The War Between the Land and the Sea ended on a bizarre note — what the finale means for Doctor Who

by

The War Between The Land and The Sea finale – episode 5 – spoilers follow.

The conflict between the land dwellers and the sea creatures, as seen in this Doctor Who spin-off, has supposedly ended. However, the Homo Aqua don’t see it as a war at all, dismissing it as a minor issue. This raises questions: are they overconfident, or did they truly overpower humanity with ease? And what about Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, who recently lost a brief romance? There’s plenty happening, but is there any real substance to these events?

Here’s how the “inconvenience” ended, along with what this all means for Doctor Who moving forward.

What to Read Next

The War Between the Land and the Sea ending explained

The episode starts with a bizarre scene: the water-dwelling Homo Aqua species enticing dogs into the ocean. It’s like they’re turning dogs into weapons, essentially. They then argue that if humans eat fish, it’s fair for them to eat dogs.

The final episode begins really well – it’s funny, gets straight to the point, and makes a clever observation. It’s a shame the rest of the episode wasn’t as sharp.

Kate keeps seeing visions of Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, and they often include him shirtless – it was a memorable part of his character. It’s too bad those softer, more personal moments weren’t shown more throughout the series. If they had been, his death might have had a greater impact.

The leader of UNIT is talking to her therapist, requesting a higher dose of medication to cope with her sorrow while continuing her work to protect the world. The doctor refuses and begins the process of taking Kate off work entirely, but then a shocking revelation is made: that Kate’s daughter is not biologically related to her husband.

Kate discovered her counselor had an affair with her husband’s best friend, and she’s keeping this secret if her medication dosage is increased. This manipulative situation is significant and will come into play later, and it strongly suggests a complicated, perhaps controlling, dynamic – reminiscent of a ‘mother’ figure exerting power.

However, the story then returns to Barclay, who starts complaining about headaches and a whistling noise that only he seems to notice.

How did Barclay survive so miraculously under 8km of water when Salt rescued him before?

“[Salt] made me so special and now she’s gone. No one knows what to do with me.”

Throughout much of this episode, Barclay repeatedly breaks out of his hotel room—which feels like a prison—and runs to the ocean, desperately calling out Salt’s name. However, she never responds.

Barclay is under tight security due to ongoing death threats. As a precaution, all his food and drinks are checked for poison. Surprisingly, some disgruntled cooks have even attempted to serve him fish fingers.

But there’s also something else happening with Barclay. He’s experiencing pain in his lungs, and finds relief only when he’s submerged in water. It’s as if he’s slowly transforming into the ocean he’s come to cherish.

It’s incredibly clear that this development hints at a major catastrophe: the Homo Aqua are now endangering the ice caps, and if they succeed, the entire world will flood.

It feels odd to focus so much on Barclay’s personal connection to the coast when the world is ending. While it’s good to make the story relatable, the massive, world-threatening scope hinted at in the beginning has largely disappeared.

Okay, so this guy Salt just shows up to Barclay one day, and he’s all about this idea that he can save everyone using a single word: ‘Accord.’ It’s kinda weird, but I’m intrigued to see where this goes in the story.

The meaning of ‘Salt’ is so unclear that even experts at UNIT haven’t been able to figure it out. The current plan is to broadcast it as a signal around the world, with completely unknown consequences.

After that, Homo Aqua became unusually silent, hinting that something significant was occurring beneath the surface.

Something major is definitely going on – a huge number of sea devil bodies have been found washed ashore worldwide, from Brown’s Bay to Antigone Bay. But the big question is, where is Salt, Barclay’s partner?

Researchers have found that Homo Aqua, a species known for their scales, are succumbing to a deadly virus. This virus prevents their scales from naturally shedding, ultimately causing them to suffocate. Shockingly, the virus appears to have been created by humans.

The ‘Severance’ program was a hidden government initiative. You might recall UNIT mentioning it from time to time, but they never actually took any action on it.

Salt has returned to speak on behalf of her people, announcing the end of the war. She states, “You have won. We have been defeated, and we acknowledge your victory.”

Barclay, unexpectedly back in his role as humanity’s representative, repeatedly and sincerely apologizes, deeply upset by recent events.

So, how did Salt manage to survive the virus? It seems about ten percent of the population had a natural resistance, almost as though they were somehow protected on purpose.

Salt explains that some beings here fought in a war and now want a reward – our technology. However, they won’t get it. The Homo Aqua have hidden it deep within the oceans, far below the Earth’s surface, where humans can’t reach it.

Salt foretold that the water would seek retribution against those who harmed the Water People, and that’s precisely what occurred. One villain dies by drowning in his own shower, and a soldier drowns when her car mysteriously floods.

