White as Snow
Encyclopedia
"White as Snow" is the sixth 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 Peter Curran and David Williams
and directed by Robert Lynn
.
In this episode, announcing that they intend to kill Colonel White
, the Mysteron
s almost succeed in crashing a reconstructed satellite into Cloudbase
. They plan a second assassination attempt when the colonel goes into hiding on board a navy
submarine
.
TVR-17 burns up and explodes after Captain Black
infiltrates ground control and programs the satellite into a premature re-entry
. Reconstructing the satellite and its crew, the Mysteron
s lock TVR-17 onto a collision course
with Cloudbase
, but the spacecraft is destroyed by Symphony Angel. When a Mysteron threat to kill Colonel White
is received, White realises that the satellite was in fact targeting him personally, and decides to leave Cloudbase for the safety of other Spectrum personnel. He puts Captain Blue
in charge of the base after Captain Scarlet
refuses the role, angry that TVR-17 was destroyed when White had no definite proof that it was a Mysteron reconstruction. However, when the wreckage of the original satellite is discovered, Scarlet regrets his attitude. He asks Lieutenant Green
if he knows White's destination, but Green has orders to remain silent.
Posing as Robert Snow, a deep-sea fisherman, Colonel White is taken on board the World Navy
submarine
USS Panther II as a guest. However, as the submarine prepares to dive, Ensign Soames traps his foot in a chain on the open deck and drowns as the vessel submerges. The Panther II captain appoints the Mysteron reconstruction of Soames as White's steward. Entering White's quarters with a gun, Soames shoots the occupant, but with a last effort his victim returns fire and Soames is also killed. However, the man in the cabin is not White, who is eventually found bound and gag
ged in a storage compartment – left there by Scarlet, who was killed in White's disguise. Back on Cloudbase, a revived Scarlet tells White that he pulled rank on Green to learn his whereabouts, used his Spectrum ID to be cleared by World Navy Security and hid away on board the Panther II before it left its base. Although White sentences Scarlet to death
for misconduct, he concedes that it would be pointless since Scarlet is indestructible.
and the premature re-entry were not part of the original script, which simply had the Mysteron
s using their powers to take control of the TVR-17 satellite. The astronaut DJ Bob Lynn, a victim of TVR-17's destruction, is named as an in-joke
after the director of this episode, Robert Lynn. A shooting discrepancy in this episode has Soames holding different models of gun between shots as he prepares to kill Colonel White
.
A tune played by the TVR-17 satellite, composed by Barry Gray
, is actually titled "White as Snow", and was recorded along with the rest of the incidental music for this episode in a four-hour studio session on , using a 14-member orchestra. The Hammond organ
notes evident in the piece were played by Gray himself. The tune would reappear in a later Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode, "Special Assignment
", and also in various episodes of Joe 90
and The Secret Service
. A commercial version of the tune is included on the CD release of the Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons soundtracks.
, who is seen to make the most of his role as Cloudbase
's acting commander to order other Spectrum personnel to attend unpopular lectures and the Angels in particular to carry out repeated target practice
. Drake and Bassett assert that this characterisation
adds humour to the episode. In The Guinness Book of Classic British TV, writers Paul Cornell
, Martin Day
and Keith Topping
praise "White As Snow" for it's characterisation of "Scarlet [loosing] faith in Colonel White
", and states that it is one of "the finest pieces in the Anderson canon".
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 Peter Curran and David Williams
David Williams (screenwriter)
David Williams is a British television screenwriter.He co-wrote four episodes of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the 1960s, forming a writing duo with Peter Curran: "White as Snow", "Point 783", "Seek and Destroy" and "The Launching".-External links:...
and directed by Robert Lynn
Robert Lynn (director)
Robert Lynn was a British film and TV director.He was the son of actor Ralph Lynn.-Selected filmography:* Information Received * Postman's Knock * Victim Five * Coast of Skeletons...
.
In this episode, announcing that they intend to kill 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...
, 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 almost succeed in crashing a reconstructed satellite into Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
. They plan a second assassination attempt when the colonel goes into hiding on board a navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
.
Plot
Communications satelliteCommunications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
TVR-17 burns up and explodes after Captain Black
Captain Black (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
infiltrates ground control and programs the satellite into a premature re-entry
Re-Entry
"Re-Entry" was the second album released by UK R&B / Hip Hop collective Big Brovaz. After the album was delayed in May 2006, the band finally release the follow-up to "Nu Flow" on 9 April 2007...
