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TW Watches The Outer Limits: The Zanti Misfits

By Owen Quinn Photos copyright United Artists Television

Sometimes you realise that you know an episode of something but when asked what the plot was, you have no idea.

This was the case for me with The Outer Limits episode The Zanti Misfits. Everyone knows the creatures themselves, ant-like wasps with a humanoid face. They were bigger than a wasp, more like a small rat, but their image was burned into my young head years ago in repeats.

So I recently watched it just to remember what it was about and why it has stayed in my head for all these yearts. All these years…..Now there’s a phrase that makes me old even with repeats. Well, I couldn’t have watched it when it was first aired as it was 1963, December 30th to be precise. In 1997, it was ranked as number 97 in the 100 greatest television episodes of all time. But all I could recall was that face on the wasp body crawling up someone’s arm.

So sixty two years after it was first broadcast, I settled down to watch it. Outer Limits was a counterpart to The Twilight Zone. Both were anthology shows where different stories set against a sci-fi background commenting on the human condition. Many still hold relevance today. Each episode of both shows had an opening and closing monologue.

As the episode opens, we learn that the human race has been contacted by an alien race. It is summed up in the opening monologue.

Throughout history, compassionate minds have pondered this dark and disturbing question: what is society to do with those members who are a threat to society, those malcontents and misfits whose behavior undermines and destroys the foundations of civilization? Different ages have found different answers. Misfits have been burned, branded and banished. Today, on this planet Earth, the criminal is incarcerated in humane institutions…..or he is executed. Other planets use other methods. This is the story of how the perfectionist rulers of the planet Zanti attempted to solve the problem of the Zanti misfits.

We learn that the military have sealed off a ghost town called Morgue (of all things). The alien planet called Zanti have issued specific and potentially devastating orders to the humsna to expect a ship of their miscreants. Their orders are to seal off the area and maintain Zanti privacy. Otherwise, the Earth will face terrible consequences and with the Zanti seemingly more technologically advanced, it is a threat they take seriously. Earth will not be able to survive a war with the aliens if their demands are not met. Cooperate and the Earth will benenfit from great advances in technology.

Knowing human nature, it does not like to be held over a barrel or be dictated to but it all depends on who’s doing the threatening. The Zanti have determined that this is the perfect place to exile their criminals to as long as humans maintain the required conditions.

However, a bank robber, Ben Garth played by Bruce Dern, father of Jurassic Park actress, Laura Dern and his damaged girlfriend, Lisa, who witness the Zanti ship’s arrival. Garth goes to check it oput while the military deploy Steve Grave to be their emissary to repaoir any damage done.

The Zanti ship is smaller than we as an audience expects. The shape of the Zanti is teased through one of the open vents with the sight of an antennae and a strange noise.

We get the full effect when seeing their privacy has been compromised, the Regent chases Garth who falls into a crevice. The sight of the Zanti creature racing up his body with that buzzing sound. It plays on the primal fear of insects crawling up your skin and boiting you. Something like a wasp’s sting hurts and can kill, similarly, a spider. It’s the human mind’s incapability to comprehend what they are seeing that contributes to the death. This thing has almost cartoon eyes, a nose and a mouth. Their shape is so familiar yet incomprehensible that it adds to the terror and paralysis. Garth’s screams are those of a man knowing he is going to die. And when Lisa goes to find him, the creature gives chase. Lisa’s wreck of a life plays into her half hearted flight and non resposnse top Grave. As she says , she has always ripped away at the seams of everything and it fell apart. Her self destructive behaviour makes a change from the usual damsel in distress.

Grave kills the Regent but the prisoners take advantage of this to flee in the ship. We get an all out fight between the Zanti swarms, who march off the ship to attack the humans. The final battle is impressive as the Zanti swarm down the windows, soldiers fall screaming, their bodies covered in Zanti. The use of stop motion for the Zanti is great and well realised. It’d a trick used for years of repeating shots. Doctor Who did it to make you think there were armies of Daleks and Cybermen flooding from their ships. I often talk about how imagination forces production teams to come up with clever ways to realise what the writer sees on screen for the audience. With clever direction and lower points of view shots, we get a real battle with guns and flame throwers.

Every last Zanti is dead but this is no victory. With all the Zanti rules broken, the Earth will now face their full retaliation and be destroyed.

But this is the good thing about the Outer Limits and Twilight Zone; everything is not always what you think or see. The Zanti announce there will be no retaliation; the Earth is safe. The Zanti plan was for the humans to kill the Zanti prisoners. Zanti do not and are incapable of killing their own but humans will kill anything including their own people. It is something when an alien race makes us look at each other and see what we really are. We pride ourselves that we kill mostly for honour, to protect what we beleive in and all in the name of good. But the simple truth is, kiling comes easy to us. Even those of us that think we would never do it, will in the right circumstance. We will kill anything that looks different from us to preseve our way of life. Shoot first, ask questions later as they say.

But when that part of us is highlighted through an alien lens, then this is why The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone endure over sixty years later. Times change but we as a species, still have a long way to go.

TW Watches Doctor Who: Night of The Doctor

By Owen Quinn photos copyright BBC and Owen Quinn

Let’s go back to 2013 and the countdown to the 50th anniversary. A muti-Doctor story was coming, The Day of The Doctor but rumours were like a swarm of bees. Were they bringing the old Doctors back? How? They look too old now and some look totally different? Would they be animated? Was Christopher Eccleston coming back? How could you possibly have an anniversary story without all the Doctors, survivng and otherwise appearing?

Let’s also remember that Doctor Who is full of gaps and holes some of which fans demanded be filled. As an Easter egg, Steven Moffat was certain we needed one thing. An onscreen regeneration for Paul McGann’s Doctor; so was born The Night of The Doctor.

The 8th Doctor, aside fom his massive Big Finish backlog, had only ever appeared in the movie at that point. So we would finally get to see a mini-adventure that was so rich in content and context, that it would not only deliver a regeneration but a welcome return for the 8th Doctor. To this day, fans are crying out for a mini-series featuring Paul McGann who remains massively popular at conventions. He loves a good chat does our Paul as I can attest to having met him several times. You are as comfortable in his company as you are in his Doctor’s.

