Shadow of Fear

Infobox Television episode
Title = Shadow of Fear
Series = Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Season = 1
Episode = 18
Airdate = February 2, 1968
Production = 12
Writer = Tony Barwick
Director = Robert Lynn
Episode list = List of "Captain Scarlet" episodes
Prev = Crater 101
Next = Dangerous Rendezvous

"Shadow of Fear" is the 18th episode of the Supermarionation television series "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons". It was first broadcast in the UK on February 2, 1968 on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Robert Lynn.

ynopsis

A Spectrum operation to survey the planet Mars with a space probe is threatened when one of the scientists attached to the project is taken over by the Mysterons.

Plot

To learn more about the Mysterons and the planet Mars, Spectrum has set up "Operation Sword". The objective is to place a space probe in orbit around Mars to take detailed photographs of the surface. Although the Mysterons destroy one probe, another lands on the Martian moon Phobos to carry out its surveillance. After Phobos has completed one orbit of Mars, the captured images will be transmitted to Earth for reception at K14 Observatory in the Himalayas, at 3 a.m. local time. Since K14 is beyond the range of the Spectrum Angels, Cloudbase is moved into Himalayan airspace on its horizontal jets.

Captains Scarlet and Blue have been assigned to K14 to oversee scientists Carter, Breck and Angelini during the operation. To the astronomers, the second probe was able to land on Phobos thanks to the "shadow of fear": "phobos", the name of an attendant of Mars in Greek mythology, means "fear" in Greek, and the probe avoided detection by the Mysterons by approaching the moon from behind.

That night, a few hours before the transmission, Breck is looking at Mars through a telescope when the planet begins to flash brightly. Overcome by the dazzling light, he is killed and duplicated by the Mysterons. Knowing that K14's aerial will have to be turned slightly to receive the images, his reconstruction fixes an explosive device to the rotation gear, set to detonate when it gets trapped in the machinery, then hides in the rocks above the observatory. With the help of Melody Angel and Captain Grey in a Spectrum helicopter, Scarlet and Blue find and confront the reconstruction minutes before 3 a.m. Shooting at the officers with a gun, it is killed when Scarlet returns fire, but not before revealing its sabotage. However, before Scarlet and Blue can warn Carter and Angelini, the men turn the aerial and the charge explodes. The damage brings the aerial down on the observatory, obliterating all of K14. However, although Carter and Angelini are dead, and Earth has missed the reception for the images, Colonel White says that Operation Sword will continue.

Cast

Regular voice cast

*Captain Scarlet — Francis Matthews
*Captain Blue — Ed Bishop
*Colonel White — Donald Gray
*Lieutenant Green — Cy Grant
*Captain Grey — Paul Maxwell
*Melody Angel — Sylvia Anderson
*Mysteron voice — Donald Gray

Guest voice cast

*Breck — Paul Maxwell
*Carter — Charles Tingwell
*Angelini — Jeremy Wilkin

Notes

*Footage from "Shadow of Fear" was re-edited and used in the "Captain Scarlet" compilation movie "Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars".

External links

* [http://www.fanderson.org.uk/epguides/scarleteg.html#Episode%20Twelve Fanderson.org.uk: "Captain Scarlet" Episode Guide: "Shadow of Fear"]
* [http://www.clivebanks.co.uk/Capt%20Scarlet%20Timeline.htm# Clivebanks.co.uk: "Captain Scarlet" Episode Guide]