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that the fire in
Scarlet and Blue's quarters was an accident. A shot of Machin lurking outside the room before the fire breaks out was filmed but ultimately cut, leaving only a brief glimpse of a departing figure. Cut dialogue indicates that Johnson is Major Stone's nephew, which explains why Stone does not suspect him of being the traitor.
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In a negative review, Fred McNamara praises the episode's ambition in casting doubt on
Scarlet's loyalties, but criticises the writing and execution, believing "Traitor" to be the weakest Barwick script of the series and calling the finished episode "messy". He writes that the whodunit-style mystery
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Analysis of the panel reveals the cause of the hovercraft accidents – Spectrum's "traitor" – to be nothing more than a defective valve in the vehicle hydraulics. Spectrum metallurgists are baffled by the valve, whose molecular structure appears to have been altered by the
Mysterons. The cause of the
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The next day, as
Scarlet and Blue accompany Johnson and Machin on another hovercraft patrol, the vehicle inexplicably loses control. Machin openly accuses Scarlet of being the traitor and holds him at gunpoint, but is disarmed when the hovercraft lurches and causes him to drop his weapon. All four
250:, was killed by the Mysterons and replaced by a reconstruction that subsequently broke free of their control. Scarlet's double has a self-healing power that enables him to recover from injuries that would be fatal to anyone else, making him Spectrum's best asset in its fight against the Mysterons.
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A number of plot changes were made during the transition from script to screen. The original script makes clear that there is no traitor (and the
Mysterons' only involvement has been to cause unrest within Spectrum), that the valve failed due to the extremely high temperatures in the Outback, and
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Scarlet and Blue arrive at the base ostensibly to give a series of lectures to the cadet hovercraft pilots. Base commander Major Stone and cadet leader Joe
Johnson suspect Johnson's patrol partner, Phil Machin, of being the traitor; Machin, however, publicly calls Scarlet's loyalty into question
404:
into each script to reduce the amount of new footage that would need to be shot; this would allow "Dangerous
Rendezvous" and "Traitor" to be filmed in a combined 15 days instead of 20. Due to this recycling of old material, Barwick's script for "Traitor" specified that no footage from the first
513:, the "overly long" flashback sequence and the last-minute discovery that the hovercraft crashes have been caused by a single faulty valve, which according to McNamara makes for a weak resolution ("So, after numerous hovercraft explode no one thought to salvage the
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while the latter was still under
Mysteron control – runs about five minutes. From a narrative standpoint, this sequence adds credibility to Machin's suspicions about Scarlet while reminding viewers of the origins of Scarlet's indestructibility.
504:
episode" and commenting that it "does keep you guessing as to who the titular traitor will be". He adds that while the insertion of a flashback to the pilot is "a little unwelcome", the fact that it is narrated by Blue "gives it a nice touch".
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lacks "conviction and resolve" for not focusing more on the distrust between Machin and
Scarlet, and for failing to present any of the characters as being particularly suspicious. The episode's other shortcomings include "unhelpful"
527:
Commentators Chris Drake and Graeme
Bassett praise the design of the hovercraft, describing it as "an impressive addition to the Spectrum fleet" (though its exact function within the organisation is never explained).
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with the power to create functioning copies of destroyed people or objects and use them to carry out acts of aggression against humanity. Earth is defended by a military organisation called Spectrum, whose top agent,
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based the Spectrum Hovercraft, which does not appear in any other episodes, on his design for the Spectrum Passenger Jet by incorporating a similar forward-swept
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men – including Scarlet, who successfully removes the hovercraft's control panel – jump to safety before the vehicle crashes into a rock formation and explodes.
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motor that created a dust trail to make its movements look more realistic. Some of the design elements of the Koala Base model had previously appeared in "
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476:. In the ATV Midlands area, it was originally due to air on 12 January but was postponed until 23 April, by which time it had also been broadcast on
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Although the script for "Traitor" allotted about six minutes of the running time for old material, the flashback in the finished episode – in which
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before?") He concludes that the episode is spoiled by its "muddled, ambiguous nature", which he regards as a "a sign, perhaps, that
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crashes involving Spectrum cadets, which the organisation believes to be the work of a saboteur working for the Mysterons.
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392:", which was also written by Barwick. By the time Barwick wrote these two episodes, filming on
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declare that there is a traitor in Spectrum. Following a number of unexplained Spectrum
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after Blue recounts how Scarlet was still under Mysteron control when he
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and directed by Alan Perry, it was first broadcast on 14 January 1968 on
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Spectrum is Indestructible: An Unofficial Captain Scarlet Celebration
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was several weeks behind schedule. To remedy this, Barwick wrote a
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598:(4th ed.). London, UK: Reynolds & Hearn. p. 131.
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to the Koala Base training facility, where he suspects that a
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The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide
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vision was sometimes further away than it could reach."
