Really wasn't happy with this one. The bit with Lethbridge-Stewart as a corporal in UNIT is utter BS and makes a complete hash of UNIT continuity. Aslo, REALLY don't like the idea of UNIT having been infiltrated from the very beginning and especially during the eyars that the Doctor worked for them.
The adventures of Yaz, Dan and Jericho were much more entertaining than the cosmic crap with the Doctor and Tecteun. I particularly liked the wacky old hermit.
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"...a complete hash of UNIT continuity."
I decided a while ago, apropos the Daleks, that multiple timelines must be involved. Now, whenever I encounter contradictory events that can't have happened in the same continuity (such as the planet Mondas in 1986 and the Lupari being bonded with humanity), I just attribute it to an alternate timeline. It's like James Bond. The Connery Bond is obviously different from the Craig Bond, but as you're watching it play out in front of you, it's easy to overlook Connery to Lazenby back to Connery to Moore, etc. Same thing with Doctor Who. This Doctor's UNIT (whatever number she is) is obviously not the same as the Third's (if he is the Third).
"The cosmic crap with the Doctor and Tecteun" was what I was looking forward to, but it was a bit of a letdown. (I'll have more to say after episode six.)
That's something I cannot do. My brain demands consistency, even though I know that's a sucker's trick when dealing with Doctor Who.
Jeff of Earth-J said:
"That's something I cannot do."
Four words ("wibbly wobbly timey wimey") wash away a multitude of sins.
Not for me, they don't. For me, they're just an excuse for sloppy writing.
I mean, I get it. Consistent continuity can be difficult in a series that revolves around time travel, but I feel like it shouldn't be impossible.
Jeff of Earth-J said:
I don't really disagree with you; I was just playing devil's advocate. To me, "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" is another, cuter, way of saying "Web of Time". I think both should be used infrequently to account for major lapses (such as Mondas, for example), not as a magic wand.
I go with a variation of what I call the "Gardner Fox Paradigm".
To quote Barry Allen: " A writer named Gardner Fox wrote about your adventures -- which he claimed came to him in dreams! Obviously when Fox was asleep, his mind was 'tuned in' on your vibratory Earth! That explains how he 'dreamed up' the Flash!...I'm going to look up Gardner Fox, who wrote the original Flash stories, and tell it to him! He can write the whole thing up... in a comic book!"
Who remembers their dreams prefectly? I don't. What we see on TV is an imperfect record of what "actually" happened, adapted for television from "dream memories" and further re-written to serve the dramatic purposes of the BBC. I like to try to figure out the "real" story. Which reminds me, I have a Doctor Who timeline that is in need of updaitng.
Of course, if I want to get picky about continuity, then where was the Ghost during the Sontaran invasion? He should have been merrily trashing those clowns.