Re: Square Triangle

CONTENTS DELETED

> What I did like in it was seeing that
> whole scene with the boyfriend and the woman and Straker calmly talking to
> them while they drank the coffee,

yeah, wasn't it great the way the whole of SHADO was the epitome of
hospitable geniality, they were way past making any moral judgements about
the behaviour of fellow human beings. Plus Ed always know he would be
getting Dr Jackson to do his special thing with hypodermic needles later,
and who is arguably the most unnerving medic ever seen in a television
series, it should be an Emmy award category or something .

> But I can't say that episode thrills me too much,
> either.
>
> Amelia
>
for me it depends on the tilt from which i watch it...you know the "Square
Triangle", man we are talking a lot of angles here. I liked to think the
woman was seriously into changing her mind even before the alien was killed,
and the letting of blood had really shook her up, so now she was out. It's
McBeath with a second chance.

Chris

"Square Triangle" is one of those interesting episodes that seems pretty
dramatic at first but then lame when you think about it afterwards. For
example, when I first saw it, it seemed pretty gutsy for Straker to have
to sacrifice the husband to keep SHADO a secret. Real intense for
television!

Well, thinking about it later, all I could think of is "What a cop out!"
There were plenty of ways to foil the murder without giving away SHADO's
involvement. For example:
1) The wife was pretty nervouse about it to start with. Do you think she
would go through with it if she found notes around the house, in the
mail, etc. that said "Going ahead with your lover's plot to kill your
husband is a BAD idea"?
2) Leave the same sort of notes for the husband. Think he would walk
into that cottage unprepared?
3) Ok, if you're prepared to sacrifice a perfectly innocent life to
protect SHADO, why not knock off the boyfriend instead? Same number of
deaths, but now you're not dealing with innocent victims.
4) A tip to the police, who could be lying in wait for the murder
attempt

Those are just a few of the things that could have been done. Instead,
we get what seems like groundbreaking tv, but is really something less.

Bill

on 8/5/01 6:13, Bill Cotter at [hidden email] wrote:

> "Square Triangle" is one of those interesting episodes that seems pretty
> dramatic at first but then lame when you think about it afterwards.

You are absolutely spot on the money initially, but
I am going to have to step in right here and say that having just seen the
Ep in Question i have yet to recognise the quality of lameness you mention.
> For example, when I first saw it, it seemed pretty gutsy for Straker to have
> to sacrifice the husband to keep SHADO a secret. Real intense for
> television!

And is now lame in hindsight you mean? To me Ed seemed only to huff at the
security Question and never really said what if anything he would do. If a
life taking is the only solution to the problem, (and it surely isn't) I
imagine Straker would remove the loathsome lothario played superbly by
Patrick Mower before anyone else. Wasn't HE a particularly despicable
individual.

> "What a cop out!"
> There were plenty of ways to foil the murder without giving away SHADO's
> involvement. For example:
> 1) The wife was pretty nervouse about it to start with. Do you think she
> would go through with it if she found notes around the house, in the
> mail, etc. that said "Going ahead with your lover's plot to kill your
> husband is a BAD idea"?
You see the seemingly disinterested reaction of Straker just illustrates the
levels of consciousness he has of situations around him, as much as he can,
Straker will have the absolute minimum involvement with our World.

> Those are just a few of the things that could have been done. Instead,
> we get what seems like groundbreaking tv, but is really something less.
>
> Bill

And those criticisms came at the end of a real 45mins worth of cutting edge
drama which for my $ is still up with the best on tv today. Well thats what
i think and feel i must defend the show, so you will forgive me :-)

Chris

Bill Cotter wrote;

<<"Square Triangle" is one of those interesting
episodes that seems pretty dramatic at first but then
lame when you think about it afterwards. For
example, when I first saw it, it seemed pretty gutsy
for Straker to have to sacrifice the husband to keep
SHADO a secret. Real intense for television!

<<Well, thinking about it later, all I could think of
is "What a cop out!"
There were plenty of ways to foil the murder without
giving away SHADO's involvement. For example:
1) The wife was pretty nervouse about it to start
with. Do you think she would go through with it if she
found notes around the house, in the mail, etc. that
said "Going ahead with your lover's plot to kill your
husband is a BAD idea"?>>

And if such were found as the result of a negative
outcome, such as a suicide pact ? Too suspicious.

<<2) Leave the same sort of notes for the husband.
Think he would walk into that cottage unprepared?>>

No, but again, too suspicious, regardless of the
(undoubtedly violent) outcome.

<<3) Ok, if you're prepared to sacrifice a perfectly
innocent life to protect SHADO, why not knock off the
boyfriend instead? Same number of deaths, but now
you're not dealing with innocent victims.>>

Now you're talking my language ! (But who is to say
the wife still won't gain her 'freedom' by killing
'hubby' anyway ?).

