Dominion

[Serena Lewis]

I don't like this episode. Sure, it has some good bits, but it's just so...sadish, if you get what I mean.

Pros

1. Graffitied Druzynik. Heehee, it has teeth and eyes!!
2. Blue having a go at Destiny. Anyone having a go at Miss Misery is excellent. Just love how he moodily goes 'Okay, Destiny, we know we got a schedule here...'
3. This may surprise you, but I kind of liked the talk between Black and Destiny. She pulled out all stops and had EXPRESSION in her voice!!
4. Ochre getting shot. Poor girl, but I laugh every time, coz she falls off like a sack of potatoes. She must only weigh about eight stone, but she makes a surprisingly loud 'thunk' when she hits the ground. Also, she falls in a very undignified way, one leg pulled up, arm above her head etc. It really is kinda funny.

Cons

1. At the beginning, Scarlet does absolutely nothing, he just gives Blue instructions for the Druzynik. Bet he got all the credit though...
2. 'That's what I call taking it to the wire.' Ohhh, I hate his stupid sayings!!! I know it's real, but that's not the point!!
3. LAST IN SERIES. I cannot express my sadness enough. No more Scarlet!!!
4. As a series ending, I don't like it. It's not good enough, Grey Skulls was so much better.

Bloopers

1. When Green says to Colonel that a message has come in, a body has been thrown, etc, she doesn't open her mouth.

Little Things

1. The guy who alerts Central Control to Black breaking out is called Andy Guest, apparently. Isn't he a member of the production team?
And there's a shot of White's computer screen, listing the Brig 'Crew'. They're called (I apologise for any mis-spelling if these are the names of anyone real.)
James Malloch
Heribert Raab
Joanna Migodzinsk
Glen Boswell
Franck (Something)
Dominic Rayner
Adam Wilks
2. Why is almost every guy on Skybase bald? It's obviously not required, look at Magenta!
3. Why does Colonel White sleep with his shoes on?

Rating: 6/10

Well, that's it folks.
While I like not having to stay up till about 2am, messing around writing a review, I will miss doing this. I belonged, it was 'well good.'
Any other NCS things need doing, please don't hesitate to ask!

xx

[Skybase Girl]

Well done, girl !
You've made a sterling job of guiding us through all twenty-six episodes. Can't believe it's actually six months since we started this. It's absolutely flown by ! To think in the beginning, I thought we should review more than one per week.....

Anyway, the finale ! I did like this one, although Grey Skulls was better in some ways. Wasn't sure about the scene with Destiny and Black - That seemed sort of wet, and it sounded like he didn't mean a word he said. Funny, that ! I thought Nigel Plaskitt was brilliant when he was Mysteronised Black, but not so good as Nice Conrad.

It is sad that it's the last one - it was so good !

[Father Unwin]

The episode begins with some good action with my favourite NCS vehicle, the Druzynik. The dialogue during this scene is disappointingly bland and has the effect of trivialising, by making routine, what otherwise might have been a more tense and explosive scenario.

After the capture of Black and his offer to help destroy the Mysterons, I was astounded that Colonel White refused permission for Scarlet and Black to return to Mars. The Colonel’s initial excitement at the prospect - as evidenced by the tone of his voice – was quickly cooled as he only gave the matter 5 seconds deliberation.

Not only that but he refused to even debate the subject. What a hypocrite! It was only a couple of episodes ago (in ShapeShifter) that he was prepared to blast Scarlet to kingdom come. Of course, the real reason is that the writer wanted to pad out the episode and create an extra bit of drama by forcing Scarlet to disobey orders.

I am afraid that the Raid Bikes just don’t do it for me and to have to put up with 4 of them at once is very annoying! However, I do like Skybase and particularly the way that the Falcons and other craft spin down into the hangar, are then rearmed as they move along the conveyor and then spin up at the other end ready for take off.

Another episode with a Mysteron-kind of a place which is always a good thing in my opinion. I liked the way that the walls heaved, ebbed and flowed as if we were inside a living structure. I don’t quite know what Black meant when he said the ‘Mysterons are all around us’ – I guess the main thing was that they could see and hear everything they did.