In ways this episode was a way to show the BBC that there is a deep thirst for all sorts of Doctor Who content; well made Doctor Who content and that the past Doctors could still deliver adventures.

It opens with a giirl wrestling with the controls of a crashing ship. The computer thinks she needs a doctor but she is sending out a distress signal. If you listen very carefully during this noisy exchange, you can hear the Tardis materialise in the background off screen.

And the 8th Doctor is back.

McGann is dripping in delicious dialogue when he accepts the girl, Cass, as his new companion when she reveals she teleported everyone off because they were screaming.

But i all goes wrong when he tries to get her to the Tardis and she learns he is a Time Lord. She hates the Time Lords for this war despite his claim he isn’t part of the war. He refuses to leave her and they will die together.

Waking, the Doctor discovers he is on Karn, brought back to life by the Sisterhood of Karn last seen in the Brain of Morbius. They brought him back to life and he only has moments to make a decision. Shila played by Clare Higgins from Hellraiser fame would return with the 12th Doctor era. The Sisterhood have augmented Time Lord science and have anihilated the randomness of the regeneration process. He can now choose what to become; man, woman, young, old, fast or strong, wide or angry. e takes the elixir and becomes a warrior. He regenerates into John Hurt.

The Doctor is dead. Long live the War Doctor.

This episode is vital for many reasons. To see an old Doctor return and go out in a blaze of glory when faced with an impossible choice. We learn the Time War is as bad as we have heard but the Doctor has refused to take part instead helping where he can. But Shila knows that he cannot turn his back forever and he must fight. We see the fury of the Time Lord as he screams at them to get out, glad that this will hurt. The man he was is dead, lost to the demand of a war he never wanted. McGann is epic, making this regeneration one of the most emotional and powerful. This will tie in with the Day of The Doctor when we learn why we have never seen this incarnation of the Doctor. He is the outcast, the one the Doctor of old denies because he destroyed Gallifrey.

We see now why the 9th shed a tear in end of the World. We see why he is furious when faced with a lone Dalek in the episode Dalek. We see the hurt, the rage, the self-loathing for letting himself become what he hated most. He became a Dalek himself.

This adds so much to both the 8th Doctor and the War doctor’s character. Shy away all they like but 9, 10 and 11 are the same Doctor. They all pushed that button that left him the last of the Time Lords. They a share in that act. It is only through the return of the War doctor that any of them can heal and see no matter what, it was never possible to be the Doctor that scares away the monsters that day.

Another interesting fact is the eleixir that has been developed by Shila and her sisters to give Time Lords control over regeneration. You can now choose what you want to be. This was really done in preparation for Missy and the 13th Doctor to explain why suddenly the Doctor can swop sexes. Indeed all Gallifreyans can. It’s a dumb idea which does not work because the internal logic of the show forbids it.

Family units have long been established on Doctor Who with his grandaughter as his first companion. And right up to the 10th Doctor era, family was very much mentioned especially in The Doctor’s Daughter.

What happens if mummy Time Lord suddenly disappears one night and a new face and body tells you they are your mummy or daddy? Does daddy then have to regenerate into a lady to maintain the balance? How does that impact the family structure? Does gender change from mummy automatically make you Daddy? Similarly does grandfather become grandmother? What does that do to a child’s psyche? It has lost the founding figures in its young life and having a different face will not compensate for the emotional trauma of losing a parent even if they have a different face.

As the 10th Doctor says the old person dies and a new person walks away. That has to have a tremendous impact on a young child. Adult Time Lords accept it easily enough. It is said that no matter what body they wear; another Time Lord can recognise them from their aura. But does this ability to recognise each other no matter what the body, apply to normal Gallifreyans like a child and its mother? I’m not so sure it does.

You can read my article on How the Doctor Lost His Balls by clicking here for the full story https://timewarriors.co.uk/2020/11/21/how-the-doctor-lost-his-balls/

But now the Doctor can be any sex and yet it still seems a random process.

McGann is pitch perfect here. When told he has four minutes to live of he doesn’t take the elixir, he says that’s ages. He says he needs a televison in case he gets bored. Chess, a couple of books and to bring him some knitting. This concept of time is similar to the 11th Doctor in the Power of Three when he gets bored at the Pond’s house so hoovers, paints fences, kicks a football and is dismayed to learn only an hour has passed. Four minutes to the Sisterhood is an eternity to a Time Lord.

The Night of The Doctor is an important bridge to fill in the gap of the Time War and the 8th Doctor’s regeneration. Now all the Doctors have an onscreen regeneration even if Sylvester was disguised as Colin Baker for his. Bringing back the Sisterhood of Karn and tying them back into Time Lord mythology is a smart move as it not only updates them for the new era but adds to their original premise. They have taken Time Lord science and improved upon it by fixing the regeneration problem.

It is just under seven minutes of perfect and vital Doctor Who history that bridges and dovetails eras seamlessly. And yes, we still would like to see an 8th Doctor miniseries.

We Remember Billy Connolly as The X-Files’ Father Joe

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Billy Connolly is and always will be a favourite of mine that has made me laugh from a young age. He began acting and has played many roles but one that is so unlike the man we love is Father Joe in the second X-Files movie I Want To Believe.

The movie did come under criticism for not being X-Files enough given the Doctor Frankenstein elements, but Father Joe Crissman was the X-File of the movie. The show had never been afraid to tackle gore and horror and hard hitting issues and with the inclusion of Father Joe, Mulder and Scully find themselves forced into an alliance with the Devil himself.

Before we know anything about him, we see Father Joe in the movie’s opening scene walking across a frozen lake with a team of police officers. He drops to a point shouting, she’s here. There they find a body part.

Sully is asked to recruit Mulder again to help with the disappearance of an FBI agent. They meet Father Joe who is a disgraced paedophile priest who is allegedly having psychic visions of the missing woman given he found the body part.

