Shadow of Fear (Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons)

Plot

Spectrum's Operation Sword aims to land a spy probe on Mars's moon Phobos to capture detailed images of the planet's surface. The first probe is destroyed by the Mysterons, but the second, Mini-Sat 5, touches down safely and begins orbital reconnaissance. Once Phobos completes a full orbit, the images will be transmitted to Earth and received at K14 Observatory in the Himalayas. Captains Scarlet and Blue are sent to K14 to observe astronomers Carter, Angelini and Breck.

The probe avoided detection by travelling in the "shadow of fear": Phobos, meaning "fear" in Greek mythology, and the probe approached from behind to remain invisible to Mars. Hours before transmission, Breck views Mars through a telescope when the planet flashes brightly, killing him and replacing him with a Mysteron reconstruction. The reconstruction plants a bomb in the antenna's rotation gear, set to explode when the gear is turned, then hides in the rocks above.

Before they can warn the others, Carter and Angelini turn the antenna, triggering the bomb; the antenna collapses and crushes the observatory, killing both astronomers and destroying K14. Earth misses the transmission, but Colonel White insists Operation Sword will continue.

Production

"Shadow of Fear" was the final episode of Captain Scarlet to feature the voices of Paul Maxwell and Charles Tingwell, who both left the series after this episode. Tingwell had theatre commitments, and Maxwell was cast as Steve Tanner in Coronation Street. After this episode, the regular characters of Captain Grey and Doctor Fawn, voiced by Maxwell and Tingwell respectively, continued to appear but only in non-speaking roles. Both actors can be heard in the clip show finale "The Inquisition", which includes a flashback to "Big Ben Strikes Again" with them voicing background characters. The incidental music was performed by 15 instrumentalists during a four-hour studio session on 22 July 1967, which also recorded music for "Fire at Rig 15".

Reception

Anthony Clark noted that the episode's pace "could hardly be described as breakneck," but added that it serves to "progress Spectrum's fight back against the Mysterons." Shane M. Dallmann of Video Watchdog called the miniature model work "excellent" and described the story as "astonishingly downbeat" due to its violence. The British Board of Film Classification certified the episode U, citing "infrequent, very mild" violence. Fred McNamara of Starburst regarded "Shadow of Fear" as a "key" episode and one of eight "essential episodes" of Supermarionation, praising Lynn's direction for capturing "Captain Scarlet's dark heart completely" and offering a rare instance where the Mysterons succeed.

In his book Spectrum is Indestructible, he found the script "solid" and execution "perfect," commending the depiction of Spectrum's powerlessness and the editing of the aftermath. However, he noted that Operation Sword is never explained despite being alluded to, and subsequent episodes make no mention of it, while White's closing statement struck him as a "cheap shot at optimism" that feels jarring given the devastation. Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett applauded the score, noting that electronic music makes the space scenes "eerie," and musical cues from the episode were reused in UFO.