HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Winged Assassin" is the second episode of ''
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', often shortened to ''Captain Scarlet'', is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films#Century 21, Centu ...
'', a British
Supermarionation Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet T ...
television series created by
Gerry Gerry is both a surname and a masculine or feminine given name. As a given name, it is often a short form (hypocorism) of Gerard, Gerald or Geraldine. Notable people with the name include: Surname *Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), fifth US vice pres ...
and
Sylvia Anderson Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In ...
and filmed by their production company
Century 21 Productions AP Films or APF (renamed Century 21 Productions in 1966) was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette t ...
. Written by
Tony Barwick Anthony Clive Barwick (10 July 1934 – 18 August 1993) was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson. Career Television Barwick scripted episodes for Gerry Anderson's Supermario ...
and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 6 October 1967 on
ATV Midlands ATV Network Limited, originally Associated TeleVision (ATV), was a British broadcaster, part of the ITV (Independent Television) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to ...
. Set in 2068, the series depicts a "
war of nerves War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...
" between Earth and the
Mysteron The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials and the antagonists in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68) and its 2005 animated remake, ''New Captain Scarlet''. The ...
s: a hostile race of
Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celes ...
s with the ability to create functioning copies of destroyed people or objects and use these reconstructions to carry out specific acts of aggression against humanity. Earth is defended by a military organisation called Spectrum, whose top agent, Captain Scarlet, was murdered by the Mysterons and replaced with a reconstruction that later broke free of their control. The Scarlet double has inherited the Mysterons' power of retro-metabolism, that enables him to recover from injuries that would be fatal to any other person, effectively making him "indestructible" as well as Spectrum's foremost asset in its fight against the Mysterons. In a direct continuation from pilot episode "The Mysterons", "Winged Assassin" sees Scarlet establish his indestructibility while Spectrum attempts to prevent the Mysterons from assassinating the Director General of the United Asian Republic. In 1980, "Winged Assassin" was re-edited to form a segment of the ''Captain Scarlet'' compilation film ''
Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons ''Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons'' is a 1981 television film based on the 1960s British puppet TV series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Produced by the New York office of the series' distributor, ...
'', produced by the New York office of
ITC Entertainment The Incorporated Television Company (ITC), or ITC Entertainment as it was referred to in the United States, was a British company involved in the production and distribution of television programmes. History Incorporated Television Programme C ...
. During the BBC's 2001–2002 re-run of the series, the episode was postponed from its intended transmission date due to perceived similarities between the story and the
attacks of September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
. "Winged Assassin" has been positively received by commentators and is frequently cited as one of the best episodes of the series.


