The Launching

"The Launching"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
Episode no. Episode 26
Directed by Brian Burgess
Written by Peter Curran
David Williams
Cinematography by Ted Catford
Editing by John Beaton
Production code 15
Original air date 2 April 1968 (1968-04-02)
Guest appearance(s)

Voices of:
Gary Files as
Mervin Brand
Jeremy Wilkin as
Tribune Controller
David Healy as
President Roberts
Martin King as
Trans-Pacific Vice President
Sylvia Anderson as
Vice President's Wife

Episode chronology

"The Launching" is the 26th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 2 April 1968 on ATV Midlands, was written by Peter Curran and David Williams and directed by Brian Burgess.

In this episode, the Mysterons appear to threaten the assassination of United States President Roberts within twelve hours. However, as the hours pass, Captain Scarlet begins to suspect that the threat has been misinterpreted.

Plot

The Mysterons warn Spectrum that they will destroy United States President Roberts within twelve hours. Mervin Brand, a journalist for the Tribune newspaper, is travelling to Washington, D.C. to attend a presidential news conference when his aircraft is struck by storm lightning and crashes. Approaching the Capitol, Mysteron reconstructions of Brand and his plane are intercepted by the Angels, who are patrolling the airspace on the orders of Colonel White. Forced to land at an airfield, Brand completes his journey to Washington by car. Meanwhile, Roberts has agreed to protective measures proposed by Captain Scarlet, but insists on still holding the news conference. With one hour remaining before the Mysteron deadline, Brand arrives in his car outside the Presidential Residence. However, rather than attempt to crash a Spectrum checkpoint set up by Captains Blue and Ochre, Brand speeds past the Residence, almost hitting the Spectrum officers. With the Mysteron threat almost expired, Roberts is eager to attend the launching of an atomic liner, the biggest and fastest ever constructed, at the Trans-Pacific Shipping Corporation shipyard.

When the President reveals that the vessel is to be named after him, Scarlet realises that the ship to be named President Roberts may in fact be the Mysteron target. At the shipyard, the Mysteron agent exploits the human Brand's friendship with the Trans-Pacific Vice President to infiltrate the private box from which President Roberts will be launched. The Mysteron influence transforms the bottle of champagne to be used for the christening into an explosive device. Just as the Vice President's wife prepares to activate the bottle release mechanism, Scarlet arrives in a Spectrum Saloon, warning of sabotage and shooting Brand when the Mysteron agent turns to fire a gun at him. The shipyard is evacuated, but Brand has survived his wound and presses the bottle release. However, the bottle stops short of the keel of President Roberts and falls back into the private box, exploding on contact and obliterating both Brand and Scarlet. One week later, Scarlet has been completely healed by his retro-metabolic powers and amazes the human President Roberts when he appears next to Blue in his office.

Production

Scenes cut from the final edit of this episode include a short sequence in which it is revealed that President Roberts hails from same home town as Symphony Angel.[1] "The Launching" features a prominent appearance from the little-used Harmony Angel, voiced for the one and only time in the series by Chinese actress Lian-Shin.[1] Although Lian is credited on 20 episodes of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons,[1] with the exception of this episode the character is voiced by Liz Morgan,[1] who also provides the voices of Destiny and Rhapsody Angels. Incidental music for "The Launching" was recorded in the same session as the score for the episode "Lunarville 7",[2] which was held on 23 July 1967[2] and featured an orchestra of four musicians.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4 ed.). Richmond, London: Reynolds and Hearn. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
  2. 1 2 3 de Klerk, Theo (25 December 2003). "Complete studio-recording list of Barry Gray". tvcentury21.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved March 2010. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
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