Saturday Morning Serials

Every Saturday at 9 AM, Turner Classic Movies is showing three chapters from a old time serial. This month's serial is Zorro Rides Again. Their web site has not list their schedule for February yet, but I'm hoping that they continue to show these great classics of yesterday.

Free For All

With our last election come and gone, I felt the need to watch an episode of the Prisoner that dealt very cynically with elections in general. ("The Prisoner" is short lived series in the 1960s, brainchild of the late Patrick McGoohan, in which a spy quits his jobs, and is kidnapped and taken to the Village, where various means are used to try to take what important secrets still lurk within his mind.)

In this particular episode, Number 2, the only visible leader of the Village, confides with the prisoner, Number 6, that he is up for re-election, and that Number 6 should run against him. Tantalized with the idea of becoming the next Number 2 and using his newfound power to set everyone free, Number 6 agrees, and is given a girl who speaks no English to be his manager. At first, Number 6 gives powerful speeches about freedom for everyone, but this barely registers with the crowd. He is then taken by Number 2 to be brainwashed in a number of strange ways.

Now, Number 6 is nothing more than a talking puppet. Their talking puppet. Of course, his inane political rhetoric makes him insanely popular in the election, and he wins by a landslide. He is taken to Number 2's home, and given the keys to the Village, so to speak. He plays with the controls, like a child with a new toy, until the brainwashing finally wears off. Then, Number 6 scrambles to free himself and everyone else, but to no avail. A group of thugs grab him and give him a beating.

You see, neither Number 6 nor the "elected" Number 2 were really Number 2 at any time. The girl, who actually spoke perfect English, was the real Number 2, who had been observing everything taking place. There is plenty to talk about in this episode, but one of the more interesting is the choice of the title. Its double meaning, Number 6's idea of "freedom for all" and the free-for-all to become Number 2, i.e. the power behind the Village, is very clever.

Rick Daring and The Brilliant 5 – Chapter Fourteen: The Final Showdown

DARING – Along with Sara and the Brilliant 5, had tracked Dekker back to the Spectre’s secret hideout.

“Did you say that you know that building?” asked Johnny Highpitch.

“Yes,” replied Sara. “Ever since we suspected one of the five scientists was the Spectre, I’ve been reading the reports surrounding the five men. Dr Bryant died in a lab accident.”

“A fire in the lab, wasn’t it?” asked Marissa.

“That building was the one Bryant died in,” replied Sara.

“Does that mean that Bryant is…?” asked Junior.

“There’s only one way to find out,” said Daring.

Meanwhile, Dekker stumbled into the ruined laboratory. He was worn out. Barely surviving the artificial disaster that torn down the government building, Dekker had snuck past patrols and managed to make it back to his master’s base of operations. Little did he know that woven within his prison garments was Teresa’s homing beacon. He wandered through the remains of the laboratory until he found the Spectre taunting the poor Dr. Edwards, still held captive.

“Tell me how it felt to see your own invention used to destroy everything you care about,” hissed the Spectre.

“I never should have helped you finished it,” rasped an unkempt Edwards.

“But you feared for your life, and I have kept my word,” said the Spectre. “You still live.”

“But I’m still your blasted prisoner!”

“You did not ask for your freedom.”

“What possible reason would you still need me?”

“Careful how you word that, my dear professor. You don’t want to know what I do with my ‘unwanted.’” The hooded man loomed over the helpless scientist. “But the reason I want to torment you so is very, very simple.” The Spectre stood close enough to Edwards until the captive man could make out the face underneath the hood.

Edwards turned away in disgust. “Revenge,” said the Spectre finally.

“Don’t like what you see?” gloated the Spectre. “A pity, seeing as this is your handiwork.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar!” snarled the Spectre. “I suspected that one of us planned on taking credit for the Peacemaker, while the other four would be left in the dark. Before I could report to our supervisor, a convenient lab accident almost claimed my life. I faked my death, and became the Spectre in order to avenge myself.”

“But why me?” asked Edwards. “I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me. I swear!”

“Why should I trust you? All the evidence I gathered before my ‘death’ pointed to you. It’s only fitting that you’re a gutless coward.”

The Spectre turned, aware that Dekker entered the room.

“Dekker,” greeted the Spectre. “I see that you’ve managed to escape. Good, good. Take our prisoner away so that he rot away somewhere, until I decide when to end his miserable life.”

Suddenly, the burnt out laboratory was flooded with light. Dekker and the Spectre rushed to the windows, only to find themselves surrounded by the police. “Give yourselves up,” came a man’s voice from a bullhorn.

“You fool!” screamed the Spectre. “They followed you here!”

“No one followed me! I swear!” replied Dekker.

“Don’t be so hard on him,” said a voice above them. “He didn’t know we could track his every step.” The two criminals looked up to see Rick Daring, Sara, and the Brilliant 5 repelling down from the ceiling. “Surrender now,” said Daring covering both the Spectre and Dekker. Sara helped Edwards to his feet.

