captain scarlet and the mysterons special assignment

"Special Assignment"

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Shortly after the Mysterons threaten to destroy the whole of North America , Captain Scarlet is dismissed from Spectrum for gambling on duty. Broke, and owing $5,000 to the Dice Club, a casino in Nevada located just outside the Nuclear City city limits, Captain Scarlet (now calling himself "just plain Paul Metcalfe") moves into an Arizona hotel. He is soon approached by Messrs. Steele and Kramer, two extortionists who have been killed and replaced with Mysteron likenesses to carry out their threat, and agrees to provide them with a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle for "private use" if they rid him of his debt . The Steele and Kramer likenesses will use the vehicle to penetrate Nuclear City in Nevada . They will then detonate a nuclear device , creating a chain reaction powerful enough to obliterate the whole North American continent.

But Captain Blue , suspicious of Captain Scarlet's uncharacteristic gambling and the manner of his dismissal, has been tracing his friend to find out the truth behind events. When Captain Blue arrives at the desert ranch house where the details of the Mysteron plan are being revealed, "Mr. Metcalfe" shoots his friend to reassure the Mysteron agents that he is on their side. Captain Blue, however, is hit only with a sedative dart, and after regaining consciousness, he is informed by Colonel White that Captain Scarlet had been operating undercover to infiltrate the Mysteron plot. Captain Blue learns that Nuclear City is being targeted by means of a map left at the ranch. The Angels are launched from Cloudbase as Captain Scarlet and the Mysteron agents speed towards Nuclear City in a commandeered SPV. Driving, Captain Scarlet emits smoke from the vehicle to signal the Angels to attack it. Realising he and the Kramer likeness have been betrayed, the Steele likeness shoots Captain Scarlet, but the officer ejects from the SPV before it is hit and explodes. The Mysterons have failed.

Later, Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue, Colonel White, and Lieutenant Green, all outfitted in civilian clothes, all visit the Dice Club. Lieutenant Green has worked out a roulette wagering system, and asks for assistance with testing it, but Captain Scarlet chides him, "Leftenant! You know I never gamble!"

Production [ ]

Several scripting changes were made between the original version of Tony Barwick 's script and the final edit of the episode. At the earliest stage of development, the episode was to open with Captain Scarlet losing at the casino. Modifications to the script added a prelude depicting the deaths of Steele and Kramer, both of whom are killed in a vehicle accident, and their replacements with likenesses. For the completed episode, the death sequence is expanded with a garage mechanic, Mason, being murdered by Captain Black , reconstructed himself and then sabotaging the brakes of Steele's and Kramer's vehicle, which later loses control and flies over a cliff edge, killing the men. Although the Steele and Kramer likenesses are destroyed by the end of the episode, the fate of the Mason likeness is left unspecified.

As Captain Blue arrives at the ranch house, he is shown to be driving an unmarked car in a long-distance shot which changes to a Spectrum Saloon Car in a close-up shot. "Special Assignment" also marks one of the few occasions in the series in which Colonel White is shown to be away from Cloudbase , for a closing scene at the casino. The only other cases are his undercover departure in " White As Snow ," attending the conference in " Spectrum Strikes Back " and piloting a Spectrum Jet with Captain Scarlet in " Flight to Atlantica ." All the music in this episode is re-used from a track library of previously recorded pieces. Notable among the recycled music is the TVR-17 tune "White as Snow," which can originally be heard in the episode of the same name and features here during the opening sequence set at Mason's garage.

Reception [ ]

Critics Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett discuss the unusual nature of the plot of "Special Assignment," writing that it "contains more than one red herring" in the case of its characters.

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Special assignment (1967).

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Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons #110

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons » Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons #110 - Special Assignment released by Century 21 Publications on December 1, 1967.

Summary Short summary describing this episode.

Special Assignment last edited by cloudguy on 01/06/22 10:37AM View full history

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Special Assignment (Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons)

" Special Assignment " is the fourteenth episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions . Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Robert Lynn , it was first broadcast on 1 December 1967 on ATV Midlands .

Regular voice cast

External links.

