Enigma

by **Serena Lewis** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:33 am

This episode is a pretty good one, but isn't at the top of the scale for me, though it is quite close.

Pros

1. Quite a bit of Ochre. Can only be a good thing, she's amazing. Also, I want to mention the Blue and Ochre 'relationship', because I’ve got nothing better to do.
In this episode, if you watch carefully, she does actually smile in a sort of sickly way at him a few times. I'm pretty sure she does this in other episodes too.
I think that there is some sort of attraction between them, but neither of them realize it. They seem to rub each other up the wrong way (Oo er…), and there is some sort of irritation. I don't think, if they dated, they'd last that long (I remember my mom saying that Ochre would walk all over Blue, and I'm trying to decide whether I agree)...sorry about all that, just had to write it...
2. Blues face when they he manages to get them inside the space craft. LOL, look at him, you can tell he's thinking 'How the Hell did I end up here?'
3. Initial walk up to the massive craft was tension building and sort of daunting.
4. The flight and fight between Craft and Angels was interesting enough, though I have to admit, although they're well done, I don't find fights that good. I prefer (none soppy) romance to fighting of any form.
5. Greens 'last' statement. 'Colonel, It's increased velocity! Impact in-' BOOM!! then she dies...aww...

Cons

1. Only a minor thing, but Scarlet is such a show off. When Ochre asks about Spectratechs, he does that poser like gun thing. Don't know how to describe it, but you'll get what I mean when you watch it. Also when he puts his Spectratech away, he twirls it around for ages.
2. Another minor thing - no way could Destiny keep that figure after having kids :shock:

! Judging by the picture on the wall, it's either three kids, or two kids and a pet dog/cat. I know this isn't really a con, and the animators and such wouldn't have wanted to change the character to show weight gain anyway (easier to keep her the same), but still, it just...got to me.
3. The Christmas scene mildly annoyed me. It was so over the top, Christmas card-ish. Sure, it looked nice, but I've never seen a Christmas like that. (Still, I live in the Midlands, sooo... )

Bloopers

1. Terrotori'es'. Green, Geography research needed!
2. The Spectratechs disappear as soon as they're not needed.
3. When Ochre and Blue are shoved out of the space craft and you see their backs, Blue lowers his gun, and holds it with one hand. But when it switches to infront of them, so that Grey can be seen, he has it in both hands.

Little Things

1. Ochre has no side arm. :evil:

Grr...she gets one later in the series though.
2. F.R.E.D., the launch robot, has changed his moves. Before he just sort of crouched and dipped his hand to the ground before raising it, now he crouches and smacks the floor...
3. 'Absolute Caution' made me laugh. Just how they get told to proceed cautiously, then zoom towards the craft at 100mph or whatever.
4. In this episode, both Green and Ochre have really weird, huge eyelashes, that are sort of like upside down shovels. I have no idea why...
5. When Ochre has been 'cornered' in the ship, before she shoots Blue, the inside of her mouth is a sort of turquoise colour. It's weird. Maybe she’d recently eaten a blueberry flavoured sweet?

Rating: 9/10

xx

by **shadokp** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 3:10 pm

The Story - Some of my favorite episodes from Space:1999 and UFO are the 'weird' ones. These are the ones where the mind is being manipulated and it really doesn't have to make sense all the time. Visually these stories stand out and put the characters in situations they cannot begin to understand. The entire idea of the Mysteron ship is fascinating and if this was a faction plan to help Spectrum or a 'lesson' for Scarlet that what is done is done, then that would be fine. The fact that the entire thing was a diversion for another plan is a prime example of over planning. The Mysterons could have taken over a squirrel and made it attack people in some village and that would have been enough to distract 4 agents. Why would the rest of Spectrum be distracted? I suppose a giant ship landing would get their attention. What impact would destroying the fuel supply have on Earth and Spectrum - we never see an outcome.

The Animation - Great stuff and I would argue that the Christmas scenes really capture the mood, apart from Destiny's outfit, was that a Christmas gift from an aunt or something?

Other - I would love to have seen more of this ship at a later episode.

The Ongoing Tally -

On screen Death Count - We don't know how many people dies in the Mysteron plan

KP

by **Father Unwin** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:02 pm

Destiny: “I hope you’re not going crazy?”
Scarlet (under his breath): “You tell me.”
Fantastic!

I just love programmes that turn everything upside down and take you on a ‘magical mystery tour’. There is something almost therapeutic about letting go of rational thought and going with the flow of the writer’s imagination.

There were many ‘places of interest’ on this journey including the extended aerial battle with the alien spacecraft followed by a reconnaissance of the landing site in the Northern Territory of Australia. Then, inside the temporal cell, the snowy Christmas card scene with Conrad and family followed by the tantalizing time travel back to Mars and the (re)discovery of the Mysteron city.

When the series first aired, it was my usual practice to record MoM and then watch the episode in the evening but this one was so riveting that I just had to watch it through to the end – shopping had to wait!

I tend to switch off mentally whenever there is an aerial dogfight between the Angels and the Vampires but this was different and very satisfying. The way the sense of speed was conveyed by the vibrating images of the Angel jets was great and there was something wonderful about the blueness of the sky. Attack on Cloudbase from OCS was one of my favourites and Enigma is certainly right up there to.

