The Doctor is now fully aware of an impending invasion of Earth by the mysterious Monks, but it not aware that the invasion has already taken place: a 5,000-year-old pyramid has appeared in a hotly contested geopolitical area bordering on Russia and Chinese territory, and naturally, the American military and UN peacekeeping forces have involved themselves as well, leaving the world on the brink of war. The Secretary-General of the UN barges into Bill’s apartment looking for the Doctor, prepared to defer to the Time Lord during this unusual crisis. The Doctor, still relying on Nardole to help him conceal his blindness, enters the pyramid to deliver an ultimatum to the Monks, only to be told that the Monks will be waiting patiently for humanity to beg for their help. As the leaders of the world’s armies discuss surrender, the Doctor realizes that the pyramid itself is merely a distraction – the apocalypse that the Monks promise to stave off is already in motion elsewhere… if only he could see where.
written by Peter Harness & Steven Moffat
directed by Daniel Nettheim
music by Murray Gold
Cast: Peter Capaldi (The Doctor), Pearl Mackie (Bill), Matt Lucas (Nardole), Togo Igawa (Secretary General), Nigel Hastings (The Commander), Eben Young (Colonel Don Brabbit), Rachel Denning (Erica), Tony Gardner (Douglas), Andrew Byron (Ilya), Daphne Cheung (Xiaolian), Jamie Hill (Monk), Tim Bentinck (voice of the Monk)
LogBook entry by Earl Green