Dangerous Rendezvous

Plot

After the Mysteron lunar outpost is destroyed, Dr Kurnitz of the Nash Institute of Technology discovers that the Mysteron crystal recovered by Spectrum can communicate with the Mysterons on Mars. Captain Scarlet and Captain Ochre escort Kurnitz to Cloudbase, where an interplanetary transmitter has been built. The Mysterons threaten to destroy Cloudbase at midnight. Kurnitz activates the transmitter and Colonel White addresses the Mysterons, recalling the Zero-X mission and offering peace.

Two hours later, the Mysterons agree to negotiate if a single unarmed Spectrum officer departs Cloudbase on a bearing over Greenland. Scarlet volunteers and flies a Spectrum Passenger Jet. After crossing the Greenland coast, the Mysteron voice orders him to eject. His jet crashes and explodes, and he is picked up by an empty car under Mysteron control, driven to a shack with a pulsating glass screen behind which Captain Black sits.

Black instructs Scarlet to relay a message, plays a tape reaffirming the Mysterons' intent to destroy Earth, and leaves. Scarlet smashes the screen, finds a second Mysteron crystal that begins to pulsate fiercely, and escapes before it explodes. Realising the first crystal is also a bomb, he commandeers the car, reaches an unmanned radar station, and transmits a warning in Morse code. Seconds before midnight, White decodes the message and orders Ochre to shoot out an observation window and jettison the crystal, which explodes harmlessly in the atmosphere. White states that Spectrum remains committed to finding a peaceful solution.

Production

The conclusion of a three-episode story arc beginning with "Lunarville 7", "Dangerous Rendezvous" was filmed before the previous instalment "Crater 101", shot immediately before "Traitor" on Stage 3 at Century 21 Studios. By the time Tony Barwick wrote this episode and "Traitor", filming was several weeks behind schedule. To remedy this, Barwick wrote a flashback to the first episode into each script to reduce new footage, enabling the two episodes to be filmed in a combined 15 days instead of 20.

Although the script allotted four minutes for old material, the flashback in the finished episode runs for about two minutes. Barwick also wrote scenes explaining Spectrum protocols, including an overview of cap radio technology, call signs, and a demonstration Angel launch. The episode marks the return of the Spectrum tanker transport "Yellow Fox", slightly modified from its first appearance in "Winged Assassin".

Reception

TV Zone magazine considers "Dangerous Rendezvous" the worst episode of the series, calling it an anticlimactic "low-key effort" that ends a trilogy of otherwise superb episodes on a let-down. Anthony Clark of sci-fi-online.com comments that while its pace could hardly be described as breakneck, the episode helps progress Spectrum's fight back against the Mysterons. Writer Fred McNamara argues that the episode boasts Captain Scarlet's finest narrative execution but is let down by a disjointed feel, ending up asking more questions than it answers and failing to provide a satisfying resolution or reverberating consequences.

Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett argue that the scenes of White, Scarlet and Blue explaining Spectrum's communications add interest, while Chris Bentley states they are just padding, comparing them to expository audio plays. McNamara calls the demonstrations "narratively pointless" and among several odd cul-de-sacs. Drake and Bassett question White's logic in ordering a demonstration Angel launch while Cloudbase is under threat. Media historian Nicholas J. Cull suggests the premise was inspired by contemporary Cold War events, reflecting shifting attitudes and a yearning for détente. The British Board of Film Classification certifies the episode U, noting one very mild instance of violence.