Set in 2068, the series depicts a " war of nerves " between Earth and the Mysterons : a race of Martians with the power to create functioning copies of destroyed people or objects and use them to carry out acts of aggression against humanity. Earth is defended by a military organisation called Spectrum, whose top agent, Captain Scarlet , was killed by the Mysterons and replaced by a reconstruction that subsequently broke free of their control. Scarlet's double has a self-healing power that enables him to recover from injuries that would be fatal to anyone else, making him Spectrum's best asset in its fight against the Mysterons.

In "Special Assignment", the Mysterons threaten to destroy the whole of North America . Shortly after, Scarlet, who has been dismissed from Spectrum for gambling while on duty, is seemingly blackmailed into betraying the organisation.

Driving a car, Captain Black murders a filling station attendant called Mason by running him over. The Mysterons create a replica of Mason under their control. Later, con artists Steele and Kramer pull in to have their car's brakes serviced. Instead of topping up their brake fluid , the reconstructed Mason drains it. Back on the road, Steele and Kramer are unable to stop at a cliff edge and are killed when they crash onto the slope below. They are then replicated by the Mysterons, who transmit a message to Earth vowing to destroy the whole of North America .

After meeting with Colonel White regarding a "special assignment" concerning the Mysterons' threat, Captain Scarlet visits a casino and, with uncharacteristic poor judgement, ends up losing $5,000 on roulette . When he is unable to pay his debt, the casino informs Spectrum and Scarlet is dismissed from the organisation. Broke, Scarlet moves into an Arizona hotel. He is soon approached by the reconstructions of Steele and Kramer, who offer to write off his debt in exchange for a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle . Agreeing to this proposal, Scarlet learns that the men intend to use the SPV to attack Nuclear City, Nevada . Their aim is to detonate a nuclear device within the city, creating a chain reaction powerful enough to obliterate the North American continent.

Concerned by Scarlet's recent behaviour, Captain Blue goes AWOL from Cloudbase to track down his friend. When Blue arrives at the desert ranch house where the Mysteron agents are unveiling their plan, Scarlet appears to shoot Blue dead to reassure his new allies that he is on their side. However, he has fired nothing more than a tranquilliser dart and Blue regains consciousness after the others leave to steal an SPV from a nearby garage. He is radioed by a furious White, who informs him that Scarlet has been working undercover to infiltrate and sabotage the Mysterons' plot. From a map left at the ranch house, Blue learns of the threat to Nuclear City and relays this information to White.

The Angels are launched and intercept Scarlet and the Mysteron agents as they speed to Nuclear City in the SPV. Scarlet activates a smoke signal instructing the Angels to attack the vehicle. Realising that he and Kramer have been betrayed, Steele fatally shoots Scarlet, but the captain ejects before the SPV is destroyed, killing Steele and Kramer and saving Nuclear City. Later, the revived Scarlet is joined by Blue, White and Lieutenant Green for an off-duty night at the casino.

• Ed Bishop as Captain Blue
• Cy Grant as Lieutenant Green
• Donald Gray as Colonel White , Captain Black and the Mysterons
• Francis Matthews as Captain Scarlet

For timing reasons, several script changes were made during production. As originally scripted, the episode began with the gambling incident that sees Scarlet dismissed from Spectrum. [2] [3] However, as the first cut of the episode was too short, this was changed by adding several new scenes. [1] The first of these were Steele and Kramer's deaths in a car crash and their subsequent reconstruction by the Mysterons (the crash being presented as an accident rather than the result of sabotage), followed by Colonel White addressing Cloudbase personnel after the Mysterons issue their threat. [2] [3] Later, as the episode was still under time, Captain Black's murder of Mason and the reconstructed Mason's sabotage of Steele and Kramer's car were also added. [1] [2] [3]

The script describes Nuclear City as housing all of North America's nuclear weapons and radioactive materials ; however, this is not conveyed in the finished episode. The Mysteron threat as stated in the finished episode is truncated from the scripted version, in which the Mysterons specifically vow to destroy North America within seven days. [1]

The casino set incorporated props that had previously appeared as part of the Creighton-Ward Mansion dining room in Thunderbirds . [4] The miniature roulette props were parts of a toy set produced by Merit Toys and had previously appeared in the Thunderbirds episode " The Duchess Assignment ". [4] The ranch house scale model was a modified version of the hunting lodge seen in " Spectrum Strikes Back ". [3]

All music in "Special Assignment" is taken from earlier episodes. [5] One of the recycled tracks is "White as Snow", which was originally composed for the episode of the same name and can be heard during the scene of Mason's murder. [2] The music accompanying the closing scene was originally composed for the Thunderbirds episode " 30 Minutes After Noon ". [1]

Although the script states that Blue travels to the ranch house in a Spectrum Patrol Car , the model shot shows him driving an unmarked car. [1] The fate of the Mysteron reconstruction of Mason is not shown.

