The Fantasy Review’s recap and review of The War Between the Land and the Sea, episode 3, The Deep.
The War Between the Land and the Sea, episode 3 begins with Barclay arriving at H.M. Naval Blackport. They do some training-montage stuff that apparently only takes a couple of days, while they prepare a submersible for Barclay and a team of scientists and diplomatic specialists to go down into the ocean.
Review of Episode 2: Plastic Apocalypse
There’s some tense music, some dramatic scenes of the vessel being prepared, and everyone busying themselves. Before he heads off, Barclay tries to say goodbye to Kirby and his ex-wife (Barbara), but Kirby isn’t as positive as they were before.Their reaction and anger are clearly coming from a place of concern for their dad’s safety, though.
Barclay is clearly feeling the pressure too, in this moment, and lets some of the stress through the cracks:
“I’ve got to be strong for everyone else, right? Cos everyone’s counting on me…the whole world!”
As he cries, Barbara says, “you don’t have to be strong for me” and she holds him. What a brilliant moment, because before now he looked like he was having a blast.
We Can Be Heroes
After some family snuggles, we cut to Barclay on a helicopter with his travelling companions. Here he’s got some of that confidence back, conveying confidence to ease others.
Austin Pierce stands in front of the submersible, quotes Bowie, and they head inside.
This show sure likes its dramatic looks and music. I am 10 minutes into this episode and we’ve gotten no further along with the plot. I love a slow-burn, the atmosphere is gorgeous, and the snippets of character moments do add to the narrative, but I just want them to get on with it!
The descent is slow but hilarious. Barclay, two other international diplomats, a scientist from UNIT, and Pierce are all crapping their pants, with some showing it more than others. The dialogue in this section is to die for.
I think you need to calm down love
Elsewhere, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart has her hands full dealing with politicians, businessmen, and generals angling for war and the subjugation/eradication of the Sea Devils so they can keep on doing things as usual.
Sir Keith is a prick, as the cat-stroking, cigar-smoking, bond-villain-type dialogue makes it very clear, but his “I think you need to calm down love” line to Kate seals his fate as a dead man, me thinks.
I don’t want to be soup
The passengers on the vessel keep panicking, but Barclay helps to calm both Ravi and Ted (the other diplomats).
Back with the Bond villains: with Kate gone, these meddling advisors openly and obviously manipulate the Prime Minister, and tell him they have a stratagem called “Severance” which I’m assuming is not a plan to throw the Sea Devils a “Welcome out of Hibernation!” party.
Kate is at UNIT and Ibrahim does his best to keep her spirits up. No! Not like that. The British way: tea and biscuits. She then watches the computer screen with the vessel getting lower and lower.
And then… the vessel stops.
Like nothing in the world
And then it starts speeding down at 30+ knots and they lose contact with UNIT. And then they stop again, but the pressure is the same as sea level – so it is like they are on land, except they are five miles deep in the ocean.
The hatch is opened from the outside and Pierce is the first to head outside, then Barclay. Wherever they are, the atmosphere is breathable and the area is alive in some kind of way?
Salt appears to welcome them. She says they can take off the protective gear and walks over to Barclay, removing his helmet. Everyone but Ted also remove their apparatus once Barclay doesn’t die.
It’s worth mentioning at this point how beautiful this set is. The lighting, the props, the sets… everything. Put the visuals with the haunting score and this is just beautiful television.
Have the walls moved?
Back on the surface, Ibrahim convinces Kate to rest. She compromises by working from home, so she can put her feet up. Not what he meant, but it’s not like he can argue much.
Barclay and the others under the ocean follow Salt to some unknown destination. We learn here that there is some kind of hierarchy in the sea, with the Sea Devils at the top and the fish at the bottom. Titans and dolphins are somewhere in between.
As they walk through, the “walls” move and Salt has Barclay all to herself. This conversation immediately goes from talking to touching and I think we are all a little uncomfortable about this.
Also, her pearl thing can show all the other Sea Devils what’s going on, right?
Then comes a bombshell – she can read his thoughts too? He must have been like “fuuuuuu-” And then, just as Barclay looks like he’s about to lean in for a kiss, Pierce saves the say and turns up, with the rest of the gang.
They all then exit the tunnel into a wide, open space with hundreds – maybe more – Sea Devils standing in wait, watching.
We don’t matter
Back on the surface, Ibrahim is at Kate’s apartment and decides that now is the right moment to ask her when they can let everyone know they’ve been doing the naughty. He says he’s “sick” of hiding it and worrying he’s going to get sent somewhere, suddenly.
Kate says “The future of the human race pivots on what happens tonight. We don’t matter.” Well said, Kate.
Shirley Ann Bingham calls, shutting Ibrahim up. Turns out, Shirley has been investigating the people who were in the Cobra meeting with the Prime Minister earlier.
She’s found the word “Severance” being used in coded messages back and forth and then Kate is almost shot in the head. Ibrahim dies moving her out of the way, being shot in the chest himself instead. We’re left with a cliffhanger as she has red dots all over her.
Your war is lost
And that Ted, with his “gift” back down under the ocean? Turns out it’s a big boom boom. Barclay tackles the moron, but the weapon still goes off.
If that’s not a brilliant, cliff-hanger, I don’t know what is. How to round off this review of The War Between the Land and the Sea, episode 3?
This might have been a slow episode, but the visuals and the soundtrack were beautiful and I’m in awe. And that ending was worth the long build-up. I can’t wait to see where this show goes!
Continue The War Between the Land and the Sea
Missed the previous episode? Catch up with episode 2, Plastic Apocalypse.
