Spectrum Strikes Back
Encyclopedia
"Spectrum Strikes Back" is the ninth episode of the Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick
and directed by Ken Turner
.
Following the events of "Operation Time
", in this episode Spectrum unveils two devices that it has developed to counter the Mysteron
s. However, a Mysteron agent leaves the conference delegates in mortal danger.
, Captain Scarlet
and Captain Blue
attend a top-secret conference held underground beneath a hunting lodge in an Africa
n game reserve
. Also in attendance are the World President
, General Peterson and lastly Dr Giadello, who has developed two anti-Mysteron
devices based on the discoveries made when the Mysterons tried to assassinate General Tiempo
. The "Mysteron Gun" can fire an electron
beam to kill Mysteron agents via their weakness to electricity
, while the "Mysteron Detector" can produce X-ray
images to which Mysteron agents are impervious, making it possible to distinguish them from humans. However, Captain Indigo
, a Spectrum officer who serves as the lodge waiter, has been murdered by Captain Black
and reconstructed by the Mysterons. When the Mysteron Detector reveals this, Indigo sabotages the conference by locking the lodge in its descent setting. He then escapes in a car with the key to the control mechanism, leaving the delegates to be crushed by the building above them.
Armed with the Mysteron Gun, Scarlet ascends in a lift
. However, the lift ceases to operate when the lodge starts its descent, forcing Scarlet to pursue Indigo and attempt to retrieve the key. In the conference room, Blue slows the lodge's descent by firing his gun into the ceiling at the point where the control mechanism is located. Scarlet and a game warden
prevent Indigo from escaping the reserve. However, he is only wounded when the warden shoots him with his rifle
, so Scarlet uses the Mysteron gun to kill him. Rushing back to the lodge with the key, Scarlet reverses the descent just before the five other delegates are killed. Later, the men agree that despite unexpected challenges, the Mysteron Gun and Detector have proven their worth in the field.
, who was threatened with assassination in "The Mysterons
". The puppet portraying Dr Giadello previously appears as Morton in "The Trap". In a four-hour studio session held on , incidental music
for both this episode and "Avalanche" was recorded by Barry Gray
accompanied by an orchestra of 15 musicians. Released on CD, the suite for "Spectrum Strikes Back" totals eight minutes 33 seconds of music.
-related fanzine Andersonic, Vincent Law refers to "Spectrum Strikes Back" as "one of the most convoluted and inconsistent episodes" of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
, citing "poor plotting" that he considers to be epitomised in devices
such as the moving hunting lodge: "... the whole lodge descending underground for reasons of secrecy is bizarre, as surely any passer-by would become immediately suspicious when a nondescript building started sinking into the ground!" On the subject of the duplicate Captain Indigo
's sabotage of the conference and the danger facing the delegates, he comments with humour, "Obviously Spectrum don't have a Health and Safety department!" However, Law commends Barry Gray
's musical score and, contrasting with his earlier criticism, points to examples of "light relief" in Tony Barwick
's script. He regrets the absence of the Mysteron Gun from subsequent episodes of Captain Scarlet, noting that even the Mysteron Detector appears only sporadically following "Spectrum Strikes Back".
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
and directed by Ken Turner
Ken Turner (director)
Ken Turner is a British television and film director and screenwriter who has worked extensively on series created by Gerry Anderson....
.
Following the events of "Operation Time
Operation Time
"Operation Time" is the eighth episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Richard Conway and Stephen J...
", in this episode Spectrum unveils two devices that it has developed to counter the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s. However, a Mysteron agent leaves the conference delegates in mortal danger.
Plot
Colonel WhiteColonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
, Captain Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
and Captain Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
attend a top-secret conference held underground beneath a hunting lodge in an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n game reserve
Game reserve
A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game....
. Also in attendance are the World President
World government in science fiction
In both science fiction and utopian/dystopian fiction, authors have made frequent use of the age-old idea of a global state and, accordingly, of world government.- Overview :...
