Traitor (Captain Scarlet episode)
Encyclopedia
"Traitor" is the 29th episode of the Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick
and directed by Alan Perry. In this episode, following a series of Spectrum hovercraft
crashes in the Australia
n outback
, the Mysteron
s announce that there is a traitor in the organisation.
s announce that there is a traitor in Spectrum. In light of a number of unexplained Spectrum Hovercraft
crashes in the Australia
n Outback
, Captains Scarlet
and Blue
are dispatched by Colonel White
to investigate Koala Base, where White believes that the vehicles are being sabotage
d by a double agent
. Scarlet and Blue arrive ostensibly to deliver a series of lectures to the cadets. One cadet, Machin, is suspected by his patrol partner, Johnson, and the commander, Major Stone, to be the double agent, but Machin questions Scarlet's loyalty to Spectrum after Blue describes how the officer was under the control of the Mysterons when the Martians in the attempted assassination of the World President
. A fire in Scarlet and Blue's room, apparently deliberate
, seems to leave Machin's guilt even more obvious.
The next day, while Scarlet and Blue are accompanying Johnson and Machin in a hovercraft, the vehicle again goes out of control. Machin declares Scarlet the traitor and briefly threatens him, but is disarmed when a jolt throws his gun out of his hand. All four men, including Scarlet with the hovercraft control unit, jump to safety before the vehicle crashes and explodes. From the unit, it is discovered that a valve
in the hovercraft's mechanics caused all the accidents. Although presumably being placed by the Mysterons, in a figurative sense it was the "traitor" within Spectrum.
sequence to the pilot
episode, "The Mysterons
", serves as a plot device
to add credibility to Machin's suspicion of Captain Scarlet
, and also aids viewers by reminding them of the origins of Scarlet's indestructibility. However, from a production point of view, the sequence provides filler
material to pad out the episode, which was at first running under the standard length of 25 minutes.
Writer Tony Barwick
, who had included a flashback to the same episode in the earlier produced "Dangerous Rendezvous
", noted in his script that for the final episode of the series, the clip show
"The Inquisition", segments from other episodes would be used. The episodes chosen to be featured in this last instalment were "Big Ben Strikes Again
", "Crater 101
" and "The Trap".
Barwick's script also included more detailed explanation of the mysteries that pervade the plot of this episode: it is made clear that the Mysterons' sole involvement in events has been create unrest within Spectrum by hinting at the existence of a traitor who is completely fictional, that the valve
recovered by Scarlet malfunctioned due to the extreme conditions in the Australia
n Outback
, and that the fire in Scarlet and Blue
's room at Koala base was not the result of arson
but an accident.
, Granda
and Anglia
regions in the United Kingdom
.
, which appears in this episode alone, describing it as "an impressive addition to the Spectrum fleet" even though its exact function within the Spectrum Organisation is not explained.
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as Captain Scarlet, is a 1960s British science-fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill...
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
and directed by Alan Perry. In this episode, following a series of Spectrum hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
crashes in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
, the Mysteron
Mysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s announce that there is a traitor in the organisation.
Plot
The MysteronMysteron
The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials, native to the planet Mars, which appear in the British science fiction Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet, symbolised by ubiquitous projected green rings and the deep...
s announce that there is a traitor in Spectrum. In light of a number of unexplained Spectrum Hovercraft
Hovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
crashes in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
, Captains Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
and Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
are dispatched by Colonel White
Colonel White
Colonel White is a character in the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is the commander-in-Chief of Spectrum, the security organisation dedicated to defending Earth against the Mysterons from Mars...
to investigate Koala Base, where White believes that the vehicles are being sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
d by a double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
. Scarlet and Blue arrive ostensibly to deliver a series of lectures to the cadets. One cadet, Machin, is suspected by his patrol partner, Johnson, and the commander, Major Stone, to be the double agent, but Machin questions Scarlet's loyalty to Spectrum after Blue describes how the officer was under the control of the Mysterons when the Martians in the attempted assassination of the World President
The Mysterons (Captain Scarlet episode)
"The Mysterons" is the first episode of the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first officially broadcast in the UK on ATV Midlands on , although it had been granted an unscheduled test transmission for the London area on...
. A fire in Scarlet and Blue's room, apparently deliberate
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, seems to leave Machin's guilt even more obvious.
The next day, while Scarlet and Blue are accompanying Johnson and Machin in a hovercraft, the vehicle again goes out of control. Machin declares Scarlet the traitor and briefly threatens him, but is disarmed when a jolt throws his gun out of his hand. All four men, including Scarlet with the hovercraft control unit, jump to safety before the vehicle crashes and explodes. From the unit, it is discovered that a valve
Valve
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
in the hovercraft's mechanics caused all the accidents. Although presumably being placed by the Mysterons, in a figurative sense it was the "traitor" within Spectrum.
Production
A five-minute flashbackFlashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
sequence to the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
episode, "The Mysterons
The Mysterons (Captain Scarlet episode)
"The Mysterons" is the first episode of the 1960s Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first officially broadcast in the UK on ATV Midlands on , although it had been granted an unscheduled test transmission for the London area on...
", serves as a plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
to add credibility to Machin's suspicion of Captain Scarlet
Captain Scarlet (character)
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet....
, and also aids viewers by reminding them of the origins of Scarlet's indestructibility. However, from a production point of view, the sequence provides filler
Filler (media)
In media, filler is material that is combined with material of greater relevance or quality to "fill out" a certain volume.-Early television:...
material to pad out the episode, which was at first running under the standard length of 25 minutes.
Writer Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
, who had included a flashback to the same episode in the earlier produced "Dangerous Rendezvous
Dangerous Rendezvous
"Dangerous Rendezvous" is the 19th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess...
", noted in his script that for the final episode of the series, the clip show
Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicted with a clip of the event presented as a flashback. ...
"The Inquisition", segments from other episodes would be used. The episodes chosen to be featured in this last instalment were "Big Ben Strikes Again
Big Ben Strikes Again
"Big Ben Strikes Again" is the third episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess...
", "Crater 101
Crater 101
"Crater 101" is the 17th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Ken Turner....
" and "The Trap".
Barwick's script also included more detailed explanation of the mysteries that pervade the plot of this episode: it is made clear that the Mysterons' sole involvement in events has been create unrest within Spectrum by hinting at the existence of a traitor who is completely fictional, that the valve
Valve
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically pipe fittings, but are usually discussed as a separate category...
recovered by Scarlet malfunctioned due to the extreme conditions in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
, and that the fire in Scarlet and Blue
Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Blue is a character in the 1967 Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is a senior officer of the Spectrum organisation and a close friend of Captain Scarlet....
's room at Koala base was not the result of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
but an accident.
Broadcasting
"Traitor" was originally scheduled to be broadcast as the sixteenth episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons on in the ATV Midlands region, but was instead broadcast as the twenty-ninth episode three months later, by which time it had already been screened in the LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Granda
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and Anglia
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
regions in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Reception
Critics Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett praise the design of the Spectrum HovercraftHovercraft
A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
, which appears in this episode alone, describing it as "an impressive addition to the Spectrum fleet" even though its exact function within the Spectrum Organisation is not explained.
External links
- "Traitor" at Fanderson.org.ukFandersonFanderson is the official appreciation society for the works of Gerry Anderson. It is a not-for-profit organisation endorsed by Anderson Entertainment Ltd, Gerry Anderson Productions plc and ITC Entertainment Group Ltd...
- "Traitor" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "Traitor" at TheVervoid.com