Place of Angels
"Place of Angels" | |
---|---|
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode | |
Episode no. | Episode 27 |
Directed by | Leo Eaton |
Written by | Leo Eaton |
Cinematography by | Julien Lugrin |
Editing by | Harry MacDonald |
Production code | SCA 23[1] |
Original air date | 8 March 1968 |
Guest character voices | |
| |
"Place of Angels" is the 27th episode of
Set in 2068, the series depicts a "
In "Place of Angels", Spectrum pursues a Mysteron agent who has stolen a vial of synthetic virus with the potential to kill millions of people.
Plot
At a microbiological laboratory near Manchester, England, Dr Denton and his assistant, Judy Chapman, activate a
Denton contacts Spectrum
When Chapman is sighted at New York International Airport, Scarlet and Blue fly to the United States and chase the reconstruction along the
Hours pass and Chapman is spotted in numerous locations across North America, including Los Angeles. From the city's name, which is Spanish for "The Angels", Scarlet deduces that the Mysteron threat is against LA.
Flying a Spectrum Passenger Jet, Scarlet and Blue pursue Chapman as she drives along the
Regular voice cast
- Ed Bishop as Captain Blue
- Donald Gray as Colonel White, Captain Black and the Mysterons
- Francis Matthews as Captain Scarlet
Production
I'd previously done a lot of writing on my own and wanted to write scripts from the start. Script editor Tony Barwick agreed that if I gave him a treatment he liked, he'd let me write the script. I'd been thinking about writing a science-fiction short story about someone releasing poison into a big-city reservoir so decided to turn it into a script.
Eaton, who had worked as an assistant director on The Saint, joined Century 21 as a first assistant director during the pre-production of Captain Scarlet.[2][4] The 22-year-old quickly expressed an interest in writing and directing; after making several TV advertisements for the Thunderbirds-themed ice lollies Zoom and Fab, he was given the opportunity to write and direct a Captain Scarlet episode.[2][4] "Place of Angels" was Eaton's first filmed script as well as his TV series directorial debut.[2]
A number of script changes were made prior to filming: the episode's working title was "The City of Angels" and as originally scripted the Mysterons' threat was to destroy "the population of the City of Angels".[5][6] In an unfilmed scene, Scarlet and Blue were to arrive at the Manchester laboratory and learn that the security guard had been strangled not by hand, but with machinery.[1] Eaton said that he included the "mechanical arms" because it was "something I thought would be a little bit different and make it feel more interesting."[7] The ending was also altered: the original intention was for Scarlet to retrieve the K14 from a binoculars case in which the reconstructed Chapman had placed the vial before falling to her death.[1]
The opening scene, in which Dr Denton activates the virus, features
"Place of Angels" features a rare appearance by Spectrum's Dr Fawn. However, as Fawn's voice actor
Broadcast and reception
"Place of Angels" had its first UK-wide
Critical response
Anthony Clark of sci-fi-online.com describes the plot as "not great" but considers it better-paced than that of "Flight 104". He also writes that the episode has a "reasonable sense of tension and some sharp direction".[10]
The episode has drawn comment for its violence. Andrew Thomas of Dreamwatch magazine considers the death of the original Chapman, culminating in the sight of the character's "mangled body", to be one of the series' more violent moments.[11] Andrew Pixley and Julie Rogers of Starburst note the horror of the reconstruction's death,[12] which Shane M. Dallmann of Video Watchdog describes as "one of the series' more show-stopping demises".[13] Pixley and Rogers also note the "cryptic" nature of the Mysteron threat against the eponymous "place of angels".[12]
Fred McNamara writes that Spectrum's pursuit of Chapman is "a tad cumbersome" and the overall episode arguably feels more like an "extended chase sequence" than a complete story. However, he praises its sense of "menace and mystery", describing the strangulation of the security guard as "great fun to watch" and the gunfight between Scarlet and Chapman as "splendid". He considers "Place of Angels" remarkable for being the only episode of Captain Scarlet to incorporate a theme of biological warfare.[7]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-995519-12-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-483563-09-1.
- ^ Eaton, Leo (25 June 2020). "Captain Scarlet". eatoncreative.com. Eaton Creative, Inc. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ a b Bentley 2001, p. 33.
- ^ a b Bentley 2001, p. 85.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-913256-05-0.
- ISBN 978-1-85283-900-0.
- ^ a b c Brown, Stephen; Jones, Mike (2017). Jones, Mike (ed.). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: Close-Up. Fanderson. p. 53.
- ^ Clark, Anthony. "Captain Scarlet: Volume 6 – Video Review". sci-fi-online.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
- OCLC 225907941.
- ^ OCLC 79615651.
- OCLC 646838004.
Works cited
- Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: ISBN 978-1-842224-05-2.
External links
- "Place of Angels" at IMDb
- "Place of Angels" at TheVervoid.com