For me this was a bitter-sweet episode as I so wanted Black to have escaped from the Mysterons influence. On previous posts I have noted some of the many ‘clues’ that the writer gave to suggest that Conrad was free. One that I missed, which was very subtle, was when he regained consciousness and the first thing he did was to acknowledge Doctor Gold.

Finally, congratulations to Serena who has done a really brilliant job of leading the review process. She has exhibited a wonderful attention to detail that has often been very thought-provoking. For me the most striking feature of Serena’s reviews has been how differently a woman sees an episode compared to a man.

Sometimes it was almost as if we had watched different programmes. Whereas I was usually more interested in the motion capture, lighting and vehicles, Serena seemed to be much more into relationships, body language, conversations and so forth. Maybe I should stop right now but it’s been great fun.

[MMK]

I loved this episode too... I think I said why in the discussion about Best of Enemies (I love that one too)

3. Why does Colonel White sleep with his shoes on?

I have no idea at the minute but here's some possible answers:

1. There may be an emergency or Mysteron threat... which would require him to get up.
2. He might get up in the night... because 'nature calls'... but why he would he need his shoes on when Skybase is air conditioned etc. and the rooms are en suite (I think and would hope so... no waiting in cues)?

[Marion]

3. the CGI artists can't draw feet?

[Serena Lewis]

Father Unwin said:

Finally, congratulations to Serena who has done a really brilliant job of leading the review process. She has exhibited a wonderful attention to detail that has often been very thought-provoking. For me the most striking feature of Serena’s reviews has been how differently a woman sees an episode compared to a man.

Sometimes it was almost as if we had watched different programmes.

Maybe that's a good thing. That way, I have your info etc. on vehicles, and you have mine on characters. Whether you like it or not...

xx

P.S. Woo! I'm a Major! 300 posts in 1.5 years isn't half bad!

[Skybase Girl]

Excellent Serena ! See, the more you write.....

I take Father Unwin's point - most of the male members of the forum possibly have a different set of priorities for what we admire and look for in the series. He seems very cinematically and technically minded from a production point of view, and I have enjoyed his insights into the graphic highlights. We've all learned from each other !

He's right about Serena's attention to detail - if it's there, she's seen it ! We have relied on her to draw our attention to quite interesting details we might otherwise have missed.

It's been a great six months and I've enjoyed reading ( and sometimes debating ) everyone's comments. The only bit I wish we could debate, would have been the next episode - Scarlet's return from Mars ! Are you listening, Gerry ?

[MMK]

3. the CGI artists can't draw feet?

They drew Destiny's and Green's feet in Duel. May be they've learnt from their mistakes... they were probably thinking of taking the easy way out... by drawing boots instead but didn't count on Serena Lewis' keen eyes


And on a slightly unrelated topic to NCS...

The only bit I wish we could debate, would have been the next episode - Scarlet's return from Mars ! Are you listening, Gerry ?

... how about Captain Black's return from Mars in OCS... I suppose that only adds to the mystery of what happened to him (and his crew) and how he managed to disappeared upon his return

[Father Unwin]

I would like to place on record my thanks for all the courteous and detailed replies posted by Dominic Lavery in response to my rather uninformed questions about the making of NCS.

Dom, if you read this I would be very interested to know if there are any prospects, however remote, of a new Gerry Anderson CGI series being produced. Things have gone exceptionally quiet on Fanderson and it feels like things are winding down. I sincerely hope I am wrong!

[Skybase Girl]

Hear, hear !

Yes indeed, many thanks to the CGI people who have contributed ( and hopefully will continue to contribute) to the forum. I certainly didn't realise the complexities of the process until I read some of the postings. It's nice to know that for many , it was not simply a job that they worked on, to be forgotten when the next job came along, but a project into which they had poured their hearts and creative souls. Good to know that they share in the fans disappointment at the lack of acknowledgement for NCS !

