Attack on Cloudbase

Plot

While on patrol over the Sahara, Spectrum fighter pilot Symphony Angel is forced to eject after the tail of her aircraft mysteriously explodes. On the ground, she is overcome by heat stroke and passes out. The Mysterons transmit a warning that they intend to destroy Cloudbase. Cloudbase is placed on red alert and isolated from all external contact.

Destiny Angel is recalled from searching for Symphony, leading to a heated exchange between Colonel White and Captain Blue, who admits romantic feelings for Symphony. Captain Magenta detects a large object on radar; Rhapsody Angel is launched and her fighter is destroyed by a spinning Mysteron spacecraft. Captain Scarlet volunteers to challenge the Mysterons but crash-lands on the flight deck, seriously injured. As the Mysterons open fire, Dr Fawn is killed.

Mysteron agent Captain Black reports that Scarlet's powers have failed. The attack kills everyone except White, Blue and Lieutenant Green. Cloudbase loses altitude, another explosion kills Green and cripples Blue. White stands to attention as Cloudbase crashes.

Suddenly, Symphony wakes in the desert facing Scarlet and Blue, who are part of a rescue force; the attack was a nightmare brought on by the desert heat.

Production

Directed by Ken Turner, whose style Gerry Anderson thought suited the episode's more bizarre tone, the episode was one of the last filmed. Originally, Captain Magenta's role was to be played by Captain Sienna, but this was changed to avoid the cost of a new uniform. Filming began on 25 October 1967, less than three weeks before Joe 90 entered production. To avoid overworking designers, the episode was devised as a bottle show, using existing sets and featuring only the regular cast.

It is one of only two episodes to feature all regular cast members. The special effects team, headed by Derek Meddings, faced challenges in a scene where a miniature Angel aircraft overflies the puppet of Symphony Angel. Mysteron spacecraft were modelled on 1960s flying saucer UFOs; Meddings added veins to each model to reflect studio lighting. Due to a shortage of model operators, models were flown only in the foreground, with flashing light bulbs in the backdrop to suggest a larger fleet.

Reception

In a DVD audio commentary, Anderson stated that although the episode was intended to be humorous, he believed it was more of a black comedy. He praised the script, noting Blue's feelings for Symphony and his conflict with White as examples of Barwick's humanisation of the puppet characters. He described Captain Magenta's comical commentary on the attack as a wonderful example of Barwickism. Anderson defended the nightmare plot mechanism for its power to frighten and then reassure the audience, arguing that the dark tone is lightened by the closing scene, which formed the inevitable happy ending.

James Stansfield of Den of Geek considers it the best episode, praising its writing and characterisation but criticising the dream plot twist and a minor plot hole involving Symphony's discarded helmet. Stansfield suggests that moments such as the death of the indestructible Scarlet serve as hints that all might not be as it seems. In 2019, TV Years listed the attack sequences as the 23rd greatest moment in TV science fiction, calling the episode devastating up until the plot twist.

1980 re-edit

When the episode was reused as the finale of the 1980 film Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons, ITC's New York office created a new ending. This used computer animation and a Mysteron voice-over to suggest Cloudbase was truly destroyed, only for the Mysterons to mercifully reverse time. Fans of the original disliked these alterations.