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Series Overview
OTHER NEW CAPTAIN SCARLET SERIES Series 2 OTHER GERRY ANDERSON SHOWS Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons UFO Thunderbirds Space 1999 
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Series OverviewGerry Anderson's puppet shows were a maistay of children's television in the sixties and seventies. Through a number of shows, he developed action-based adventures that were peopled with puppets, but were in every other way blockbusting epics of special effects and tense action. It was in CAPTAIN SCARLET that the science of his system, called Supermarionation, was made as perfect as it could be and allied to an intriguingly mature concept of aliens using reanimated corpses to carry out acts of terrorism across the world. The coming of the age of CGI cheap enough to be used in a TV show has brought back that concept and here is NEW CAPTAIN SCARLET, a show in which the hardware is just as impressive as before, the plotting just as mature and the action ramped up by the freeing of the puppets from their restrictions of movement. This Scarlet can run, jump and fight. He doesn't look too real (TV CGI isn't that good yet), but he's more real than the original puppets. True, the charm of the original puppets have been lost in the transfer to animation, but the update has been handled with respect and expands on the core concept of the source material. Top Instrument of Destruction- Part 1An unidentified signal from the surface of Mars takes Spectrum captains Black and Scarlet on a search of the desert surface. There, they discover a cloaked city, which they destroy, fearing themselves under attack. The city rebuilds itself and the inhabitants, calling themselves Mysterons, announce that they will destroy humanity with its own violence and Captain Scarlet will be their agent of destruction. CAPTAIN SCARLET was one of Gerry Anderson's wonderful puppet shows, possibly the pinnacle of the techniques that he pioneered. Exciting stories filled with death and chases, hairsbreadth escapes and devastation averted (not always though) at the last minute. It's a fondly remembered show with little to commend bringing it back. After all, how can they recapture the wonder of a simpler age. The answer is that they don't even try. This is a very different animal if the opening episode is anything to go by. Sure it's Spectrum and the colour-coded captains, angel interceptors and a floating HQ (now known as Skybase rather than Cloudbase), but this is all out balls-to-the-wall action. In this opening episode there is the destruction of the martian city (very impressive), angels in full flight, skydiving heroes, futuristic motorcycle chases and a solid punch up between captains Scarlet and Blue. Freed from the restrictions of movement of the earlier show, this CGI animated adventure knows how to run and it's going to. The animation of the humans isn't anything to write home about and they convince about as much as the puppets did, but the characters are nicely updated on first view with everyone being buffed up and hard-assed. And then there is the technology. The equipment's been upgraded and it looks great. Bring back CAPTAIN SCARLET? On this showing - yes please. Written by Phil FordDirected by David Lane Top Instrument of Destruction- Part 2The Mysterons have gained control of a worldwide distribution company and a russian military leader. With the latter they launch an all out attack against Skybase whilst with the former they transport enough nuclear material to Siberia to create a bomb large enough to crack the world wide open. Well, you certainly can't fault the new series for a lack of ambition and scale. The old show never attempted to blow up the entire planet. This second episode has slightly less action than the first, but there's still plenty to go around. The angels are involved in a full on airborne battle whilst we get our first look at the new style Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle taking on a gigantic russian tank. The SPV is the only vehicle that the new show hasn't improved upon, having none of the charm or class of the original. The characters remain merely cyphers, but this is a kids' show after all and there is some attempt to flesh them out with Destiny unable to bring herself to shoot the man who used to be her lover and deciding to quit the organisation. It's not enough to get in the way of the action, though and that clearly is what this series is going for. You won't hear us complaining. Bring back CAPTAIN SCARLET? On this showing - yes please. Written by Phil FordDirected by David Lane Top SwarmThe angels shoot down a transport plane that is heading for Skybase, but it releases a swarm of cyberbugs, advanced robots the size of a bug that are capable of eating metal and reproducing with great speed. Once they are aboard Skybase, they set about eating their way towards the reactor core. The headquarters will be destroyed unless Scarlet can find a weakness. This is another all action affair with an interesting enemy, one that can't be shot. The actual solution is a fairly simple one, though it does beg the question of why Scarlet has to go all the way to engineering to activate the sprinklers when most buildings have fire alarm points in every corridor. Lieutenant Green's plight is both surprising and welcome. Written by Phil FordDirected by David Lane Top Rat TrapElysium base on Mars has stopped transmitting so a team of Captains Blue and Scarlet, Angels Destiny and Harmony and the Spectrum doctor are sent to find out what happened to the crew. On arrival they realise that this is a Mysteron trap and that they are under attack from an armoured research robot that their weapons can't damage. The action is transferred to the sands of the red planet and it looks for a while that the episode might be going for a slow burn plot, but the robot is soon on their trail and the action breaks out all over. This is clearly influenced by ALIENS with some scenes seeming to have been lifted whole from that film, but if you're going to steal then steal from the best. Unfortunately, the robot monster looks too bizarre to be really threatening, undermining the otherwise exciting action. Written