Thames Thursday - Assignment 1, "Sapphire and Steel"

Today's discussion topic is Assignment 1 of the UK series, "Sapphire and Steel". 

OVERVIEW OF THE SERIES:

Each episode contained the opening:

ALL IRREGULARITIES WILL BE HANDLED BY THE FORCES CONTROLLING EACH DIMENSION. 

TRANSURANIC HEAVY ELEMENTS MAY NOT BE USED WHERE THERE IS LIFE.

MEDIUM ATOMIC WEIGHTS ARE AVAILABLE:

GOLD, LEAD, COPPER, JET, DIAMOND, RADIUM, SAPPHIRE, SILVER AND STEEL.

SAPPHIRE AND STEEL HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED.

"Sapphire and Steel" was one-of-a-kind series.  There was no middle ground; viewers either loved it or hated it. Most loved the series, even if it frightened the fool out of them, and it has become a cult classic.

Understanding "Sapphire and Steel" didn't matter.  As Joanna Lumley said on "Wogan" during her interview of David McCallum, "It was a bit muddling, wasn't it?"

During the opening credits, there was a shadowy half-visible sort of metallic-looking semi-human image.  Little colored orbs were shown as certain "elements" were named (not all were elements as found on the periodic table, some are composite metals or crystals).  The elements were divided into three categories: investigators, who were called upon first to determined if a time break existed; operators, who repaired the breaks; and technicians, who were brought in to provide a specific skill (Silver was a technician, but he referred to himself in Assignment 6 as a "specialist" and was offended by the term "technician").  Sapphire and Steel were a handsome couple, designated as operators.  They appeared to be human, but had super-human abilities.  In Assignment 1, Sapphire told Rob and Helen there were 127 "of them", but Steel corrected her, saying that there were only 115 because the transuranics were "unstable". 

The preliminary title was "The Time Menders".  As Sapphire explained, "There is a corridor, and the corridor is time.  It surrounds all things, and passes through all things."  Time could break through and take things or people.

Aside from Assignment 3 (the animals in the abettoir), there was nothing gory about the series.  Everything took place within one site, giving a "claustrophobic" feel.  There was a dark, edge-of-your-seat suspense that, on occasion, played on viewers' fears (I first watched the series on YouTube and then bought the DVDs; it took me a year before I watched all of Assignment 4 - "The Man Without a Face").  

Some effects weren't very special, but most had a unique quality.  The effects were done on a shoe-string budget, years before there was CGI.  The creativity and effort needed to make the various effects work was a plus.

ASSIGNMENT 1 - "Escape Through a Crack in Time":

Assignment 1 wasn't the best in the series, but it was certainly good enough to hook viewers.

For Assignment 1 effects, the little spots of light on the floor weren't too intriguing, but there were effects that I liked:

Sapphire's being drawn into a painting - she was pulled into the past, yet she was still able to communicate with Steel and the children in the present;
The tunneled sort of opening in the wall in Helen's bedroom;
Mom's glowing red eyes;
Steel's freezing the painting to release Sapphire, freezing the soldiers and the cornerstone of the house;
Lead's hand appearing frozen when he touched Steel's shoulder;
The transition back in time to the construction of the house;
Lead's smashing the cornerstone. 

Using the negative of black and white film to show the spirits walking down the stairs to the basement was a cool effect.

Things I liked or found interesting in Assignment 1:

The children, Rob and Helen, were excellent.  From an interview with David McCallum, he said that Helen went through the entire "House that Jack Built" from memory, and she did it perfectly. 

The use of something as commonplace as children's nursery rhymes was a brilliant device for a "trigger".

Lead, the "giant" and Steel's "insulation", was great.  Lead picked up Steel as if he were picking up a feather.

There were unexplained aspects to the relationships between the elements:

Sapphire and Steel shared a certain familiarity with each other.  There was something unexplained between them.  In the transcript, Sapphire and Steel were referred to as "companions".  They teased each other; they touched each other; they looked warmly at each other.  They also annoyed the heck out of each other.

The significance of Lead, Jet, Copper and Silver to Sapphire and Steel was interesting.  Lead arrived after Steel dropped his temperature and had warmed up.  Besides having super-human strength (as did Steel), Lead (who wasn't identified as a "technician" or an "operator") provided insulation for Steel when he was required to lower his temperature.  Lead was a bit of a gossip.  When Lead said, "By the way, Steel, Jet sends her love," Sapphire was amused and replied, "Oh ...?  Does she, now?"  Steel wasn't amused (the transcript said when Sapphire looked at him, Steel was "slightly embarrassed"; he seemed annoyed in the episode).  Lead continued, "And Copper's having problems with Silver ...."  Sapphire asked, "Again?"  Lead answered, "Again!" and laughed.  In the transcript, it said that Steel did not like to hear about Silver, but offered no explanation.  Steel walked out of the room, gruffly telling Lead, "When you've finished eating, I'll show you what we have to do."  Lead looked at Sapphire and said, "Always cool, that man."  Sapphire replied, "Well he has to be, in this house."

Some of Sapphire's and Steel's powers were shown including Steel's ability to drop his temperature to almost absolute zero, Sapphire's ability to take time back, and their ability to communicate telepathically.

In reviewing Assignment 1, I noticed a few things that showed up in Assignment 6: the gray checked kitchen curtains looked like the curtains in the cafe kitchen, along with the use of multiple clocks.  Was this just a coincidence or were subtle items from other assignments used in Assignment 6, too?

***

Overall, Assignment 1 is an enjoyable episode.  I hope you will contribute your thoughts on this Assignment, and we'll tackle Assignment 2, "The Railway Station", next Thursday.

Steel and Sapphire with Rob