Have a listen and find out.
Someone is messing about with time in this episode. What did Luke and Michael think of it?
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Instead of the unnamed ‘it could open his mind or destroy it’ drug, why didn’t they first consider using hypnosis on Straker? With all of the resources available to SHADO, hypnosis would have been a relatively harmless option available to help unlock the cause of Straker’s seemingly unstable mind. If no SHADO hypnotists were available, either immediately or at short notice, then why not commandeer/enrol a highly competent, professional civilian one and give them the amnesia drug (first used in The Square Triangle) afterwards to help ensure nothing was leaked to the general public? I realise time was of the essence in the situation faced by General Henderson, but surely this was a method that should have first been considered and, at the very least, mentioned by Dr Jackson? Admittedly hypnosis doesn’t have a 100% success rate, but for the purpose of this episode it could have proved effective and very little of what was revealed by Straker under the influence of the revelatory drug administered would have had to be changed in the episode (even the scene where, in Ed’s mind, the drug starts to kick in). Accepted, the consideration and administration of the potentially dangerous drug helped heighten the tension early on in the episode, but nothing was mentioned of it, or it’s effects, at the end of Timelash. Even a brief sentence uttered by any one of Henderson, Foster or Jackson highlighting the effectiveness of the drug, eg ‘Jackson. Straker tells me you’ve been after a larger R&D budget in to psychotherapy treatments. You’ve got it!’, could have been used to justify the inclusion of the potentially fatal drug over hypnosis. To my mind, the drug was a gimmick/tool used to heighten drama when not necessarily needed due to the atmosphere/tension already created and evident through Straker’s out of character manic behaviour at the start of the episode. It’s not a real criticism of Timelash (which is in my top four episodes of the series), but it is something which maybe might have been considered prior to filming, especially as censorship over the use of drugs on TV was particularly prominent at that time and could potentially have led to the episode being heavily edited or even banned (as was the case with The Long Sleep with its prominent use of drugs).
Anyway, great review, great episode. Great Scott, how much time have I spent compiling this comment when all I simply could have said without the waffle was ‘instead of the ‘it could open his mind or destroy it’ drug, why didn’t they first consider using hypnosis on Straker?’ Oh, I did.
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I had never thought about the possibility of the aliens trying the same tactic again. But, on reflection, the alien plan relied on having an inside man, Turner. So, getting somebody to turn and betray SHADO would be very difficult if the traitor has to be convinced to help the aliens voluntarily.
I once worked in a bookshop in Piccadilly, London, which no longer exists. I was on the till when Patrick Allen approached me to pay for a book. My manager did not recognise him, and I was so pleased to see him. I was opening my mouth to say to him something like “You’re Paddy Allen!” when he beat me to it and said, “Patrick Allen.” I guess that he must have been accustomed to people telling him that they had seem him on TV or films and could not remember who he was. He was not as tall as I imagined, but his normal speaking voice was great.
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Wouldn’t a heart beating at 72 bpm have been moving in tome?
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Another superb podcast from you pair of genial hosts with the mosts.
Timelash is one of my favourite episodes of UFO because it has elements of surrealism that have always appealed to this grizzled old fan of the show. It’s an episode that showcases some of the excellent talent involved in the making of the series (particularly the actors, special effects team and incidental music) and takes us on a journey that few could have imagined after watching some of the less popular episodes of the show. Essentially, it is a clash of good vs evil (or more specifically good vs the voice/face of Mr Barrett homes in the 1970s), a battle of the voices between Ed Bishop and Patrick Allen, and a chance to see two grown actors having the time of their lives in go karts. Why not conduct a poll to see which UFO fan DIDN’T want to drive a go kart after seeing this episode. I know I did, and on one occasion remembered shouting “Big Man! Big Man!” as I went round a track in rural Devon. My fellow combatants and the cows in the neighbouring field didn’t seem too impressed. Now unable to physically fit into a go kart, I do try to recreate this scene in my fifteen year old Vauxhall Astra around the streets of Doncaster. Concerns for my welfare have been expressed.
One thing that did occur to me after hearing your Podcast, was the apparent inconsistency of the TV censors regarding drug usage in the show. To illustrate, if, as you point out, the X-50 drug could almost be compared to amphetamine sulphate aka speed, then why wasn’t this episode given the same treatment (so to speak) as The Long Sleep which, because of its scenes of LSD use, wasn’t aired until 1973 and, even then, at 11.30 pm? The scene where Paul Foster finds the drugs and hyperdermic needle on Straker would surely have elicited the same response from those deciding what was suitable for audiences at that time? If this wasn’t enough, then surely the scene where Dr Jackson injects Straker with the ‘revelatory’ drug, would be sufficient to make censorship on drug scenes come into play? On a side note, the sequence after Straker is injected and the drug starts to kick-in is pure gold imho, and I wish that there was a longer version of the audio available as it has a very mystical quality.
Looking forward to your next podcast.
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This is one of my all-time favourite episodes which I first saw when it was shown very late in the early 1970’s. There are of course lots of issues – like the very basic UFO model used whilst Straker’s car is being irradiated, and the obvious stunt doubles, and I still can’t work out the timeline of the story after more watches than I can count, but it is still I think a wonderful episode. Patrick Allen is brilliant too. The scenes when Turner is shot, and Straker destroys the UFO are brilliantly done, and the film studio makes an excellent location for the filming. Mindbender and The Long Sleep are also excellent, Straker has a really hard time in these episodes!
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