Sun 31 May 2020
A Sci-Fi TV Episode Review: SPACE: 1999 “The Metamorph†(1976).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV Science Fiction & Fantasy[14] Comments
SPACE: 1999 “The Metamorph†ITC (UK); first run syndication (US). 04 September 1976 (Season 2, Episode 1).. Martin Landau (Commander John Koenig), Barbara Bain (Dr. Helena Russell), Tony Anholt, Nick Tate, Zienia Merton. Guest cast: Catherine Schell, Brian Blessed. Format creators: Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson. Writer: Johnny Byrne. Director: Charles Crichton.
The premise of this series was laughable at best if you were to look at scientifically: an explosion on the Moon would be sufficient to throw it out of its orbit and head it traveling at apparent light speed out into outer space. (In reality such an explosion would have the Moon come crashing down on Earth or blow it up entirely.)
But given enough suspension of disbelief, which I could at the time, and I still can now, this mean that the 300 plus inhabitants on the Moonbase there would have the trip and adventures of their lives. The special effects were both top notch and spectacular. The stories? Not so much.
But truth be told, I enjoyed Space: 1999 more than I did Star Trek, which I often found boring and preachy. If it hadn’t been for Spock’s ears, the show would have gone nowhere. But I digress. Suffice it to say that the stories in Space:1999 were probably not as good as those as Star Trek’s, but while people may disagree with me on this, I found them a lot more fun.
Case in point. In “The Metamorph,†the folks on the space traveling Moon are running out of titanium (if I remember correctly), and a what they think is a barren planet looks like a promising place to find some. Not so. The ruler of the underground civilization named Mentor – the ruler, not the planet – takes a survey crew captive, and plans to do the same to the rest of the crew. The reason? To suck the energy from their brains to feed his biological computer, which he plans to use to replenish his planet.
It’s a close call, but everyone escapes, just in the nick of time, thanks to, .. Well, I guess I won’t tell you, but as a hint, one of the members of the guest cast above turns out to become a regular member of Moonbase Alpha for the rest of the second season. (There were only the two.)
As I say, the story is weak. If you haven’t read and seen a version of it before, you probably haven’t read or watched a lot of sci-fi. But watching this last night brought a lot of good memories. All of a sudden I was a 30-something again.
May 31st, 2020 at 11:44 pm
A better comparison than SPAE 1999 to STAR TREK is SPACE 1999 to UFO. SPACE 1999 was the replacement for the superior UFO.
The series was meant to appeal to local TV stations looking for content to air in the new government mandated “family hour.” Not surprisingly the local stations were more interested in low cost high profit TV programs (game shows) and not thought provoking intelligent quality TV series.
Because TV is a passive experience for the viewer rather than the work and involvement the reader puts into books and listeners put in radio, mindless inept drama can be entertaining. SPACE 1999 was just one example of a thousands of bad TV series that can be fun to watch then and today.
As a science fiction fan – especially the space opera – I really disliked SPACE 1999 when it aired and my opinion of it today is the same.
May 31st, 2020 at 11:57 pm
Well as I imagine you can tell, I don’t dislike the show, but I have admit that it isn’t very good and I would feel badly if anyone took my review of this episode as a recommendation they would “not dislike” it also.
In my defense, however, I am not alone. Viewers on IMDb have rated this episode a 7.2. How is that possible? I gave it a 4.
June 1st, 2020 at 6:08 am
I don’t know if I can accept your defense. Leading people to watching SPACE 1999 is dangerous, it could emotionally scar a viewer for life. And you didn’t even mention Gerry Anderson (THUNDERBIRDS). Where were the puppets? This needed puppets!
Of course what do I know. I can’t spell SPACE in comment one (SPAE?).
June 1st, 2020 at 10:21 am
This post is a prime example of why I’ve never become a devotee of hard science fiction – and try to avoid the hard-core fans of the genre.
I grew up with one – my one-year-older brother, who considered the original Star Trek to be the Third Source of Revelation.
Did I ever tell you that story here?
