Place of Angels
Encyclopedia
"Place of Angels" is the 23rd episode of the Supermarionation
television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
. It was first broadcast in the UK on on ATV Midlands, and was written and directed by Leo Eaton. In this episode, a lethal synthetic virus
threatens the lives of millions of people.
Research Centre near Manchester
, England
, Dr Denton and his assistant, Judith Chapman, activate a culture
of K14, a synthetic virus
. As Chapman is driving home, she is killed instantly when she crashes into a fuel tanker that Captain Black
is using to obstruct the road and is reconstructed by the Mysterons to carry out their threat to destroy the "Place of Angels". Returning to the Research Centre, the reconstruction strangles a guard with a pair of mechanical forceps
and steals the vial
containing the K14 virus
from its secure locker.
Colonel White
dispatches Captains Scarlet
and Blue
to the Bacteriological Research Centre. K14 is the most lethal virus
developed, and if the stolen vial were opened it could cause ten million deaths. When the Chapman reconstruction is sighted in New York
, Scarlet and Blue divert their Spectrum Jet while returning to Cloudbase and pursue the Mysteron agent along the Interstate Highway in a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
. On the telepathic advice of Captain Black, Chapman abandons her car and evades Spectrum, leaving behind what appears to be the opened vial. The area is quarantine
d and disinfected while Scarlet and Blue are placed in isolation
on Cloudbase. However, Dr Denton's tests check negative for K14 and it becomes obvious that Chapman, who has deceived Spectrum, still has the K14.
Chapman is later sighted all over North America
, on one occasion in Los Angeles
. Scarlet reasons from the etymology
("Los Angeles" meaning "The Angels" in Spanish
) that the California
n city is the threatened "Place of Angels". Scarlet and Blue intercept Chapman as she drives along the Colorado River
. White suspects that the Mysteron agent is heading for the Boulder Dam to release the K14 into the Los Angeles reservoir
, infecting the water supply
. Scarlet ejects from the Spectrum Jet and lands on the dam
, sustaining a bullet from Chapman. However, the Mysteron agent topples over the side when a grille
breaks beneath her foot, screaming to her death. Scarlet just manages to retrieve the dropped K14 vial from a ledge before it too falls into the reservoir
. A frantic White radios Scarlet, who replies that the "Place of Angels" is safe.
on various Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episodes as well advertising tie-ins for Gerry Anderson
's previous series, Thunderbirds
, Eaton had quickly expressed an interest in writing for Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and was granted the opportunity to both write and direct "Place of Angels". Concerning the inspiration behind the script, Eaton explains, "I'd been thinking for some time about writing a sci-fi short story about someone releasing poison into a big-city reservoir." Several scripting changes were made before the voice and film recording. The working title
for this episode was "The City of Angels" and in the script the Mysteron threat was to "destroy the population of the City of Angels".
transmission of "Place of Angels" on BBC Two
in 1994 was delayed from its scheduled slot when live coverage of the semi-final between Stephen Hendry
and Steve Davis
at the 1994 World Snooker Championship overran and postponed subsequent programming.
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, and was written and directed by Leo Eaton. In this episode, a lethal synthetic virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
threatens the lives of millions of people.
Plot
At the BacteriologicalMicrobiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
Research Centre near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Dr Denton and his assistant, Judith Chapman, activate a culture
Microbiological culture
A microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture media under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are used to determine the type of organism, its abundance in the sample being tested,...
of K14, a synthetic virus
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
. As Chapman is driving home, she is killed instantly when she crashes into a fuel tanker that 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...
is using to obstruct the road and is reconstructed by the Mysterons to carry out their threat to destroy the "Place of Angels". Returning to the Research Centre, the reconstruction strangles a guard with a pair of mechanical forceps
Forceps
Forceps or forcipes are a handheld, hinged instrument used for grasping and holding objects. Forceps are used when fingers are too large to grasp small objects or when many objects need to be held at one time while the hands are used to perform a task. The term 'forceps' is used almost exclusively...
and steals the vial
Vial
A vial is a relatively small glass vessel or bottle, especially used to store medication as liquids, powders or in other forms like capsules. They can also be sample vessels; e.g., for use in autosampler devices in analytical chromatography.The glass can be colourless or coloured, clear or amber...
containing the K14 virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
from its secure locker.
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...
dispatches 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....
to the Bacteriological Research Centre. K14 is the most lethal virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
developed, and if the stolen vial were opened it could cause ten million deaths. When the Chapman reconstruction is sighted in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Scarlet and Blue divert their Spectrum Jet while returning to Cloudbase and pursue the Mysteron agent along the Interstate Highway in a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
The Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle is a fictional pursuit and attack vehicle from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's science fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons .-Appearance in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons:...
. On the telepathic advice of Captain Black, Chapman abandons her car and evades Spectrum, leaving behind what appears to be the opened vial. The area is quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
d and disinfected while Scarlet and Blue are placed in isolation
Isolation (health care)
In health care, isolation refers to various measures taken to prevent contagious diseases from being spread from a patient to other patients, health care workers, and visitors, or from others to a particular patient...
on Cloudbase. However, Dr Denton's tests check negative for K14 and it becomes obvious that Chapman, who has deceived Spectrum, still has the K14.
Chapman is later sighted all over North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, on one occasion in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Scarlet reasons from the etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
("Los Angeles" meaning "The Angels" in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) that the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n city is the threatened "Place of Angels". Scarlet and Blue intercept Chapman as she drives along the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
. White suspects that the Mysteron agent is heading for the Boulder Dam to release the K14 into the Los Angeles reservoir
Lake Mead
Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends behind the dam, holding approximately of water.-History:The lake was...
, infecting the water supply
Water pollution
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....
. Scarlet ejects from the Spectrum Jet and lands on the dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
, sustaining a bullet from Chapman. However, the Mysteron agent topples over the side when a grille
Grille
A grille or grill is an opening of several slits side by side in a wall or metal sheet or other barrier, usually to let air or water enter and/or leave but keep larger objects including people and animals in or out.-Spelling:In the United States, "grille" is used to differentiate the automotive...
breaks beneath her foot, screaming to her death. Scarlet just manages to retrieve the dropped K14 vial from a ledge before it too falls into the reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
. A frantic White radios Scarlet, who replies that the "Place of Angels" is safe.
Production
Leo Eaton was a new addition to Century 21 for the production of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Initially working as an assistant directorAssistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
on various Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episodes as well advertising tie-ins for Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
's previous series, Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
, Eaton had quickly expressed an interest in writing for Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and was granted the opportunity to both write and direct "Place of Angels". Concerning the inspiration behind the script, Eaton explains, "I'd been thinking for some time about writing a sci-fi short story about someone releasing poison into a big-city reservoir." Several scripting changes were made before the voice and film recording. The working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
for this episode was "The City of Angels" and in the script the Mysteron threat was to "destroy the population of the City of Angels".
Broadcasting
The original UK networkTelevision network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
transmission of "Place of Angels" on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in 1994 was delayed from its scheduled slot when live coverage of the semi-final between Stephen Hendry
Stephen Hendry
Stephen Gordon Hendry, MBE is a Scottish professional snooker player. In 1990, he was the youngest-ever snooker World Champion, at the age of 21. He has won the World Championship a record seven times and was snooker's world number one for eight consecutive years between 1990 and 1998, and again...
and Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...
at the 1994 World Snooker Championship overran and postponed subsequent programming.
External links
- "Place of Angels" 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...
- "Place of Angels" at CliveBanks.co.uk
- "Place of Angels" at TheVervoid.com