I love Andy, I love character focused pieces, I love queer stories, I love the UNIT era, and I love time loops. Wow, this was made for me.

This story is another Stranded story that uses Sci-Fi elements but to tell a very human story. Tony and Ron had mostly just been background characters before this story, they got a few lines and they were really sweet in Must-See TV, but they did at times feel a little like set dressing. This story completely changes that though.

In the present, something is happening to Tony's memory, and Helen, Liv, and Ron are all trying to help him with it. It's written in a way that conjures imagery of Dementia, but intentionally avoids bringing it up by name very much to the benefit of the story, when there's sci-fi explanations for real world conditions it can downplay the severity of that real condition, but here I think it's done really effectively, drawing parallels without downplaying it.

Then back in the past, we see Andy and Eight caught in a time loop, I said I loved their interactions before but here it's even moreso. Andy has experience with Time Travel, but never in such a personal manner and I love that he just keeps putting his foot in it. His comments about what if he doesn't look anything like this 'Jo Grant' are great as well. The Time Loop itself isn't anything stand out on it's own, but the character moments it allows for, especially with Eight realising he never did give The Brigadier enough credit, are brilliant, and the cuts to the present where we can see the effects of the changes in the loop though Tony are done really well and just make this story work.

Culshaw's Brigadier is superb and is written spectacularly here. The moment with him in the past at the end, his comment about Ron and Tony's relationship is great.

My only critique is that Liv and Helen don't get all that much to do, that said Helen opening up to Liv about her brother she's never spoken about before is written just oh so well, I've spoken to older people before who have spoken on the topic in much the same way, the way she struggles with how open everyone is about it now, not because it's a problem but because of the pain that she's seen people who couldn't be open about it go through. It's just so heartfelt sad, and superbly written.