Shadow of Fear

Mars. A pretty little red planet, and our second closest neighbour. This is where this episode brings us in. A space probe is heading towards it, ready to take the first close up film footage of the surface, in the hope of discovering the secret of the Mysterons.

Back on Earth, there’s a delay in the time the radio signals take to reach the observatory K14 due to the distance between Mars and Earth. Captains Scarlet and Blue are there, waiting with the scientists for the pictures to come through. The tension builds as they wait... but no signal comes through. The Mysterons have destroyed the craft (as witnessed by us in an earlier scene). Strangely, everyone seems to be pleased; this is ‘according to plan’!

THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE MYSTERONS. WE KNOW THAT YOU CAN HEAR US EARTHMEN. THE EYE THAT DARES TO LOOK UPON OUR PLANET HAS BEEN DESTROYED. YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED. YOU WILL NEVER DISCOVER THE SECRET OF THE MYSTERONS. WE WILL BE AVENGED.

As the Angels are out of range of the observatory, Cloudbase itself moves to over the Himalayas, where K14 is situated (I think that this is the first time we see this). Colonel White tells us that this mission is all part of ‘Operation Sword’, and then leaves us in suspense. Typical.

But, the reason everyone is so ecstatically happy that the satellite was blown up now becomes apparent. There is another satellite, a miniature one, also headed towards Mars. The first was simply a decoy.

The mini satellite has been hiding in the shadow of a comet, and lands on the far side of Phoebus, one of the Martian moons. It is programmed to take pictures every seven seconds and relay them to Earth.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the scientists, pleased with their success, go off to bed, leaving Captain Scarlet to take the first watch. Captain Blue will relieve him at midnight.

Close to midnight, Dr. Breck, one of the scientists, enters the main lab, unable to sleep and has a nice long chat with Scarlet until Captain Blue comes to take over.

Captain Blue goes to take a look outside and leaves Dr. Breck alone in the lab (which is just a little silly, don’t’cha think?). Breck looks at Mars through the observatory’s telescope and sees Mars glowing. He is Mysteronised through the telescope.

Meanwhile, the Angels are launched and ordered to keep radio silence unless in an emergency.

The observatory is in uproar. Dr. Breck is missing and Scarlet has a bit of a stressy bossy moment.

We see Breck planting charges under the observatory, in the gears that pivot the radio telescope.

A Spectrum helicopter in deployed to track Breck. Captain Grey finally gets to do something. Scarlet and Blue attempt to trace him on foot, armed with a Mysteron detector. They don’t stand much of a chance, but Melody and Grey manage to find his tracks in the snow and direct them to him.

Scarlet and Blue confront Breck, and he foolishly tells them about the bomb in the observatory before he is shot dead, but by then it’s too late. The radio telescope must turn in order to receive the transmissions from the satellite, and explodes before Scarlet and Blue can warn them. Nothing is left. However, Operation Sword is still continuing...