Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/The Lie of the Land

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The Lie of the Land doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.

Remember, this is a forum, so civil discussion is encouraged. However, please do not sign your posts. Also, keep all posts about the same continuity error under the same bullet point. You can add a new point by typing:

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* This is point two.
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• The Doctor performs a fake regeneration, so why wasn't he able to repair his own eyes?

Because it was a fake regeneration..?

There was regeneration power coming from his body..!

He wasn't actually injured, it's been clarified that once one starts a process fully to heal, change becomes inevitable. This has been clarified on the Oxygen page: it's a waste of a regeneration when being blind doesn't really kill you.

Does this suggest that this is all a simulation? Or simply a continuity point, or plothole?

To simplify this thread: How was the doctor even able to perform a fake regeneration?

• In the prison, why doesn't the Monk recognize Bill, or at least detect she isn't under their power?

Maybe it did but didn't perceive her as a threat or believed she was still under their influence?

This is a bit of a plot hole and the problem occurred to me while I was watching it. She is fighting the monks. Therefore they would be aware of that. I think it's safe to think they have some kind of collective consciousness so the monk inspecting the workers probably did recognise her. It does pause in front of her for a little while. This suggests that the monk knew that Bill was walking into a 'trap.'

Nowhere in the episode is it mentioned that the monks have some kind of collective consciousness. The monk probably recognised Bill as the one who gave consent and so stopped at her simply to perhaps work out where it recognised her from or just to perhaprs think to itself "what a coincidence, its her". The monk had no reason to suspect that she wasn't under their control. To summarise: the monk did recognise her but didn't know that she wasn't completely under their control.

• (Seen on another forum) In the flashbacks with the Dalek and Cyberman, Why is the Dalek from Inside the Dalek, and the Cyberman from Nightmare in Silver? Neither took place on Earth!

Isn't this more a production thing than continuity?

My theory is that these clips weren't in the promo video and instead we were seeing what the doctor was seeing in his head as he spoke about them. After all, the monks defeating the daleks, cybermen and weeping angels didn't really happen so there would be no clips to show.

• Once the Monks had left the public couldn't remember the past six months! I'm sure there would be photographic and video footage somewhere!

The Monks are evidently a pretty powerful race, their technology could change history with sheer thought so they may have easily changed all the cottage or the Doctor did some fiddling of his own.

A major plot point of the episode is the monks' ability to rewrite history, including photographs. Presumably any that weren't already overwritten by Bill would have been reverted as the monks left. Any remainders would probably be handled by the Doctor and, presumably, UNIT.

The Monks don't rewrite history! They rewrite the memory of the history!

• People died during the Monks 6 months on Earth. What about the families of those people?

Presumably the memory adjusting they did compensated for this?

There is nothing suggesting everyone on earth has a six-month blank in their memory, it's just been overwritten. That said, the episode is silent on this point with regards to individuals who were executed by the monks.

Perhaps there's some kind of perception filtery thing whereby the families know the person is dead but don't question how they died.

• Is it okay to put weeping angel in promo video?

How do you mean?

Series 5 established that images of Angels are just as powerful if not more so than seeing them in person. However, there is nothing to suggest the Daleks, Cybermen or Weeping Angels were actually shown in a promo video; these were flashbacks for our benefit. Just like at no point did Missy's face actually fill the sky; this was just a production style choice.

• Bill didn't know about regeneration, so why did Doctor perform fake regeneration to Bill?

Perhaps he was doing it to deceive the monks, in case there were still "watching" as he was testing.

If the monks are watching they would immediately see the Doctor reveal the deception.

Plus he mentioned regeneration to her in Knock Knock, so it's not like she's entirely ignorant of it.

The way the scene plays out, there is no indication given that Bill knows what would happen. As far as she's concerned she's killing the Doctor outright.

The Doctor does admit the fake regeneration was him adding to the drama. It's also arguably due to Moffat wanting to tease a regeneration in reveal trailers. Forced writing?

The doctor was just having a bit of fun.

• What happened to all the prisoners, and some individuals who knew about the fake history?

• In the previous story the Doctor asks the monks why they need consent to rule the Earth when they could conquer it 'in a hearbeat. They didn't answer that obvious question then and it isn't answered in this story either. Unless I'm missing something?

The point is the brainwave pattern the monks gain. Missy explains this to the Doctor and Bill like that: It has to be a pure request without agenda or ulterior motive. With this consent they gain the brainwave pattern of the requesting person and with this and the signal boosting statues they are able to control the population of a planet and rewrite history in the minds of these people. Only through this ability they can invade the planet without any force, because they make the population thing, the monks were there the entire history.

• Right at the end everyone revolts against the Monks! So why can't remember the 6 months under them?