As a practicing Catholic, Scully is horrified to be near this man never mind having to work with him. In her eyes how can he call himself a man of God when he has committed such abhorrent things to children. Joe is so calm in his demeanour that that in itself irritates her. He has self mutilated himself. His vision seem accurate but also has ones that seemingly mean nothing at all to do with the case. Mulder tests him and remains unconvinced. However as the movie goes on he becomes convinced that Father Joe is the link to the case. Scully on the other hand hates him for being even breathing after his atrocities. She is having issues at the hospital she works at over a patient. A teenager is dying from a disease but Scully wants to try a new untested treatment which the board rejects. Her main opponent is another man of the cloth Father Ybarra who does not believe she is right. He wants the boy moved to die in order to give the bed to someone else. Scully’s patient is just another statistic to him rather than a person. Scully has always been a fighter but caught between two priests that represent nothing of the vows they took as priests takes its toll on her and her faith. Ironically Father Joe seems the most reliable of the two which causes Scully serious internal conflict.

Connolly seems to be always playing the martyr with Father Joe and finds himself drawn to Scully because of her beliefs. In the most intense scene of he movie she confronts him about what he is and what he is doing playing magician. Is he playing mind games or is he really seeing things? Father Joe told her not to give up and it has thrown her completely. Was he talking about the terminally ill boy or the missing agent?

They wisely cut a scene where Father Joe turned up at the hospital and sees the boy for himself in some weird attempt to help Scully. Thankfully, its removal makes the exchange a lot more intense and his talk about the boy and his condition more ambiguous.

She asks what he meant and he says he has no idea. He reveals he castrated himself at 26 and lives here among these other perverted priests because they hate each other. His voice is calm as if she has entered a confessional and is free to speak in confidence. Father Joe is good at reading people and comes across as a manipulator at times. He knows nothing about Scully bar she is a woman of faith but not in the same things her husband, Mulder, does. She is quick to correct him that Mulder is not her husband. He claims he has no idea where his base tastes come from. He calls her out for judging him revealing he hates himself for what he did. She slaps him down for quoting scripture to her but she demands to know what he meant by don’t give up. Her doubts about him are manifest as she believes he does know what he meant. She is convinced it is all an act. Father Joe represents a thing that has corrupted all Scully sees as good and has helped her through the years on the X-Files through episodes like Beyond the Sea and One Breath. To still wear the clothes of a priest and practice scripture is abhorrent to her given the depth of her family’s faith. He equally repulses her because Mulder is drawn in to what Father Joe says. He takes a fit and on another occasion begins bleeding from the eyes, one of the signs of the stigmata. Further confusing Scully.

Now hospitalised it is still unclear if Father Joe is somehow playing them. Mulder believes not. It turns out Father Joe died at the same moment Scully turned off the life support machinery support of the transplanted head. It was also one of the altar boys Joe molested, one of the 37 victims. Could it be it created some sort of psychic link caused by the trauma? As a penance was this God’s way of Joe making up for what he did?

In the end she decides to press ahead and give the teenager the untested treatment. This comes after Mulder finds the missing agent and busts a ring where body parts are used in body transplants based on Joe’s visions. More specifically transplanting heads on to healthy bodies.

Connolly portrays the character brilliantly. He comes across as the penitent man and jumps the divide between a real psychic or a fraud in a cool collected way. He is a man resigned to death for his sins but when pushed by Scully reveals a man filled with self-loathing uncertain why he has feelings for children yet preach the word of God. He is dying from lung cancer and is resigned to it. But you have no sympathy for Father Joe even if it is Billy Connolly. He is a vile human being and maybe this is his final way of making amends for his sins. After all, he meets a wall of hate and disgust whenever he steps foot out the door. He could have easily said nothing and let the FBI carry on but he couldn’t stay silent. In no way does this redeem him but shows that Billy Connolly is more than capable of playing a multilayered character.

TW Meets Comic Book Writer, Phillip Kennedy Johnson

By and photos copyright Owen Quinn

The wonder of comics is ever expanding as we learn about the people behind the stories we open weekly/monthly.

I have a great love of Aliens so when the Coffee and Heroes comic book shop announced they had a signing with comic book writer, Phillip Kennedy Johnson to say I was excited was like saying Ripley hates facehuggers; pretty obvious.

As an Emmy nominated writer from Washington DC, Kenneth is someone I’ve never heard of and yet I was already super familiar with his work without realising. He is an accomplished musician who plays the trumpet. He has his own band and performed as a trumpet player with The U.S. Army Field Band of Washington, DC and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and has also performed with the Moscow Ballet, Dallas Opera, Washington Symphonic Brass, and Benny Goodman Orchestra.

But as an Alien fan, I collected the Marvel Alien comic book series which together with its stunning covers was a treat to collect and read. Johnson was charged for writing it so out came my issues of Alien for signing. He also has written for Hulk Age of Monsters, Batman and Robin, Carnage, 007, Captain America, Green Lantern and Superman to name just a few.

So off I went with nearly all my Alien issues, a Batman and Robin or two, Marvel ZombIes issue 1 and Carnage Forever, a couple of which were Christmas presents.

We chatted about how he broke into the industry and his various works. He was so laid back and chatty. He was quite happy to talk with fans at length who turned up to meet him. I gained a greater appreciation of the art as a writer myself.

What I liked about Phillip is that he didn’t rush people. He looked at the cover and ensured that the right colour of pen suited that particular cover. As many Alien covers are dark, he would choose a silver pen but where black suited like Marvel Zombies and Carnage Forever, he went for that. Attention to detail like that is a glimpse into how he writes and approaches a story. You know that if something doesn’t feel right and we all know how that feels, he will take it from a different approach to make it palatable to the reader.

Hulk Age of Monsters is on my list to get and if he comes again, then I’ll be bringing the couple of issues of Alien I forgot to bring with me that day for signing.

Phillip, for me, is the epitome of how to treat people right, fans or not. I’d highly recommend his work if you haven’t seen it before or go meet him the next time he does a convention or signing. Awesome guy and a great talent.

