Fusion Patrol

Eugene and John discuss the final two-part episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century season one, in which Buck discovers a strange orb near Vasquez Rocks, the Defense Directorate studies it, and the object leads to a vortex into another universe. The episode introduces Pendar, where Buck and the others are drawn into a conflict they do not want, and are pressured into helping defend a world whose people refuse to kill but still force others to fight for them.

This episode also marks the last appears of the Draconians, Ardala and Kane, and of Drs. Huer and Theopolis, making this the end of an era for Buck Rogers.

Eugene and John also discuss Buck’s wooden goodbye scenes, Wilma and Huer’s character moments, Ardala’s final appearance, and whether the episode gives the season a stronger ending than the series as a whole.

Ben and Eugene look at the 1976 sequel to Westworld, Futureworld, where they discuss the continuity misses between Westworld and Futureworld, the nature of context shaping how two “identical” minds might react, and make note that there’s an awful lot of talking about sex with robots, but no actual sex with robots in this movie.

00:00:35 Futureworld Synopsis
00:03:43 Delos Tour Begins
00:06:04 Tunnels and Robots
00:07:48 Dreams and Duplicates
00:09:01 The Replacement Plot
00:10:59 Aftermath and Reactions
00:15:11 Yul Brynner Dream
00:18:32 Robot Sex Talk
00:22:57 Missing Delos Logic
00:27:57 More Dream Debate
00:29:59 Duplicate Showdown
00:37:08 Duffy and the Clones
00:40:01 Waters and Cameras
00:44:31 Missing Scenes
00:48:04 Hologram Chess Problems
00:50:19 Ninja Robots Nonsense
00:53:54 Mirror Identity Test
00:56:12 Final Thoughts
00:59:29 Beyond Westworld Talk

Simon and Eugene discuss whether the real human cloning process should be more like Star Trek or a zombie movie, how likely a computer is to explode when code is overwritten, and we ask, where did all the nannies come from?

00:00:35 Opening the Final Countdown
00:01:25 Bea’s Dangerous Bargain
00:02:39 Mimi’s Final Shutdown
00:03:24 Jonas Plans His Transfer
00:05:38 Cloning, Souls, and Identity
00:15:58 Jonas’s Death Ritual
00:34:39 Overwriting David’s Code
00:42:27 Bea, Roger, and Control
00:49:08 Mimi’s Hidden Memory
01:00:27 Nannies and Purpose
01:05:28 Hans Goes to Korea
01:06:44 Rick’s Rebel Turn
01:09:01 Battleland Showdown

Eugene and Kenneth discuss The Invaders, Season 1, Episode 12, “The Betrayed,” focusing on David Vincent’s long surveillance of an alien hotspot and his effort to document a landing and an invader facility hidden in a railway car, his recovery of an alien data tape, and attempts to get it analyzed

Much of the conversation is devoted to plot holes and the show’s handling of the Invaders, including why they sometimes want Vincent dead, sometimes want to discredit him, and sometimes do not seem to recognize him. Eugene also notes that Vincent is shown as a working architect with an actual investigation plan, which he likes, while questioning the logic of the tape format and the coordinate system.

00:00:34 Opening and episode setup
00:00:43 Vincent’s Alien Breakthrough
00:01:41 Carver Oil Stakes
00:02:37 Taft Decodes the Tape
00:03:17 Susan’s Betrayal
00:04:14 Brother Killed in Ambush
00:04:49 NASA Sets the Trap
00:05:58 Railcar Showdown
00:06:42 Aftermath and Goodbye
00:06:57 Theodore Sturgeon Debate
00:10:13 Plot Holes and Invader Logic
00:16:12 Tape and Camera Problems
00:24:10 Evelyn Bowers Unmasked
00:29:23 Susan’s Death
00:33:43 Alien Mission Aborted
00:36:09 Coordinates and Earth Maps
00:39:33 Title Meaning
00:40:06 Guest Cast and Credits

Eugene and John discuss Buck Rogers season 1, episode 22, “Buck’s Duel to the Death,” after a storm interrupted their first attempt to record. They describe it as a fairly routine episode in which Buck is brought to the planet Katar to serve as a symbol of hope for an oppressed population ruled by Warlord Trebor.