Although the Homo Aqua have been overcome, the story lacks significant suspense, focusing primarily on justified revenge.

Salt admits her ‘Accord’ plan is no longer possible – a vision of humans and aliens coming together in peace and celebration is now gone.

However, the show doesn’t fully explain this just yet, as it quickly shifts to humanity’s rather condescending attempt at diplomacy. Barclay explains that the Homo Aqua will be allowed to live in a deep trench in the Pacific Ocean, shielded from pollution and other harmful effects caused by humans.

Humans eventually hope to restore a connection with this species, and perhaps even become allies in the future.

Salt responded, “We’ll do anything you ask, simply because we’re afraid of you.” And with that, the war was over.

Barclay wondered if he’d ever see Salt again, but she just swam away. Then, the glass around them began to crack and shatter, and water quickly filled the room.

This ending is surprisingly bold and unexpected. With so many shows relying on big special effects in their finales, it’s refreshing to see this one take a different approach, and it’s definitely admirable.

However, the execution of all this is far from perfect.

The storyline involving “Severance” felt underdeveloped considering its eventual importance, and the human characters were overly stereotypical. It could have been a great opportunity to explore the UNIT organization independently of The Doctor, but they only seemed to have any depth when discussing him – as we see at the end with Shirley and Kate resolving the situation.

Kate is the only character with real potential, largely thanks to Jemma Redgrave’s powerful and dignified performance.

It’s a weird finale all round, and it only gets a little weirder still for Kate and Barclay too.

What does the ending mean for Doctor Who?

Kate received an urgent call warning that protestors were attempting to attack Barclay as he exited the hotel. Despite a full division of UNIT soldiers being present, they weren’t enough to guarantee his safety, so Kate quickly arrived in a car and drove him away.

As Barclay and Kate drive to the coast, Barclay calls his family, and David Bowie’s song “We Can Be Heroes” plays in the background.

Kate watches from the shore as Barclay re-enters the water, stripping off his clothes once more, seemingly trying to hold our attention for the remaining moments.

Salt spray fills the water as the two kiss, while Kate looks on from far away. From that distance, they probably just look like a blurry shape – a mix of human and something else entirely.

And then the big twist comes. The shocking reveal behind Salt’s “Accord” plan.

Okay, so this is wild – Barclay has actually started growing gills! It’s like he’s turning into a fish, or at least he can now breathe underwater, which is just… amazing! As a fan, I’m completely blown away by this development.

And just like that, Barclay, a fish-man, swims away with Salt to begin a new life, heading for a place where the water is plentiful and life is good. It’s a unique love story – a bit like the opposite of The Little Mermaid – as he chooses a life underwater, leaving his family behind.

Look, maybe Barclay getting knocked out isn’t that bad, honestly. But I’m way more worried about Kate right now. I really need to know what happens to her next – that’s what I’m focused on.

As Kate walked back to her car, she saw a jogger toss trash onto the beach. She politely asked him to pick it up, but he refused. Usually, a situation like that would just bother you later, making you replay it in your head and wonder if you should have handled it differently.

However, this isn’t what happens in the world of Doctor Who. Instead, Kate points her weapon at the man and orders him to clean up his mess, repeatedly. She keeps saying “Pick it up,” growing increasingly louder and more furious with each repetition, until she’s practically shouting it with unrestrained rage.

Then the credits roll.

The episode ends on a really strange note. While it seems likely Kate won’t actually kill him, she’s acting more unstable and unpredictable than ever before.

Kate Stewart is really struggling right now, and it’s hard to tell if it’s due to her grief, the medication she’s taking, or a combination of both. This emotional state sets up a fascinating situation for her character when she returns for the next season of Doctor Who.

Kate Stewart leads UNIT with strength and has always been a reliable force for good. But now, things have changed – what happens when someone dedicated to justice goes rogue? How will the rest of the UNIT team respond? And most crucially, what will The Doctor make of it? Is this the start of a major new threat, or is that too much to believe?

The story began with a lot of promise, but quickly lost its way, becoming messy and ultimately failing to deliver. It felt like a wasted effort. However, if the character Kate can become more central to the plot, and her experiences are shaped by significant loss and hardship, then perhaps the initial struggles will have been worthwhile.

The War Between the Land and the Sea is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Enjoy the holidays with the Good Housekeeping Christmas TV Guide! It’s packed with 14 days of TV listings and everything you need to make the most of your festive viewing. Get yours now for just £4.75 at all good magazine shops.

Read More

2025-12-22 00:22