Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Episode Guide Year 3

Voyage to the Bottom
of the Sea
Production information and notes by Mark Phillips
Story synopses, Mike Bailey

The Shadowman Original Airdate: February 12, 1967

Nelson checks funny sonar readings.

Admiral and Captain see nothing out the nose.

Shadowman makes the scene.

Seaview and a skeleton crew are assigned to control the launch of an interstellar probe, the previous three of which have been mysteriously sabotaged. As launch time approaches, Seaview is rocked violently and the submarine is taken into a giant alien ship. When the crew comes around, they find nothing but blackness beyond the view ports and many of the sub's control mechanisms locked. A mysterious shadowy invader takes over Chip Morton, the designated flight director for the launch.

The only budget visible in the episode is in the form of the launch control set.

Under alien control, Chip Morton at Seaview launch guidance control.

"Morton" tells Nelson he can't get through to Space Command Headquarters, then surreptitiously informs Space Command that the launch is go. One by one, the crew is taken over until only Nelson is left unaffected. He decides to try firing a nuclear torpedo to destroy the alien ship. The rest of the crew, under alien control, confront Nelson in the missile room as he's about to fire the torpedo. The Admiral releases a gas bomb which stalls them off; he is then able to fire the warhead.

The alien ship absorbs the bulk of the explosion and is destroyed; Seaview survives. Nothing more than a smoking outline of the Shadowman's contour remains, burned into a bulkhead. Kowalski, Crane, the Chief and Patterson are returned to their normal selves and Nelson orders Crane to clean up the mess.
Appropriately, the shot fades to black.

Actually, this was a fairly effective effect...the deathly remains of the Shadowman.

Written: Rik Vollaerts
Directed: Justus Addiss
Guest Cast:
Shadowman.............Jerry Catron
Shadowman’s voice.......Jim Mills
General Blake.........Tyler McVey

Mark Says: It would have been cool if the budget had allowed exterior shots of Seaview trapped in the black nothingness. Alas, just a guy in a black sheet moving his arms around and talking like a villain from vaudeville. The only fun here is listening to The Shadowman, whose raspy delivery of dialogue is incredibly campy. Otherwise, this tepid story is unrelentingly unimaginative and cheap.

Doggonit--no budget for laser pistol beam.

Sparks fly, sitting in for laser beam
effect as Crane fires pistol--about the only sparks present in the episode.

Mike Says: Mark has already pretty much said it. There is NO budget visible in this episode. When laser guns fire, no beam is seen, just a flash of light and a puff of smoke to indicate the gun fired. No external shots of the alien craft. No external shots of Seaview inside the giant ship. Nothing. In fact, the only miniature shot in the entire episode is a several second-long establishing stock shot of the submarine. Lip service is given to the concept that the shadow people want to prevent earth from contaminating Alpha Centauri with violence. But that's all it is -- lip service that rings hollow. In many ways, this is latter-year Voyage at its worst. Bottom line -- another Rik Vollaerts penned third-season stinker.

Return to Episode Central