Eugene and John dive into Season 1, Episode 18 of *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century*, “Twiki is Missing.” They humorously critique a high-stakes mission involving a spaceberg, a miners’ revolt, and a kidnapping plot against Twiki. Amid absurd twists, they discuss scientific credibility, casting choices, and themes of loyalty and free will, teasing the next episode, “Olympiad,” for more adventures.

Next Week: The Invaders, Doomsday Minus One
Next on Buck Rogers: Olympiad

Follow this blog on Mastodon or the Fediverse to receive updates directly in your feed.

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, Kenneth and Eugene be looking at Season 1, Episode 7 of The Invaders. With the episode entitled “Nightmare” where they discuss how the Invaders are like the Wild Wild West’s Dr. Loveless, ask, “why mutate butterflies when locusts are readily available?”, and why small towns immediately distrust outsider David Vincent but welcome a gaggle of invaders from another world with open arms.

Next Week: Real Humans, Season 2, Episode 4
Next on the Invaders: Doomsday Minus One

Follow this blog on Mastodon or the Fediverse to receive updates directly in your feed.

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, John and Eugene analyze two contrasting episodes from Season 1 of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: “A Blast for Buck” and “Ardala Returns.” They explore the quirky narrative of “A Blast for Buck,” a clip show that offers a humorous spin on nostalgia while critiquing the logic behind its past villains. They examine the use of limericks and the challenges of tension-building in traditional clip shows. Transitioning to “Ardala Returns,” they delve into character dynamics with Princess Ardala and Killer Kane, discussing how their interactions deepen viewer engagement while highlighting the absurdity of the sci-fi genre. Through a lively dialogue about humor, character development, and narrative structure, and they reflect on the show’s evolution.

Next Week: The Invaders – Nightmare
Next on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Twiki us Missing

Follow this blog on Mastodon or the Fediverse to receive updates directly in your feed.

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, Kenneth and Eugene analyze Season 1, Episode 6 of The Invaders, titled “Vicar.” The story follows an electrical lineman who dies after witnessing aliens regenerate, prompting David Vincent to investigate Vikor Enterprises’ dark ties to the invaders. We examine the moral complexities of George Vikor, who prioritizes personal gain over ethics, and the troubled relationship with his wife, Sherry. Their discussion touches on the psychological toll of war, social commentary on veteran treatment, and the Cold War context, offering insights into the episode’s deeper themes.

Next Week: Real Humans Season 2, Episode 3
Next on the Invaders: Nightmare

Follow this blog on Mastodon or the Fediverse to receive updates directly in your feed.

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, John and Eugene analyze Season 1, Episode 15 of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, titled “Happy Birthday, Buck.” The narrative explores Buck’s existential crisis as he confronts his 534th birthday and feels a sense of nostalgia for 20th century Chicago.

Next episode: The Invaders – Vikor
Next on Buck Rogers: A Blast for Buck & Ardala Returns

Follow this blog on Mastodon or the Fediverse to receive updates directly in your feed.

In this episode Kenneth and Eugene analyze Season 1, Episode 5 of The Invaders, titled “Genesis.” A police officers encounter with an Invader loosing his human form leads David Vincent to discover a desperate Invader plan to save the life of a scientist key to their invasion plans.

Next Week: Real Humans Season 2, Episode 2
Next time on the Invaders: Vikor

It’s the episode everyone has been waiting for! John and Eugene review Space Vampire!

They discuss the surprisingly effective direction of Buck Rogers’ take on the horror genre, the curious omission of the named “Dracula,” and they welcome the return of “Sexy Wilma.”

Next time on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Happy Birthday, Buck
Next Week on Fusion Patrol: The Invaders, Genesis

Dr. Markham escapes the Invaders, leading to a chaotic pursuit involving David Vincent and Warren Donaghan, who fears alien abductions linked to missing scientists.

Kenneth and Eugene explore themes of friendship, skepticism, and belief in the face of the mysterious alien threat, dissecting the episode’s character dynamics and storytelling elements.

Dr. Markham escapes the Invaders, leading to a chaotic pursuit involving David Vincent and Warren Donaghan, who fears alien abductions linked to missing scientists.

Kenneth and Eugene explore themes of friendship, skepticism, and belief in the face of the mysterious alien threat, dissecting the episode’s character dynamics and storytelling elements.

Next week: Real Humans, Season 2, Episode 1

This week, Eugene and John explore *Buck Rogers in the 25th Century*, Season 1, Episode 13, “Cruise Ship to the Stars.” They call out the awkward attraction between the 500+ year old Buck and the 19 year old Ms. Cosmos, critique the episode’s convoluted plot, humorously discuss Twiki’s romance, and ponder 2491’s beauty standards.

Next time on Buck Rogers: Space Vampire
Next week on Fusion Patrol: The Invaders – The Leeches

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, Kenneth and Eugene analyze Season 1, Episode 3 of The Invaders, titled “The Mutation.” The story follows David Vincent as he investigates mysterious phenomena along the Texas-Mexico border, leading to a life-threatening encounter with locals and ultimately, alien forces. Despite being undermined by those he encounters, including the deceptive Evans and Vicky, Vincent’s quest for the truth about the invaders drives the narrative.

They discuss the missed opportunities for deeper explorations of alien culture and the complexities of Vincent’s interactions with Vicky, who reveals her own mutation. They raise critical questions about identity and emotional depth, while critiquing its execution, noting continuity issues and the lack of logical consistency. They dissect the themes of rationality versus emotionality reflected in the series.

Peso notes: There was lots of confusion in this episode about peso->dollar exchange rates, so let me clarify some of the confusion.

in 1967, when this episode aired, the Mexican Peso (MXP) existed at a fixed exchange rate of 12.5 MXP for 1 USD. That means Vincent gave the men $24 USD.

Since then (in 1993) the Peso (MXP) has been replaced by the New Peso (MXN). The New Peso’s exchange rate floats freely on the market.

For additional context, $24 USD in 1967 money is roughly the equivalent of $230-$235 USD today.

Calculating what the money was worth in Mexico in 1967 is more difficult, but in the 1960s there were different minimum wages, which could vary depending on type of job and region. In some places, a laborer’s minimum wage could have been as low as 8 pesos per day. So for the laborers that took Vincent’s 300 pesos, that could have been a significant portion of a year’s salary for them.

Suffice to say, he gave them a lot of their money, and not too terribly much of his own.

Next Week: The Bugs two-part finale, Money Spiders & The Enemy Within
Next time on the Invaders: The Leeches