"Special Assignment" is one of only a few episodes of Captain Scarlet in which Colonel White is seen away from Cloudbase. The only other episodes in which he is shown to leave the base are "White as Snow", "Spectrum Strikes Back" and " Flight to Atlantica ".

Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett note the unusual nature of the plot, writing that it "contains more than one red herring ". [6] Andrew Pixley and Julie Rogers of Starburst magazine consider Black's murder of Mason, accomplished by running the attendant over with his car, as one of the series' more violent moments, also noting that Black kills a filling station worker in " Manhunt " by crushing him with a car lifter. [7]

Writer Fred McNamara criticises the episode's "clumsy, scrambling premise" and "bizarre" structure, commenting: "So much of it is stitched together so loosely. Everything in its set-up feels like it's in the wrong order, or that there's entire chunks of plot missing." He questions the logic of the Mysterons' methods, noting that while the purpose of the reconstructed Kramer and Steele seems to be to recruit the disgraced Scarlet, the aliens murder the original conmen before Scarlet is dismissed from Spectrum ("They had no way of knowing Captain Scarlet would fall right into their hands, so had Spectrum kept their plan hush-hush for a later date, what exactly would the Mysterons' plan have entailed?") Despite this, McNamara also considers the episode to be "full of visual strengths" and engaging "human aspects", praising the "harrowing sight" of the SPV being targeted by the Angel squadron as well as Ed Bishop and Francis Matthews 's "crisp, stirring" voice acting during the scenes of the concerned Captain Blue's search for his friend Scarlet. He also admires scriptwriter Tony Barwick 's skill in "playfully twisting Cold War motifs" as Spectrum and the Mysterons try to outwit each other and Scarlet seemingly defects to the Mysterons. McNamara concludes that "[s]ometimes it's best to just let go of the madness and embrace the episode for what is – a lovely bit of Cold War-inspired trickery." [8]

Related Research Articles

The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967).

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, ITC Entertainment, the film is a compilation of the Captain Scarlet episodes "The Mysterons", "Winged Assassin", "Seek and Destroy" and "Attack on Cloudbase". It follows an earlier Captain Scarlet compilation, Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars .

" The Mysterons " is the first episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by the Andersons and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first officially broadcast on 29 September 1967 on ATV Midlands, although it had received an unscheduled test screening in the London area five months earlier.

" The Inquisition " is the 32nd and final episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Ken Turner, it was first broadcast on 12 May 1968 on ATV London.

" 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 broadcast on 13 October 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Operation Time " is the sixth 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 Richard Conway and Stephen J. Mattick and directed by Ken Turner, it was first broadcast on 17 November 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Dangerous Rendezvous " is the 22nd episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess, it was first broadcast on 9 February 1968 on ATV Midlands.

" The Trap " is the 13th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Alan Pattillo and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 10 November 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" White as Snow " is the eighth episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Peter Curran and David Williams and directed by Robert Lynn, it was first broadcast on 3 November 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Manhunt " is the fourth 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 directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 20 October 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Model Spy " is the 18th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Bill Hedley and directed by Ken Turner, it was first broadcast on 29 December 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Inferno " is the 25th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and Shane Rimmer and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 16 April 1968 on ATV Midlands.

" Seek and Destroy " is the ninth 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. The ninth episode of the series to be produced, it was written by Peter Curran and David Williams and first broadcast on 5 January 1968 on ATV Midlands.

" Flight to Atlantica " is the 20th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Leo Eaton, it was first broadcast on 24 March 1968 on ATV London.