Magic TV:Jean Luc Picard meets His Mother

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriros, Zombie Blues, Tales of ballinfree and more

So most of you will know that Picard season two revealed an unknown event in Jean Luc Picard’s life. His mother suffered from a mental health issue and subsequently committed suicide. This would traumatise the captain to be and while it is an interesting thing to see happen to a Trek character, it was revealed that Picard had always imagined that his mother had grown to old age.

Now this line was included to explain something that happened in the very first season of Star Trek the Next Generation in an episode called Where No One Has Gone Before. The show was brand new, expected to fail and this new crew were blank canvases to be painted upon. That would happen over the next seven years, several movies and in the Picard series where we discover his tragic secret.

But to me, this story was awkward as it just didn’t seem to work for me. Mental health did exist and afflict humans in the future as we saw in several episodes including Dagger of the Mind, Hard Time where O’Brien almost committed suicide and Twilight in Star Trek Enterprise. And I am all for delving into stories like this but the scene in Where No One Has Gone Before always stuck with me.

Patrick Stewart always wanted to add something new to Picard in every episode and while that didn’t always happen, this short scene is powerful and speaks volumes about him more than Picard season 2. It can also be interpreted as a foreshadow of his mother’s real fate but not for me.

In the episode, the Enterprise is thrown so far across the galaxy by the mysterious Traveler and the arrogant Kosinski. Kosinski claims his methods will allow starships to travel faster and further than ever before. But no one expects just how far.

The Enterprise ends up in a region of space where their thoughts become reality , putting the whole ship in danger. They must escape but the ship is torn apart by the crew’s own thoughts.

Picard is heading along a corridor to meet with the Traveler when he turns a corner and sees his mother.

She is sat at a table with a pot of tea. This is a very underrated and often forgotten moment that gives us a very rare insight of the very closed Jean Luc Picard. I think even Jellico would have melted if he had met his mother and we know what a shit he was.

The scene is enhanced by the soundtrack which gives a magic quality to the scene.

“You look tense Jean Luc. Come, and have a cup of tea.”

Look at every soap opera or family especially in Ireland and a cup of tea solved everyhting. Picard like Earl Grey and his mother may have been the one to get him on to it.

Curiously, Picard says Mama, just like the little boy. The bottom line is every man dissolves into the little boy he was when around his mother.

She says that she made it real strong, the way he likes it. There is a beautiful image here of the corridor in the background looking a bit fuzzy as if this were indeed a dream but we know that whatever is in a person’s head becomes real. So this is Picard’s mother but the dream version he made up to top hide his dark past. This doesn’t ring true for me and when I watched this, it made such an impact.

You should always listen to your mother because she is wise and often the foolishness of youth covers your ears to her wisdom.

Picard approaches his mother and tells her this can’t be as she….She finishes the sentence for him.

“Dead? But I’m always wth you. You know that.”

Picard says “Yes. I’ve felt that.”

Now, that is an interesting thing because it gives an insight into Picard. It is also something sadly that is never revisited or explored. Picard admits that he has felt the presence of his dead mother. Now, as captain and a man of science, this is something you would never hear come from the mouth of the captain, even though he is an open-minded person given what they encounter on a weekly basis.

Does this imply Picard has a belief in the afterlife? That the soul moves on but still stays in our lives, watching us. Given if that is true, that is something that dies with this episode. And being the man he is, he asks his mother, why now?

She replies does he mean here at the end of the universe or perhaps the beginning of it. He says they believe it to be the outer rim then falls to her side as she smiles at him. He asks her if she knows where the ship is and if she understands what is happening?

The camera cuts to Riker who calls to the captain who sharply snaps, “Just a minute, Number One!” When he turns again, his mother is gone.

All the time, Picard is not facing his first officer. He is still in his bubble but hurting because his mother has gone. Stewart’s expression is one of pain. His face crumbles as the loss sweeps over him again. It doesn’t matter that he has just had something everyone wishes for; a moment, no matter how brief with a lost loved onbe. You can see his pain as he looks to the apace where she just was but is forced to acknowledge, his mother was no longer there.

For me, this scene actually negates Picard season 2’s storyline as the reaction here is of someone that watched their mother grow old and pass. He jumps at the chance for her counsel. If she is an illusion, she certainly talks like a real person. She knows where they are and what it means for her son. Some will say this is Picard’s internal conflict and wonder about this place but I disagree.

This region manifests thoughts into reality but all Picard really knew was that this was the outer rim. it is his mother that opens his mind to the possibility that this is may well the beginning of the universe. This view doesn’t really strike me as how Picard thinks but that he actually had a moment with his mother out here. While Picard season 2 would have you believe this version of his mother is in fact an illusion Picard created, she is a wise woman seeking to guide her son, not an illusion.

Another interesting point is Riker interrupting. Picard is furuous as it robbed him of further conversation with his mother. Riker is often strutting about, sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong. You could say Picard is a rational man who would chalk it up to nothing. But in his quieter moments, he would surely run what happened over in his head, maybe stewing a resentment against his first officer. Maybe this is where Picard decides to be more proactive and lead away teams. There is no time limit to resentment.

On the other hand, people will say this is Picard’s illusion to cover what happened. But why would he drop that now? Here. When his ship and crew are in deadly danger? I cannot believe that he would call on a falsehood to try and solve his dilemma. For me, this was Picard and his mother and remember this is thirty years apart roughly.

It would have been nice to explore Picard’s spiritual side given his candid admission that he has felt his mother’s spirit watching over him. While Ben Sisko would be the spiritrual captain in the future, it is an aspect of Picard that was a missed opportunity. It is revisited in the episode Where Silence Has Lease where the Enterprise and its crew are trapped and on the very brink of death for the amusement of the being Nagilum. He intends to experiment on the crew having already killed one for his own curiosity. Rather than let him, Picard sets the self-destruct.

Data and Troi come to his ready room to ask about death. Picard tells them there is two opinions; one is that we simply die into nothingness and the other that we ascend to a higher form of consciousness. When asked what he beleives, Picard believes that he thinks death is more than that and our existence is part of a reality beyond what we currently understand as reality. We see that he is open to the possibility of life after death.

