Watching these
episodes back in the day the philosophical side of the series’ writing didn’t
really make an impact on me, I was more interested in the spaceships, the
planets and the action. Yet there’s quite a lot in an episode like `Missing
Link` for a more mature viewer even if the end result is rather muddled. After a
mission to check out a planet goes wrong, an Eagle crash lands a hundred miles
from Alpha and while the others on the mission have less serious injuries the
commander is in a coma and seemingly unable to be saved. However we see him
wandering about a deserted moonbase stalked by floaty figures in long gowns.
These turn out to be Zennites, a race with a fashion sense right out of Sixties
Carnaby Street crossed with a circus. Their main man, Raan – played with as
much dignity as he can manage by a silver faced Peter Cushing- sports a stripy
tea cosy on his head while his daughter Vana is wearing some outrageously shiny
accoutrements. They are more serious than their attire would suggest however as
Koenig finds himself being seen as an experiment, a `permanent guest`.
Clearly working
to a budget the episode enjoys some strong direction from Ray Austin, in
particular a sequence where the fake Alpha starts to spin around a
disorientated Koenig. There are well rendered changes of locale and a fuzzy
quality to the fake Alpha that adds an eerie signature. At times its too gaudy
though; the Zennites bizarre clothing is complemented by a lot of yellow
curtains and a rather unconvincing `city of light`.
The episode
works best early on building a mystery while parallel attempts to save the
crashed Eagle crew members are ongoing. Koenig’s wandering around the silent
Moonbase is well conveyed – I thought the clue that it was fake came when
there’s a long close up on his misspelt name above a medical monitor but
apparently that was just a production error! Once we learn what is happening,
the most impressive aspect is the acting.
At times it
feels like the episode has too many ideas and no focus; apparently the original
script by Edward di Lorenzo was based on no less than The Tempest, but was altered by producers. The Zennites world is
seemingly constructed from mental thought alone, they lack aggression (though
Raan shows plenty of passive aggression it has to be said) and the whole `city
of light` thing is rather vague. “This is my home,” explains Raan early on “it
is made of light.” So presumably the images of fake Alpha they project are made
of this light but created by mental power? Di Lorenzo isn’t beyond slotting in
some messages that sound timeless and could apply today referencing human
aggression and having Koenig declare (albeit sounding slightly out of
character) “Its more important to feel than to think.”
Overwhelmed by
these pocket philosophies the episode takes a leap on the last part having Vana
fall in love with Koenig because of his human qualities. Is the commander
pretending to fall for her to find a way out? Well that bits not clear either
but all three seem very matey by the end which does drain a lot of the tension
the episode has built up.
What the story
does do is give the regulars some heavy lifting which must have been a relief
after all the tech talk they normally get. Martin Landau and Barry Morse both
get the chance to cut loose- Morse’s sinister, self interested Bergman is a
revelation. Meanwhile in the real Alpha, Carter gets into his weekly fracas and
there’s some more subtle acting from Barbara Bain whose controlled reaction to
Koenig’s apparent demise is rather moving. Really given the stresses and
strains they are under, outbursts should happen every episode!
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