Close Encounter ...

Guess who bumped into Ed Bishop on his way to work this morning ? I'd
assumed he was across the pond.
Having recently picked up the DVD's + found the site I don't think I
would have recognised him had I not seen the photos from the
conventions. To think I was talking to the man who stood between
Planet Earth + alien colonisation / mutilation.

The next thing I remember was some strange flashing lights and all I
could think of was "KILL STRAKER !!"

However, my idol does have feet of clay .. he reads the Daily Mail
(never saw that on Moonbase !).

To widen out the discussion of individual episodes, I watched all 26
episodes over about a week + 2 things struck me - first that the
first series was as impressive as I remembered it. Strong characters,
tension filled stories and a real sense of "otherness" about the
aliens. The insights gleaned about the aliens had a cohesiveness
about them but fuelled the sense of myth and "unknowableness" about
them.

Series 2 however was a disappointment. (I mean Freeman has a sex
change + no-one notices ?)But seriously, too many of the plots seemed
haphazard + brought no real depth to the overall story. The issue
seemed more about putting together some sort of story to fill an
episode - invariably involving people being taken over so that they
can kill Straker / stop SHADO etc (again). But they shed no furher
insight on the aliens/ their mindset / culture / intentions /
technologies etc. Also no development of Shado / Moonbase / the
struggle / the main characters emerge. I was left with a distinct
sense of "what was the point of that ?" + feeling that a formula was
being applied.

As already stated, I was very disappointed - a great opportunity was
lost and instead the characters stopped developping and there was a
sense of caricature about it all.

Does anyone share my mixed feelings ? I still think it's great but it
could have been greater.

Chou

Tee-pee

CONTENTS DELETED

>"teee_peee" <[hidden email]>
wrote:
Yes, many of the fans share your view. But beware of those who prefer
season two's weirdest episodes! *grin* But the disappointment brought on
by some of those later episodes produced many UFO fan fic writers to improve
the situation, which isn't such a bad thing, you know. If the series had
been perfect, there would have been no need for us!
Yours,
Denise


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In a message dated 27/11/02 06:48:04 GMT Standard Time, [hidden email]
writes:


> Guess who bumped into Ed Bishop on his way to work this morning ? I'd
> assumed he was across the pond.
> Having recently picked up the DVD's + found the site I don't think I
> would have recognised him had I not seen the photos from the
> conventions. To think I was talking to the man who stood between
> Planet Earth + alien colonisation / mutilation.
>
Can you elaborate, details?, when where etc etc <please>


> The next thing I remember was some strange flashing lights and all I
> could think of was "KILL STRAKER !!"
>
Sorry Claire and Amelia (Ed bodyguards) would have had to have taken you to
an underground bunker and smacked you around a little <grin> just to remove
any trace of that deep sublimibal impulse - you know, nothing personal.


> However, my idol does have feet of clay .. he reads the Daily Mail
> (never saw that on Moonbase !).
>
The good old Daily Mail, one of our erm.well I was going to say intelligent
tabloids.but then it is a newspaper so,...well its a tabloid <grin>



Claire


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[hidden email] wrote:
> Is the Mail a tabloid or just more like a magazine than it is a
> newspaper?
>

It's a rather conservative (and indeed, Conservative) tabloid.

"teee_peee" wrote:
>
> Guess who bumped into Ed Bishop on his way to work this morning ? I'd
> assumed he was across the pond.
> Having recently picked up the DVD's + found the site I don't think I
> would have recognised him had I not seen the photos from the
> conventions. To think I was talking to the man who stood between
> Planet Earth + alien colonisation / mutilation.
>


Was he wearing a hat?

James

I agree with teee_peee about the second series. I wonder what would have
been in the third series had the funding, time and desire to develop been
there?

Mary


Series 2 however was a disappointment. (I mean Freeman has a sex
change + no-one notices ?)But seriously, too many of the plots seemed
haphazard + brought no real depth to the overall story. The issue
seemed more about putting together some sort of story to fill an
episode - invariably involving people being taken over so that they
can kill Straker / stop SHADO etc (again). But they shed no furher
insight on the aliens/ their mindset / culture / intentions /
technologies etc. Also no development of Shado / Moonbase / the
struggle / the main characters emerge. I was left with a distinct
sense of "what was the point of that ?" + feeling that a formula was
being applied.




 

> > However, my idol does have feet of clay .. he reads the Daily Mail
> > (never saw that on Moonbase !).

Well, nobody is perfect.

> Mr. Bishop reads the Times, too. Is the Mail a tabloid or just more like a
> magazine than it is a newspaper?

Yes, it's a tabloid. A right-wing, reactionary effort.

Dave.

[hidden email] wrote:
>
>
> Yes, it's a tabloid. A right-wing, reactionary effort.
>
> Dave.

yawn ...

