention of the Memory Crimes Act of 1975. Therefore you are sentenced to ten years in a labour camp.]]''']]
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'''The Doctor:''' ''(stepping in between her and Nardole)'' No, no, ''no!''

* FakeDefector: Bill held out hope for six months that the Doctor was doing this while he was making those propaganda broadcasts, and she's proven right.

* GasMaskMooks: The Memory Police are responsible for ensuring that no one questions the Monks' historical narrative. Their uniform consists of a red jumpsuit, black helmet and face-concealing gas mask.

* GoodIsNotNice: What Missy argues. Before she was willing to burn whole cities ForTheEvulz, but renouncing her evil ways doesn't mean she has to accept the Doctor's view of what 'good' is.

* GodzillaThreshold:
** The Doctor ''claims'' the Monks were needed because humanity had reached the point where it could accidentally destroy itself without them.
** The Doctor consults Missy for help in stopping the Monks because she's the only person on Earth who might have any information about them that he doesn't already know. This one is a downplayed case because they stop short of freeing her; in fact, despite the Vault's interior size she is made to stay within a containment field, at least when he visits with the companions.

* InTheBlood: Though the Monks don't remain in control of Earth long enough for it to be relevant, Missy says that the link between the Monks and their slaves is passed down to the descendants of the first person who agreed to give them control. When that family line eventually dies out (either through accident or intent), the Monks lose their power.
** It goes undiscussed that Bill is (by her own account) primarily interested in women, and thus might very well not have even ''had'' bloodline descendants.
* InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves: The Doctor argues this to Bill by way of explaining why he joined the Monks during a SecretTestOfCharacter; "the guns are getting bigger and the stakes are getting higher" etc.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Missy's idea would actually work and free the humans - sacrifice one human to save ''all of the rest.''

* MoodDissonance: Bill's calm voice providing a PsychicBlockDefense over the soldiers headphones in the middle of a desperate shoot-out with the Monks. There's a MoodWhiplash when a tape player gets broken and we suddenly cut to the sound of the firefight.

** The monks brainwashing people into complacency and ignorance via a broadcast that alters their perceptions--one that's dependent on a single transmitter to work--is the basic setup of ''Film/TheyLive''.

** Many people were sent to labour camps or executed during the Monks' reign. What became of them and/or their families and other loved ones, especially given that no one remembers the events of the last six months?

[[caption-width-right:300:'''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou Reader. You are charged with the viewing and possession of propaganda intended to undermine the True History. This is in contravention of the Memory Crimes Act of 1975. Therefore you are sentenced to ten years in a labour camp.]]''']]

** Nardole learned Tarovian martial arts.

** Bill uses the memory of her mother as a sentinel against the Monks' brainwashing and an anchor into her previous life. She's been doing this every day to keep herself sane and has, in fact, been doing this for years. The Doctor's gift of a picture makes it work better.

* SenselessSacrifice: Bill consenting to the Monks' conquering humanity was partially motivated by her hope that once they restored the Doctor's sight (thus saving his life), he would go on to save her people and planet. Unfortunately, he's on the Monks' side now. Subverted as the Doctor really was stopping the Monks.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The Monks and their Memory Police soldiers wear red, while the downtrodden populace tends to wear blue. During the BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind, red and blue are used to signify which side is winning.

* ConsummateLiar: The Doctor outdoes himself here -- he convinces the Monks that he is on their side and becomes their secondary PropagandaMachine spreading lies to the world, their never suspecting he's putting ''them'' on too. Then he manages to fool Bill into thinking he's gone bad to give her SecretTestOfCharacter.

-->'''Bill:''' Oh. My. God. [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar I am going to beat the sh-]]

* OutOfCharacterMoment:
** The Doctor DoesntLikeGuns and military force in general, but has no problem with deprogramming, recruiting, and collaborating with the Monks' security forces and having them fight off the Monks. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E6TheCaretaker Looks like he's an officer after all.]]
** The Doctor was not willing to use precious regeneration energy to heal his eyesight in previous episodes, so his using it as a ''trick'' in this one is bizarre -- especially as he hadn't explained the concept to Bill and thus he could have just keeled over after being "shot". One could say it was just a fake light show, but [[VoodooShark that would just raise more questions]].

Reuniting with the Doctor's "valet" Nardole, one of the few who still sees the ''real'' truth, this pair must undertake mission to a prison ship to rescue the Doctor and see if he can be reasoned with. She might have to kill the Doctor if worst comes to worst. They will also have to open the Vault and seek the help of Missy, one of the most dangerous criminals in the universe, but also the Doctor's oldest friend and the only person who might have knowledge of the Monks' weaknesses.

The Doctor also crashes a boat. Just because he can. And because Stealth is boring and not him in any way...

** Missy says that when Bill is left as a braindead husk to stop the brainwashing, she wouldn't even be able to compete on ''Celebrity Love Island''.

** This is ''also'' not the last time the Doctor has proven really incapable of ''sneaking into anywhere'' - previously he sneaked into somewhere ''eating loud crunchy food'' and this time he ''crashes a boat - loudly. Into a dock. With '''people on it.'''''

** Missy's encounters with the Monks, which included pushing a girl into a volcano.

* InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves: The Doctor argues this Bill by way of explaining why he joined the Monks during a SecretTestOfCharacter; "the guns are getting bigger and the stakes are getting higher" etc.

* TacticalReminiscence Bill assumes that the Doctor is only pretending to play along with the Monks, so she mentions the incident of the creature under the River Seine (when it was [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E3ThinIce actually the Thames]]). However the Doctor immediately reveals what she's doing; it's at this point that Bill starts to freak out, believing that he really has changed sides.