I don't think it is drama for the sake of drama. Fact is planes can't fly in after a certain point due to the drop in temperature. They can't just go there by ground since it is so far away from the other Antarctic stations plus the low temps would make any such trip hazardous. I'm thinking we have to wait for the return of the Arctic summer next December to find out what really happened there.
I think people spend way too much time concentrating on the official date at which winter starts there without recognizing the speed at which it approaches in those latitudes.
My cousin spent a winter in north central Alaska and was amazed at how fast the seasons changed. He said they went from shirtsleeve summer to 6 feet of snow winter in under 6 weeks.