Avalanche (Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons)
The Mysterons attack a Canadian missile defence network.
"Avalanche" is the 11th episode of the British Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It was the first script written for the series by Century 21 voice actor Shane Rimmer. The episode first aired on 27 October 1967 on ATV Midlands.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
- Episode
- 11
- Air date
- 27 October 1967
- Production
- SCA 10
- Writer
- Shane Rimmer
- Director
- Brian Burgess
- Photographer
- Paddy Seale
- Editor
- Harry MacDonald
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The Frost Line Outer Space Defence System in Northern Canada protects Earth from extraterrestrial threats. The Mysterons warn Spectrum they will attack key Frost Line installations, then destroy and reconstruct a snowcat and its driver, maintenance technician Eddie. The reconstructed Eddie passes security at Red Deer and Cariboo bases, planting devices in their ventilation systems that remove all oxygen, killing 250 personnel at Red Deer and 70 at Cariboo.
Frost Line commander General Ward threatens to fire missiles at Mars if another base is attacked. Colonel White sends Captain Scarlet and Lieutenant Green to investigate Red Deer, where they discover suffocation was caused by oxygen removal. Obtaining a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle from a trapper, they speed to Big Bear base but learn Eddie has already passed through and is heading for the Frost Line command centre. Green removes an oxygen-depletion device from Big Bear's ventilation system.
Scarlet chases Eddie in the SPV; Eddie dumps liquid oxygen from the snowcat to force Scarlet off the road. Scarlet fires his gun into a snow-covered slope, triggering an avalanche that pushes the snowcat over a cliff, where it explodes. Ward radios Cloudbase to make peace.
Production
Shane Rimmer, who had voiced Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds and written and narrated recap segments for the series' alternative two-part episode format, was asked by the Andersons to write an episode of Captain Scarlet. Series script editor Tony Barwick had an outline for an episode titled "Avalanche" and told Rimmer a courier would drop the storyline to him in about an hour, asking him to take a day to see how he would fill it in. Rimmer produced a draft treatment over 24 hours, finding the characters and plot elements a "heavy mix to juggle with" but incorporating workable story developments that avoided stepping on the toes of the series concept or main characters.
Rimmer and Barwick revised the draft two days later. After completing the script, Rimmer worked on treatments for "Expo 2068" and "Inferno". The script began with a description of the Frost Line Command Centre domes; Chris Bentley suggests some detail was lost in transition to screen. On arrival at Red Deer, Scarlet and Green were described as wearing space-type helmets but in the episode wear breathing masks and standard caps.
Eddie's snowcat was designed by special effects assistant Mike Trim, inspired by a caterpillar-track truck concept for the Thunderbirds episode "End of the Road". Trim altered the cabin shape to match the puppet set, giving the model a more upright look than he had hoped. The Frost Line domes are represented by painted flats, not scale models.
Reception
James Stansfield of Den of Geek ranks "Avalanche" the seventh-best episode of Captain Scarlet, praising its exciting climax. Fred McNamara writes that the episode balances adventure and atmosphere with an evolving sense of dread, calling it highly rewarding for its familiar premise, model and set work, pacing, and themes of power and war. The episode has drawn comment for its theme of interplanetary conflict and depiction of the military. Stansfield argues that General Ward serves as a secondary antagonist, showing how humanity's flaws and ineptitude can become more threatening than the Mysterons.
Geoff Willmetts of sfcrowsnest.net views Ward as underlining humanity's militaristic and belligerent aspects, noting that this Earth's reality is clearly far too aggressive compared to our own. Ian Fryer in FAB magazine praised Ward's characterisation for introducing a second layer of military as a repository for misgivings about the armed services. McNamara applauds the dual adversaries, writing that the military's trigger-happy stubbornness blurs the boundary between heroes and villains and reveals grey morality, with no clean resolution at the end.
Fryer remarks that the total deaths (over 300) must surely be a record for an Anderson series, despite the U certificate. Stansfield calls the death toll easily the highest body count of the series. The episode is one of few where Lieutenant Green plays a significant role in the field, with Captain Blue stepping in as communications officer; Stansfield and McNamara praise Rimmer's use of the character.
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