" Fire at Rig 15 " is the 19th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Written by Bryan Cooper and directed by Ken Turner, it was first broadcast on 16 February 1968 on ATV Midlands.

" The Heart of New York " is the 16th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 8 December 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Avalanche " is the 11th 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. It marked the scriptwriting debut of Century 21 voice actor Shane Rimmer, and was first broadcast on 27 October 1967 on ATV Midlands.

" Flight 104 " is the 26th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Robert Lynn, it was first broadcast on 1 March 1968 on ATV Midlands.

" Place of Angels " is the 27th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written and directed by Leo Eaton, it was first broadcast on 8 March 1968 on ATV Midlands.

" Codename Europa " is the 30th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by David Lee and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 21 March 1968 on Granada Television.

• 1 2 3 4 5 Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4th   ed.). London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. p.   130. ISBN   978-1-905287-74-1 .
• 1 2 3 4 Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet . London, UK: Carlton Books . p.   72. ISBN   978-1-842224-05-2 .
• 1 2 Brown, Stephen; Jones, Mike (2017). Jones, Mike (ed.). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: Close-Up . Fanderson . p.   47.
• ↑ de Klerk, Theo (25 December 2003). "Complete Studio-Recording List of Barry Gray" . tvcentury21.com . Archived from the original on 1 March 2010 . Retrieved 20 March 2010 .
• ↑ Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons . London, UK: Boxtree . p.   58. ISBN   978-1-852834-03-6 .
• ↑ Pixley, Andrew; Rogers, Julie (December 2001). Gillatt, Gary (ed.). " Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons : By Numbers". Starburst . No.   280. London, UK: Visual Imagination (published November 2001). p.   48. ISSN   0955-114X . OCLC   79615651 .
• ↑ McNamara, Fred (2020). Simpson, Paul (ed.). Spectrum is Indestructible: An Unofficial Captain Scarlet Celebration . Chinbeard Books. pp.   55–59. ISBN   978-1-913256-05-0 .
• "Special Assignment" at TheVervoid.com

• Mysteron Agents
• Deceased Characters
• Characters Voiced by Shane Rimmer

Mason (Special Assignment)

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Mason is a character in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the episode Special Assignment .

He was a mechanic who owned a garage named Mason's Autos. Mason also carried a radio on a strap over his shoulder as he enjoyed music.

One particular evening, he met Captain Black who had driven in and asked if his petrol tank needed filling. Black nodded and Mason asked him to reverse so he could use the petrol filter. Black however, deliberately reversed too fast and ran him down. The Mysterons then reconstructed him to accomplish one of their aims.

Later two con-men named Steele and Kramer arrive and Mason has been given instructions by the Mysterons to sabotage their car by draining their brake fluid which he does as the aliens have picked these two men to reconstruct as well.

He is not seen again after this.

He was voiced by Shane Rimmer , best known for voicing Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds .

• The music that plays from Mason's radio is "White as Snow" by Barry Gray that used in the episode White as Snow .

• The puppet appears in Joe 90 as a Hotel Clerk in International Concerto , a Taxi Driver in Business Holiday and a Private in Attack Of The Tiger

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Captain Scarlet

A manned expedition led by Captain Black of Spectrum lands on Mars; investigating the planet surface in an exploration vehicle, the crew discover a futuristic alien city.

• S Subtitles

Contains violence, including explosions and the use of guns. Turn on Parental controls

Thunderbirds for big kids. Follow Earth’s security service, Spectrum, as they bravely fight an intergalactic foe – the evil Mysterons.

1. The Mysterons

2. winged assassin, 3. big ben strikes again, 5. avalanche, 6. white as snow, 7. the trap, 8. operation time, 9. spectrum strikes back, 10. special assignment, 11. the heart of new york, 12. lunarville 7, 13. point 783, 14. model spy, 15. seek and destroy, 16. renegade rocket, 17. crater 101, 18. the shadow of fear, 19. dangerous rendezvous, 20. fire at rig 15, 21. treble cross, 22. flight 104, 23. place of angels, 24. noose of ice, 25. expo 2068, 26. the launching, 27. codename europa, 28. inferno, 29. traitor, 30. flight to atlantica, 31. attack on cloudbase, 32. the inquisition.