This week, Simon and Eugene look at the second episode of Real Humans, season 2, where they discuss the changes between the last season and this, or lack thereof, the loss of some of the interesting ambiguities, and whether there is a Swedish TV body count limit.

Next Week: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Sky’s on Fire.

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, Ben and Eugene delve into the 1961 Irwin Allen film “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Fontaine. The discussion centers on the USOS Seaview and Admiral Nelson’s desperate mission to extinguish a catastrophic burning of the Van Allen Belt, which threatens all life on Earth.

They explore the film’s key themes, including the clash between reason and fanaticism, as well as character dynamics, particularly between Nelson and his crew. We also reflect on our personal experiences with the film, critique its scientific elements, and analyze the portrayal of authority during the Cold War.

Next Week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century – Cruise Ship to the Stars

In this week’s episode of Fusion Patrol, Simon and Eugene dissect the series finale of Bugs, focusing on the two-part episode “Money Spiders” and “The Enemy Within.”

They argue over which of the many things Alex should have been fired for, they discuss whether the G5 is the chip Apple released five years after the show and why they didn’t use a Pentium chip to run a Windows program, and they talk about how Bugs went out with a whimper, not a bang, not even a single bang.

Join the conversation and revisit the thrilling conclusion of Bugs with them this week!

Next Week: World Beyond Movie Night looks at Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

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

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, we explore “Escape from Wedded Bliss,” the twelfth episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. The plot unfolds as a menacing space probe prompts the Federation to act, while Princess Ardala plots to capture Buck as leverage against them. Amidst a chaotic reception, Buck navigates Ardala’s royal wedding challenges, ultimately facing off against Tiger Man. We critique the episode’s pacing and examine Ardala’s character, blending humor with serious themes.

Next week: The Invaders, The Mutation
Next on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Cruise Ship to The Stars

This week Simon and Eugene look at the Bugs episode Twin Geeks, and discuss their disappointment at the size of this episodes’s explosions, whether lawyers are as scarce as police in Bugs Land, and they lament the lack of eccentric British gauge collectors in this episode.

Next week: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Escape from Wedded Bliss
Next time when we look at Bugs, it’s the 2-part series finale Money Spiders & The Enemy Within

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, the Kenneth and Eugene review The Invaders episode “The Experiment,” which features guest star Roddy McDowall as the son of an astrophysicist targeted by alien brainwashing. The discussion highlights the story’s strong Cold War influences, noting how the plot mirrors spy thrillers like The Manchurian Candidate by effectively substituting aliens for Soviet agents.

This week Simon and Eugene look at the last nugget of the Disney-BBC Doctor Who deal, the War Between the Land and the Sea where they discuss parallels between the modern UNIT and Torchwood, whether Kate Lethbridge-Stewart is the true heir to the Brigadier, and Eugene explains why the naming of Homo Aqua is as inappropriate as the naming of the Silurians.