The long-awaited Doctor Who universe spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, has made its splash on BBC One and iPlayer. Shifting focus from the Time Lord to the global defence organisation UNIT, this new series from showrunner Russell T Davies plunges viewers into a watery geopolitical crisis, but the reception suggests it may be treading water creatively.
A Fish Out of Water in a UNIT Crisis
The story centres on Barclay, a low-level UNIT clerk played by Russell Tovey. His mundane bureaucratic life is upended when Spanish fishermen make a startling discovery: ancient aquatic humanoids known as Sea Devils. Through a classic administrative mix-up, Barclay finds himself thrust into the heart of the ensuing interspecies tension.
These creatures, classified as homo aqua, are led by Salt, portrayed by Gugu Mbatha-Raw. They emerge from the oceans with a grave grievance, accusing humanity of poisoning the planet. In a deliberately unsubtle moral parable, Salt presents a parcel of her dead offspring as evidence, blaming human pollution for their loss.
Clunky Concepts and Missed Opportunities
The series does not shy away from its pulpy, mid-tier Whoniverse roots. From the on-the-nose character name Salt to the mysterious pearls embedded in the Sea Devils' necks, the show embraces a certain level of narrative clunkiness. It delivers expected spectacle, with boggy ground swallowing soldiers and rocky outcrops disrupting global communications, but often lacks nuance.
Salt demands that Barclay, precisely because he is not a politician or general, lead the human negotiations, citing his respect for a fallen creature. While UNIT head Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) sees this as a chance to bypass red tape, the narrative simultaneously falls into tired tropes, portraying Barclay's wife as an unreasonable harpy—a jarring choice for a series aiming for progressiveness.
Solid Entertainment, But Could Have Been More
Ultimately, The War Between the Land and the Sea functions as solid family entertainment. It is likely to engage younger audiences and teenagers with its straightforward conflict and special effects. However, given the pedigree of Russell T Davies and the rich potential of a UNIT-centric series, it feels like a wasted opportunity.
Fans hoping for the sharp, ambitious storytelling of Davies's Years and Years, albeit for a younger demographic, may be left wanting. The verdict suggests the show settles for being a passable seasonal treat, relying on festive goodwill rather than delivering a genuinely groundbreaking chapter in the Doctor Who canon.
