Winged Assassin

"Winged Assassin"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
Episode no. Episode 2
Directed by David Lane
Written by Tony Barwick
Cinematography by Paddy Seale
Editing by Harry MacDonald
Production code 2
Original air date 6 October 1967
Guest appearance(s)

Voices of:
Janna Hill as
Intercontinental Airlines Announcer
Martin King (uncredited) as
DT19 Co-Pilot
Paul Maxwell as
DT19 Pilot
Neil McCallum (uncredited) as
Airport Chief[1]
Charles Tingwell as
Captain Brown (flashback)
Spectrum Agent 042
Air Traffic Controller
Jeremy Wilkin as
Director General
Director General's Double

"Winged Assassin" is the second 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 David Lane, it was first broadcast on 6 October 1967 on ATV Midlands.

In this episode, Captain Scarlet establishes his indestructibility as Spectrum attempts to prevent the assassination of the Director General of the United Asian Republic at the hands of the Mysterons.

In 1980, "Winged Assassin" was re-edited for inclusion in the Captain Scarlet compilation film Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons. Due to similarities between the storyline and the September 11 attacks, the episode was postponed from its intended transmission date when BBC Two began repeating the series in 2001.[1]

Plot

The Mysterons warn Spectrum that they intend to assassinate Xian Yoh, Director General of the United Asian Republic, who is currently in London on a state visit. An initial attempt to kill the target in his hotel room is thwarted by the prompt action of Captain Grey (voiced by Paul Maxwell).

Maximum security is imposed at London International Airport, where the Director General is due to leave the country. With the agreement of Colonel White (voiced by Donald Gray), the resurrected Mysteron double of Captain Scarlet (voiced by Francis Matthews) – now no longer under Mysteron control and effectively "indestructible" – returns to active duty and leaves Cloudbase with Captain Blue (voiced by Ed Bishop) and the Angel squadron to head the operation.

Meanwhile, the Mysterons use their abilities to cause a power failure on board an airliner, flight DT19, which is destroyed on impact with the Atlantic Ocean. A reconstruction of the aircraft, devoid of crew and passengers, continues on the original flight path from New York to London.

As his double is driven to London Airport in a decoy motorcade, the real Director General arrives in Spectrum's "Yellow Fox" – a secure transport disguised as an aircraft fuel tanker – and boards his private jet. When DT19 lands a short distance away, Scarlet, observing from the control tower with Blue, experiences a sudden nausea warning him that the Director General is in danger. At that moment, DT19 breaks away from the terminal and rushes towards the jet, which is ordered to take off immediately.

Scarlet and Blue leave the tower in their Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle to intercept DT19. With the airliner unhindered by the Angels' aerial bombardment, Scarlet and Blue target its undercarriage only for the SPV's gun to malfunction. Ejecting Blue, Scarlet rams DT19's wheels and brings the airliner to a halt but is fatally injured when the SPV collides with a radar bunker. Above him, the jet clips one of DT19's wings and crashes into a field, killing all on board. As Scarlet's body is taken away in an ambulance, Blue assures the airport chief that despite Spectrum's defeat, Scarlet will return to fight the Mysterons again.

Production

According to character dialogue, the events of the episode take place on 10 July, supposedly alongside those of "Treble Cross" and the conclusion to "Flight to Atlantica".[2][3] Scriptwriter Tony Barwick was fond of inserting references to this date as it was his birthday.[4]

The episode's incidental music – a suite running to 4 minutes and 38 seconds – was recorded by series composer Barry Gray in a four-hour studio session held on 3 April 1967.[5][6][7]

"Winged Assassin" was the first episode of Captain Scarlet to feature the voice of Neil McCallum. He made uncredited vocal contributions to three further episodes: "Big Ben Strikes Again", "Codename Europa" and "Expo 2068". "Winged Assassin" also marks the first appearance of Mysteron "eyes", which are seen passing over the reconstruction of DT19.

