Doctor Who aired episodes out of order back in 1988, and created a ridiculous plot hole. Modern Doctor Who viewers are used to the idea there’s a loose narrative flow running through the series, one that typically builds to a climax in a season finale. Sure, there’s some debate over whether Doctor Who season 14 was broadcast in order, but otherwise everything seems to flow pretty well.
Classic Doctor Who was a little different. Stories ran through multiple episodes, but tended to be stand-alone. There were occasions where continuity mattered, usually involving major events in a companion’s life, but otherwise the stories were all designed as fresh jumping-on points. All that began to change in Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor era, which foreshadows modern Who in quite a few ways. Unfortunately, this caused a subtle plot hole that remains rather amusing to this day.
Ace’s Jacket Has The Wrong Pin In Doctor Who Season 25
The issues flow from Sophie Aldred’s Doctor Who companion Ace, a character who was something of a trailblazer. Introduced as a waitress working on the planet Iceworld, Ace was a far cry from the “damsel in distress” trope seen in some of the older companions. She could hold her own against the most terrifying enemies, tossing Nitro-Nine grenades at her enemies and even beating a Dalek up with a cosmically-charged baseball bet.
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Ace sported a (then) fashionable jacket with numerous pins on it, and was frequently seen sporting a cool rucksack. Unfortunately, as ridiculous as it may sound, these outfit details caused a subtle continuity problem. Ace was shown wearing a new pin on her jacket in “The Happiness Patrol” and “Silver Nemesis” – one she wouldn’t acquire until the later story “The Greatest Show In The Galaxy.” Even weirder, she looks for her rucksack in “Greatest Show,” despite it exploding in “Silver Nemesis.”
Doctor Who’s Ace Plot Holes Were Caused By The 25th Anniversary
It’s not hard to guess that the episodes were shown out of order. The problem lay in “Silver Nemesis,” which was designed to be Doctor Who‘s 25th anniversary episode. Unfortunately, season 25 was delayed by the Olympics, which meant the broadcast order had to be shuffled. This normally wouldn’t cause a problem – classic stories tend to only have the loosest continuity – but sadly, season 25 was different. There were subtle narrative nods running all the way through, right down to the details of Ace’s costume.
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There’s not really a fix for this, not even if you try to get all “time-wimey.” The best approach is simply to watch Doctor Who season 25 in the order it was meant to be broadcast, rather than in the shuffled order that actually happened. That means checking out “The Greatest Show In The Galaxy,” then “The Happiness Patrol,” and only then watching “Silver Nemesis.” Viewed in that way, the subtle continuity problems are completely erased.
Doctor Who – Season 25
- Release Date
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October 5, 1988
- Episode List
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Remembrance of the Daleks (1)
, Remembrance of the Daleks (2)
, Remembrance of the Daleks (3)
, Remembrance of the Daleks (4)
, The Happiness Patrol (1)
, The Happiness Patrol (2)
, The Happiness Patrol (3)
, Silver Nemesis (1)
, Silver Nemesis (2)
, Silver Nemesis (3)
, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (1)
, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (2)
, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (3)
, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (4)
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