And so we have our first three-parter since Series Three's Utopia, The Sound Of Drums & The Last Of The Time Lords...

As far as gravitas goes, it would be unfair to compare The Lie Of The Land to those episodes, after all, it provided us with one of the biggest rug-pull moments in Doctor Who history as we finally got to see the long-awaited return of The Master. The big question is: "Does this really work as a three-parter?", and whilst we enjoyed all three episodes, the mini-saga felt a little drawn out by the time we finally get to the end of the adventure. The narratives of all three episodes, whilst linked, still feel quite disparate and the set-ups at the end of the first two episodes have no resolution at the start of their concluding parts.

Putting a pin in our gripe for a second, we start six months after the events of the previous episode, and the pre-titles scenes felt, stylistically, like they were straight out of the Russell T. Davies era of Doctor Who - it works really well, but you are left wanting to know what happened at the lab after the end of the previous episode. Also, what happened to Erica? Hang on...sorry about that...putting the pin back in again.

The plot revolves around the Monks now having taken control of the planet, leading mankind to believe that they've always been there, guiding them since the dawn of humanity. In reality, it has only been 6 months since Bill Potts gave her "consent", but thus unravels the titular lie of the land. We know we said it was unfair to compare this trilogy to the Series 3, three-parter, but a chunk of the plot here does, in part, seem quite familiar. An enemy (known to The Doctor and us as an audience) has taken control of the planet, and over a period of time it has become accepted by humanity.

That really is all the negatives out the way, and in spite of them, we still enjoyed the episode, and yes - this does still retain Series 10's high standard of episode quality. We mentioned earlier about the infamous rug-pull moment from Utopia, and there is another in this episode, though not quite as big. A big chunk of the story is understandably focused on how to bring down the Monks, but there are some really poignant stand out moments; one in particular involves Bill, who delivers her most emotionally charged scene to date.

Capaldi's Doctor feels particularly unpredictable in The Lie Of The Land, and never does he feel more dangerous than when you don't know what he's going to do next. 

Missy is back again (thankfully) and she is on fine form here. We get to see inside the vault and get an update on whether she really is changing for the better. Without going too much into the detail, The Doctor needs Missy's help and it seems she may have met The Monks before...

Whilst The Lie Of The Land may prove a little divisive among fans, there's a cracking story at its heart that just feels slightly overstretched to the three-episode format.

5 Things To Look Out For:

1)  Daleks. Cybermen. Weeping Angels.
2)  "It's me! Nardy!"
3)  The Doctor does something dramatic that he's never done before!
4)  Chocolat.
5)  A game of hot and cold.

+  10.8: The Lie Of The Land airs This Saturday at 7:35pm on BBC One.

[Source: DWO]

As two-parters go, The Pyramid At The End Of The World had a lot to live up to from the previous episode...

The story itself is a lot simpler than last week's, and The Monks are centre stage with their plan to take the planet and its people. We kick off with a rather interesting twist on the 'previously...' recap at the start of the episode, that interjects with scenes from 'now' - something that not only works really well, but has Moffat written all over it!

As with last week, we have a side story, which, at first, seems completely unrelated, but we later find out how the two correlate and it plays out to set the stage for the episode's conclusion. For a moment, we actually thought this scene was setting us up for a shock regeneration, as it appears to mirror events from a previous episode in the 10th Doctor's timeline.

Those of you expecting to see Missy will be disappointed. After the set-up from the closing moments of the previous episode she is nowhere to be seen; a rather odd, but, in hindsight, deliberate choice.

Bill has some great moments in the episode, and you relish the times where she problem solves out loud, proving to The Doctor (and everyone around her) just how intelligent she is. The Pyramid At The End Of The World gives Pearl Mackie another platform to show off her skills and give great development to her character, and as events come to a head, Bill actually becomes the most important person on the planet.

Where we feel things are let down a bit is in the form of suspense; something that was peppered throughout the previous episode.Yes, Extremis was a little slower than other stories this season, but the suspense built throughout and coupled with the claustrophobic setting of the library, and the pursuit of the creepy Monks, it all worked together so well. This episode, whilst still suspenseful in places, felt disparate and a little disjointed; so many elements from last weeks story were missing here, and you expected them to reappear to give some form of a resolution.

One thing that the story did exceptionally well was its use of location; that pyramid (both external and internal) was fantastic, and it kind of has you longing for an Egyptian-themed episode of Doctor Who.

Something that deserves a mention is the way in which Rachel Denning (an actor with dwarfism) was used in the episode. Not only did she do a fantastic job with the role, but her disability wasn't even referenced in the story - nor did it need to be. Another excellent example of representation of diversity in Doctor Who.

Although The Pyramid At The End Of The World didn't tick all the boxes, and was far from a perfect episode, it still somehow manages to continue the quality and momentum of success that Series 10 has carried thus far. Speaking of momentum, the first line of this review will be turned on its head as the end titles roll. ;)

5 Things To Look Out For:

1)  An indirect but totally accurate reference to Trump.
2)  The most advanced duffle coat in history.
3)  Strands of time.
4)  2 Minutes to Midnight...
5)  A scene reminiscent of The Doctor and Wilf in the isolation chamber...

+  10.7: The Pyramid At The End Of The World airs This Saturday at 7:45pm on BBC One.

[Source: DWO]