Point 783
The Mysterons hijack a super-tank to kill Earth's commander.
The fifth episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, "Point 783", was written by Peter Curran and David Williams and directed by Robert Lynn. It first aired on 22 December 1967 on ATV Midlands. In this instalment, the Mysterons seize an experimental super-tank to kill the Supreme Commander of Earth Forces.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
- Episode
- 5
- Air date
- 22 December 1967
- Production
- SCA 5
- Writer
- Peter Curran; David Williams
- Director
- Robert Lynn
- Photographer
- Julien Lugrin
- Editor
- Bob Dearberg
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The episode opens with military personnel testing the Unitron, an unmanned super-tank that can be remotely controlled or programmed to destroy a target. The Mysterons announce their intention to assassinate the Supreme Commander of Earth Forces, prompting Colonel White to assign Captains Scarlet and Blue to protect him. Two Earth Forces officers, Colonel Storm and Major Brooks, die in a car crash and are reconstructed by the Mysterons. At a press conference unveiling the Unitron, the reconstructed Brooks explodes, but Scarlet's sixth sense for Mysteron activity allows him to deploy blast shields that save the Commander, Blue, and himself.
Later, Blue drives the Commander to Point 783, a blockhouse on the Unitron's test range in the Sahara, where the reconstructed Storm is also present. When the Commander steps outside, the Unitron turns its weapons on the blockhouse. Air strikes by the Spectrum Angel squadron fail to stop it. Scarlet requisitions a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle and extracts the Commander and Storm, but Storm has reprogrammed the Unitron to target himself.
Inside the SPV, Storm shoots Scarlet, but Scarlet ejects himself and the Commander to safety. The Unitron chases the SPV with Storm inside until both plunge off a cliff and are destroyed. Blue assures everyone that Scarlet will recover and return to fight the Mysterons.
Reception
James Stansfield of Den of Geek ranked "Point 783" the ninth-best episode of Captain Scarlet, praising the unique threat of the Unitron and Storm and the good dummy threat of the exploding Brooks. Writer Fred McNamara found the episode well paced with compelling set pieces and full-throttle action, but argued that the focus on technological advancement came at the expense of character development. He called the Unitron a less than subtle symbol of mechanised warfare, though he felt the climactic chase between the SPV and the Unitron made the episode worthwhile.
Vincent Law, writing for Andersonic, interpreted the episode as a negative commentary on automation and mechanisation, comparing it to the later series The Secret Service episode "Recall to Service" and the Star Trek episode "The Ultimate Computer". Law described the episode as quite bloodthirsty, noting the violent deaths of the original Storm and Brooks in a collision with a methane tanker. He found the Mysterons' plan confusing, as it required reconstructing the tanker driver to cause the crash.
Law likened Brooks's self-destruct to Kamikaze tactics and praised the special effects, particularly the Angels' aerial bombardment, as a snapshot of what Captain Scarlet is about. He concluded that the episode is visually and technically impressive, loud and exciting, but flawed at script level.
More in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Episodes
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced