working on timelines...

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Some of you may have paid attention to a recent trend in my stories that have to do with validating the Return Movie, that most vilified of MFU non-episode yet solidly canon film in which we have Messrs. Solo and Kuryakin no longer with UNCLE but out having a life elsewhere.


I'm also delving into pre-New York life, particularly Illya's, in which there must be a reasonable timeline established for his remarkable assortment of degrees, accomplishments and general Illya-ness.
The other night I watched the Gazebo in the Maze Affair, in which Napoleon states that he and Illya encountered Emory Partridge seven years prior.  Now, the episode was shown in the spring of '65, so I'm going to go with that, which means they would have been in South America routing Emory sometime in 1958.  
Illya graduated Survival School in '56, correct?  He would have already had his Bachelor's from the UG in the Ukraine by then, and before heading off to South America he should have finished the Master's at the Sorbonne.  He would then, after ruining the Partridge's party, have needed to head straight for London and start on his doctorate at Cambridge while working, we have all surmised, for Harry Beldon.  Now, I'm not sure how long it takes someone to gain a PhD in Quantum Mechanics from Cambridge, but I'm thinking he's going to just make it to New York in time to film the pilot in 1963... tongue in cheek here.
Does that track with people here, or am I missing something?  Those writers in Season 3 should have checked on what happened in Seasons 1&2 before they started handing out doctorate degrees to a man on such a tight schedule.  No wonder Illya doesn't show a lot of interest in women, he's probably still pooped from all of that academic overload.

''Can I just rest now?''

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

I agree with adapting your own timeline. I had Illya completing all his education, University of Ukraine, Sorbonne and Cambridge before coming to UNCLE. (as well as doing his mandatory military service in the Navy. In my stories he was a Soviet operative while completing his studies and as he was already a trained agent I had him under Harry Beldon's tutelage for several years. He attended Survival School prior to his transfer to NY ( the big leagues) This all under Waverly's direction.

I ignore the inconsistencies regarding his scientific abilities on the show. In the reunion movie as I recall, David McCallum suggested the role reversal, he being the women's clothing designer instead of being the owner of the computer company. He wanted to shake things up a bit. And it did you fans I suppose as it really didn't make sense for their characters to go in the directions they did. If it were the reverse, it would have made more sense, and possibly made the movie better for the fans. oh well, it is what it is and I admire your taking it on, but as I said, developing your own time-line would be more logical in that illogical and inconsistent world that the MFU writers gave us.

The stories you've written are great and are helping make the "reunion scenario" more palatable, so keep up the good work.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

I believe you're correct in that DMc suggested the switch up in the story, for which I am grateful. I'm afraid writing about a computer business would be an impossibility for me :D
Perhaps my willingness to accept this 'designer' thing is that I've never seen him as particularly brainy/scientific in the stories. He's knowledgeable about many things, and curious; he has mechanical abilities that include car mechanics, and he seems to like comic books.
I think he can do anything brilliantly, so much is my confidence in Mr. Kuryakin. So, dress designer... absolutely.
Anyway, it's where I am and all of these timeline comments are very helpful. I just wonder if any of the original writers are still around and if they ever, you know, read our stuff ;)

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, Illya becoming a clothing designer is intriguing and am glad you're pursuing it. The line of thinking you're taking in your stories makes the storyline even more palatable.

I think the writers, if any are still around are probably like McCallum and Vaughn thinking that it was all over 44 years ago and don't really have much specific episode related memories. I'm sure it's and even more vague recollection for a script writer, considering how much they're probably written over the years.

We the fans latch onto things in great detail, so much so that I'm sure McCallum and Vaughn are aware of and probably shake their heads in amazement... as we probably have better recall than they do.