I really liked to see the whole Albatross launch sequence – the reversing of the Rhino onto the ramp, realignment of the VTOL jets and the stomach churning drop from Skybase. It would have been interesting to see the Albatross – Skybase docking procedure at some time during the series!

Any episode which has a “Mysteron kind of a place” in it gets my vote – Circles of Doom, Enigma and Dominion. It was like “follow the green brick road”. I sometimes wonder what those electrified ball-like things are as nobody seems to take any notice of them other than to duck out of their way.

When Scarlet dropped from the skies and picked himself up on that snowy roadway with the Christmas lights winking it was breathtaking and emotional. Then the delicious anticipation of seeing who Destiny was married to and finding it was a drying cloth wielding Conrad with a fixation on cake. Brilliant!

But even that scene was bettered by the gut-wrenching return to Mars. “No! They are only scanning us.” Conrad’s eyes go green and his expression changes to one of malicious enjoyment: “What is done cannot be undone!”.

In spite of the preposterous effort that the Mysterons put in to distract Spectrum from the oilfields, this is very close to being my favourite episode. Maybe it is - it is so hard to choose. :grin:

by **Skybase Girl** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:32 pm

Conrad's remark to Destiny ; "Those kids need some coke to quieten them down !

Joke, or what ? I assume he meant the soft-drink variety, but even so, all those hyper-activity inducing additives! He'd have been better suggesting a good dollop of Calpol.

And then Destiny - "I'll see to it, Conrad " ( lots of eyelash fluttering and adoring smiles ). Since when did the Bolshy One start to be so submissive ?

I know it was all either Mysteron mind games, or Scarlet's fevered imagination, but either way, it's all very worrying.... :cry:

by **MMK** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:43 am

Serena Lewis wrote:Cons
1. Only a minor thing, but Scarlet is such a show off. When Ochre asks about Spectratechs, he does that poser like gun thing. Don't know how to describe it, but you'll get what I mean when you watch it. Also when he puts his Spectratech away, he twirls it around for ages.

He doesn't pose all the time like Horatio Caine in CSI: Miami... CS actually does his job...

Serena Lewis wrote:2. Another minor thing - no way could Destiny keep that figure after having kids! Judging by the picture on the wall, it's either three kids, or two kids and a pet dog/cat. I know this isn't really a con, and the animators and such wouldn't have wanted to change the character to show weight gain anyway (easier to keep her the same), but still, it just...got to me.

It'll seem improbable, but they could've adopted the kids... :!:

*light bulb is switched on: idea* mmm... i wonder
:wink:

Note: I only mentioned Horatio so I could do a comparison...

by **Serena Lewis** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:12 pm

He said cake, Skybase Girl

.
Coke (The soft drink variety...) probably wouldn't have helped much! Though, would it still be going in 2068? Maybe. Coke's been around for yonks!
LOL, for some reason I never thought of Scarlet as like a better version of Horatio Caine. Should of really, CSI's my second fave programme...

xx

by **Skybase Girl** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:57 pm

Did he really say cake ? I must watch it again, one of the problems of getting old is incipient deafness.

Still, doesn't change my point of view - not sure what properties cake has in shutting up small children, other than to jam their little mouths shut - then again, maybe that's all you need !

As for Horatio Crane ( sorry, Caine) - no contest. The CGI image is much cooler and infinitely easier on the the eye. ( of this particular female, anyway !)

by **Captain Indigo** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:25 pm

Yes, I've checked the subtitles, and it is definitely 'cake'. I can't imagine that sugar-loaded snacking is good for quietening children down either.

by **shadokp** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 2:15 am

Well, if the kids are screaming for cake then what better way to quiet them than.... give them some cake. Of course this a short term answer and they would have to deal with the hyper kids later on in the evening.

KP

by **James. C** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 12:40 pm

LOL!

I had always thought Conrad said cake and I always have thought that's one of the stupidest ideas ever...

by **Skybase Girl** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:50 pm

Yeah, he obviously wasn't worried about their teeth, or their waistlines.

Now that I've watched it again, I'm not sure why I thought he'd said anything other than cake, except that, as you say, James, it seems a pretty silly thing to say. Most kids don't like Christmas cake anyway !

by **James. C** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:59 am

Actually I must confess I'd always thought the cake would make them ridiculously more hyper than before they had it :roll:

by **MMK** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:44 am

I never used to like christmas cake, so my mum used to make chocolate cake for me and my brother...

Serena Lewis wrote:CSI's my second fave programme...

I bet I can guess what it is... *closes eyes and put hand near pc monitor*... I see... I see a uniform... a red uniform... with black on it too... mmm... I see... the person wearing the uniform... a blue-eyed caucasian male... I see a name... no, a code name....... Captain Scarlet *opens eyes*.

Am I right? :wink:

by **James. C** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:20 am

New Captain Scarlet :wink:

by **Serena Lewis** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:58 pm

I'm sorry...I really have no idea what you guys are on about. If you're trying to guess my absolute fave TV show, you'd be correct.

xx