[shadokp]

The Story - I guess the whole confusion of the order this was broadcast in and the loss of the potential House of Dolls story really put a sour taste in many fans mouthes but could the series finale go out with a bang, something for viewers to remind them of all the good things about the series. Well, yes and no. First off, the idea of Black and Scarlet is pretty good and does have a bit of a final episode feel to it, as everyone else is really pushed behind and the main good and bad guy are showcased. We certainly have some good appearances by Blue, White and Ochre and a fairly annoying Destiny part thrown in there as well. We see the Raid Cycle launch which was used sparringly in the series a return to Mars and everyone's favorite Druzynik tank. We see a return to the begining and attempts to make peace and destroy the Mysterons all at once. There is an ending of sorts with things bascially reset at the end. While Grey Skulls was a better episode overall with great pacing, animation and a good story, it would have made a poor ending for the series due to Scarlet's fleeting appearance in it. Dominion felt rushed to me. The ending was very fast and this among all other stories could have been a two parter for sure. We had just seen Scarlet go rogue in Shapeshifter, we had seen Black come out of the Mysteron Control and we saw a return to the city and what Mysteron technology looks like in Enigma and so much of this story seems familiar.

I think the ending wasn't as strong and I remember someone wanting to see the real Scarlet stranded on Mars as we see a new replica Scarlet flying home - something like that.

The Animation - As with every episode, there are some great things but for the first time in quite some time I didn't find too many 'got blown away' moments. The space shuttle and Mars stuff always are beautiful and the interior of the Mysteron city was incredible, but most of that we had seen before. One moment I caught this time was when the city blew up, the color of the Bison changes with the changing light of the explosion - a very minor thing but yet another little pointer to the detail the animators put into this series.

Other - With expectations rising on a weekly basis, one can't imagine every story is loved by everyone but I will tell you, if Dominion was a mediocre episode for the New Captain Scarlet then so be it as it is much better than most other television out there.

I think Dominion is a let down as it was the final story of the season, although most people saw Grey Skulls last, there is that feeling of sadness and anger at the way the series was treated that hopefully won't detract from the quality of the written stories, superb animation and excellent direction the series had.

On screen deaths - Perhaps the Tank driver and that is it.

Great job everyone who put in reviews - I am glad people particpated and thanks to Serena for kicking it off every week. Now... shall we plan for the 4 YEAR REVIEWS in 2009?

KP

[Sweeps]

I've just watched this for the first time and although it had its good bits, on the whole it was a very disappointing way to end the series (yes I know Grey Skulls was the last ep broadcast, but this technically is the last ep)

I wish Black and the mysterons could have actually died without any return, and I wish the last scene took place on Skybase with most of the main characters as I feel this episode doesn't really do most of the characters justice regarding the last time they are seen in the series, for example:

Ochre has one line and gets shot and then Blue gets shot as well, that's the last we see of them

and why couldn't they actually beat the mysterons? Okay this wasn't as bad as the last episode of OCS but why couldn't they just have a decent ending, I'm really upset because I thought such an epic series like this would have an epic ending...I mean it started off good and I thought "Great this is going to be an epic ending to the series" but no

I know Grey Skulls doesn't even attempt to conclude the seires but that is by far a better final episode

[Marion]

Presumably, when they made this, they were hoping that it wouldn't be the last episode? I don't mean 'Grey Skulls', I mean a new series... so they had to leave a cliff hangar that suggested things could continue.

[Skybase Girl]

I agree with Marion, I understand the producers were very hopeful that the show would run into a third series, to the point where scripts were being prepared. Unfortunately, as we now know, that didn't happen.

Maybe one day, someone will see the potential and remake it in a manner befitting its excellence.

[Kurai]

The first time I saw this episode was unique to say the least. Like a lot of other members of this board, it was when the episode first aired on MOM, but the week they aired this episode, I was actually in the audience of the show. Unfortunately though, I was unable to follow the plot no matter how hard I tried as they had the audio turned down incredibly low making it pretty hard to make out what characters were saying (which was made even harder at one point by one of the crew members holding a 'whoever screams the loudest gets a quid' contest). Luckily I had the episode recorded on Sky, so I was able to watch it properly afterwards.

Anyway, on with the review. I watched this episode again last night at the end of my NCS marathon that I undertook this weekend. I thought this episode was a pretty good finale for the series. It wraps up the plot decently, but leaves things on a slightly open ended note, meaning that they could have done a third series if they had the chance to. It was a great way to end the series, so it was a shame that ITV aired it before Grey Skulls (which is also a great episode, but doesn't work as well as a series finale).