--- In SHADO@y..., James Gibbon <james.gibbon@v...> wrote:
> "teee_peee" wrote:
> >
> > Guess who bumped into Ed Bishop on his way to work this morning ?
I'd
> > assumed he was across the pond.
> > Having recently picked up the DVD's + found the site I don't
think I
> > would have recognised him had I not seen the photos from the
> > conventions. To think I was talking to the man who stood between
> > Planet Earth + alien colonisation / mutilation.
> >
>
>
> Was he wearing a hat?
>
> James

If you want to know, he was wearing a very dapper pin-stripey suit
(but no hat - sorry)) + so looked like he was off to the City, which
threw me a bit as I felt I was going to make a complete **** of
myself asking him if he was Ed Bishop.

I'm intrigued that the Daily Mail has produced more response than my
thoughts on the 2nd series, or maybe what I said has been rehearsed
in a previous life. Hey, how about a discussion on whether SHADO was
a Right Wing covert organisation hell bent on ... (only kidding).

I am indebted to the info with the DVD's - one particular gem being
about Col Foster's Syrup (wig). I couldn't quite work out what was
going on but all has become clear now.

teee-peee

--- In SHADO@y..., starfire05@a... wrote:
> In a message dated 27/11/02 06:48:04 GMT Standard Time,
teee_peee@y...
> writes:
>
>
> > Guess who bumped into Ed Bishop on his way to work this morning ?
I'd
> > assumed he was across the pond.
> > Having recently picked up the DVD's + found the site I don't
think I
> > would have recognised him had I not seen the photos from the
> > conventions. To think I was talking to the man who stood between
> > Planet Earth + alien colonisation / mutilation.
> >
> Can you elaborate, details?, when where etc etc <please>
>
>
> > The next thing I remember was some strange flashing lights and
all I
> > could think of was "KILL STRAKER !!"
> >
> Sorry Claire and Amelia (Ed bodyguards) would have had to have
taken you to
> an underground bunker and smacked you around a little <grin> just
to remove
> any trace of that deep sublimibal impulse - you know, nothing
personal.
>
>
> > However, my idol does have feet of clay .. he reads the Daily
Mail
> > (never saw that on Moonbase !).
> >
> The good old Daily Mail, one of our erm.well I was going to say
intelligent
> tabloids.but then it is a newspaper so,...well its a tabloid <grin>
>
>
>
> Claire
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Claire

If I told you where I met him I would have to kill you ...

It was on a train from Surrey to Waterloo just before 10 am (I was
late for work !) I told him I only recognised him from the photos at
the conventions and he joked about how he earned a living out of
them. I didn't tell him that I'm a Tax man - I'll get you yet
Straker !!

I'm still getting some flashing lights etc etc, so if you + Amelia
could provide some remedial therapy ...<grin>

teee-peee

Gee picking on Straker and Claire(both of whom have some very dangerous
friends)

Hope your affairs are in order.


James K.(trying to get the thought of Miss Piggy at the Moonbase control
station out of his head)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

"teee_peee" wrote:

> If you want to know, he was wearing a very dapper pin-stripey suit
> (but no hat - sorry)) + so looked like he was off to the City, which
> threw me a bit as I felt I was going to make a complete **** of
> myself asking him if he was Ed Bishop.
>
>

That's interesting - I had a similar close encounter myself in a
small supermarket in London last December, and he was wearing a
pinstripe suit then too, but he also had a quite distinctive
wide-brimmed hat on.

James

In a message dated 28/11/02 07:09:04 GMT Standard Time, [hidden email]
writes:


> > I'm still getting some flashing lights etc etc, so if you + Amelia
> > could provide some remedial therapy ...<grin>
>
>
> Sure, just come on down to the Shado firing range first...I'll make those
> bad
> flashing lights go away...
>
And I'll back you up <Claire stands a little to the side of Amelia wielding a
big stick>



>
> Amelia (just knowing her cohorts in crime in England, including the
> intrepid
> Claire, are going to hang around the train station now, looking for a man
> in
> a striped suit, reading the Daily Mail, with a distinctive voice)
>
>

Yes, the Bishop Protection Service has been reactivated, the train station is
staked out covertly round the clock, our brief - the man in the pinstripe
suit with a big hat, gorgeous, yes that's right, gorgeous blue eyes and that
voice reading the Daily Mail, may have a woman with him with salt and pepper
hair.
We've also staked out the airport and the docks (just in case), but with my
look when Ed's ship comes in - I'll be at the Airport <sigh>


Claire


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> I am indebted to the info with the DVD's - one particular gem being
> about Col Foster's Syrup (wig). I couldn't quite work out what was
> going on but all has become clear now.

Which one, the one on his head or the one adorning his chest? ;)

(sorry - couldn't resist)

Dave.