Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/The Mutants


 * In his first scene in the story, Jon Pertwee says "I couldn't open it even if I wanted to" twice in rapid succession.
 * He's emphasizing the point.


 * In Episode 3, Stubbs and Cotton wonder aloud if the Marshal is on to them. The camera moves to follow them, revealing a third guard standing less than a meter away, who is presumably deaf to their confession of treason.
 * He wasn't paying attention, or simply didn't hear them, despite their relative proximity.


 * But surely that's exactly how the Marshal 'cottoned on' to the plot?


 * While the thoroughly anti-imperialist Doctor of this story seems consistent with most portrayals from "The Sensorites" to "The Happiness Patrol" and beyond, he contrasts rather glaringly with his previous season's depiction in "Colony in Space", where he was avidly urging the future human characters to leave their polluted and over-populated Earth and settle on Uxarieus, though the natives, by and large, were lukewarm at best about the incursion.
 * He's all for peaceful colonisation, exploration and cooperation (as occurred in those stories); however, oppressive conquest and genocide (as occurred in this story) are out of the question.
 * In the earlier story, there is presumably an unspoken caveat of "as long as the natives of Uxarieus are willing to share and as long as you act as polite guests". The 'lukewarm' response may be taken to mean "we're not thrilled at the idea but are willing to give a go and see how it works out".


 * Why do Sondergaard and the Doctor need to remain in the caves to work on the translation? They could just as easily do it in Varan's village.
 * They prefer to work without interruption.
 * As this response indicates, interrupting the work can be very time-consuming. They evidently deemed the risk sufficient that the others need not endanger themselves unnecessarily; but it was safe enough that they didn't have to interrupt their work.


 * The cave was cosy.


 * While one expects a certain level of superhuman toughness from the Doctor, he seems to be practically a walking hazmat suit in this story, breathing toxic air and blithely enduring doses of radiation that cause Sondergaard - though fully suited up - to collapse. One cannot help but think how handy this endurance would have been in the myriad of other stories where he is gassed (respiratory bypass system notwithstanding), suffers radiation poisoning, or takes standard precautions against those risks.
 * Well other stories show him having a much higher tolerance towards some types of radiation, 10 is able to brush off easily enough radiation to kill a Slab in Smith and Jones (TV story). Though he is clearly having trouble at the most extreme point of the caves.