<<4) A tip to the police, who could be lying in wait
for the murder attempt.>>

"And how do you know this, sir ? Oh, you're the head
of the human race's fight against alien invasion...
amnesia drugs ? ... of course sir ! just fit your arms
into the sleeves of this straitjacket, if you'd be so
kind..."

Regards,

Andy

____________________________________________________________
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> "And how do you know this, sir ? Oh, you're the head of the
> human race's fight against alien invasion... amnesia drugs
> ? ... of course sir ! just fit your arms into the sleeves of
> this straitjacket, if you'd be so kind..."
>


There must be some kind of indirect relationship between SHADO
and the UK Police Force. Otherwise, how come Foster gets to
lurk around at the scene of the shooting, interviewing the
husband? What's that ID card that he flashes? It seems to
carry some recognised authority.

James

> There must be some kind of indirect relationship between SHADO
> and the UK Police Force. Otherwise, how come Foster gets to
> lurk around at the scene of the shooting
Who WouldnT want the towering col Foster on the investigation? :-)
he never looked better than in this Ep .IMHO
> What's that ID card that he flashes? It seems to
> carry some recognised authority.
>
> James
it is prolly a forgery of an MI6 type id card.

chris

Is just curios to see a UFO recast moonbase kit for auction on Ebay at
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1623966385
with a cover art of the mine from "The Art of UFO" as you can see on
the Marc's site at:
http://www.ufoseries.com/artofufo/moonbaseTop.jpg
Just I don't know the manufacturer.

--
Angelo Finamore
--

At 10:21 AM 8/5/01 -0000, you wrote:
>Is just curios to see a UFO recast moonbase kit for auction on Ebay at
>http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1623966385
>with a cover art of the mine from "The Art of UFO" as you can see on
>the Marc's site at:
>http://www.ufoseries.com/artofufo/moonbaseTop.jpg
>Just I don't know the manufacturer.

I regognize the seller's ID-- it's Intergalactic Trading Co., and I've
dealt with them before. If you win this kit, you'll be lucky if they send
it to you within a month of your payment!



There was a space traveler named Wright
Who liked to go faster than light
He started one day
In a relative way
And came back the previous night!

Dave Walsh
Harlington-Straker Sound Productions
[hidden email]
http://members.home.net/darqnyt/index.html

Bill raises some interersting points, which i never thought of because I
assumed a quite different situation- I thought that the conspirators would
have been so scared out of thier brains somehow despite the amnesia drug
that they'd never go thru with the murder, but in hindsight that's not very
logical.

So thanks Bill for ruining a perfectly good story for me <vbg>

> Those are just a few of the things that could have been done. Instead,
> we get what seems like groundbreaking tv, but is really something less.

Hmm, I think it still was groundbreaking in that many film producers at that
time were playing with the popular psychology/philosophy concept of
situation ethics and that that you shouldn't interfere with others (eg Star
trek) and therefore stay "detached" from things, so this ep. shows that
fallacy of this view, about 25 years before StarTrek brought us
Insurrection!!!

John D'Alton
Back from yet another alien abduction <g>

gee i like these ep discussions on a/c of how it gives me another excuse to
watch some more great television.so The Square Triangle...
Who is this broad.?.. but she is driving a nice car...(anybody out there
know the make and model?) ... however...opening scenes of a vague and
dubious intimacy are starkly contrasted by the searing menace of an
approaching Ufo and a chance to see Lt Ellis in uniform early on. Yumm. And
what is that analogue device Straker is employing to calculate parameter
readings as he tries to extrapolate landing co-ordinates with at least some
sort of accuracy.Then more scenes of Lt Ellis pacing Moonbase command centre
like a panther. But isn't Ed good with that calculator because he determines
the landing site "THERE!" and he stabs his finger at the map, "In hundreds
of acres of virgin forest." ??? Where would that be in England?
Alec has a great line re the Aliens..."Why don't you ask them round for
drinks?" its always drinks isn't it Alec.
I hate pausing or rewinding my video tape and why does Gays purple wig keep
changing shape ?
This ep is pure adrenalin. Gunfire betrayal Aliens unmasked and killing.
And look at Foster at the wheel of the biggest meanest Hummer in the
business.Col Foster was towering in this ep. Did you all see the phallic
material on the couples dinner table?
And i liked the interesting pre Sharon Stone Basic Instinct style close up
for the discerning viewers.
The scenes at SHADO with the couple are beatifully shot the color and
furnishings superb, my wasn't Sylvia a dab hand at design! Very stylish, i
can understand the big following the show has in Italy.
A 'perfectly harmless' drug,says Straker. Well I'd like to know of one.
And someone has already mentioned the unique closing sequence which is very
nice filming i thought.
Overall a fine episode i thought and at least 8/10...

Dave Walsh wrote:
Wrong! It's STARTECH, but the same caveat could apply. I used to do a
lot of business with them, and EVENTUALLY I got everything they owed me.
Call me a fool, I am the high bidder at the moment.
Anthony