“I don’t think so,” replied the Spectre. From a secret panel, a group of henchmen piled into the room, opening fire at the newcomers. The Brilliant 5 took cover as Daring chased after the fleeing Spectre. He followed the Spectre down a dark corridor, barely seeing the criminal duck into one of the rooms. Upon entering the room, Daring is ambushed by two thugs.

Meanwhile, in the main room, the Brilliant 5 were crouching behind some large lab equipment. The adversary’s bullets kept bouncing off of their makeshift barricade. Sara let Marissa take a look at Edwards and risked a peek at the enemy. Dekker had raced over to the saviors, while Daring and the Spectre were nowhere to be seen.
“I hope Richard’s okay,” Sara quietly said to herself.

At that very moment, Daring was twisting out of the grip of the first thug, while slamming his elbow into the face of the second. Freeing up a small space of breathing room, Daring kicked the first thug to the ground, while laying an uppercut onto the stunned second thug. Both of the thugs lay senseless on the ground. The whole action had taken mere seconds.

The Spectre was at last cornered; his trap sprung but failed to stop Daring. He backed himself into a corner, and Daring stood between him and freedom, but this adversary of all things good was most dangerous when cornered. Deep within his cloak, the Spectre’s hands turned on his personal ion field. The invisible force field, which had singularly atomized Ox, now stood between the Spectre and Daring.

“Go ahead,” taunted the Spectre. “Take your best shot.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” replied Daring. He pulled back his fist, and launched it towards his hooded nemesis. There was a flash of light, a wave of heat, and nothing. Clouds swirled around the Spectre. His haunting laugh echoed throughout the room.

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Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.

Air and Simple Gifts

Anyone who was watching the recent inauguration of the Big O may remember hearing "Air and Simple Gifts," performed by the quartet of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill. The piece was composed and arranged by John Williams and features the Shaker song "Simple Gifts" composed by Joseph Brackett. Williams chose this theme, because it was used by Aaron Copland, one of the Big O's favorite classical composers.

The first minute and a half consists of the "Air" segment, a steady and sombre tune with the violin taking the lead, weaving a cautious yet lilting theme. Then, the first hints of "Simple Gifts" are heard, and the overall pace starts to change as more and more variations of the Shaker song are added. This builds into a fuller statement of Brackett's theme around the two minute mark. The theme is first played by violin and cello and then piano next, before the violin and cello pick up the theme again, this time more fragmented. The "Air" theme is reprised briefly before its eerie finale.

The first time I had heard it, I wasn't sure what to make of the song. It was certainly in tone with Williams' more modern works, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting for an inauguration, especially its almost melancholy opening. Luckily, thanks to the Internet, it took me roughly five minutes to find it somewhere to download the song, so I didn't have to go to youTube every time I wanted to hear it. (To be honest, I'd have bought it on iTunes if it was available.) Upon multiple listenings, I could really appreciate Williams' complexity and use of "Simple Gifts," and more importantly, what he could accomplish with just a quartet. Mind you, a quartet of four extremely talented performers.

The song is of hestiant hope, which is appropriate, considering the times we live in.

Still, and yet more technical delays

I was told the new part for my defunct computer would be in by Tuesday, and it was. Unfortunately, after they replaced the part, the computer still did not work. So, I'm waiting another week for another part, which may or may not fix my computer.

There, within on its lifeless hard drives, is Chapter 14. If there are any more delays, I'll be forced to re-write it from scratch. How is another good question. Afterall, spending five minutes on my sister's laptop, with its contemptuous broken mouse pad, makes me want to throw it out a window. A similarly obtusive one must inspire the level of violence found in the works of Warren Ellis.

How she gets work accomplished on it, on a daily basis, confounds me at this time.

Patrick McGoohan 1928 - 2009

Born in March 19, 1928, Patrick Joseph McGoohan, most known for his roles in the 60s spy classics Danger Man and the Prisoner, died today from natural causes at the age of 80. His deep, resonant voice got him many villain parts, but his first break as an actor was of John Drake, secret agent of the Danger Man series. The insane publicity he received from the series led him to create The Prisoner as a response against the spy craze of the 1960s.

Not only was he a talented actor, winning two Emmys for guest roles in Columbo, McGoohan was an accomplished writer, director, and producer, working behind the camera as much as in front of it.

I have nothing but deep respect for the actor, and the world is a lesser place without him.

Chapter 14 Delay

Due to technical issues, chapter 14 will be delayed. Hopefully, it will be fixed by next week. I'll try to post it as soon as possible. Thanks for being patient.

Rick Daring and The Brilliant 5 – Chapter Thirteen: The Invisible Weapon

DARING – Along with Sara and the Brilliant 5, were trying to figure out the Spectre’s next move, when the power went out and the building started to collapse.

Sara and Daring looked up as the ceiling over their heads started to collapse. They carried Sergoff as they tried to avoid the falling rubble. Suddenly, the floor crumbled under their feet, sending them tumbling downward into a lower section of the building.

Getting to their feet, they managed to get out of the way of the tumbling debris. They made their way to the exit stairway, descending the levels as the ominous rumbling continued around them. Exiting into the parking garage, Daring led the way.

