A fitting picture as Peter gave an interview not too long ago about how the Doctor could defeat the current President!!
This ep opens again with a narration, this time about death. Timely obviously since the blindness and the regeneration foreshadowing, mentioned here again. As the man, Rafando (Ivanno Jerimiah) who was also kind of priest-like (okay more from an ep of Stargate SG-1) on another planet asks the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) to kill another Time Lord, as only a Time Lord can do this. At first glance it appears the Doctor is the one being sentenced to be executed. This being Missy (Michelle Gomez) as we know. Before proceedings begin, the Doctor returns back to the present day where he gets a visit from the Cardinal (Joseph Long) telling him about the Veritas book, which when read, leads the reader to commit suicide. As well as a visit from the Pope. With Nardole (Matt Lucas) having to act as his eyes. The Cardinal reminds the Doctor about Pope Benedict IX in 1045 and the Doctor adding he couldn't help it, he was lured by her castanets! [Ohh Doctor Who and an innuendo.]
Bill (Pearl Mackie) goes on a date with Penny (Ronke Adekoluejo) and brings her round to her flat, saying she moved out but it didn't work out. Her mother thinks she's got a man in the bathroom but is fine when she finds out it's a woman. Penny is nervous and Bill reassures her this isn't really anything yet. Until she hears the TARDIS in her bedroom, saying it's the pipes. However the Pope pops out and there are other priests in her room. Bill tells the Doctor he can't do this and Penny runs away. Nardole programmes the TARDIS to the Vatican library and the Pope wants him to help with the Veritas and to read it. However that's a problem cos he's blind.
The Cardinal telling them to follow him since they'll get lost in the vastness of it all. Then they see a blue light and the Cardinal says there's no door there, just a wall. The Doctor having to 'see' through his shades but can only see rudimentary read outs of what's ahead and also the read outs of the people. With Nardole having to guide him and tell him what's happening since the Doctor doesn't want anyone to know and especially not Bill, since she'll worry about him and he doesn't want anyone to worry about him, only about themselves. Nardole adding, if she finds out then it'll make his blindness real. Funny he should refer to real as they're in a world of games which aren't real, as we'll find out.
The Cardinal vanishes into the wall removed by some shadowy creature. As the others find a priest in the cage. One of the lost translators who has a gun and has shot the lock off. He says he 'sent it' and runs away with the gun. Inside is a laptop and it has wifi, of course it does, the Doctor adds this is a library. The chair also ash restraints and the Doctor tells them to check on the priest as a gunshot is heard. Nardole saying he's dead anyway, as the Doctor's glasses read he's terminated. He reassures them he won't read the book without them here. The Doctor plugs a device onto his head which he hopes will help him see for a little while and the strange creature approaches him. As the Doctor tries to readjust his sight and gather his bearings. He asks the creature, thinking it's the Cardinal to strap him into the chair. But the creature is revealed as being some sort of mummified zombie-ish alien and takes the book. However the Doctor has his trusty Sonic and runs away with the laptop, which has a copy of the Veritas. He opens it and the text reads ;"The Shadow Test."
Nardole and Bill find themselves in the Pentagon and leave when asked if they have clearance. They're in a place with light portals and Nardole sticks his head into another one, walking through it. This leads them to 'CERN' where the scientists who received the email are in the canteen, having their last booze up before they explode. Nardole tells Bill to look under the table and finds explosives under all of them. The scientist asks them to think of a number and they both end up thinking of the same random numbers. Finally running away before the explosion. Nardole says the portals are projections and they're in some sort of a computer game and aren't real. Like Grand Theft Auto. He puts his hand behind the projector and vanishes. Mentioning he's some sort of a hologram as in Star Trek. (That reference gain.)
The Doctor is meant to kill Missy and at the last minute is approached by a hooded figure who tells him about hope and being a witness. It's Nardole who has River's journal and has been instructed to kick his arse if need be. Missy begs for her life as she's his friend and she will change. She will give up all hope and not bear witness. The Doctor electrocutes her. However she's revealed not to be dead, merely sleeping. The Doctor asks Rafando to look up how many fatalities he's had and the computer keeps searching. They all run away and the Doctor tells them he didn't kill her as she's his friend. In the present day, the Doctor tells Missy he needs her now.
Bill finds the Doctor in the oval office with the President dead after taking pills. Now that was a deft allusion if ever there was one to the current one, okay tongue-in-cheek. But gosh darn it, if it's all a game, then that President wasn't real! He tells her this isn't real and explains how the numbers are generated on the computer with everyone coming up with the same numbers, only a computer can't do that. She says this is real and she's real, she's really here and she can feel it. The Doctor explaining by reference to SuperMario just giving up playing the game by deleting himself. Bill disappears in the same way Nardole did. The Doctor being approached by the alien. The Doctor being told he's not real, but he says he is. Recalling Missy's words of 'no hope and no witness...' The Doctor tells the alien they're all shadows and practising their end game which is to take over the world (isn't it always.) But he has everything on his glasses including the book, which he sends via e-mail to his glasses and his future self so he can warn himself of what's happening. He finds himself back at the vault and needing Missy.
The Doctor borrowing his eyesight from the future even if he doesn't know the consequences of doing so, like dying within the next 20 minutes, being blind still or anything, was to move us and as said especially since the episode was mentioning death quite a bit, including that of Missy. As well as the Doctor urging Bill to call Penny now and she says he's out of her league. However he replies she's not and to do it. Knowing what will occur. It was almost like the end of time. The Doctor also not having to read the book as he could listen to the audio on the computer. Does this mean it doesn't and won't have the same effect of the Doctor wanting, needing, well having to kill himself as he hasn't actually 'read' it. Also as he tells Bill those people didn't kill themselves but needed to escape.
Then there was Bill's reference to Harry Potter when she sees the size of the library and the Doctor mentioning religion. As well as getting to see that he made his promise to guard the vault for a thousand years. Though who exactly wanted Missy dead isn't revealed at this stage.
With Nardole also telling him River had him followed from Mendorax Dellora, where the 2015 Christmas Special was set, The Husbands of River Song.
Most importantly perhaps was how the Doctor explains he may have also messed up his future regenerations, leaving us thinking...since "something is coming, something big and very bad." Said creatures known as 'Monks'. What else really considering we've had the Pope and the Vatican. Well speaking of shadows, had pangs of Silence In the Library here and with River's journal floating around, which the Doctor now kept with him. So if he wasn't real that journal wouldn't have been real either. Silly Monks! Didn't realize that. More to come as this is meant to be a three-part story, taking us up to episode 8.
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