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No
Way Back
(Airdate: March 31, 1968)
STORYLINE
| Mr. Pem is
back for Seaview's final bow. To bad they didn't scrimp an extra $100,000
to make this a big-budget romp. It could have
been really nice. Still, not that bad. In the first two minutes
of the show, Seaview, Crane and much of the crew are blown to
bits (Nelson is at the Institute). Pem is back from the dead, having
sneaked onto NIMR grounds, just as Seaview is reported
missing. Aha, just the impetus Nelson needs to assist Pem in
creating a new time displacement piece. (The audience is
getting suspicious.) Within hours, Pem has finished his device
and transported |
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himself and Nelson onto Seaview prior to her destruc-tion, much
to the consterna-tion of Captain Crane and the
rest of the crew. They start tearing into Seaview, hunting for anything which
might explode, accidentally or purposely. Pem, locked in the lab,
manages to transport Seaview back in time so he
can |
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stage a meeting with Benedict Arnold and
change history. Not to worry, Pem is finally overcome, all historical figures are put ashore, and a bomb, of course planted by
the darling Mr. Pem, is jettisoned before it can go off, thus saving
Seaview from destruction, so she can sail into rerun heaven.
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Written: William Welch
Directed: Robert Sparr
Guest
Cast
Mr.
Pem......................... Henry Jones
Benedict
Arnold............Barry Atwater
Major John
Andre.....William
Beckley
British Guards...........Denver Mattson
..................Troy Melton |
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For Nelson, one last nostalgic look around the
lab. Where's that damn sonic ray
machine? | |
Trivia: A first in television
history as the regulars of a TV series are killed off within the first 2
minutes (when Seaview is blown to bits). Star Trek: The Next
Generation would later do the same thing in their episode, "Cause and
Effect."
Mark says: As a kid, I was disappointed that we didn’t see Seaview
cruising around with 18th century sailing ships or have the officers go
ashore and explore a small town. The episode still has a great opening
sequence and Captain Crane’s weary sigh when he sees a British guard in
the control room mirrors some of the cast’s feelings that four years of nautical mayhem
was enough.
Mike says: Back
in 1968, viewing the final first-run episode of Voyage was very
hard for me. The fact is, I was one of those kids from a
broken family who had latched onto Seaview's crew as family, and Nelson
as father-figure. Corny perhaps--maudlin, but I don't apologize
for it. In spite of my indignation over script quality and monster-of-the-week
orientation toward the end, Voyage was a wonderful and important
part of my life. Hats off to Irwin for being such a kid, albeit
a mean one on occasion, and hats off to Richard Basehart for being such
a great dad to boys like me, although he was apparently never even aware
of that role. My one regret is that in later life, I never attempted
to write a letter to him saying thanks. I was always afraid I
would come off sounding like some kind of weirdo or geek, which of course,
may not be far from the truth. And then there's the talented and
gracious David Hedison. Along with Del Monroe, Paul Trinka, Terry
Becker, Bob Dowdell and back in Season One, Henry Kulky and Paul Carr.
They weren't too shabby either. Last but not least, I must remember
to tip my cap to internet friend Ray Didsbury, who was along for almost
all of the 110 episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
.
Well,
David, now we can get on with our lives.
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