Decalog 3 #08 - “Continuity Errors” by Steven Moffat

The Doctor has met his match. In desperate need of a heavily restricted book, the Doctor finds himself at odds with Angela, the local librarian whose painful life has made her steely and reserved. Determined to get his book however, the Doctor resolves to make sure Angela sides with him, no matter what.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Continuity Errors is notable for a number of reasons and perhaps most for it being the first published work of Steven Moffat in the Doctor Who universe. And for that reason alone, I’d call it a very interesting (if flawed) read. For one, you get to see the progenitor of a number of Moffat’s ideas and themes that he would later go on to use, such as a library comprised of every book in existence - a la Silence in the Library - as well as rewriting a person’s history in order to save somebody’s life - a la A Christmas Carol.

Beyond that, it’s also just a very unique read. Moffat’s prose is incredibly different and playful, constantly messing with format to create a very casual, unique reading experience. On top of that, the central idea of real life “continuity errors” representing changes in a timeline is really cool, especially when you as a reader begin to notice all the strange details that don’t quite make sense. I can’t deny that Continuity Errors is a fascinating and wholly unique read.

However, I have a few problems with the central message. It tries to ask questions about the Doctor’s morality and if he should be allowed the amount of power he has by showing him rewriting somebody’s entire existence, much as he does in A Christmas Carol, but I think it’s executed a lot worse here. Mostly because we are primarily seeing it unfold from the viewpoint of the person the Doctor is tampering with, which makes the whole situation seem a lot more terrifying and the simple length of the story doesn’t allow for the character building needed to make the whole situation not feel so insidious. One idea that I genuinely detest though is the seeming implication that people only like the Doctor because of a nebulous psychic effect he has on people, which is actively antithetical to his established character and genuinely quite unnerving. The story never seems to go back on this point and for whatever reason it just rubs me the wrong way, actively conflicting the moral messaging of the rest of the story.

I enjoyed Continuity Errors for what it was and appreciated the sheer originality of it, along with the added bonus of seeing early Steven Moffat formulate his ideas that would later run the show, but his exploration of the Doctor as a legendary figure is not refined enough yet and really struggles to justify the Doctor’s actions here, just making him feel like an altogether worse and more insidious character.

6/10

Pros:

+ Really interestingly written and formatted

+ Is a neat introspective look into early Moffat

Cons:

- Struggles to realise its central conceit

- It’s portrayal of the Doctor rubs me the wrong way

One of the most fascinating short stories I've come across, for the simple reason that it's the first Doctor Who story written by Steven Moffat, the man who went on to write The Curse of Fatal Death, write the best episodes of the Russel era (and the best episode so far of Russel's second era) and become show runner for most of the 2010s. This is where it all began for the man who's beloved, hated, created some of the best and some of the worst stories in the show's history. As his first written work goes it's up there amongst his best works, and it's made all the more interesting by containing so many details that would later be reincorporated in his televised works. Sort of similar to how Blink reincorporated some core ideas from another of his earliest works "What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow".

Continuity Errors takes place on a planet sized library called New Alexandria where the Doctor's trying to acquire a book that will help him save a planet, the only issue is that the book is restricted and the librarian who can give him access is a bitter woman who doesn't like anyone. After initially accepting defeat the Doctor leaves and what follows is the librarian continuing her day but very gradually small details begin to change that don't line up with what was written earlier; items initially prohibited start turning up, she gets along better with her colleague who wants a relationship, then he changes entirely to a different person whom she's now married to, her daughter who was previously killed years ago is now alive and well, and the librarian in general gradually becomes a nice person. Which is when it hits her that the Doctor has gone back in time and has rewritten her entire life to make her less bitter.

It challenges the morality of the Doctor's actions where he changes an entire person's life just so he can acquire an object that will help him save lives, but had he not needed the librarian's cooperation, would he have been content to let her original tragic life play out as before. It's a great way of tackling the Doctor playing god whilst inter-cutting with a university lecturer Professor Candy delivering a presentation on how dangerous the Doctor is.

The plot in general bears resemblance to A Christmas Carol with the Doctor rewriting someone's life in an effort to save many lives in the present, the setting would later be remade in Silence in the Library, it even features the iconic "Monsters have nightmares" line from The Girl in the Fireplace. It's just so fascinating seeing all these little ideas and details that would go on to form some of the show's top tier episodes. If you're a Moffat fan (or former Moffat fan even) it's well worth the read

Continuity Errors is Steven Moffat's first official contribution to the world of Doctor Who, and incidentally, it's one of his best. Moffat tends to occupy himself with a few recurring themes: the Doctor as a godlike and heroic figure; the power of memory; the consequences of changing time. You know the drill. This particular story features the Seventh Doctor and Benny, but they're not the viewpoint character here; no, the viewpoint character here is the little-known Andrea Tallwinning, a librarian.

We meet Andrea when the Doctor comes to take a book out of the Great Library, accompanied by Benny. Andrea takes an instant disliking to Benny and the Doctor, insulting both of their fashion senses. This narrative is interspersed with one Professor Candy's lecture notes, which describe the Doctor as a CSTE who kidnaps young women (told you Moffat occupies himself with a few recurring themes). Andrea's attitude towards the Doctor, who is trying to access a restricted book, becomes kinder and kinder over the course of the story; it soon becomes clear that Andrea's past is being manipulated by the Doctor to make her into a kinder, more forgiving person. Andrea calls the Doctor out on this, and he promises to step down. The story ends with the Doctor taking Professor Candy's place at a lecture in Andrea's youth, and the title of the book being changed from concerning a massacre to concerning a heroic victory.

Exposition over. Continuity Errors is really standard Moffat fare, but it's standard Moffat fare at its best. Continuity Errors is a fascinating character study, not of Andrea, but of the Doctor. It's meta. It's sceptical. It's an incredibly compelling deconstruction of the Doctor's morality. But at the end of the day, it reaffirms the Doctor's status as a morally complex but fundamentally heroic character.

How it explores the Doctor's god complex (much like that brilliant episode... The God Complex) is almost more interesting than the conclusions it reaches: it goes back and forth between the past and present, slowly unveiling itself as a horror story about one woman's past being manipulated beyond belief so that the Doctor can save a whole world. When we first meet her, Andrea is an embittered widow, at peace with who she is but a deeply caustic personality. By the end, she's a cheerful wife and mother, and she resents the Doctor for it.

Is the Doctor a hero? Unclear. Is Continuity Errors one of the best short stories, nay, one of the best stories to ever grace Doctor Who? Absolutely.