Plot

Transmitting to Earth, the
Mysteron The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials and the antagonists in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68) and its 2005 animated remake, ''New Captain Scarlet''. The ...
s warn Spectrum that they intend to kill Xian Yoh, the Director General of the United Asian Republic, who is currently in London on a
state visit A state visit is a formal visit by the head of state, head of a sovereign state, sovereign country (or Governor-general, representative of the head of a sovereign country) to another sovereign country, at the invitation of the head of state (or ...
. An assassination attempt in the Director General's hotel room is thwarted by Captain Grey. Maximum security is imposed at London International Airport, from which the Director General is due to leave the country. At the request of
Colonel White Colonel White is a character in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' and its 2005 CGI remake, ''New Captain Scarlet''. In both series, he is the commander-in-chief of Spectrum, the security or ...
, the resurrected Mysteron double of Captain Scarlet – whom Dr Fawn has determined to be free of Mysteron control and effectively "indestructible" after the Mysterons' failure to assassinate the World President – returns to duty to help lead the operation. Accompanied by the Angel fighter squadron, Scarlet and
Captain Blue Captain Blue (born Adam Svenson) is a character in the British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68) and its animated remake, ''New Captain Scarlet'' (2005). He is a senior officer in the Spectrum ...
depart
Cloudbase Spectrum Cloudbase, often shortened to Cloudbase, is the fictional airborne headquarters of the international security organisation Spectrum in Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–1968) ...
in a Spectrum Passenger Jet and fly to London. Meanwhile, the Mysterons use their powers to create a massive systems failure on board an airliner, Flight DT-19, causing it to crash into the ocean and explode. A Mysteron reconstruction of the plane, devoid of crew and passengers, continues on the original flight path from New York to London. As a double of the Director General is driven in to London Airport in a decoy
motorcade A motorcade, or autocade, is a procession of motor vehicles. Uses can include ceremonial processions for funerals or demonstrations, but can also be used to provide security while transporting a very important person. The American presidenti ...
, the real Xian Yoh arrives in Spectrum's "Yellow Fox" – a secure transport disguised as an aircraft fuel tanker – and discreetly boards his private jet. As DT-19 lands, Scarlet, watching the operation from the
control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled a ...
with Blue, experiences a sudden nausea that he interprets as a warning that the Director General is in danger. At that moment, DT-19 breaks away from the
terminal Terminal may refer to: Computing Hardware * Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devices for a computer * Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together ** Battery terminal, electrical contact used to ...
and rushes towards the jet. Ordering the jet to take off immediately, Scarlet and Blue intercept DT-19 in their
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (SPV) is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1960s science fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons''. Origin and design In 2002, Gerry Anderson explained how ...
. The plane is unhindered by the Angels' airstrikes, and when the captains target its
undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...
with the SPV's rockets, the launch mechanism jams. Ignoring Blue's protests, Scarlet ejects him and rams DT-19's wheels, destroying them and bringing the plane to a crashing halt. He is fatally injured when the SPV collides with a radar bunker. Meanwhile, the jet takes off but hits one of DT-19's wings and crashes into a field, killing the Director General and everyone else on board. As Scarlet's body is taken away in an ambulance, the airport chief assumes that he is dead, to which Blue replies: "Maybe he didn't die ... in vain."


Regular voice cast


Production

In
Tony Barwick Anthony Clive Barwick (10 July 1934 – 18 August 1993) was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson. Career Television Barwick scripted episodes for Gerry Anderson's Supermario ...
's script, the DT-19 co-pilot is called Johnson. Dialogue in the episode indicates that it is set on 10 July, the same day as the events of "
Treble Cross "Treble Cross" is the 24th episode of ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and dire ...
" and the closing scene of " Flight to Atlantica". Barwick was fond of inserting references to 10 July as that was his birthday; as a result, fans of ''Captain Scarlet'' frequently observe July 10 as "Captain Scarlet Day". The
scale model A scale model is a physical model that is geometrically similar to an object (known as the ''prototype''). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small protot ...
of the entrance to London International Airport was designed by special effects assistant
Mike Trim Mike Trim is a British artist and miniature model-maker known for his design work on the TV and film productions of AP Films in the 1960s. He is also remembered for illustrating the cover of '' Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Wor ...
. "Winged Assassin" is the first episode of ''Captain Scarlet'' to feature contributions from uncredited voice actor Neil McCallum, who also voiced guest characters in the episodes "
Big Ben Strikes Again "Big Ben Strikes Again" is the third episode of ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess, it was first broadc ...
", " Codename Europa" and " Expo 2068". The episode also marks the first appearance of the series' secondary title sequence, in which the Mysterons transmit their latest threat to Spectrum while the green Mysteron "eyes" (or "rings") slide menacingly over members of the regular puppet cast. These shots were recorded during the filming of "Winged Assassin". The episode's
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...
– a suite running to 4 minutes and 38 seconds – was recorded by series composer
Barry Gray Barry Gray (born John Livesey Eccles; 18 July 1908 – 26 April 1984) was a British musician and composer best known for his collaborations with television and film producer Gerry Anderson. Life and career Born into a musical family in Blackbur ...
in a four-hour studio session on 3 April 1967. During his examination by Dr Fawn, the ex-Mysteron Scarlet has a flashback to his murder by the aliens in the previous episode. This sequence omits the blue
monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, mon ...
effect that was used to indicate the aliens' presence in that episode.