They go over the basic plot: Trebor has ruled for generations, steals women, kills warriors, and is challenged by the legend of the Roshan. Buck is tricked into returning, learns what is happening, and ends up leading an assault on Trebor’s palace, rescuing the captured women, and later confronting Trebor in a fight. They note that Buck’s final “duel” is more of a scuffle than a true showdown.

A major topic is the rescue sequence, especially the “emergency access to the women’s quarters,” which they find odd in both design and placement. They also point out how the scene is staged to emphasize the women coming down a ladder, with the camera lingering on their clothing and legs, and they describe it as especially dated and deliberate.

They also spend time on the episode’s sci-fi logic, especially the claim that electricity has not been used for 400 years. They question how the setting functions without electricity and how Trebor’s electrical powers fit into that world. They also comment on the naming, the archives scene with Dr. Junius and Dr. Albert, and the clear exposition problems in the report Wilma is given.

The discussion returns repeatedly to Trebor’s obvious villainy and the frustrating choice to have characters try to capture him for justice instead of simply shooting him. They also mention a traitor subplot that amounts to little more than one warning call, as well as the episode’s production details, including reused props, unusual guns, and the Kataran capital’s resemblance to an Osaka Expo building.

Kenneth and Eugene look at the classic 1951 Christian Nyby directed (wink wink), Howard Hawks Produced The Thing from Another World. They ask, “Is this film slow, as some people claim?”, “Is it unfair to complain the creature is a walking carrot?”, and “How did they get the sexually charged bondage sequence past the Hays Office Code?”

00:00:35 Introduction to The Thing
00:02:37 The Discovery of the Creature
00:03:45 Conflict Over the Creature
00:05:32 The Creature Awakens
00:07:04 The Creature’s Escape
00:07:56 Final Confrontation and Resolution
00:08:11 Reflections on the Film
00:14:03 Discussion of Character Dynamics
00:24:26 Analysis of Themes and Style
00:31:27 The Role of Science in the Film
00:32:45 Trivia and Fun Facts
00:47:42 Closing Remarks

Simon and Eugene discuss the status of Hubots as property and its legal implications, whether there is a government requirement for Hubots to make a noise like electric vehicles must, and they discuss the correct procedure for warming up a severed finger.

00:00:34 Episode 8 Overview
00:01:41 Mimi’s Trojan Crisis
00:03:02 Free Will and Clones
00:06:33 Florence’s Inheritance
00:07:43 Rick’s Cult Rising
00:16:55 Mimi’s Mysterious Memory
00:24:25 Electric Noise Detour
00:30:57 The Logic of Reformats
00:44:37 Can Free Bots Transfer?
01:01:02 Jonas and Roger’s Escape
01:02:26 Silas’s Childhood Memory
01:03:52 Rick’s New Followers
01:07:14 Machines and Memories

Kenneth and Eugene discuss if the Invaders know how to fly planes for themselves, what Roy Thinnes and Susan Oliver’s children’s eyes would have looked like, and did hippies want to nuke China in the 1960s.

00:00:35 Invaders Episode Recap
00:02:33 Academy Infiltration
00:04:10 The Police Arrive
00:05:35 Cahill’s Final Choice
00:06:23 Episode Discussion Begins
00:19:12 Alien Logic Problems
00:24:41 License and Identity
00:28:39 Production Trivia
00:32:54 Susan Oliver Spotlight
00:34:32 Next Episode Preview

John and Eugene discuss rock and roll gone horribly wrong, and the surprising way the director for Space Rockers was chosen.

00:00:35 Space Rockers Intro
00:02:46 Concert Chaos Begins
00:04:27 Signal Behind the Music
00:06:54 The Song Repeats
00:10:55 The Kids and the Plot
00:13:55 Casting and Character Oddities
00:19:12 Clues and Coverage Problems
00:22:00 Youth Riots Explained
00:26:24 Tweaky in the Tunnel
00:32:48 Behind the Director Story
00:43:40 Music World Questions

In this wildly free-roaming episode, Ben and Eugene discussd institutional failures in education, the assumption that everyone is motivated by greed, Disney’s Song of the South taken in a modern context, the notion that the child of two hillbillies could be educated not to be a hillbilly, is electing an idiotic TV personality to the US Presidency a good idea, dress Crocs, electrolytes, does this film punch up or punch down, is it anti-intellectual, anti-moron, or both and, most importantly, why on Earth are they discussing this film.

The film is Idiocracy and it’s what plants crave.

Next week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – Space Rockers