When faced with a possible ghost in Sub Rosa, it is clear that he knows what they are up against and it is no ghost but a parasite of some sort. It’s a pity this wasn’t explored further but Ben Sisko explored it all brilliantly in Deep Space 9.

Picard meeting his mother was a beautiful moment that could have brought new aspects to Picard. And for me, this is the mother he really had.

TW Watches The New Avengers S01E10 Gnaws

By Owen Quinn Photos copyright to owner

Ten years after the end of the original 1960s series, it was decided to being back the Avengers for a new series. This time, John Steed would return without Emma Peel or any of his other glampourous sidekicks. This time, he would have two sidekicks, the gorgeous Purdey played by the legend, Jonna Lumley and Gareth Hunt as the hardy Mike Gambit.

They were a strong trio with Steed now the elder statesman, given his age, but Patrick Macnee was as active as ever and the very picture of the quintessential Englishman. He was one of the main reasons that the original series such a success and Steed was a hardened spy with a playful twinkle in his eye. While Gambit was forever trying to get Purdey to fall for his charms, she was one tough lady whose dance classes may have been a bit more extreme than normal.

The Avengers was known for its outrageous stories and super spies which were fantastic. Even the robotic cybernauts returned to battle Gambit, Purdey and Steed. The show ran for two years and I clearly remember how excited I was as a kid when I heard Laurie Johnson’s rousing theme music. Those titles were awesome and I fell in love with Joanna Lumley and became a lifelong fan of hers. And yes, I have all three autographs in my collection.

In the first season, they would come up against a foe so bizarre that it could have gone badly for them. As the title suggests, this episode is a parody of Jaws. But this time instead of a shark, the Avengers are facing a giant rat. The only other giant rat I remember from that time was the one in Doctor Who’s Talons of Weng Chiang. The memory of Leela being dragged down a sewer tunnel by the leg by the giant rat is burned into my memory because I am not a fan of rats and if you think I’m going down into a sewer for any reason, you’ve another think coming. I had visions of Purdey suffering the same fate as Leela. I love these types of sewers in a show where people can run up and down these old Victorian style tunnels.

Baddies of the week, Thornton and Carter have discovered a growth formula that will end famine. They test it on a tomato plant. When some of it is accidentally spilled down a drain, it enters the sewers. Months pass and there are strange goings on in the sewers. Russian agents are also exploring down there as one of their agents is missing. There are reports of soemthing that sounds like a train rushing, a giant snake, the jaws of a shark. While this is a B movie episode, there is great effort to provide a scary atmosphere. Giant shadows pass behind our heroes, noises from the dark and monster point of view shots all make the final reveal that more creepy. Rats are horrible at the best of times so to have one the size of a car running about…… Indeed the shot of Carter being dragged screaming into a black tunnel is terrifying, bringing a scare factor to what is sometimes looked at as a lesser episode.

The rat has eaten all the other rats in the sewers so when a mechanic is dragged from under his car, reports spread as the rat extends its hunting ground. Two tramps are attacked in a great POV camera movement leading Steed further into the mystery of what is hunting people. Thornton goes to kill it at the same time as Purdey, who has no idea what she is facing. Gambit and Steed have a solution in bags that will attract the rat so they can kill it but Thronton is devoured while Steed and Purdey are trapped by the rat. Gambit kills it with a rocket launcher and all is right with the world again.

We should note Purdey and Steed’s reactions really sell being trapped by the rat. They are never afraid but this time, this threat will tear them apart. It is a wise thing to leave the rat reveal until the very end because these were the days of no CGI and a practical effect may not be convincing enough. Keeping the rat in close up with the squealing sound effect works with the cuts to our heroes cowering helplessly.

I love a monster movie with a giant ‘something’. So if it’s not a giant spider then a giant rat is the most terrifying alternative. The movie Food of the Gods comes to mind but this episode falls within the mad world of the New Avengers with mad scientists who want to do good but become corrupt.

The banter between the three Avengers just sings off the screen elevating Gnaws from a parody episode to one that works much better than you may think.

Sixty years of Daleks Special Now on Sale!

By Owen Quinn author Photo copyright Trevor Kennedy and Owen Quinn

Celebrating 60 years of Dalek domination, the latest Phantasmagoria magazine looks back at the deadly pepperpots with contributions from me, Owen Quinn from the Time Warriors. Available now on Amazon. Also contributing Ramsey Campbell, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Briggs and more!

TW Reviews Stranger Things S05E08 The Finale Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright Netflix and Owen Quinn

So, here we are. The moment that everyone was waiting for. The end of Stranger Things, at least in this incarnation. Who is going to die? Will it be a worthy end to it all?

Well, up front, nobody died from the main cast. Only Kali, Vecna and the Mind Flayer bit the dust. I was a bit pissed as there were so many near death misses including Steve and Dustin but on reflection, it ended exactly the way it should. Some would argue that for such a victory, there must be some sort of sacrifice. Well, I think Elle being a pariah forever is sacrifice enough. Captain Kirk lost his son and the Enterprise to save Spock and the universe from the Genesis Wave but loss like that in Stranger Things would take away from the climax.

As I write this, I am reading people saying Stranger Things got lost in sci-fi, criticism of the rushed ending and various other things. If I think about it, there have been questionable moments and sometimes, things dragged out a little bit or repeated in multiple scenes. But I have to say this to everyone including myself, if you’re that good and can do a better job, get off your arses and do it yourselves. All writers know how hard it is to put a story together that makes sense, engages and satisfies the audience. I am going to say I started watching this with those negative criticisms echoing in my head. And I have to say, it hit the ground running and the two hours flew in. And yes, I too wondered what was going to happen in the final hour given Vecna and co were defeated at almost an hour in.

I am so glad that everyone, bar poor Kali, survived. After everything, it is nice to see these kids grow up and defeat a monster that has terrorised them for years. It demonstrated the theme of the bonds we share as friends, family and people that become family. Together we can defeat the demons in our collective lives and come out the other side, changed but keeping who we are intact. This is brilliantly shown in Dustin’s graduation speech where he rips off his gown, calls out his school and proudly wears his Hellfire club T-shirt. That what identifies our guys right there.

