For all the praise, though, there were a few fans who didn’t appreciate it as much. Some fans hoped for more out of “The Welcome Protocol,” both the episode as a whole and the specific plan at its center. “This episode was just okay for me,” u/dykno_soar said on Reddit, feeling it stalled in execution. “‘The Welcome Protocol’ is a really funny idea, and it could have been so much stronger!” U/aussiesrlyfe agreed, adding their own idea that the Welcome Protocol “could’ve been played better for a future partner introduction to give us flashbacks to EVERYONE ever brought in.”
Other fans agreed, feeling that while the joke was entertaining, it wasn’t quite earned. “[The concept] implies that it’s a regular thing involving the whole group, but we barely ever see them all together, and they’ve only actually all known each other for a very short time anyway,” said u/DonateToM7E. They added that these gags are “lazy ways for writers to pretend there’s much more chemistry and history between the group than in reality.”
Still, the primary point behind these complaints is something just about every fan can agree with. They want more interaction between different members of the group, like Sophie and Charlie, and Sid and Val, and less of Sophie and Val going off on their own. The fans are also continuing their evolving love affair with Charlie as the favorite of the group. Stand aside, Sophie.
