Episode no. Episode 20 Written by Bryan Cooper Editing by Harry MacDonald | Directed by Ken Turner Cinematography by Julien Lugrin Production code 14 | |
"Fire at Rig 15" is the 20th episode of the Supermarionation television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 February 1968 (1968-02-16) on ATV Midlands, was written by Bryan Cooper and directed by Ken Turner.
Contents
In this episode, the Mysterons target the oil refinery which provides all the fuel for Spectrum's vehicles in an attempt the immobilise the whole organisation.
Plot
In the Middle East desert, the Mysterons sabotage an oil drill at Rig 15 by opening a safety valve, releasing a jet of oil which quickly ignites and turns Rig 15 into an inferno. The nearby refinery, Bensheba, is the one source of fuel for the Spectrum Organisation's vehicles. In view of a Mysteron threat to immobilise Spectrum, Colonel White fears that the enemy will attack this fuel supply and dispatches Captains Scarlet and Blue to Rig 15.
On arrival, Scarlet and Blue learn from the controller, Kinley, and his assistant, Hansen, that an explosives expert, Jason Smith, has been called in to "blow out" the fire using a carefully placed charge. However, while Smith positions the device, Captain Black, observing from a distance, uses the Mysteron influence to kill the specialist, who is then reconstructed. The device detonates and the fire is extinguished according to plan.
That night, Black instructs Smith's duplicate to leave in his truck and use his explosives to destroy the Bensheba refinery. The body of the original Smith is discovered the following morning and Scarlet realises that the expert has been taken over by the Mysterons. He requisitions a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle and pursues Smith as he speeds down a highway leading to Bensheba. Cutting through the desert to catch up with his target, he manages to force Smith off the highway before he reaches the refinery. Smith crashes into a sand dune and his truck explodes, but the SPV collides with a set of oil tanks, fatally injuring Scarlet. Scarlet's body is returned to Cloudbase for his recovery.
Production
In his original script for "Fire at Rig 15", Bryan Cooper named the Middle East oil refinery as "Bethsheba". Incidental music for this episode was specially recorded on 22 July 1967 (1967-07-22) using a 15-musician orchestra, producing a suite called "Rig 15" which has been commercially released on CD. Music for the episode "Shadow of Fear" was also recorded in the four-hour studio session. As originally broadcast, "Fire at Rig 15" is the last episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons to feature the first, non-lyrical version of Barry Gray's ending theme music, "Captain Scarlet", prior to the introduction of the new version sung by The Spectrum.
Reception
In The Guinness Book of Classic British TV, writers Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping argue that "Fire At Rig 15" seems to be "little more than leftover Thunderbirds scripts".