. Reconstructing the satellite and its crew, 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 lock TVR-17 onto a collision course
Collision course
A collision course, also known as a kamikaze run, is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object to collide with another object...
with Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
, but the spacecraft is destroyed by Symphony Angel. When a Mysteron threat to kill 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...
is received, White realises that the satellite was in fact targeting him personally, and decides to leave Cloudbase for the safety of other Spectrum personnel. He puts Captain 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....
in charge of the base after 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....
refuses the role, angry that TVR-17 was destroyed when White had no definite proof that it was a Mysteron reconstruction. However, when the wreckage of the original satellite is discovered, Scarlet regrets his attitude. He asks Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green
Lieutenant Green is the assistant of Colonel White in the Supermarionation television series series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He is of Trinidadian origin, and as well as being the only non-white male on Cloudbase, he is the only officer to hold the rank of lieutenant...
if he knows White's destination, but Green has orders to remain silent.
Posing as Robert Snow, a deep-sea fisherman, Colonel White is taken on board the World Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
USS Panther II as a guest. However, as the submarine prepares to dive, Ensign Soames traps his foot in a chain on the open deck and drowns as the vessel submerges. The Panther II captain appoints the Mysteron reconstruction of Soames as White's steward. Entering White's quarters with a gun, Soames shoots the occupant, but with a last effort his victim returns fire and Soames is also killed. However, the man in the cabin is not White, who is eventually found bound and gag
Gag
A gag is usually a device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attempting to prevent the tongue, lips, or jaw from moving in the normal patterns of speech. They are...
ged in a storage compartment – left there by Scarlet, who was killed in White's disguise. Back on Cloudbase, a revived Scarlet tells White that he pulled rank on Green to learn his whereabouts, used his Spectrum ID to be cleared by World Navy Security and hid away on board the Panther II before it left its base. Although White sentences Scarlet to death
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
for misconduct, he concedes that it would be pointless since Scarlet is indestructible.
Production
The sequences involving Captain BlackCaptain Black (Captain Scarlet)
Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British supermarionation science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its CGI remake Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet...
and the premature re-entry were not part of the original script, which simply had 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 using their powers to take control of the TVR-17 satellite. The astronaut DJ Bob Lynn, a victim of TVR-17's destruction, is named as an in-joke
In-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
after the director of this episode, Robert Lynn. A shooting discrepancy in this episode has Soames holding different models of gun between shots as he prepares to kill 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...
.
A tune played by the TVR-17 satellite, composed by Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
, is actually titled "White as Snow", and was recorded along with the rest of the incidental music for this episode in a four-hour studio session on , using a 14-member orchestra. The Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
notes evident in the piece were played by Gray himself. The tune would reappear in a later Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode, "Special Assignment
Special Assignment
"Special Assignment" is the tenth 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 Robert Lynn...
", and also in various episodes of Joe 90
Joe 90
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and...
and The Secret Service
The Secret Service
The Secret Service is a British children's espionage television series, made as a Century 21 production for ITC Entertainment and broadcast in 1969...
. A commercial version of the tune is included on the CD release of the Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons soundtracks.
Reception
Critics Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett write in praise of "White as Snow" for its portrayal of Captain BlueCaptain 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....
, who is seen to make the most of his role as Cloudbase
Cloudbase
Cloudbase is the fictional skyborne headquarters of international security organisation Spectrum, from Gerry Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
's acting commander to order other Spectrum personnel to attend unpopular lectures and the Angels in particular to carry out repeated target practice
Target practice
Target practice refers to any exercise in which projectiles are fired at a specified target, usually to improve the aim of the person or persons firing the weapon....
. Drake and Bassett assert that this characterisation
Characterisation
Characterization or characterisation is the art of creating characters for a narrative, including the process of conveying information about them. It may be employed in dramatic works of art or everyday conversation...
adds humour to the episode. In The Guinness Book of Classic British TV, writers Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell
Paul Cornell is a British writer best known for his work in television drama as well as Doctor Who fiction, and as the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield....
, Martin Day
Martin Day
Martin Day is a screenwriter and novelist best known for his work on various spin-offs related to the BBC Television series Doctor Who, and many episodes of the daytime soaps Doctors and Family Affairs.-Work:...
and Keith Topping
Keith Topping
Keith Andrew Topping , is an author, journalist and broadcaster most closely associated with his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who and for writing numerous official and unofficial guide books to a wide variety of television and film series, specifically Buffy the Vampire...
praise "White As Snow" for it's characterisation of "Scarlet [loosing] faith in 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...
", and states that it is one of "the finest pieces in the Anderson canon".
External links
- "White as Snow" 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...
- "White as Snow" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "White as Snow" at TheVervoid.com