Avalanche (Captain Scarlet episode)

Infobox Television episode
Title = Avalanche
Series = Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Season = 1
Episode = 5
Airdate = October 27, 1967
Production = 11
Writer = Shane Rimmer
Director = Brian Burgess
Episode list = List of "Captain Scarlet" episodes
Prev = Manhunt
Next = White as Snow

"Avalanche" is the fifth episode of the Supermarionation television series "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons". It was first shown in the UK on October 27, 1967 on ATV Midlands. It was written by Shane Rimmer and directed by Brian Burgess.

ynopsis

The Mysterons kill and reconstruct a maintenance engineer to cripple the Frost Line Outer Space Defence System.

Plot

The Frost Line Outer Space Defence System is a network of missile complexes stretching 3,000 miles across North America, dedicated to protecting Earth against extraterrestrial threats. When the Mysterons announce their intention to destroy key Frost Line bases, they kill Eddie, a maintenance engineer, by causing his truck to crash, and then reconstruct him. First targeting the Red Deer and Cariboo Bases, the Mysteron agent gets past the security at both stations and places devices inside their ventilation systems, leaving the air unbreathable and killing 250 men at Red Deer followed by 70 at Cariboo.

On Cloudbase, Colonel White orders Captain Scarlet and Lieutenant Green to investigate Red Deer and find out the Mysterons' exact method of attack. General Ward, the belligerent Frost Line commander, states that he will launch missiles against Mars if more bases are knocked out; White fears the Mysterons' response. At Red Deer, Scarlet and Green eventually discover that the personnel have suffocated not due to poisonous gas, but because all the oxygen in the air has been removed.

Having requisitioned an SPV from a nearby hunter's lodge, the officers rush to the next base, Big Bear, only to discover that Eddie has already passed through and is now heading towards the Frost Line Command Centre. After knocking out the sentry, who is under orders from Ward to prevent Spectrum from entering the base, Green extracts Eddie's oxygen-depletion device from the ventilation system before it can affect the air.

Meanwhile, Scarlet chases Eddie in the SPV. The truck is carrying a large payload of liquid oxygen, some of which Eddie empties onto the path of the oncoming SPV to force Scarlet off the road. Realising that Eddie may deliberately crash into his target to ignite the combustible substance and obliterate the Command Centre, Scarlet fires several shots from his gun into the snow-lined slope on one side of the truck, opposite a sheer drop. This causes an "avalanche" which throws the truck over the edge; crashing down the rock face, the truck explodes, killing Eddie and saving the Command Centre.

Cast

Regular voice cast

*Captain Scarlet — Francis Matthews
*Captain Blue — Ed Bishop
*Colonel White — Donald Gray
*Lieutenant Green — Cy Grant
*Destiny Angel — Liz Morgan
*Voice of the Mysterons — Donald Gray

Guest voice cast

In speaking order:

*Lieutenant Burroughs — Jeremy Wilkin
*Marshal — Charles Tingwell
*Eddie — Gary Files
*General Ward — Paul Maxwell
*1st Sentry (Joe) — Martin King
*2nd Sentry — Martin King
*Radio (voice) — Jeremy Wilkin
*Hunter — Gary Files
*3rd Sentry — Gary Files

Notes

*"Avalanche" marks one of the few occasions in the series in which Lieutenant Green leaves Cloudbase to play a major part in an operation.

External links

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