The Heart of New York (Captain Scarlet)

"The Heart of New York" is the 16th episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 8 December 1967 on ATV Midlands.

"The Heart of New York"
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episode
Episode no.Episode 16
Directed byAlan Perry
Written byTony Barwick
Cinematography byTed Catford
Editing byBob Dearberg
Production codeSCA 12[1]
Original air date8 December 1967
Guest character voices

Voices of:
Gary Files as
Doig
David Healy as
Kruger
Martin King as
Carl
Security Guard
Jeremy Wilkin as
Fire Lookout

In this episode, a group of human bank robbers attempt to outwit Spectrum as the Mysterons threaten to destroy the "heart of New York". As with "Winged Assassin" and "Big Ben Strikes Again", similarities between the plot of the episode and the September 11 attacks caused it to be postponed for several weeks during BBC Two's 2001–2002 re-run of the series.

Plot

Bank robbers Kruger, Doig and Carl break into the Spectrum Security Vaults but are disappointed to find only classified information of no material value. Nevertheless, Kruger is fascinated by documents describing Earth's war with the Mysterons, and devises a plan to exploit it.

Meanwhile, the Mysterons inform Spectrum that they have studied human greed and corruption and that they now intend to destroy the "heart of New York". As the city's population is evacuated and its perimeter roadblocked, Captains Scarlet and Blue (voiced by Francis Matthews and Ed Bishop) search the deserted streets for concealed explosive devices.

Driving through forest, Kruger, Doig and Carl stop at a fire tower and feign drunkenness in front of the lookout. They then destroy their car by sending it over a cliff edge, leading the lookout to believe that they have been killed in a drink-driving accident. Returning to the tower, they tell the lookout that they are Mysteron reconstructions and intend to destroy the Second National Bank of New York. When the lookout's story reaches Cloudbase, Colonel White (voiced by Donald Gray) decides that he will not risk lives to protect the bank and orders all Spectrum personnel to retreat to the roadblocks.

Having acquired another car, Kruger, Doig and Carl drive up to a roadblock manned by Captains Magenta and Ochre (voiced by Gary Files and Jeremy Wilkin). They present false FBI identification and claim to be on official business that has nothing to do with the Second National Bank. Ochre's Mysteron Detector shows them to be human and Magenta permits them to enter the city. The men arrive at the bank aiming to steal the entire East Coast gold reserve. However, they have been followed by Captain Black (voiced by Donald Gray), who locks them inside a vault and warns them that the bank will soon be destroyed.

Learning of the men's arrival, Scarlet is puzzled how a group of supposed government agents knew that the Mysterons were specifically targeting the bank when only Spectrum personnel had been informed. Realising that they are the men who confronted the fire lookout, and that they evidently faked their deaths and are now about to get away with robbery, Scarlet and Blue speed to the bank in their Spectrum Patrol Car but turn around when they see Black driving the men's car in the opposite direction. As the Mysterons use their powers to teleport Black to safety, the bank is destroyed in an explosion, killing the thieves.

Back on Cloudbase, White concedes that Kruger, Doig and Carl exemplified the greed and corruption denounced by the Mysterons, but insists that the good of humanity will eventually prevail over the Martian evil.

Production

The Mysteron's vanishing power is seen for the first time in this episode. It is also featured in "Model Spy", "Expo 2068" and "Inferno".[2][3] The exterior of the Second National Bank was designed by special effects assistant Mike Trim.[4]

This episode contains a number of continuity errors. In the puppet shots of Scarlet, Blue and Black driving through New York, trees and bushes are seen in the background, yet in the corresponding scale model shots no plants are shown.[5] When Kruger, Doig and Carl tell the fire lookout that they are Mysteron reconstructions, Kruger's jacket changes colour between the puppet shots and the live-action close-ups.

The marionette that plays Kruger was one of the most frequently used "revamp" puppets of the late-1960s Supermarionation productions: its other appearances in Captain Scarlet alone include "Winged Assassin",[2] "Big Ben Strikes Again", "Point 783", "Avalanche", "The Trap" and "Special Assignment".[5] It would later appear as the commander in the Joe 90 episode "Arctic Adventure" and the Dreisenberg ambassador in "A Case for the Bishop", the first episode of The Secret Service.[2] In contrast, the puppet that plays Doig was never used again.[5]

The Carl puppet previously appeared as Lieutenant Belmont in "White As Snow" while the fire lookout puppet played Major Brooks in "Point 783" and Air Commodore Goddard in "The Trap".[5] A modified version of the puppet that plays the Spectrum Security Vaults guard would later appear as the regular character of Shane Weston in Joe 90.[5]

Broadcast and reception

When BBC Two began a repeat run of Captain Scarlet in September 2001, "The Heart of New York" was originally due to be broadcast as the 11th episode. However, along with "Winged Assassin" and "Big Ben Strikes Again" it was later postponed due to perceived similarities between the plot and the September 11 attacks. Like the other two episodes, it was eventually broadcast several weeks after its intended transmission date.[6][7]

Critical response

James Stansfield of Den of Geek ranks "The Heart of New York" the second-best episode of Captain Scarlet, describing it as "memorable and unique" because "the Mysterons [are not] really the villains". He praises the scenes of the deserted New York City, calling the silence "eerie", and credits the overall instalment as a "great episode with a really different storyline to it".[3]

Writer Fred McNamara also praises the episode, calling it "something of a triumph in its focus on characters and overall comment on the state of humanity's darker side". He perceives a minimalism in its approach, noting that it features little in terms of vehicle action, but commends the "off-kilter feel" created by its emphasis on the three bank robbers. He believes that the episode fundamentally serves as a "character study on the consequences of greed", arguing that its "grey depiction of morality" was unusual for a TV series that was written primarily for children.[8]

References
  1. Bentley, Chris (2017). Hearn, Marcus (ed.). Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Vault. Cambridge, UK: Signum Books. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-995519-12-1.
  2. Bentley, Chris (2003). The Complete Gerry Anderson: the Authorised Episode Guide. London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-903111-97-0.
  3. Stansfield, James (6 September 2012). "Top 10 Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Episodes". Den of Geek. London, UK: Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  4. Taylor, Anthony; Trim, Mike (2006). The Future Was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-932563-82-5.
  5. Bentley, Chris (2001). The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet. London, UK: Carlton Books. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-842224-05-2.
  6. "Captain Scarlet (1967)". Toonhound.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  7. "The Hound — October 2001: Scarlet Faces ..." Toonhound.com. October 2001. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
  8. McNamara, Fred (2020). Simpson, Paul (ed.). Spectrum is Indestructible: An Unofficial Captain Scarlet Celebration. Chinbeard Books. pp. 62–66. ISBN 978-1-913256-05-0.
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