Treble Cross

"Treble Cross" is the 24th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 23 February 1968 on ATV Midlands.

"Treble Cross"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
Episode no.Episode 24
Directed byAlan Perry
Written byTony Barwick
Cinematography byTed Catford
Editing byJohn Beaton
Production codeSCA 27[1]
Original air date23 February 1968
Guest character voices

In this episode, Captain Black engineers the death and reconstruction of a test pilot as part of a plot to destroy the world capital, Futura City. However, his victim is revived in hospital and with Spectrum's help impersonates his Mysteron replacement in a bid to trap Black.

Plot

World Air Force test pilot Major Gravener is being driven to Slaton Airbase by car when Captain Black, approaching from the opposite direction in a truck, extends a beam with false headlamps into the road to dazzle Gravener's chauffeur, Harris. Fearing a collision, Harris swerves the car into a lake and both he and Gravener drown. The clinically-dead Gravener is discovered by two passing doctors and taken to Slaton Hospital, where he is revived with the aid of a stasis and recovery unit.[2][3]

The next day, a Mysteron reconstruction of Gravener travels to Slaton Airbase and commandeers an XK-107 bomber armed with a nuclear warhead. When word reaches the base of Gravener's accident, the personnel realise that the pilot is an impostor and block the runway just as he is taking off. The XK-107 crashes and explodes, killing the reconstructed Gravener. Spectrum connects the attempted theft of the XK-107 to a Mysteron threat to destroy the world capital, Futura City.

Briefed by Captains Scarlet and Blue (voiced by Francis Matthews and Ed Bishop), the original Gravener leaves in a second XK-107 in an attempt to impersonate his Mysteron reconstruction. As hoped, Captain Black (voiced by Donald Gray) telepathically contacts the aircraft: he instructs Gravener to land 30 miles outside Futura City at the disused Weston Airstrip, where his truck is shown to be waiting. Scarlet deduces that the purpose of the rendezvous was to transfer the warhead to a road vehicle, after which Gravener's reconstruction was to have continued flying the XK-107 as a decoy while the warhead was driven into Futura City and detonated.

Spectrum ground forces, led by Scarlet and Blue in a Spectrum Patrol Car, converge on the airstrip to capture Black. The truck attempts to escape but crashes into a bunker, killing its driver. However, Scarlet, Blue and the newly arrived Gravener are shocked to find that this man is not Black, but a Mysteron reconstruction of Harris.[3] Although the Mysterons were unable to distinguish between the two Graveners, Black's "sixth sense" has enabled him to evade Spectrum once again.

Production

"Treble Cross" was filmed over two weeks in September 1967, during which time Century 21's next Supermarionation series, Joe 90, entered pre-production.[1]

The scale model representing Slaton Hospital previously appeared as the microbiological laboratory in "Place of Angels".[1] For realism, during the filming of the revival scenes the front of the Major Gravener puppet was fitted with an air bag to make it appear that the character's chest is rising and falling.[4]

Footage showing the Spectrum forces converging on Weston Airstrip is duplicated from "Manhunt", another episode in which Spectrum attempts to apprehend Captain Black.[1][3][5]

"Treble Cross" is one of several Captain Scarlet episodes written by Tony Barwick to include a mention of 10 July.[3][5] Barwick liked to insert references to this date as it was his birthday.[6][7]

Reception

Anthony Clark of sci-fi-online.com considers this episode's premise "more interesting" than that of "Fire at Rig 15" but describes "Treble Cross" overall as "a little slow".[8] Shane M. Dallmann of Video Watchdog magazine calls it "less amusing but far more intelligent" than "Flight to Atlantica".[9]

Media historian Nicholas J. Cull believes "Treble Cross" to be one of several Captain Scarlet episodes that demonstrate writer Tony Barwick's interest in the dangers of nuclear technology. He regards the plot involving the attempted theft of a nuclear warhead as an example of Barwick re-using his "favourite device".[10]

Footnotes
  1. Bentley, Chris (2017). Hearn, Marcus (ed.). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Vault. Cambridge, UK: Signum Books. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-0-995519-12-1.
  2. Bentley 2001, p. 42.
  3. Bentley 2001, p. 82.
  4. Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. London, UK: Boxtree. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-1-85283-403-6.
  5. Bentley, Chris (2008) [2001]. The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide (4th ed.). London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-905287-74-1.
  6. Bentley 2001, p. 78.
  7. Pixley, Andrew; Rogers, Julie (December 2001). Gillatt, Gary (ed.). "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: By Numbers". Starburst. No. 280. London, UK: Visual Imagination (published November 2001). p. 47. ISSN 0955-114X. OCLC 79615651.
  8. Clark, Anthony. "Captain Scarlet: Volume 6 – Video Review". sci-fi-online.com. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  9. Dallmann, Shane M. (June 2003). Lucas, Tim (ed.). "DVD Spotlight: Captain Scarlet". Video Watchdog. No. 96. Cincinnati, Ohio: Tim and Donna Lucas. p. 43. ISSN 1070-9991. OCLC 646838004.
  10. Cull, Nicholas J. (August 2006). "Was Captain Black Really Red? The TV Science Fiction of Gerry Anderson in its Cold War Context". Media History. Routledge. 12 (2): 198, 205. doi:10.1080/13688800600808005. ISSN 1368-8804. OCLC 364457089.

Works cited
  • Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-842224-0-52.
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