Straker's son 'Johnny' ( Barnaby Shaw ) is involved in a road accident near his country home. He is close to death, and the only thing that can save him is a new drug only to be found in America. Straker uses a S.H.A.D.O. transporter to bring the drug to England. This personal crisis overlaps a professional one - a U.F.O. has landed somewhere on the west coast of Ireland. The Alien pilot ( Richard Aylen ) wants to defect, and sets up transmitting equipment in the home of an elderly, blind woman ( Mary Merrall ). As S.H.A.D.O. hunts for the Alien, Straker prays his son's life can be saved...
Tony Barwick's script shows a rare human side to Straker, putting him in the unenviable position of having to decide whether or not to sacrifice his son's life to get information about the Alien menace. Ultimately, the decision is taken for him - Freeman re-routes the transporter to Ireland in order to ferry S.H.A.D.O. Mobiles. Straker fails to cancel the new order. The ending is suitably tragic, with Straker left alone in the hospital to contemplate the consequences of his actions.
Curiously, the Alien is seen without his helmet. It had been established in earlier episodes the Aliens could not breathe our air and had to wear helmets filled with green liquid. He is not seen to age, much less die. Possibly he was wearing a prototype version of the belt-like device invented by Alien scientist 'Sagum' in the 'Countdown' comic-strip 'The Renegade'?
Mary Merrall is delightful as the old lady who is terrible danger, and never realises it. Philip Madoc - who sadly passed on a short time ago - has a small role as 'Steven Rutland', Mary's new husband. He reappeared as a different character in the episode 'Destruction'. As 'Mary', we have the lovely Suzanne Neve, an actress who has fallen out of public gaze but who graced in a number of television shows and movies, such as David McCallum's 'Dambusters' rip-off 'Mosquito Squadron' ( 1968 ). She reprised the role of 'Mary' in 'Confetti Check A.-O.K.'.
Tony Barwick's script shows a rare human side to Straker, putting him in the unenviable position of having to decide whether or not to sacrifice his son's life to get information about the Alien menace. Ultimately, the decision is taken for him - Freeman re-routes the transporter to Ireland in order to ferry S.H.A.D.O. Mobiles. Straker fails to cancel the new order. The ending is suitably tragic, with Straker left alone in the hospital to contemplate the consequences of his actions.
Curiously, the Alien is seen without his helmet. It had been established in earlier episodes the Aliens could not breathe our air and had to wear helmets filled with green liquid. He is not seen to age, much less die. Possibly he was wearing a prototype version of the belt-like device invented by Alien scientist 'Sagum' in the 'Countdown' comic-strip 'The Renegade'?
Mary Merrall is delightful as the old lady who is terrible danger, and never realises it. Philip Madoc - who sadly passed on a short time ago - has a small role as 'Steven Rutland', Mary's new husband. He reappeared as a different character in the episode 'Destruction'. As 'Mary', we have the lovely Suzanne Neve, an actress who has fallen out of public gaze but who graced in a number of television shows and movies, such as David McCallum's 'Dambusters' rip-off 'Mosquito Squadron' ( 1968 ). She reprised the role of 'Mary' in 'Confetti Check A.-O.K.'.