A flashback to the murders of Captains Scarlet and Brown in "The Mysterons" omits the blue monochrome effect that the episode used to indicate the Mysterons' presence.[1][8]

Broadcast

In the ATV London transmission area, "Winged Assassin" was originally due to be broadcast on 8 October 1967 but was postponed following the death of Clement Attlee the same day. It was replaced by a tribute programme honouring the former Prime Minister.[9]

When BBC Two began a repeat run of the series in 2001, "Winged Assassin" was originally due to be broadcast on 17 September as the second episode.[1] However, it was postponed due to perceived similarities between the plot, in which the Mysterons effectively "hi-jack" an airliner, and the September 11 attacks of the previous week.[1][10][11] This coincided with distributor Carlton briefly taking down the Captain Scarlet pages on its website.[11] The episode was ultimately broadcast several weeks after its intended transmission date.[1]

Reception

"Winged Assassin" is considered one of the best episodes of Captain Scarlet by Anthony Clark of sci-fi-online.com and Mike Fillis of Cult Times and Ultimate DVD magazines.[12][13][14] Fillis in particular praises special effects director Derek Meddings for producing "miniature magic" with the DT-19 scale model.[14]

Ian Fryer, author of The Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, views "Winged Assassin" as the "key episode" of Captain Scarlet, writing that "no episode ... expresses the horror of the series concept better." He praises both the "deadpan" presentation of the DT-19 crash and the "genuinely thrilling" climax, which he regards as the best of any Captain Scarlet episode. Fryer suggests that the Mysteron victory "[establishes] this invisible enemy as a truly formidable opponent" while arguing that the episode as a whole "treads a fine line between adult themes and suitability for the young audience".[15]

Rick Sanchez of IGN regards the scene in which Scarlet activates Blue's ejector seat as an example of superior writing for its narrative suspense.[16]

The British Board of Film Classification rates the episode U, noting that it contains "some action and mild horror".[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bentley: 2008, p. 121.
  2. ↑ Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. London, UK: Boxtree. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-852834-03-6.
  3. ↑ Bentley 2008, p. 134.
  4. ↑ Bentley 2001, p. 78.
  5. ↑ de Klerk, Theo (26 October 2017). "Barry Gray Discography" (PDF). barrygray.co.uk. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "Captain Scarlet [Original TV Soundtrack] Review". AllMusic. San Francisco, California: All Media Network. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  7. ↑ de Klerk, Theo (25 December 2003). "Complete Studio-Recording List of Barry Gray". tvcentury21.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  8. ↑ Bentley 2001, p. 60.
  9. ↑ Billen, Andrew (21 February 2005). "Red-Hot Hero". New Statesman. London, UK: Spencer Neal. ISSN 1364-7431. OCLC 35012871. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
  10. ↑ "Toonhound.com Entry". Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  11. 1 2 "The Hound – October 2001: Scarlet Faces ..." toonhound.com. October 2001. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  12. ↑ Clark, Anthony (2006). "DVD: Captain Scarlet (New) Series 2 Box Set". sci-fi-online.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  13. ↑ Fillis, Mike (October 2001). "Instant Guide to Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons". Cult Times. No. 73. London, UK: Visual Imagination. ISSN 1360-6530. OCLC 47688483. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  14. 1 2 Fillis, Mike (October 2001). "Reviews: Region 2". Ultimate DVD. No. 22. London, UK: Visual Imagination. OCLC 65428612. Archived from the original on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Fryer, Ian (2016). The Worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson: The Story Behind International Rescue. Fonthill Media. pp. 127–128. ISBN 978-1-781555-04-0.
  16. ↑ Sanchez, Rick (19 June 2002). "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons DVD Box Set Review". IGN. San Francisco, California: IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "'Winged Assassin' rated 'U' by the BBFC". bbfc.co.uk. London, UK: British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
Bibliography
  • Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-842224-0-52.
  • Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4th ed.). London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
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