The Quadripartite Affair - S1-E3
Plot hole: Solo blows open the ceiling vent of Illya and Marion's cell, and she stands on Illya's shoulders until Solo can reach her and pull her out. This leaves Illya with nothing/no one to stand on, no way to reach the vent and no apparent way out of the cell. But he's out just the same in the next scene, with no explanation as to how. (00:42:40)
The Yellow Scarf Affair - S1-E17
Plot hole: The typewriter case containing the secret plans is said to be boobytrapped with nitroglycerine. If dropped, says the Thrush agent, it "could blow us all up." Yet it survives a plane crash intact and is later wielded as a club several times in the cavern fight scene, and somehow it never explodes. (00:43:05)
The Girls of Nazarone Affair - S1-E28
Plot hole: Illya dives into the pool to rescue Solo and Lavinia, who've been tied to mattresses and left to drown. Somehow, Illya divines that Solo will be able to free himself. He swims to Lavinia and cuts her free while Solo is still sinking, then heads for the ladder without looking back. Fortunately, his psychic powers are on target: an untied Solo soon appears, swimming free, behind him. (00:38:10)
The Super-Colossal Affair - S3-E4
Plot hole: Bound and chained, Illya is dropped into a huge vat of wet plaster. Yet he's able to miraculously produce a 5-foot-long straw from somewhere (where was he hiding that?) to breathe through while the plaster dries around him. (00:36:45)
The Deadly Toys Affair - S2-E9
Plot hole: Solo hopes that Elfie can fly the helicopter they're about to escape in. Why? It's a standard-issue helicopter: nothing special. Did both he and Illya, who've flown many 'copters in previous episodes, suddenly forget how? (00:46:50)
The Never-Never Affair - S1-E25
Plot hole: Mr. Varner spots Illya down the street and says, "I think he's another U.N.C.L.E. agent." His uncertainty is odd: he helped identify and chase Illya earlier in the episode, so he already knew to be fact what he only "thinks" in this later scene. (00:38:35)
The Alexander the Greater Affair (1) - S2-E1
Plot hole: Bad guys tie lousy knots. Solo's bonds at the end are so loose that he easily slips his feet free to stop the swinging blade. And the rope across his chest does nothing to pinion his elbows or lower arms. He could have reached up with his hands to catch the blade at any time. (00:44:30)
The Waverly Ring Affair - S2-E19
Plot hole: Waverly installs the explosive ring on Solo's finger and arms it, then says, "No one is to know you've been issued a priority ring." Odd command. It's a huge and conspicuous gold and red ring that he can't take off, and everyone at U.N.C.L.E. knows what it is. So how can Solo possibly keep it a secret? (00:07:25)
The Off Broadway Affair - S3-E10
Plot hole: U.N.C.L.E.'s pen communicators worked much like modern cell phones: when one agent called another, they "rang" with a 2-tone signal. For some reason in this episode, Solo's pen, which isn't on an open circuit, transmits Illya's voice without ringing first. It signals normally a few scenes later, though. (00:27:55 - 00:34:15)
Plot hole: Thrush is so efficient. They divine exactly what Rosy will be wearing on the day they plan to switch her with her double, and they duplicate every last stitch - long before they've ever seen her. (00:18:20 - 00:19:25)
The Jingle Bells Affair - S3-E15
Plot hole: Koz tells the sick boy's mother that his own son had the same illness. How does he know? There are no visible symptoms, and no one has told him what disease the boy has. (00:34:00)
The Take Me to Your Leader Affair - S3-E16
Plot hole: Coco asks Illya if he knew she was going to be kidnapped, and he says "At that point, I didn't even know you existed." Strange answer. He and Solo met her outside the observatory several minutes before the kidnapping, so he did know she existed. (00:20:30)
The Jingle Bells Affair - S3-E15
Plot hole: Everyone is suddenly afflicted with a bizarre form of amnesia in this episode. The entire time Solo & Illya are guarding the Russian chairman, they're dealing with language and cultural barriers that shouldn't be there - because no one, including Illya himself, seems to remember the fact that Illya is also Russian. (00:48:50)
The Abominable Snowman Affair - S3-E13
Plot hole: Solo gets a letter from Waverly admitting him to forbidden Chupat. If it's that easy, why doesn't Illya get the same privilege? So that we can see him reduced to the humiliating and pointless ruse of sneaking in wearing an inflated yeti costume. Definitely U.N.C.L.E.'s "jump the shark" episode. (00:01:00)
The Waverly Ring Affair - S2-E19
Plot hole: U.N.C.L.E.'s yellow badges were worn only inside HQ, and were supposed to set off alarms if you didn't wear one, or if they were taken from the building. But here, Solo passes through security and walks out with his badge still on, and the alarms don't sound. (00:25:55)
Answer: He must have ridden in an Eaton's store elevator while he was in Canada at some point. For some reason, this elevator reminds him of it. The show's original concept had Solo being a Canadian, so this may be a minor nod to that fact.
raywest ★