Hope seemed dashed as they came across his roadster, flattened by a sizeable chunk of concrete that had landed squarely onto the roadster. Tossing the keys, he said, “Well, I hope you have a car.” Sara led them further down the lane to her white car. Even the garage was starting to become unstable as more rubble started to rain down on them. They crowded into Sara’s car, and she sped off. She screeched through the parking lot, dodging the random pelleting of wreckage.

Sara expertly drove around a large slab of concrete, and finally pulled out of the parking lot. She safely took them to rejoin the others at the Institute of the Brilliant 5.

The Institute had become a makeshift headquarters for the refugees from the destroyed government building. Miraculously, almost everyone had evacuated the building with minor injuries. The halls of the Institute were overrun with doctors, local police officials, and news reporters.

In a little quiet corner, Daring had rounded up the Brilliant 5 along with Sara and Sergoff. Sergoff was still visibly shaken, but he started to slowly respond to others around him. Sara watched over him, hoping that he’d come out it soon.

Daring shushed Junior and Old Timer, who were bickering as usual. “As you know,” stated Daring. “We were not told much about the mysterious item that was being built. And it seems that that very weapon was used against us, and we all know how effective it really is.”

“But, dangnabit, what is it already?” asked Old Timer.

“I allow us to answer that,” replied Teresa. She and Marissa stood up. “What little Daring’s found out about it, we’ve managed to figure it out.”

“We know that it is fueled by the unstable Compound X,” stated Marissa. “We think it is probably mixed with a number of other chemicals, and using an electrical charge, it produces or at least imitates an EMP.”

“EMP?” asked Junior. “As in Electromagnetic Pulse?”

“Correct,” replied Marissa. “An EMP can seriously damage electrical systems by creating current and voltage surges.”

“But in this case, it seems that our Spectre fellow has changed the weapon. Not only does the faux EMP take down the electrical equipment, but somehow weakens the cellular structure of the building itself,” said Teresa.

“But how?” asked Daring.

“Our best guess is that these EMP particles are very unstable,” replied Marissa. “As they pass through solid structures, they weaken the overall cellular bonds, possibly yanking out “keystone cells” that cause the rest to fall.”
“How about that in English?” asked Old Timer.

“We called it the Peacemaker,” said Sergoff, suddenly. Everyone turned to see the professor on his feet, a distant look in his eyes. “It was going to make war bloodless, but now, he’s ruined everything. All those people dead…”

Sara caught him as he collapsed. “Get a doctor!” shouted Sara.

“Is he okay?” asked Johnny Highpitch.

“He’s been through a lot,” replied Sara, checking Sergoff’s vitals. “It’s probably just exhaustion.” They watched in silence as a medical team came in and went off with the unconscious doctor.

“I hate to sound like a broken record,” said Junior. “But what now?” While he said that, an officer came in and spoke with Daring. Daring nodded his head as he listened to what the newcomer told him.

“Good news everyone,” said Daring after the officer left. “Dekker is nowhere to be found.”

“How’s that good news?” asked Johnny.

“Because,” interrupted Teresa. “Our escapee is wearing my patent pending homing beacon, woven directly into his prison uniform.”

“Exactly,” said Daring.

“And you think he’s going to run right back to his old boss,” said Sara.

“Let’s find out,” said Daring while he turned on the holographic map. The room was soon engulfed in a computer generated model of the city. A glowing beacon marked the movement of Dekker. They watched in silence as the beacon slowly made its way to one building in particular.

“Computer, zoom in. Coordinates: 350 by 211.” The computer responded to Daring’s command and enlarged the image of interest. “Overlap with satellite imagery.” The boxy images were instantly replaced with realistic pictures taken by orbiting satellites.

They all looked at the crumbling remains of a once-elegant building. No one said anything until Sara spoke up. “I think I know who the Spectre is. That building, I recognize that building. It’s…”

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Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.

Review: Clone Wars "Dooku Captured"

In the latest chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Anakin and Obi-Wan pursue Count Dooku to a remote planet, where Dooku gets captured by a gang of pirates and is held for ransom. Anakin and Obi-Wan are sent by the Republic to confirm the pirates' claim, but are they also walking into a trap?

The episode stars two key figures, who have remained in the background for most of the series so far: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku. The episode in general is fairly average, pretty much what I thought the whole series was going to be like, but there are a number of things that should be commended.

First of all, Skywalker and Kenobi. Not even in the animated movie have the two spent much screen time together, and here we get to see the two of them in action, Anakin's recklessness and Obi-Wan's experience playing off each other. There are a number of playful quips as they banter back and forward. It's nice to see a more cavalier Skywalker than the brooding, angsty one in the movies.

Second, all three Jedi are deprived of their lightsabers fairly early on, making them rely on themselves and the Force. It's always fun to see how a Jedi will get out of a jam without their most reliable tool at their disposal.

Third, this episode features Jim Cummings as the voice of the pirate leader. Cummings is probably most known for his variety of work for Disney over the years, and it's great to hear him in Star Wars. Luckily he will be in next week's episode where the pirates seemingly capture out heroes and put them alongside Dooku. B-