UFO - KILL STRAKER!

Evading SID and Moonbased tracking, a UFO manages to assault a shuttle attempting Earth re-entry. Sixteen hours later the shuttle is discovered undamaged and its pilots dazed but unharmed. One of those pilots is Col. Foster, and he's in a real mood about it.

It's a mystery to Straker and Freeman, but not us. We know what they do not, that the pilots were bombarded with an irresistible hypnotic suggestion to “Kill Straker. Kill Straker! KILL STRAKER!”

I had to consider whether that was a mistake, to give that away so soon, but it was probably the right call. We've been here before, innocents with an implanted imperative to KILL STRAKER(!), which means we'd have known just where the episode was going and underwhelmed by the reveal when I came. Besides, it makes for an exciting way to tease what's come.

Still, it undercuts what should have been a strong character-driven story between Straker, Foster, and Freeman. Immediately Foster radiates a resentment against Straker for issuing an order that might as easily have killed him as saved him from the UFO. Fair enough, though Foster knows that such an order is a trademark of his commanding officer. There's more on his mind, a lot more, and it's all to do with Straker's excesses and arrogance.

Where is it all coming from? Not the aliens, all they did was implant a command. This is not mind control. It's up to the pilots, Foster and Craig, to supply their own justifications for it from their psyches. Freeman is flummoxed, and wants his old friend Ed Straker to slap down this subordinate. Normally Straker would do juts that, but with Paul Foster he's uncharacteristically humble about the charges laid against him. It must be demoralizing...these allegations are not new, everyone says the same things about him (including the audience), but coming from Paul they're a blow. Until now Paul Foster has had a puppydog case of hero worship for Straker. Gee, Straker might be thinking, maybe I'm really not such a swell guy if I've failed Paul of all people.

Knowing that Paul is acting on alien influence undermines the very personal nature of a conflict that should have been explored for character depth. Freeman and Paul have been developing a friendship, how does he feel about that? General Henderson is on hand as well, in a nuanced position beautifully played by Grant Taylor. Foster goes beyond the pale to report confidential details of a plan to expand Moon operations (four new bases) in a letter of complaint against Straker. These are just the things Henderson himself believes about Straker, yet he knows that Foster is the last person who should be saying them – and the manner in which he does so raises a red flag. Henderson wants to do the right thing, but what should that be? There's a nice exchange between he and Freeman, when the General summons Freeman under instructions not to inform Straker and knowing that's the first thing Freeman will do. Freeman, loyal to Straker to his core, doesn't disappoint. There's a lot of great stuff here, it just could have used some tweaking to bring it out more fully.

Col. Craig is a non-entity, we know nothing of him. Straker must not know him well either, because he's only taken notice of major shade from Col. Foster. That is, not until Craig tries to KILL STRAKER(!) in a lively extended sequence on Moonbase that leads to explosions on the Lunar surface. That also is good stuff. So is a suspenseful standoff between Foster and Straker when a slip of the tongue reveals both pilots have conspired to...you know(!).

Like I said, we know pretty much where it's going and it does. The only surprise is that it gets there fifteen minutes early. Foster is examined by everyone's favorite slippery SHADO operative, Dr. Jackson, under which his imprinting is revealed. That's not good news for Foster, because as we know SHADO lets no one retire. Not alive. He's not exactly cured, either, per Jackson, there may always be a trace of the alien command lurking like an unexploded bomb in Foster's psyche. It's time for another reckless move by Straker.

Straker locks himself and Foster in the SHADO arsenal, pretends that he intends to kill the junior officer, and proceeds to stoke the man's anger and sense of survival to the breaking point, playing off all the complaints Straker is too aware of regarding his command. Foster breaks, but cannot bring himself to kill Straker. Not in anger, not in self defense. The look on Paul's face is a troubling and moving image, a highly emotional moment. They've both been through hell.

7.5 melodramatic voices growling in your head.

Asides -

There's a line of dialog acknowledging that the orbits of the moon and SID do result in blind spots and loss of communications. Smart.

“No one gets fired by SHADO.” Chilling bit of understatement. Confirms that the danger to Lt. Ellis in Computer Affair was much greater than implied.

Straker has his own guest quarters on Moonbase? That's the only place I've seen his shifting art display aside from his office Earthside. He must actually like it as art, because it can't possibly be hiding anything here. Where is there to escape to from a base on the Moon?

“Why don't you girls go and grab a cup of coffee?” Ah, progress! Always nice to to be reminded one is respected as an equal!