by Phil FordDirected by Dominic Lavery Top The HomecomingA space capsule returns to Earth with Lieutenant Green's father aboard. Believed lost, he wastes no time catching up with his daughter, but when he arrives for his debriefing at the International Space Agency, he is revealed as a Mysteron agent and takes Green hostage inside a bunker containing an antimatter reactor that is rigged to blow, taking 8 million people with it. For the first time, NEW CAPTAIN SCARLET attempts to inject some human feelings into the headlong action. Not too much, since this is a kids' show and the computer models aren't up to that kind of emoting for any length of time and certainly not with any credibility. The action, though, is all present and correct and the brief sojourn into the arctic wastes is nicely realised. Written by Phil FordDirected by David Lane Top Mercury FallingA shuttle carrying a satellite capable of detecting Mysteron threats before they happen is hijacked and a ransom demanded. Captain Scarlet must discover the identity of the blackmailer before Captain Black can turn the situation to his advantage. The best episode yet with a complex plot of cross and double cross that finds time for some orbital philosophising and some pretty effective action sequences. The opening shuttle launch is spectacular and the orbital shots of Earth are very pretty. Whilst the human movements remain sketchy, this technological stuff is really impressive (with the sole exception of the use of the same animation every time the angels are launched. Episodes like this put the show in very real danger of surpassing the original. Written by Phil FordDirected by Dominic Lavery Top Circles of DoomCaptain Black reveals that he now has control over all the digital systems on Earth and can destroy them at will. With humanity's surrender as the price, how can Spectrum carry on the fight with weapons that don't work. The best episode yet with a complex plot of cross and double cross that finds time for some orbital philosophising and some pretty effective action sequences. Opening with a really impressive flying display sequence that plays to the strengths of the CGI animation, this episode then descends into some nonsense about crop circles controlling Mysteron energies and Captain Black being able to build huge underground under England without anyone noticing. There is, however, a welcome return of 'the voice of the Mysterons'. Written by Brian FinchDirected by Mark Woollard Top Rain of TerrorA cloud seeding experiment goes wrong when the Mysteron poison within it sends one of the scientists mad with fear. A full test of the process in planned already and Colonel White is in the centre of it. The plot here makes less sense as it goes along, but it does demonstrate the series' intent when it comes to supporting cast members biting the big one. This is also the first episode without successful big action sequences. Written by John BrownDirected by Mark Woollard Top ChillerCaptain Scarlet gatecrashes a meeting between the Mysterons and a man capable of planting a bomb on Skybase. The Mysterons decide enough is enough and kill him. Unwilling to give up his life until the threat to Skybase is past, his ghost tries to contact the living, but how can he save his friends when all he can do is make them feel cold? This episode starts off as an ordinary enough tale, but once the unthinkable happens and Scarlet is dead, it goes off in a whole new direction that proves to be ingenious and entertaining. Written by Phil FordDirected by Mark Woollard Top Trap For a RhinoWhen an old woman sees green circles hovering over the world's most powerful nuclear reactor in Scotland, Spectrum investigates, but that turns out to be just what the Mysterons want as the Spectrum SPV Rhino ground vehicle is just what they need to breach the reactor's defences. Using a little old lady as one of the Mysteron agents turns out to abe a stroke of genius as she consistently confounds the Spectrum agents in believable fashion. Her death is more affecting than that of most Mysteron agents. The Rhino's assault on the station provides the all-action finale, but the clunky last lines are appalling even when delivered by CGI puppets. Written by John BrownDirected by Dominic Lavery Top Skin DeepDestiny Angel stages a daring robbery of some missile launch codes. This, however, is only the first stage in an attack on Skybase. The robbery element of the story is extremely well handled whilst much of the rest of the plot makes no sense until the full extent of the Mysteron plot is revealed. That sequence makes up for the lack of any big scale action. The matter-of-fact brutality of the killings on both sides makes for an interesting maturity to this series. Written by John BrownDirected by Mark Woollard Top HeistColonel White's daughter is kidnapped as part of a plot to incriminate him in a robbery and thus end his Spectrum career. Whilst he pretends to go through with it, Scarlet and Blue must get her back. A surprisingly dull story with almost no tension, little interest and no action. It's supposed to add depth to Colonel White's character, but neither script nor animation manages that trick. It's also the second one in a row to hinge on a robbery. Written by Phil FordDirected by Dominic Lavery Top The Achilles MessengerThe commander of the training base being attended by Captain Scarlet is turned into a Mysteron, but one who wants to help humanity end the war. She is willing to pass the secret of defeating the Mysterons to Colonel White alone, but alk the forcss that the Mysterons can bring to bear will be ranged against her getting that far. An excellent way to finish off this great opening series of the revamped CAPTAIN SCARLET. It's an all-action affair, playing to the CGI strengths of the show (dodgy water effects aside) whilst still providing subtle insights into the Mysterons (single consciousness with individuals within, highly-advanced,, but afraid of human violence, not all in agreement...). There's even time for a couple of character moments and a plotting twist that takes the surprising opening and the spins off in a whole new direction. Written by Phil FordDirected by David Lane Top |
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