Thank you, DVR

ALL HAIL DVR!

Seriously, it's changed my life.

Yeah, I can't believe I used to program my VCR. This is so much better.

Of course, "Mudd's Women" was the episode that introduced the character.

Which is airing next Sunday! So I'll wait for it.

And I haven't seen anybody mention "The Naked Time" yet. Which TNG did an homage to way, WAY too early in their run (i.e. before the characters were established well enough, though Data did get to sleep with Tasha Yar).

That's what I'm watching tonight. And it was the fourth episode aired of TOS! How much earlier can you get? Well, you can get earlier, but I think this is way too early for this sort of episode too (then again, Dollhouse did it pretty early as well).

And it was the fourth episode aired of TOS! How much earlier can you get?

Wow, really? I never followed the order of episodes all that much. I just know that while "Where no man has gone before" was blatantly the first episode (the original pilot aside), they debuted with "The Man-Trap" which was a lame-o monster of the week episode (though it gave Bones some good stuff to do). But, yeah, that's just about as early as the TNG episode. Huh.

And I also know that "Turnabout intruder" was the last one aired. I guess Shatner channelling his inner "woman" killed the show (in quotes because I always got the feeling he was actually imitating a flamboyant drag queen).

Granted, there are arguments to this day which order the Prisoner episodes should really be in, which also was mostly (aside from first and last two episodes) a continuity free show, recurring actors be damned (Leo McKern excepted).

I just know that while "Where no man has gone before" was blatantly the first episode

It was so weird, though, because it didn't really feel like a pilot at all. There was no explaining who anyone was or anything; it was just like...and here we are on a ship with these characters, welcome to the show, already in progress.

Granted, there are arguments to this day which order the Prisoner episodes should really be in, which also was mostly (aside from first and last two episodes) a continuity free show, recurring actors be damned (Leo McKern excepted).

Wait, really?? I always assumed it was very continuity-heavy. Granted, I know next to nothing about it (and plan to keep it that way until I get around to seeing it).

There was no explaining who anyone was or anything; it was just like...and here we are on a ship with these characters, welcome to the show, already in progress.

No mollycoddling in those days, we were expected to hop on the story train and hang on and be happy about it, damn it. None of this psychological underpinnings and trauma in his youth or tragic background story. You had a bunch of guys in the space navy and what happens to them. And we liked it!

Wait, really?? I always assumed it was very continuity-heavy.

US TV, apart from soaps, was not really big with continuity. That's why there used to be a thing called mini-series. I think Hill Street Blues is often mentioned as the show that broke that trend. Well, and Soap. I mean MASH lasted longer than the war it was about AND had an episode that covered an entire year.

Raq, nope, not me. My 2-disc Criterion copy is now out-of-date.

US TV, apart from soaps, was not really big with continuity.

It's entirely possible that I've missed a step here, but The Prisoner wasn't an American production.

But on the larger point, it really depends on what you mean by continuity. I shall quote Lawrence Miles, because he's my new soulmate:

To most viewers, continuity is a light breeze which blows throughout all TV drama, quietly ensuring that the carnation in Mr Popplewick's buttonhole doesn't move from the right side of his waistcoast to the left side between shots. Yet in the sci-fi philosophy, Continuity is a vengeful and malevolent god, who demands that the Seven Laws of the Mangooskan Federation [established in episode 1.12] must be strictly upheld throughout the rest of the series [even in episode 3.05, which is technically set in a parallel universe, but one where the Treaty of Mangooska 6 is still in effect].

Continuity is not the same as pedantry. She said, pedantically.

It's entirely possible that I've missed a step here, but The Prisoner wasn't an American production

Whoops, I think I meant English-language TV, but it was late. I don't really know enough to comment on non-English-language TV. And the Mangooskans are assholes.

No mollycoddling in those days, we were expected to hop on the story train and hang on and be happy about it, damn it. None of this psychological underpinnings and trauma in his youth or tragic background story. You had a bunch of guys in the space navy and what happens to them. And we liked it!

This is awesomely true.

Continuity...the actual paying attention to things, or lack there of...makes me sad sometimes. I know there are a million details to be watched over but, come on. I point to the cigarette and scotch glass in the Oscar Winning, Scent of a Woman. What? Nobody watched the dailies and said,"While that may have been the very best gutteral twaddle ever to come out of Al Pacino's mouth, you know, that scene needs to be reshot."

Last night I watched an episode of ReGenesis where a white flag magically moved from one side to the other of a moving jeep. What would have been hard about keeping THAT straight?