472:"Traitor" was first broadcast on 14 January 1968 on
301:. A fire in Scarlet and Blue's quarters, apparently
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568:. Cambridge, UK: Signum Books. pp. 122–123.
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496:ranks "Traitor" the fifth-best instalment of
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760:McNamara, Fred (2020). Simpson, Paul (ed.).
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566:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons: The Vault
564:Bentley, Chris (2017). Hearn, Marcus (ed.).
18:Episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
253:The plot of "Traitor" concerns a series of
1229:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons episodes
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812:
804:
20:
694:The Future Was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim
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218:and filmed by their production company
721:Stansfield, James (6 September 2012).
656:Drake, Chris; Bassett, Graeme (1993).
7:
1234:Television episodes set in Australia
741:from the original on 25 October 2012
626:The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet
764:. Chinbeard Books. pp. 65–69.
413:" (which instead uses scenes from "
233:Set in 2068, the series depicts a "
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1166:Revenge of the Mysterons from Mars
222:. Written by series script editor
14:
1173:Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons
836:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
725:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
658:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
519:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
203:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
35:Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
1224:1968 British television episodes
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492:James Stansfield of the website
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1:
405:episode was to appear in the
388:' Stage 3 immediately after "
210:television series created by
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299:abducted the World President
500:, summing it up as a "nice
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432:recalls his gunfight with
273:crashes in the Australian
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293:is sabotaging the fleet.
200:" is the 17th episode of
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99:14 January 1968
32:
902:Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle
594:Bentley, Chris (2008) .
384:"Traitor" was filmed on
237:" between Earth and the
133:as Helicopter A42 Pilot
624:Bentley, Chris (2001).
468:Broadcast and reception
425:" for its flashbacks).
313:fire remains unknown.
220:Century 21 Productions
111:Guest character voices
1033:The Heart of New York
991:Spectrum Strikes Back
942:Big Ben Strikes Again
415:Big Ben Strikes Again
165:The Heart of New York
1075:Dangerous Rendezvous
390:Dangerous Rendezvous
303:started deliberately
281:dispatches Captains
142:as Cadet Joe Johnson
121:as Cadet Phil Machin
1182:New Captain Scarlet
1138:Attack on Cloudbase
1061:Flight to Atlantica
897:Spectrum Patrol Car
1161:Compilation films
1019:Special Assignment
462:Special Assignment
386:Century 21 Studios
317:Regular voice cast
149:Episode chronology
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1210:
800:at TheVervoid.com
771:978-1-913256-05-0
735:Dennis Publishing
707:978-1-932563-82-5
688:Taylor, Anthony;
671:978-1-852834-03-6
639:978-1-84222-405-2
605:978-1-905287-74-1
575:978-0-995519-12-1
488:Critical response
482:Anglia Television
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208:Supermarionation
189:List of episodes
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327:Captain Scarlet
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206:, a British
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83:Bob Dearberg
66:Tony Barwick
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745:14 December
731:Den of Geek
511:plot twists
494:Den of Geek
341:Donald Gray
135:(flashback)
125:David Healy
75:Ted Catford
54:Directed by
1218:Categories
1103:Flight 104
1068:Crater 101
844:Characters
690:Trim, Mike
532:References
474:ATV London
419:Crater 101
380:Production
370:Liz Morgan
271:hovercraft
255:hovercraft
228:ATV London
119:Gary Files
103:1968-01-14
80:Editing by
62:Written by
57:Alan Perry
49:Episode 17
1117:Expo 2068
1047:Model Spy
998:Avalanche
956:Point 783
892:Cloudbase
876:Mysterons
798:"Traitor"
789:"Traitor"
727:Episodes"
515:black box
458:Avalanche
446:Mike Trim
407:clip show
398:flashback
356:Mysterons
332:Ed Bishop
267:Mysterons
239:Mysterons
177:Model Spy
1202:Category
1012:The Trap
919:Episodes
885:Vehicles
739:Archived
723:"Top 10
692:(2006).
502:whodunit
450:tail fin
423:The Trap
361:Cy Grant
354:and the
243:Martians
160:Previous
43:Episode
1096:Inferno
1040:Traitor
949:Manhunt
662:Boxtree
478:Granada
460:" and "
421:" and "
400:to the
283:Scarlet
275:Outback
198:Traitor
173: →
158:←
101: (
38:episode
26:Traitor
908:Zero-X
768:
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91:SCA 21
522:'
454:Jetex
212:Gerry
793:IMDb
766:ISBN
747:2014
702:ISBN
666:ISBN
634:ISBN
600:ISBN
570:ISBN
480:and
417:", "
287:Blue
285:and
265:The
261:Plot
214:and
171:Next
791:at
464:".
372:as
363:as
343:as
334:as
325:as
45:no.
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