Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/The Faceless Ones

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The Faceless Ones doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.

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• It does seem somewhat short-sighted of the Chameleons to leave so many of their personnel's 'originals' behind in car boots, when their well-being is so vital to their survival and the success of the grand plan. Especially when the personnel in question are the very ones who are in the perfect position to arrange their safe transport up to the space station, instead of being satisfied to simply leave them behind on Earth and hope they remain undiscovered until they are no longer relevant.

It was easier and more convenient to just leave them behind. The aliens were overconfident, as was seen.

• Why do the Doctor and his companions run out the TARDIS? Why not just go somewhere else?

A slightly panicked reaction. Even if one of them thought of that in that instant they would have had to prevent the others from running off and given the Doctor sufficient time to go back to the control console and move the TARDIS.

In The Chase, the First Doctor explained that the TARDIS needed time to recalibrate. Therefore, they would not have been able to leave immediately.

They could still get in and lock the doors.

Again, running out of the way seems to be the simpler reaction. Even if the Doctor is confident they would be safe, his human companions would be more likely to run out of panic. They didn't have much time to think it through and discuss.

• How has it taken so long for someone to notice that people go missing on the flights? With the amount of children that have been taken, surely someone would notice that they had been gone for too long.

Eventually someone noticed. In the meantime, the postcards helped to maintain the illusion.

• The planes go up to a space station - so how do they arrive in the other places (as the airports claim that they do)?

They go up, then come down.

• Sam claims that one of the places doesn't actually exist - surely someone would notice that in the adverts that they place up in papers.

Not necessarily, unless they did their research. There was no Google then.

• The Chameleons plan involves taking all their people on to the plane yet they've converted 25 people in key airline positions and expect no-one to notice that they have gone.

By the time anyone realises, it's expected to be too late.

• Why do the Chameleons leave the Doctor, Jamie and Sam to the laser rather than shoot them?

To have an alibi.

• Why don't the Chameleons notice that Meadows is missing?

Why would they?

• What exactly are the children for?

Infiltration, as explained.

• Where did they get all the foreign stamps and postcards?

Bought them. They did complete their trips.

• Just how long have they been planning this? They'd have to have been on earth for a while to set up the fake organisation, start up the centres in Athens and other places that the fake postcards get sent to, get security vetting, get planes, get permission to use Gatwick airport for the tours for the flights.

Much if not all of that could be short-circuited through the use of alien technology.

• With all the children that the Doctor has to take back, it would take several flights to ensure that they all return.

That depends on the size of the aircraft and the number of children.

• How do the Doctor and Jamie fail to notice Polly being taken, and why do they decide to go to the hanger to look for her?

She was behind them, and airports tend to be rather noisy.

• The police in the airport must be a bit thick - they ask for descriptions, so surely they'd have been told that Jamie had a kilt - yet they don't notice a person with a kilt hiding behind a newspaper.

A lot of Scotsmen wear kilts.