The Heart of New York
Encyclopedia
"The Heart of New York" is the 11th 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 Alan Perry. In this episode, a group of perfectly human bank robbers try to outwit Spectrum as the Mysterons declare that they will destroy the "Heart of New York".
Like "Winged Assassin
" and "Big Ben Strikes Again
", "The Heart of New York" contains a plot whose similarity to the September 11 attacks caused the episode to be held back when Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was repeated on BBC Two
in 2001.
. Despite intelligence collected by their associate, Carl, they discover only documentation
and microfilm which, although classified
, is of no material value. Nevertheless, Kruger is fascinated by the documents detailing Earth
's conflict with Mars
, and plans to "get the Mysteron
s to work for us." Meanwhile, the Mysterons announce that they have studied human greed and corruption and intend to destroy the "Heart of New York
". While the civilian
population is evacuated and the perimeter roadblock
ed, Captains Scarlet
and Blue
search the city for concealed explosive devices. Kruger, Doig and Carl annoy a wildfire
lookout
by feigning drunkenness
. They then fake their own deaths
, placing replica dummies
of themselves inside their car and then sending it crashing down a hillside. The lookout cannot help believing that the three supposedly drunk men have been killed. Kruger, Doig and Carl return and, now claiming to be Mysteron reconstructions, announce that they intend to the destroy the New York Second National Bank. Colonel White
refuses to risk lives to protect this target orders all Spectrum personnel to withdraw to the roadblocks.
Kruger, Doig and Carl appear at Captain Magenta
's roadblock and present FBI identification. A Mysteron Detector check by Captain Ochre checks negative, so Magenta grants them access. Arriving at the Second National Bank with a crate of plastic explosive
, the men are confident about escaping with the East Coast
gold reserve
. However, the vault blown open, they are caught unawares by Captain Black
, who locks them in and reveals that the bank will be soon be destroyed. At Magenta's roadblock, Scarlet seizes on the discrepancy that the men knew that the Mysterons had narrowed their target to the Second National Bank, when only Spectrum personnel were informed. Realising that the bank will be robbed, Scarlet and Blue rush to apprehend them in their Spectrum Saloon
, but turn around when they notice Black driving the men's car. However, the Mysterons use their powers to teleport
Black away from Spectrum. The Second National Bank is obliterated by explosives planted at the site, killing Kruger, Doig and Carl. However, Colonel White refuses to accept that the three men were the typical greedy and corrupt humans cited by the Mysterons, and feels sure that the good of humanity will ultimately prevail over the evil of the enemy.
transmission date due to parallels between the plot, with New York City
as the Mysteron's latest threat, and the September 11 attacks which occurred the same month. The episode was eventually broadcast later in the line-up along with "Winged Assassin
" and "Big Ben Strikes Again
".
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 Alan Perry. In this episode, a group of perfectly human bank robbers try to outwit Spectrum as the Mysterons declare that they will destroy the "Heart of New York".
Like "Winged Assassin
Winged Assassin
"Winged Assassin" is the second episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick and directed by David Lane...
" and "Big Ben Strikes Again
Big Ben Strikes Again
"Big Ben Strikes Again" is the third episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess...
", "The Heart of New York" contains a plot whose similarity to the September 11 attacks caused the episode to be held back when Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was repeated on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in 2001.
Plot
Criminals Kruger and Doig rob the Spectrum Security VaultsBank vault
A bank vault is a secure space where money, valuables, records, and documents can be stored. It is intended to protect their contents from theft, unauthorized use, fire, natural disasters, and other threats, just like a safe...
. Despite intelligence collected by their associate, Carl, they discover only documentation
Documentation
Documentation is a term used in several different ways. Generally, documentation refers to the process of providing evidence.Modules of Documentation are Helpful...
and microfilm which, although classified
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
, is of no material value. Nevertheless, Kruger is fascinated by the documents detailing Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's conflict with Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, and plans to "get 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 to work for us." Meanwhile, the Mysterons announce that they have studied human greed and corruption and intend to destroy the "Heart of New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
". While the civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
population is evacuated and the perimeter roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
ed, Captains 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 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....
search the city for concealed explosive devices. Kruger, Doig and Carl annoy a wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
lookout
Fire lookout
A fire lookout is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and a good view of the surrounding terrain, to spot smoke caused by a wildfire.Once a possible fire...
by feigning drunkenness
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
. They then fake their own deaths
Faked death
A faked death occurs when an individual leaves evidence to suggest that he or she is dead in order to mislead others. This may be done for a variety of reasons, such as to fraudulently collect insurance money or avoid capture by law enforcement for some other crime.People who fake their own deaths...
, placing replica dummies
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
of themselves inside their car and then sending it crashing down a hillside. The lookout cannot help believing that the three supposedly drunk men have been killed. Kruger, Doig and Carl return and, now claiming to be Mysteron reconstructions, announce that they intend to the destroy the New York Second National Bank. Colonel White
Colonel 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...
refuses to risk lives to protect this target orders all Spectrum personnel to withdraw to the roadblocks.
Kruger, Doig and Carl appear at Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta
Captain Magenta is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation, but seldom leaves Cloudbase....
's roadblock and present FBI identification. A Mysteron Detector check by Captain Ochre checks negative, so Magenta grants them access. Arriving at the Second National Bank with a crate of plastic explosive
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
, the men are confident about escaping with the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
gold reserve
Gold Reserve
Gold Reserve Inc. is a gold mining company with operations and mining property in Bolivar State, Venezuela.Founded in 1956, Gold Reserve Inc. is now headquartered in Spokane, Washington. The company has about ten employees at its Washington office and about 55 in Venezuela. Of these 55,...
. However, the vault blown open, they are caught unawares 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...
, who locks them in and reveals that the bank will be soon be destroyed. At Magenta's roadblock, Scarlet seizes on the discrepancy that the men knew that the Mysterons had narrowed their target to the Second National Bank, when only Spectrum personnel were informed. Realising that the bank will be robbed, Scarlet and Blue rush to apprehend them in their Spectrum Saloon
Spectrum Saloon Car (SSC)
The Spectrum Patrol Car or Spectrum Saloon Car is a fictional vehicle that appears in Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and in revamped form in the remake series Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the...
, but turn around when they notice Black driving the men's car. However, the Mysterons use their powers to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
Black away from Spectrum. The Second National Bank is obliterated by explosives planted at the site, killing Kruger, Doig and Carl. However, Colonel White refuses to accept that the three men were the typical greedy and corrupt humans cited by the Mysterons, and feels sure that the good of humanity will ultimately prevail over the evil of the enemy.
Broadcast
When a digitally-remastered re-run of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons began in the United Kingdom in September 2001, "The Heart of New York" was originally due to be broadcast as the eleventh episode in the re-run, but was postponed from its intended BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
transmission date due to parallels between the plot, with New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as the Mysteron's latest threat, and the September 11 attacks which occurred the same month. The episode was eventually broadcast later in the line-up along with "Winged Assassin
Winged Assassin
"Winged Assassin" is the second episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick and directed by David Lane...
" and "Big Ben Strikes Again
Big Ben Strikes Again
"Big Ben Strikes Again" is the third episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess...
".
External links
- "The Heart of New York" 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...
- "The Heart of New York" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "The Heart of New York" at TheVervoid.com