We have to mention Jamie Campbell Bower’s performance as Vecna. He is the epitome of evil and we have falsely been led to beleive that he is a misunderstood villain. When he pursues the kids into the mine where he sees himself as a kid get shot in the hand by a man with a suitcase, we finally get the real villain. Will has tapped into Henry’s mind and tells him he can come back to them and help destroy the Mind Flayer. Jamie is impeccable here as he cries. We see how as he fears this memory. The suitcase held a link to the Mind Flayer that dissolves and is absorbed into young Henry with the instruction to come find him. And just as you think, Vecna will turn back to the good side again, he reveals that he chose to join with the Mind Flayer. He is truly the villain we all know. No Darth Vader turn around here.

There is so much I like here. The Mind Flayer being hidden in plain sight all this time, Vecna manipulating Hopper into thinking he has shot Elle while in the tank. Steve almost plunging to his death. Elle bringing Max into the hive to help track Vecna down when we think it is Vecna attacking Max. Derek again shouting, “Suck my fat one!” Murray blowing up the helicopter and Mister Clarke’s fan boy reaction at bering involved in saving the world. There isn’t a poor performance here at all. It’s joyful, exciting and thrilling.

It’s fitting Joyce was the one to finally finish Vecna off with the immortal line “You fucked with the wrong family!” Her performance from day one as the seemingly hysterical single mother whom no one believed to the kick ass rescuer heading to Russia to save Hopper to making sure Vecna’s head was severed from his body. She has been award winning all this time.

And that is the heart of Stranger Things. This family, both in blood and circumstance, has beaten the monster that has hurt them all as we see in flashbacks as Joyce decapitates Vecna. We get the flashback of Eddie but no reappearance as speculated. Defeating Vecna is for all those they have lost along the way as well as those standing there to witness his death. This was a mother’s love and a mother’s love ending Vecna is fitting. They did it through love and friendship, learned about themselves because of it, Will and Nancy being the prime examples. But there is no cheering or laughing as his head falls to the floor. There are tears, bad memories and a sigh of relief. That’s the most human reaction of them all.

But Dr Kay is not gone and she captures them all minutes before the bomb detonates to bring down the Upside Down so the worlds are separate again. But the explosion happens and they see Elle standing there who is apparently killed.

The time jump to 18 months later was the right thing to do. From graduation, to the rebuilding of Hawkins to moving on from grief is all beautifully done.

Just as Star Trek: The Next Generation ended on a poker game so we end on one last game of Dungeons and Dragons. In this game, we get to see how each of their futures play out as told by the game. As for Elle, she truly made the ultimate sacrifice. In an earlier epeisode, Mike tells her that once the game is over, the hero can never return to thier home. They end up in a land far away with three waterfalls because that’s the way it goes. Kali and Elle pulled one final illusion to ensure Dr Kay would think the experiments were over. With no Elle, and no Henry blood to create other Henrys with, it all ends.

Or does it?

Elle is the Mage and she and Kali sprung one last spell of invisibility to make it look like she died. But if this is true allegedly because her tale can never be told, then Elle has given up her love, her Dad and everyone she loves in order to make a new life far away. This scene of Elle walking up a hill to see the three waterfalls was filnmed in New Zealand where these really exist. The ambiguity of her death is touching because no matter what, no one will ever know if Elle is alive or not. She must sit and think of all those she left behind and live another life free of fear. Sometimes the most painful solutions are the only ones that can bring life back to normality; a life filled with so much love that the bonds last forever. They exist in one wrinkle in time. That sacrifice will leave you staring up at the moon and hoping that maybe, just maybe, that those we have lost are looking back.

So, Stranger Things did break my heart. This ending is worse than death because with death you have closure. But the upside is, just like the bonds we share are just like the story of the Mage; only we know how powerful that love is.

Great job, Duffer brothers. You nailed it.

One last thing. The end credits to David Bowie’s Heroes with the animation of the entire series and its most iconic moments is gorgeous. Til next time.

Stranger Things 5: Why Will Coming Out is the Most Important Moment of 2025

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright Netflix

So, yesterday, I saw a deluge of hate against Stranger Things for the scene where Will comes out to his friends. Cries of woke echoed across the land. An agenda is being pushed by these big corporations like Netflix. We don’t need this in our entertainment. Even comedians like Australian Isaac Butterfield posted a video crying about the woke agenda and telling them to suck a fat one. While it’s nice that Derek’s catchphrase has caught on, it’s a pity they didn’t bother to actually pay attention to the story and put the scene in context both historically and storywise. But then again, posting hate upon it just shows that people are closing down when they assume it’s woke. That’s equally unhealthy.

There is no one more antiwoke than me. It ias dangerous, it excludes and tries to form a fantasy on the masses rather than fact. I hate it and will fight against it. As Billy Connolly once said, PC is the language of cowardice. But this instance jsut shows how easily people throw this term out without thinking first.

So, the first thing you need to know is that Stranger Things eason 5 is set in the 80s, 1987 to be precise. Now the 80s was a time where gay people had much to fear. Aids had been dubbed the gay plague by the medie, sending the public into a frenzy that they could catch it off a gay person. The Hollywood actor Rock Hudson was exposed as being gay and having lived a secret life in Hollywood. They kept his image as a straight man going up to the point they arranged a fake marriage so people would not suspect his sexualitycould. Such a thing cost the studios money at the box office. He starred in the soap opera Dynasty where his physical appearance sparked rumours that exposed his secret. He shared an onscreen kiss with Linda Evans and people asked had she caught the disease from that kiss.

Of course not. But there was no real understanding on AIDS but slowly that changed. Princess Diana would be seen to shake hands with people with the disease.