Episode 2 Review & Recap – Plastic Apocalypse Read Episode 2 RecapThe next episode recap will appear here as soon as it’s published.
The Fantasy Review’s recap and review of The War Between the Land and the Sea, episode 3, The Deep.
The War Between the Land and the Sea, episode 3 begins with Barclay arriving at H.M. Naval Blackport. They do some training-montage stuff that apparently only takes a couple of days, while they prepare a submersible for Barclay and a team of scientists and diplomatic specialists to go down into the ocean.
There’s some tense music, some dramatic scenes of the vessel being prepared, and everyone busying themselves. Before he heads off, Barclay tries to say goodbye to Kirby and his ex-wife (Barbara), but Kirby isn’t as positive as they were before.Their reaction and anger are clearly coming from a place of concern for their dad’s safety, though.
Barclay is clearly feeling the pressure too, in this moment, and lets some of the stress through the cracks:
“I’ve got to be strong for everyone else, right? Cos everyone’s counting on me…the whole world!”
As he cries, Barbara says, “you don’t have to be strong for me” and she holds him. What a brilliant moment, because before now he looked like he was having a blast.
We Can Be Heroes
After some family snuggles, we cut to Barclay on a helicopter with his travelling companions. Here he’s got some of that confidence back, conveying confidence to ease others.
Austin Piece stands in front of the submersible, quotes Bowie, and they head inside.
This show sure likes its dramatic looks and music. I am 10 minutes into this episode and we’ve gotten no further along with the plot. I love a slow-burn, the atmosphere is gorgeous, and the snippets of character moments do add to the narrative, but I just want them to get on with it!
The descent is slow but hilarious. Barclay, two other international diplomats, a scientist from UNIT, and Pierce are all crapping their pants, with some showing it more than others. The dialogue in this section is to die for.
I think you need to calm down love
Elsewhere, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart has her hands full dealing with politicians, businessmen, and generals angling for war and the subjugation/eradication of the Sea Devils so they can keep on doing things as usual.
Sir Keith is a prick, as the cat-stroking, cigar-smoking, bond-villain-type dialogue makes it very clear, but his “I think you need to calm down love” line to Kate seals his fate as a dead man, me thinks.
I don’t want to be soup
The passengers on the vessel keep panicking, but Barclay helps to calm both Ravi and Ted (the other diplomats).
Back with the Bond villains: with Kate gone, these meddling advisors openly and obviously manipulate the Prime Minister, and tell him they have a stratagem called “Severance” which I’m assuming is not a plan to throw the Sea Devils a “Welcome out of Hibernation!” party.
Kate is at UNIT and Ibrahim does his best to keep her spirits up. No! Not like that. The British way: tea and biscuits. She then watches the computer screen with the vessel getting lower and lower.
And then… the vessel stops.
Like nothing in the world
And then it starts speeding down at 30+ knots and they lose contact with UNIT. And then they stop again, but the pressure is the same as sea level – so it is like they are on land, except they are five miles deep in the ocean.
The hatch is opened from the outside and Pierce is the first to head outside, then Barclay. Wherever they are, the atmosphere is breathable and the area is alive in some kind of way?
Salt appears to welcome them. She says they can take off the protective gear and walks over to Barclay, removing his helmet. Everyone but Ted also remove their apparatus once Barclay doesn’t die.
It’s worth mentioning at this point how beautiful this set is. The lighting, the props, the sets… everything. Put the visuals with the haunting score and this is just beautiful television.
Have the walls moved?
Back on the surface, Ibrahim convinces Kate to rest. She compromises by working from home, so she can put her feet up. Not what he meant, but it’s not like he can argue much.
Barclay and the others under the ocean follow Salt to some unknown destination. We learn here that there is some kind of hierarchy in the sea, with the Sea Devils at the top and the fish at the bottom. Titans and dolphins are somewhere in between.
As they walk through, the “walls” move and Salt has Barclay all to herself. This conversation immediately goes from talking to touching and I think we are all a little uncomfortable about this.
Also, her pearl thing can show all the other Sea Devils what’s going on, right?
Then comes a bombshell – she can read his thoughts too? He must have been like “fuuuuuu-” And then, just as Barclay looks like he’s about to lean in for a kiss, Pierce saves the say and turns up, with the rest of the gang.
They all then exit the tunnel into a wide, open space with hundreds – maybe more – Sea Devils standing in wait, watching.
We don’t matter
Back on the surface, Ibrahim is at Kate’s apartment and decides that now is the right moment to ask her when they can let everyone know they’ve been doing the naughty. He says he’s “sick” of hiding it and worrying he’s going to get sent somewhere, suddenly.
Kate says “The future of the human race pivots on what happens tonight. We don’t matter.” Well said, Kate.
Shirley Ann Bingham calls, shutting Ibrahim up. Turns out, Shirley has been investigating the people who were in the Cobra meeting with the Prime Minister earlier.
She’s found the word “Severance” being used in coded messages back and forth and then Kate is almost shot in the head. Ibrahim dies moving her out of the way, being shot in the chest himself instead. We’re left with a cliffhanger as she has red dots all over her.
Your war is lost
And that Ted, with his “gift” back down under the ocean? Turns out it’s a big boom boom. Barclay tackles the moron, but the weapon still goes off.
If that’s not a brilliant, cliff-hanger, I don’t know what is. How to round off this review of The War Between the Land and the Sea, episode 3?
This might have been a slow episode, but the visuals and the soundtrack were beautiful and I’m in awe. And that ending was worth the long build-up. I can’t wait to see where this show goes!
