Flight 104

"Flight 104"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
Episode no. Episode 22
Directed by Robert Lynn
Written by Tony Barwick
Cinematography by Ted Catford
Editing by Bob Dearberg
Production code 25
Original air date 1 March 1968
Guest appearance(s)

Voices of:
Gary Files as
Joe
Novena Airport Worker
David Healy as
Dr Conrad
Martin King as
Bill Williams (Novena Airport Chief)
Liz Morgan as
Novena Airport Announcer
Jeremy Wilkin as
Harry

"Flight 104" is the 22nd episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, a 1960s British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Robert Lynn, it was first broadcast on 1 March 1968 on ATV Midlands.

In this episode, the Mysterons take over an airliner that is flying an astrophysicist, accompanied by Captains Scarlet and Blue, to a secret conference.

Plot

Lake Toma, Switzerland has been chosen as the venue for a secret conference to discuss a proposed return mission to Mars. One of the delegates, astrophysicist Dr Conrad, is due to arrive via Geneva Airport accompanied by Spectrum Captains Scarlet and Blue (voiced by Francis Matthews and Ed Bishop). The Mysterons, however, have threatened to sabotage the conference.

During a pre-flight stay at the Adelphi Hotel, Scarlet and Blue encounter two journalists, Harry and Joe, whose editor is short of news stories. Recognising Conrad and sensing a scoop, Harry and Joe follow the Spectrum party to Novena Airport and attempt to buy seats on Flight 104, which will be taking Conrad, Scarlet and Blue to Geneva. Spectrum has anonymously reserved all the seats on the plane to ensure that the trio will be travelling alone. However, Scarlet and Blue ask the airport authorities to admit the journalists to prevent them from publishing Conrad's movements.

Shortly after Flight 104 takes off, its crew are found unconscious in a storage room. It is discovered that they were drugged by Captain Black and that Flight 104 is under Mysteron control. On Cloudbase, Colonel White (voiced by Donald Gray) orders the launch of the Angel squadron, who intercept Flight 104 over the Alps. Confirming that the cockpit is empty, they emit warning smoke to alert Scarlet and Blue. After gaining entry to the cockpit by shooting out the door, the officers find that Flight 104 is descending rapidly. However, the electricity from a power station on the ground breaks the Mysterons' hold on Flight 104, and Scarlet and Blue are able to pull the plane out of its dive before it crashes into a mountain.

Piloted by Scarlet and Blue, Flight 104 makes its final approach to Geneva. However, one of Blue's bullets has damaged the circuit that controls the landing gear, which will not deploy. Ordering Blue and the others to the back of the plane, Scarlet makes a successful emergency landing but is killed when the front of the plane crashes into a bunker. Conscious of Scarlet's retro-metabolic powers, Blue assures Harry and Joe that the officer is all right.

Reception

Anthony Clark of sci-fi-online.com criticises "Flight 104" for its pace, calling the episode "torpid".[1]

References

  1. ↑ Clark, Anthony. "Captain Scarlet: Volume 6 – Video Review". sci-fi-online.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
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