I’ll spare you; just retelling that tale is wearying.
One lesson I still recall: never NEVER NEVER use the term ‘Sci-Fi’ in the presence of hard-core SF Devotees, who consider it a slur (if you do use the term, pronounce it as ‘skiffy’ – sneer optional).
When Space: 1999 entered the syndie sweepstakes, one of the first reviews it got called it Space: 1949 – not intended as a compliment.
Came Season Two, and the Fred Freiberger regime took over, the same publication called the show Space: 1939.
Being indifferent to the genre in general, I paid as little mind to the whole kerfuffle as possible, and I’d like to think I was better off for that.
I know I’m setting myself up for when HBO launches its forthcoming whatever-it-is-they-wanna-call-it of Perry Mason.
I would hope that I maintain a discreet distance from the whole megillah –
– but somehow I doubt it …
June 1st, 2020 at 11:35 am
Understood Mike, valued and value shared.
June 1st, 2020 at 2:12 pm
I used the term “Sci-Fi” in the title of this review for a reason. Sci-Fi to me means science fiction without any science in it. It doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it, but I still know what it is that I’m enjoying.
June 1st, 2020 at 5:02 pm
Most of the fans that care prefer SF.
There are always arguments over what is really sf or fantasy without science.
June 2nd, 2020 at 8:48 pm
I enjoyed this and UFO, but Gerry Anderson had a way with actors that they all ended up seeming like marionettes. What I mostly recall about this one was that the black and white comic was drawn by the great Gray Morrow.
I’ve watched all the episodes, some were fun as you say, but I can’t say I ever cared what happened to any of the characters — which was the way I felt about UFO. Oddly Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlett were both way more human.
June 3rd, 2020 at 2:48 am
I was a big fan of UFO when it was shown over here in the 70s. I recently watched it again and oh my how its aged…or I aged…whatever…I don’t think either of us has done well over time.
June 3rd, 2020 at 12:11 pm
Shows that I loved back then that I find difficult to watch now include:
BATMAN
MAN FROM UNCLE
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Almost any sitcom
I’m sure there are many more.
June 3rd, 2020 at 2:26 pm
I find it easier to name the few I am not disappointed by – DEPARTMENT S, DELPHI BUREAU, HARRY O, BANACEK, GOVERNOR AND JJ, TAXI (though the Andy Kaufman episodes are horrible but they were then too), OPEN ALL NIGHT, and BOB NEWHART.
There are a few that still have some great seasons but the entire series disappoints – REMINGTON STEELE (great first season), MAN FROM UNCLE (good first season), MASH (first four seasons), and ROCKFORD FILES (hit and missed).
Many of my old favorites don’t disappoint but don’t impress either. Sometime it is the viewer that changes. Most of the shows I was devoted to as a teen appealed to me on different levels than today. Much of my love for MCMILLAN AND WIFE was Susan St. James. Now I realize others were in it and the
the mysteries often were secondary to fun character scenes.
June 3rd, 2020 at 3:30 pm
I think we all could make lists like this. Some shows hold up for us, others definitely do not. But yours prompts me to add that yes, I do exempt the first season of UNCLE from my previous comment.
June 3rd, 2020 at 9:51 pm
I loved the pilot for the time travel series VOYAGERS! when it first came out.
Seeing it a few years ago on DVD was a real disappointment.
But SECRET AGENT / DANGER MAN was even better than I remembered.
June 3rd, 2020 at 11:31 pm
Mike, DANGER MAN/ SECRET AGENT/ THE PRISONER is (are?) considered by many to be the best spy series ever shown on TV. I have been rewatching it on Amazon Prime and while I think it remains one of the best spy series ever I find the character of John Drake hard to get into.
I find DEPARTMENT S and DELPHI BUREAU more entertaining. THE SANDBAGGERS and RUBICON more real, however a recent rewatch of RUBICON, it felt much slower than it did the first time I watched it. But my favorite spy series is MR. PALFREY OF WESTMINSTER which I discovered this century thanks to YouTube.