HIV could be caught from infected blood used in transfusions and many including children, were ostracized by communities who feared they would catch it too just from being near a person with it. I’m seeing parallels here with people not arming themselves with knowledge about things and just going off on one. Queen singer Freddie Mercury was also a victim of it , dying in 1991and there was a real fear among people. It was neither a plague nor caused by gay people. Liberace and Rock Hudson also died. Teenager Ryan White became the post child of AIDS and a major part in educating the public about the disease. Can you imagine coming out in those days when a mere twenty years earlier, you were arrested and put in prison for being gay. By coming out, you put a target on your back because of people’s ignorance of the subject. People looked at you differently, fearfully.

Hence movies like Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, were made to help the masses understand the disease. Television shows began to feature it. Dynasty featured the first gay character on mainstream television with Blake Carrington’s son, Steven. The soap never shied away from any aspect of Steven’s sexuality from his family’s reactions to wanting to be accepted for who he was. Equally, Eastenders’ Mark Fowler caught HIV and was treated like a leper by the likes of Peggy Mitchell. But by exploring the storyline, viewers were educated by Mark’s story. And he was straight too.

I personally know people whose families disowned them because of their sexuality. And while I understand it is hard for parents to come to terms with it, making that kid a pariah is not the answer. But to be fair, that generation were brought up on certain standards and a life of life society expected them to follow. Being gay upset that apple cart. Thankfully, it is better now and much more but we still have a way to go.

So, against this background, can you really claim that Willk’s coming oput scene is woke? No, it’s a true reflection of the time, back then and still now.

So when Will is captured by Vecna, he is able to locate Max’s location by digging into Will’s head. He sends the demodogs to kill her. Caleb, Vicky and Robin will also be caught in the crossfire. And all because Vecna broke Will by showing him what would happen if he revealed his sexuality. Will states that Vecna showed him a future where his friends and family turned their backs on him. He would be alone and with the added threat of Vecna and his masterplan, being alone right now is not the best idea. Vecna is essentially blackmailing Will in the most horrendous way.

Sadly, this fear of losing the ones you love, the ones that you expect to love you unconditionally, no matter what, is terrifying for those wanting to come out to the world. And this is still a reality to this day but as I said, it is getting better. What do you do when your religion condemns you for being who you are? Living a lie is preferable to being killed for it.

Will’s speech is beautifully written because it is a speech that fits 1987 and kids today. It is timeless as it addresses the fear of coming out and being slightly different to what your family expected you to be. Will is not just speaking to his friends and family but every single person out there watching, struggling to reveal themselves.

That isn’t woke. That is us being human and decent enough to give kids like Will the safety net and security that who they are is ok and they should fully embrace it. They don’t have to be labelled. They don’y have to be ashamed. They can be husbands, fathers, mothers, wives, foster parents. The only thing stopping them is how others sees them Let me tell you, there is no better night’s craic that being in the company of gay people. There should be no divides between us and shether you are gay or not, it shouldn’t matter.

So how does this play into the story and why the end of episode seven? Vecna no longer has any hold over Will. He can fully tap into the hive and help bring Vecna down. Released from the burden of shame and fear, Will is a powerful weapon now. When all his friends and family say that he will never lose them, it is the defining moment of the series. These kids have been to hell and back and are now all that stands between Vecna merging the two worlds. They have gotten here through fear, pain, happiness and love. Love transcends all and that group hug symbolises what every person coming out should have. Robin, the lesbian character, is an intricatepart of this as it is her story that helped Will come out. Without her, Will might have kept his secret and Vecna could still have power over him.

Remember, Dustin also confessed that he can’t lose anyone else after Eddie. Jonathan and Nancy have confessed their real feelings for each other. Steve has told Dustin how Eddie’s death affected him and his pain at seeing Dustin suffer. Hopper confessed to Joyce his fears that Elle may never have a normal life and that Kali may be right after all. Not forgetting Max telling Caleb that he was all she needed to find her way home from her year long coma.

There are no more secrets. Everything is now out in the open and they are a powerful force standing together to save the world.

But remember that this entire coming out scene, may give someone else the courage to be themselves and smash those closet doors once and for all. That is why this scene is the most pivotal moment, not just of the series but of television 2025.

So next time, the naysayers diss an important scene like this, remind them to stop, get their facts right and then form an opinion instead of jumping on the bandwagon with all the other sheep.

TW Reviews Stranger Things S05E06 Escape From Camazotz Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright Netflix

Dustin fails to warn Nancy thanks to poor signal over the walkie talkie not to fire her rifle at the shield generator but she fires at the flesh wall. And the shit hits the fan.

The Upside Down is a bridge between two worlds and the wall was built by science not magic with a force composed of exotic particles. So wherever the kids and Vecna are, it is not behind the flesh wall. As energy pours through the breach, Hopper, Elle and Kali make it out but Dustin, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan are trapped.

Luckily, Nancy’s shot did not cause a collapse and kill them all. Instead it destabilised the Upside Down and this episode put me in mind of the ending of the House of Wax when it is burning down and melting in huge chunks. It must have been hell to film as the room Nancy and Jonathan are in begins to dissolve.

This is it, I thought. This is who dies first. With no hope and Dustin and Steve unable to get to them, Nancy and Jonathan have a heart to heart about their relationship. It’s beautifully written as they both come to realise that despite their love for each other, they are better apart. How ironic that they are going to die together. Jonathan even produces an engagement ring and asks her not to marry him. It’s nice to see an amicable break up rather than a screaming match and no blame game, even in the face of death. It also humanises our heroes as despite all this madness, it reminds you who they are and what they are fighting for. They are just ordinary people thrown into a mad situation and doing their best to cope with it.

Similarly with Dustin and Steve who is about to risk his life to rescue Nancy and Jonathan. Seeing how quickly, this place is dissolving, Dustin begs him not to. Breaking down, Dustin admits he can’t lose someone else after Eddie. This scene between them hits the heartstrings as we finally see Dustin fall beneath his grief. You always lash out at the ones closest to you and it is played so realistically, it truly hits home.

I really thought this was the episode where we would get our first fatalities but no. The damage is temporary and the Upside Down stabilises again allowing them to live.

