Fusion Patrol

Eugene and Kenneth discuss Season 1, Episode 13 of The Invaders, “Storm,” in which climate scientist Dr. Gantley notices a freak hurricane, a surviving ship in the eye of the storm, and a town that was strangely spared. When he goes to investigate, he is killed by the invaders, while David Vincent arrives in St. Matthew’s Beach to follow the trail. They point out a number of practical details, including the geography of the hurricane and the hospital, the use of the church location, and the episode’s staging of the storm machinery. They note that Lisa’s behavior is convincing, that the characters are not unusually foolish, and that the episode stands out as one of the stronger ones in the series.

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