, General Peterson and lastly Dr Giadello, who has developed two anti-Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
devices based on the discoveries made when the Mysterons tried to assassinate General Tiempo
Operation Time
"Operation Time" is the eighth episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Richard Conway and Stephen J...
. The "Mysteron Gun" can fire an electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
beam to kill Mysteron agents via their weakness to electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
, while the "Mysteron Detector" can produce X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
images to which Mysteron agents are impervious, making it possible to distinguish them from humans. However, Captain Indigo
Captain Indigo
Captain Indigo is a characters in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons....
, a Spectrum officer who serves as the lodge waiter, has been murdered by Captain Black
Captain Black (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
and reconstructed by the Mysterons. When the Mysteron Detector reveals this, Indigo sabotages the conference by locking the lodge in its descent setting. He then escapes in a car with the key to the control mechanism, leaving the delegates to be crushed by the building above them.
Armed with the Mysteron Gun, Scarlet ascends in a lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
. However, the lift ceases to operate when the lodge starts its descent, forcing Scarlet to pursue Indigo and attempt to retrieve the key. In the conference room, Blue slows the lodge's descent by firing his gun into the ceiling at the point where the control mechanism is located. Scarlet and a game warden
Game warden
A game warden is an employee who has the role of protecting wildlife. Game wardens may also be referred to as conservation officers or wildlife officers...
prevent Indigo from escaping the reserve. However, he is only wounded when the warden shoots him with his rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
, so Scarlet uses the Mysteron gun to kill him. Rushing back to the lodge with the key, Scarlet reverses the descent just before the five other delegates are killed. Later, the men agree that despite unexpected challenges, the Mysteron Gun and Detector have proven their worth in the field.
Production
"Spectrum Strikes Back" marks the second appearance of the World PresidentWorld government in science fiction
In both science fiction and utopian/dystopian fiction, authors have made frequent use of the age-old idea of a global state and, accordingly, of world government.- Overview :...
, who was threatened with assassination in "The Mysterons
The Mysterons (Captain Scarlet episode)
"The Mysterons" is the first episode of the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first officially broadcast in the UK on ATV Midlands on , although it had been granted an unscheduled test transmission for the London area on...
". The puppet portraying Dr Giadello previously appears as Morton in "The Trap". In a four-hour studio session held on , incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
for both this episode and "Avalanche" was recorded by Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
accompanied by an orchestra of 15 musicians. Released on CD, the suite for "Spectrum Strikes Back" totals eight minutes 33 seconds of music.
Reception
In a review published in the Gerry AndersonGerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
-related fanzine Andersonic, Vincent Law refers to "Spectrum Strikes Back" as "one of the most convoluted and inconsistent episodes" of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
, citing "poor plotting" that he considers to be epitomised in devices
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
such as the moving hunting lodge: "... the whole lodge descending underground for reasons of secrecy is bizarre, as surely any passer-by would become immediately suspicious when a nondescript building started sinking into the ground!" On the subject of the duplicate Captain Indigo
Captain Indigo
Captain Indigo is a characters in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons....
's sabotage of the conference and the danger facing the delegates, he comments with humour, "Obviously Spectrum don't have a Health and Safety department!" However, Law commends Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
's musical score and, contrasting with his earlier criticism, points to examples of "light relief" in Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
's script. He regrets the absence of the Mysteron Gun from subsequent episodes of Captain Scarlet, noting that even the Mysteron Detector appears only sporadically following "Spectrum Strikes Back".
External links
- "Spectrum Strikes Back" at Fanderson.org.ukFandersonFanderson is the official appreciation society for the works of Gerry Anderson. It is a not-for-profit organisation endorsed by Anderson Entertainment Ltd, Gerry Anderson Productions plc and ITC Entertainment Group Ltd...
- "Spectrum Strikes Back" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "Spectrum Strikes Back" at TheVervoid.com