Broadcast and reception

When the series began a re-run on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
in September 2001, "Winged Assassin" was originally due to be broadcast on 17 September as the second episode, matching the order of production. However, it was postponed due to similarities between the story (featuring a plane hi-jacked by the Mysterons) and the terrorist attacks of earlier that month. Around this time, the ''Captain Scarlet'' pages on the website of the series' distributor, Carlton, were briefly taken offline. The episode was ultimately broadcast on 10 December 2001. The
British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited ...
certifies the episode U, noting that it contains "some action and mild horror".


Critical response

"Winged Assassin" is considered one of the best episodes of ''Captain Scarlet'' by Anthony Clark of ''sci-fi-online.com'' and a series highlight by Mike Fillis of ''
Cult Times Visual Imagination Ltd. was a British company that produced genre magazines. It was founded in 1985 by Stephen Payne and originally only published the science-fiction magazine ''Fantasy Image''. After Payne bought the magazine ''Starburst'' fr ...
'' and '' Ultimate DVD'' magazines. Fillis praises effects director
Derek Meddings Derek Meddings (15 January 1931 – 10 September 1995) was a British film and television special effects designer. He was initially noted for his work on the "Supermarionation" TV puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the ...
for working "miniature magic" with the DT-19 scale model. Rick Sanchez of
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
regards the scene in which Scarlet forcibly ejects Blue from the SPV as an example of superior writing. Writer Ian Fryer regards "Winged Assassin" as ''Captain Scarlet''s "key episode", stating that no instalment "expresses the horror of the series concept better". He praises the "deadpan" presentation of the original DT-19's destruction as well as the "genuinely thrilling" climax, which he regards as the best of any ''Captain Scarlet'' episode. He argues that the Mysteron victory " stablishesthis invisible enemy as a truly formidable opponent" while noting that the episode as a whole "treads a fine line between adult themes and suitability for the young audience". Andrew Thomas of ''
Dreamwatch ''Dreamwatch'' was a British magazine covering science fiction and fantasy films, books and television programmes. Published monthly by Gary Leigh (July 1983 to January 2001) and then Titan Magazines (2001 to 2007), it was a leading genre entert ...
'' magazine comments that the shots of the reconstructed DT-19 "sat menacingly" on the London Airport runway, "with the controls moving on their own and row upon row of empty seats ... is a chilling one, and sets the pattern for the series." Chris Bentley, author of ''Captain Scarlet: The Vault'', calls the conclusion "startling", commenting that the Mysteron win greatly increases the tension in later episodes. He contrasts this with episodes of earlier Anderson productions, which "always ended happily, with missions accomplished and lives saved." Writer Fred McNamara considers the story "lacklustre and frustrating" as well as "somewhat pedestrian" compared to
the first episode ''Dream On (TV series), Dream On'', an adult-themed Situation comedy, sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, aired on HBO from July 8, 1990, to March 27, 1996. The series aired for a total of six seasons, cons ...
and "
Big Ben Strikes Again "Big Ben Strikes Again" is the third episode of ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess, it was first broadc ...
", noting that "Winged Assassin" is the second episode in a row to feature a world leader at risk of assassination. He also describes the subplot involving Captain Grey as "dull" and unimaginatively written, and expresses disappointment that Spectrum's examination of Scarlet's new ex-Mysteron nature is confined to a few scenes at the start of the episode: "It's as if the writers suddenly remember there's the rest of the episode to crack on with ..it's exasperating how the questions seem to have been given an answer that's just within our reach, only to be snatched away in an instant." However, he praises the "gripping" ending, believing that the Mysterons' success in eliminating the Director General lends a "darkly vibrant flavour" to the episode as well as a sense of "alarming immediacy" to the threat the aliens pose: "... at just two episodes in, we're presented with the Mysterons' first victory against Spectrum."


References


Works cited

* * *


External links

*
"Winged Assassin"
at TheVervoid.com {{Captain Scarlet 1967 British television episodes Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episodes Television episodes about assassinations Television episodes set in airports Television episodes set in London Works set on airplanes