The War Between the Land and the Sea
Series, 2025, Fifteenth Doctor, Set in UNIT and the Sea Devils
The War Between the Land and the Sea is #21 of 21 in release order and #21 of 21 in chronological order in the Doctor Who.
The story
When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war.
The War Between the Land and the Sea recap
When fishermen kill a Sea Devil, the ancient sea-dwelling reptiles reveal themselves to the whole world and ask for talks in London. Their ambassador, Salt, picks Barclay Pierre-Dupont, a low-level UNIT office worker, to speak for humanity, alongside UNIT commander Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. Salt demands an end to ocean pollution, and when talks stall, the Sea Devils dump the oceans' rubbish on land and close the seas to ships and planes. At a summit under the Atlantic, a bomb hidden by a member of a secret government plan called Severance kills hundreds of Sea Devils and the human crew. Barclay and Salt fall for each other and go on the run, and Kate's partner Ibrahim is killed in an attempt on her life.
The War Between the Land and the Sea ending explained
The Sea Devils begin melting the ice caps, then thousands of them are found dead: Downing Street engineered a virus that killed most of their people. The survivors surrender and accept exile in the Mariana Trench, warning that water will find humanity one day. Barclay meets Salt on the coast, she gives him gills, and they swim away together. Kate, shaken, holds a jogger at gunpoint for dropping a plastic bottle.
Ratings
IMDb 6.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 86%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Doctor Who: Season 2 (2025), the latest.
- Chronological order: after Doctor Who: Season 2 (2025), the last.
What to watch before The War Between the Land and the Sea
In release order, 17 Doctor Who essentials come before The War Between the Land and the Sea (2025), from Doctor Who (1963) (1963) to Doctor Who: Season 2 (2025) (2025). The War Between the Land and the Sea itself is optional in the Doctor Who order.
Cast
- Russell Tovey as Barclay Pierre-Dupont
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt
- Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart
- Ruth Madeley as Shirley Bingham
- George Robinson as Steve Chesney
- Barbara Probst as General Dominique Dussolier
- Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim
- Gethin Alderman as Homo Aqua
- Charles Sandford as Homo Aqua
- Stewart Alexander as Prime Minister Harry Shaw
- Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce
- Francesca Corney as Sergeant Hana Chakri
Created by Russell T Davies.