User Reviews

It happens fairly often on "Captain Scarlet" that something inventive is balanced out by the absurd. "The Heart of New York" is a good example. On the one hand, the threat isn't the Mysterons but a trio of bank robbers (who pose as Mysterons); which changes things up a bit from the usual formula. And Captain Black shows up only to teach the thieves a lesson on greed and distract Blue and Scarlet with a car chase. It's a refreshing change of pace and further illustrates his supernatural abilities (as in vanishing when backed into a corner; I'd pay to have that ability).

On the other hand, there's the evacuation of New York CIty; and even in the late '60s, there were way too many people for such a matter-of-fact citizenry removal. I know I'm nitpicking. The New York streets set is pretty cool, and the eeriness that comes with an empty city is haunting.

Y'know now that I think about it, no one really died in this episode. Except for the three guys trapped in the bank vault. That never happens on this show.

7/10

"The Heart Of New York" is probably my favourite episode, thanks to the three villains who make up this episode's "guest stars", particuarly Kruger, the leader (voiced by David Healy) and Doig (voiced by Gary Files doing an hilarious impression of Jimmy Cagney in gangster mode!)

The three villains break into the Spectrum Security Vaults. The one villain works for the company who designed the safe, and its level of security suggested that there must be a few million dollars behind that door. All they find is, in Doig's opinion is "Useless paper...junk...". Kruger reads a report of an eye witness account of a Mysteron reconstruction. He feels he can turn this failure into a success. Doig suggests that it'll only be worth anything if Kruger's planning on writing a book, Kruger says "Not a book, but maybe a play and we're all gonna be in it.... I think we can make The Mysterons work for US!"

Meanwhile The Mysterons view the Earth being full of greedy and corrupt people (can't argue with them on that point!) and are going to take revenge by destroying the "heart of New York". Captains Scarlet & Blue were investigating the security vault break in. Scarlet is baffled as the job was done by professionals but they didn't appear to know what they were looking for. (more like you didn't HAVE what they were looking for!). Colonel White says it doesn't sound like the work of The Mysterons and sends the Captains to New York to organise an evacuation.

The three villains decide to stage an accident and fake their own deaths. A fire lookout watches their car fly over a cliff. As the lookout informs the police, the three villains tell him that they are Mysterons and for him to tell the authorities that they're going to destroy the First National Bank, then they knock him out.

Though Colonel White is baffled, he decides that a bank is not important enough to risk Spectrum lives on and pulls his men back. The three villains turn up at a Spectrum checkpoint manned by Captains Ochre & Magenta. They use a Mysteron detector and of course, the three robbers come up as human. Kruger flashes a fake ID and fools Magenta into believing that he's a government agent so they are let through.

They are setting up their caper when Capt Black arrives and tells them "The greed that brought you here will cost you dearly, in 5 minutes, this bank will be destroyed, and YOU with it!" Captain Scarlet uncovers the whole plan, that the robbers faked their car crash and that they're going to rob the bank. Against Colonel White's estimation that a bank isn't worth Spectrum lives, Scarlet and Blue go to foil the robbery. Captain Black uses the villains' car and suddenly his capture takes precedence, forget the bank. They trap Capt Black in a side street but The Mysterons "ghost" him and the car out of there. The bank blows up.

It's a great episode, with a great script and brilliant interplay between David Healy and Gary Files.

10/10.