In this thrilling, extremely well written episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the way suspicion is cast towards the "second conspirator" is especially noteworthy. The saboteur could be two guest stars because they aren't regulars on the show, but the secret reveal is built until the very end and makes sense once all is out in the open. These sparks of brilliance that shown in the series early have a hard time maintaining themselves once the later seasons torpedo logic and sound storytelling in favor of monsters and Lost in Space stupidity.
Anyway, in "The Saboteur", the opening is a definite grabber: Captain Crane had been captured by "the enemy" (a foreign terror known as "The People's Republic"), tortured (using an electric chair device), and brainwashed into obeying their commands / orders. He must eventually kill Admiral Nelson, deactivate missile silos that will be buried in sections of the Pacific to "threaten peace", and bomb the Seaview, if necessary, using plastic explosive (passing as toothpaste in a tube). I love when a show opens with a plot that seems to indicate that Nelson and Seaview seem doomed unless a miracle can happen. Sure, to keep the series going, the Seaview and Nelson (and crew) will somehow survive each "crisis of the week"; the beauty is seeing how (a lot of times, matters of convenience, like in this episode's conclusion where the Seaview surfaces just at the point where one of the windows is exploded and ocean water starts to rush in) the script allows them to get out of yet another sticky situation. Forrester (Warren Stevens) is on board the Seaview to make sure the mission goes without complication and to make sure no one interferes. He doesn't trust anyone which may seem a bit paranoid on its face, but this "trust no one" attitude turns out to be accurate and halts several attempts by brainwashed Crane to achieve the mission ordered him during the torture. For instance, the second round of missile silos he is ordered to deactivate is interrupted when Forrester enters the chamber to do a check (Crane bopping Forrester on the head so he could retreat), and later Forrester rescues Nelson right before Crane shoots him in the back. So two instances seem to prove that Forrester is one of the good guys, but what's neat about this episode is how you can't be too sure. Dr. Ullman (Bert Freed) was the mastermind and creator of the missile silos, and when he chalks an ancient symbol of peace on one of the silos he places himself in a cloud of suspicion (but maybe that's a bit too obvious a red herring trick) this because books of matches used by the other saboteur to transfer coded messages to brainwashed Crane has the same symbol on them. Crane shouting at Nelson regarding orders to take the Seaview down without the inertial navigator (Crane was forced to sabotage), and later provoking Nelson to slap him will probably be certain to raise eyes and draw stunned silence from Voyage fans this isn't the norm by any stretch of the imagination, to see those two at such odds. I loved the dynamic between Nelson and Forrester due to the suspicions of sabotage; Nelson is ill at ease with how Forrester (rightfully) suggests that Crane (or another officer) on board the Seaview might be capable of sabotage.
So, "The Saboteur" is just another dandy from the first season that further emphasizes the quality that once existed on the series before it all went to hell.
Anyway, in "The Saboteur", the opening is a definite grabber: Captain Crane had been captured by "the enemy" (a foreign terror known as "The People's Republic"), tortured (using an electric chair device), and brainwashed into obeying their commands / orders. He must eventually kill Admiral Nelson, deactivate missile silos that will be buried in sections of the Pacific to "threaten peace", and bomb the Seaview, if necessary, using plastic explosive (passing as toothpaste in a tube). I love when a show opens with a plot that seems to indicate that Nelson and Seaview seem doomed unless a miracle can happen. Sure, to keep the series going, the Seaview and Nelson (and crew) will somehow survive each "crisis of the week"; the beauty is seeing how (a lot of times, matters of convenience, like in this episode's conclusion where the Seaview surfaces just at the point where one of the windows is exploded and ocean water starts to rush in) the script allows them to get out of yet another sticky situation. Forrester (Warren Stevens) is on board the Seaview to make sure the mission goes without complication and to make sure no one interferes. He doesn't trust anyone which may seem a bit paranoid on its face, but this "trust no one" attitude turns out to be accurate and halts several attempts by brainwashed Crane to achieve the mission ordered him during the torture. For instance, the second round of missile silos he is ordered to deactivate is interrupted when Forrester enters the chamber to do a check (Crane bopping Forrester on the head so he could retreat), and later Forrester rescues Nelson right before Crane shoots him in the back. So two instances seem to prove that Forrester is one of the good guys, but what's neat about this episode is how you can't be too sure. Dr. Ullman (Bert Freed) was the mastermind and creator of the missile silos, and when he chalks an ancient symbol of peace on one of the silos he places himself in a cloud of suspicion (but maybe that's a bit too obvious a red herring trick) this because books of matches used by the other saboteur to transfer coded messages to brainwashed Crane has the same symbol on them. Crane shouting at Nelson regarding orders to take the Seaview down without the inertial navigator (Crane was forced to sabotage), and later provoking Nelson to slap him will probably be certain to raise eyes and draw stunned silence from Voyage fans this isn't the norm by any stretch of the imagination, to see those two at such odds. I loved the dynamic between Nelson and Forrester due to the suspicions of sabotage; Nelson is ill at ease with how Forrester (rightfully) suggests that Crane (or another officer) on board the Seaview might be capable of sabotage.
So, "The Saboteur" is just another dandy from the first season that further emphasizes the quality that once existed on the series before it all went to hell.
