Doctor Who: 10 Underrated Stories In New Who

1. The Monk Trilogy

Doctor Who Monks
BBC Studios

Season 10 gave us a lot of variety, in particular the Monk trilogy. In this three-part story, mysterious monks have invaded Earth and set themselves up as divine leaders. It’s a crazy, sprawling story, and each episode has its own specific style and genre.

The first episode, Extremis, is a globe-spanning, sci-fi thriller. The Doctor and companions investigate a book that contains a truth so terrible that it makes readers take their own lives. This horrifying episode deals with shocking themes for a family show, like concepts of reality, mass suicide and existential dread.

The second episode, The Pyramid at the End of the World, is a grounded, human drama full of choices and consequences that push characters to their limits. It's a mundane day, but events are in motion which will lead a couple of everyday people to bring about the end of the world. Luckily, the monks can help but they can only take charge and save humanity if someone consents to their rule.

The final episode, The Lie of the Land, is set in a dystopian reality. Bill Potts is fighting for her life, and we see a much darker and manipulative Doctor. While the ending wasn’t particularly original, it was all about the ride. It's impossible to deny that the Monk trilogy was a rollercoaster.

In this post: 
Doctor Who
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Simon is a writer, cat dad and presenter of a geeky radio show with his husband. He loves Doctor Who (except 10 who can get in the bin…only joking.) He idolises Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lara Croft and would 100% be a Sith Lord in a galaxy far, far away. He wishes life was like a musical so he’d actually be a good singer.