Tensions are simmering between Kali and Hopper as he knows in his heart that Elle will never live a normal life. She will always be hunted. Kali is here to stop this cycle from ever happening again. Never again will there be pregnant women experimented on to create the next Henry. Again, we are teased with the potential death of a major character as many have speculated.

If Vecna has his way, that’s exactly what is going to happen. With Will in a coma and trapped by Vecna for reasons we will discover in the next episode, he locates Max and sends his demidogs to kill her. He cannot find her in his mind so if he kills the body then he will easily retrieve Holly. Holly is a great character as strong and clever as her brother and sister yet vulnerable like a child should be. She and Max make a great team and their journey through Vecna’s memories offers interesting snippets about Henry as a child. We see him trying to help a man in a mine shaft but being shot in the hand for his kindness. He then beats the man’s head in with a rock. I don’t know if this is linked to the play but if so, again I will say that isn’t fair on viewers who will never see the play. This should really be a contained final season, not leaking spin oifs left, right and centre.

Once again, Robin proves her worth when she heads to save Max from the demodogs. We get a great thrill from the build up and again, another death tease as she, Caleb, Max and Vicky are chased by the monsters until saved by one very pissed off Karen Wheeler who blows rhe monsters up. I thought Robin was going to go here as they do a Jurassic Park and hide from the monsters. Caleb has Running Up That Hill to guide Max back. Trapped, Robin tells him he has to turn it off as the demodogs will hear it. If he does, Max will be lost again.

Great tension here but again we avoid a heroic death as both Will and Max make it back to the real world. Will’s bleeding eyes is a creepy sight as Vecna goes to town on him to locate Max.

But I found the Max section of the story the hardest to swallow. She and Holly make it through to their ways back to their portals but instead of running like the clappers, we get a monologue where Max has to convince Holly that she can do this; that she is stronger than she thought and the necklace, given to her by her brother, Mike, is her super power. This does go on a bit as basically the same thing is rrepeated four times. Then they start to walk to the portals to get home. Finally, they break into a run but with the ever present threast of Vecna, running should be a given at all times.

It doesn’t feel as urgent as when Max almost died in the graveyard scene in season four but we at least get Kate Bush back as the screen goies black. We then hear a heart machine before the titles roll. Did Vecna throw one last spanner in the works?

Aside from the prolonged speech from Max, another solid step towards the finale.

TW Reviews Stranger Things S05E07 The Bridge Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photo copyright Netflix

Here we go for the penultimate episode ever.

Somehow, I am still waiting for someone to kick the bucket and here I thought Max, Caleb or Robin were going to die at the hands or claws of the demodogs.

This episode will leave you crying with joy and pain as our heroes prepare for the final battle with Vecna. You’ll be furious as vecna manipulates the kids to bring out the worst in them. They’re like something from children of the corn as Holly is abused and assaulkted before being forced back into the twelve.

But first things first. Max’s return is awesone and cleverly, because she hasn’t used her body in a year, she is in a wheelchair until her body adjusts. But her info is vital in going up against Vecna. Holly ends up on the other world Vecna has been keeping secret and almost makes it back to the Upside Down before being dragged back by Vecna. You can see where the Wheeler kids get their bravery from as Karen Wheeler, having killed the demodogs with an unusual laundry, is ready to go after Holly and Nancy. It strikes me that Karen has never needed to be front and centre in the show. She is the parent that watches out for her kids and steps up in an extraordinary situation. She’s not just fighting for her kids but for all the kids of Hawkins and the world if Vecna wins.

This is where our split heroes finally come together again as a complete team with a few new additions. I honestly expected someone to have died at this point. It has been teased so much with the emotional speeches and reveals like Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin and Steve for example. You actually care for these people that we are all rooting for them.

So when they all come together to plan the final assault, it’s a joy to watch. They must collapse the bridge and kill Vecna before he can merge both worlds, rescue the kids, stop the experiments and be home in time for tea but the minute you hear timer mentioned for the bomb, you just know it won’t go to plan. Will that be the death we have been teased? Kali certainly thinks so as she reminds Elle that she can never have a normal life after this. She will be hunted. There will be another Dr Kay, another Papa and she will see Mike murdered. There is only one end for her. So will Elle sacrifice herself to save the day? Has she a choice?

But the stand out moment of these three episodes is Will coming out to everyone as gay. My heart broke as it is so beautifully written not only for the character development but at the same time, speaking to every other kid out there who is afraid of revealing who they are. I’m welling up just thinking about it but that is the mark of good writing. Vecna is using Will’s sexuality as a weakness over him because Vecna knows everything about Will, even his secrets. It is this secret that allowed Vecna to find Max’s location through him. The real world opinion is that being gay is some sort of weakness, a shame that must not be spoken of but that is not the case at all. Being gay is as much part of who we are as a race than being hetrosexual. People use it to taunt and hurt people and threaten to expose their “terrible” secret just as Vecna did. Remember this is set in the 80s where tolerance was not as it is today. This is the stand out moment for me because everyone has opened up about what they feel inside and that group hug speaks volumes. Rejection is a genuine fear for people who are gay. But there are no more secrets. The Sorcerer has completed his armour. With no more to hide, Vecna has no power over Will. I think Vecna is going to regret what he did as Will will be at full power. He is no longer the puppet, the spy; he is a young man that opened himself to the world and was embraced by pure love and family.

Second to this is Steve opening up to Dustin about Eddie’s death and how it affected them both. I die, you die. You die, I die is too much of tempting fate for me. Are we going to get a double death?

I have to mention the role Robin plays in this as Will comes out. She is just a joy to watch.

So here we are, on the eve of the end. Dustin doing his Doc Brown speech explaining what the Upside Down is a bridge between two worlds. The twelve kids will amplify his powers merging both worlds. But why is he doing this? What have we still to find out? What is the twist? What is the black thing is out to destroy using the kids?

The plan is set. The odds are against them and the situation is grim. It better because Henry has gathered the kids round the table. Suddenly , all their heads snap back and their eyes turn white.

It has begun. Strap in because this is going to be awesome.

Unmissable episode.