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Space 1999 - Catacombs of the Moon

episode 2.13

UK 1976
produced by
Gerry Anderson, Fred Freiberger for ITC
directed by Robert Lynn
starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Catherine Schell, Tony Anholt, Zienia Merton, James Laurenson, Pamela Stephenson, Jeffery Kissoon, Lloyd McGuire, Brendan Price, Alan Hunter, Nova Llewellyn
screenplay by Anthony Terpiloff, created by Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, music by Derek Wadsworth, special effects by Brian Johnson

TV-series
Space 1999

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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To keep Moonbase Alpha running on their runaway moon, the Alphans mine the moon for tiranium that appears to be an all-purpose mineral driving the base - but so far none can be found - much to the dismay of mining chief Osgood (James Laurenson), whose wife Michelle (Pamela Stephenson) is in desperate need of a new heart that can of course only be driven by tiranium. So he risks more and more when mining until he gets slightly injured on the head during an explosion, which gives him a vision of Alpha going up in flames. He is quick to attribute the vision to his faith ... and soon becomes something like a crazy prophet. That said, it's getting hotter and hotter on Alpha, so much so that many Alphans ditch their uniforms for swimwear (really) - but soon the situation gets more serious than that, so much so that Osgood's "vision" doesn't sound so far-fetched anymore. So Commander Koenig (Martin Landau) flies towards the source of that heatwave, which turns out to be a giant glowing disk floating through space - and heading towards the moon. On moon, Dr. Russell (Barbara Bain) desperately tries to create an artificial heart that doesn't need tiranium to keep Michelle alive, but fails again and again. The good doctor begs the commander for tiranium, but he refuses to spare any in a critical situation like this. Meanwhile Osgood figures the only way to save himself and his wife is to sit it out in the catacombs under the base, so he snatches her from sickbay and drags her to down, convinced that his faith will protect her better than whatever the doctor can do while totally ignoring that this might actually kill her. Tony (Tony Anholt), who has been left in charge in Koenig's absence, meanwhile allows Dr. Russell a small dose of tiranium, figuring if the base is going up in flames it doesn't matter anymore, then goes to fetch Osgood and wife, but Osgood refuses to return to the station and what's more to give up his wife. So Tony calls the local shapeshifter Maya (Catherine Schell), who promptly turns into a tiger and keeps Osgood occupied while Tony snatches his wife and returns her to sickbay just in time to be transplanted a new heart. And Osgood, seeing his wife recovering, quickly loses his religious fervor - while the giant heating disk passes by the moon, with the temperature dropping again as it floats away and everything goes back to normal.

What was the disk then? No explanation given, but it might just as well have been a sentient being giving Osgood all his visions ...

 

Not one of the better (neither funnier) episodes of the series, the central problem is that it doesn't allow any emotional investment into its central characters Osgood and wife, as he's pretty much shown as that religious fanatic almost from the start, and even in the one scene before he's shown as nothing short of reckless. Michelle on the other hand isn't allowed any characteristics at all, other than that she's pretty and (due to her condition) helpless. And as for the extraterrestrial menace Alpha encounters - it's not really explained at all, and ultimately just passes with no lasting effects at all, and what's worse no narrative resolution. Sure there's a bit of camp in the episodes - the Alphans in swimwear comes to mind -, but other than nostalgia, there's little reason to watch this one.

 

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review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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In times of uncertainty of a possible zombie outbreak, a woman has to decide between two men - only one of them's one of the undead.

 

There's No Such Thing as Zombies
starring
Luana Ribeira, Rudy Barrow and Rami Hilmi
special appearances by
Debra Lamb and Lynn Lowry

 

directed by
Eddie Bammeke

written by
Michael Haberfelner

produced by
Michael Haberfelner, Luana Ribeira and Eddie Bammeke

 

now streaming at

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