Not one of my favourite episodes at all. As soon as you see the infamous "white Gorilla" you know it's only a matter of time before its running wild on Seaview. That coupled with some totally ridiculous plot holes (even by voyage standards) makes you yearn for a series two classic.
Here's a very brief rundown.
A doctor friend of Nelson's is working on a device that seems to be really good at sending a "white" gorilla of its head. Quite why he decided to use this monster and extremely rare gorilla as a test subject is hard to fathom.
Unfortunately he has picked up a scheming assistant along the way named Brock. He's a sly cunning selfish man who wants all the glory of the new device for just one person..Him!
As Nelson and Sharkey make their way to the Doctor's forest camp in the flying sub Brock decides to make his move. He plants a homing device on the Doctor and then activates the device so the gorilla will attack him. The gorilla wastes no time in being alerted and the doctor is helpless but just to make sure Brock tips him over in his chair. (He's a real beauty)
In a nut shell Brock thinks Nelson will let the experiment die with the Doctor leaving him free to "rediscover" it and claim all the credit and cash. Unfortunately the Doctor was a friend of Nelson's and he's determined to carry on his work and make sure he gets the credit awarded posthumously. This leaves Brock secretly fuming and almost like in an episode of Columbo he ends up committing more crimes to hide the first. These include kidnap, murder, attempted murder and almost destroying Seaview by letting the Gorilla run wild on-board.
A scene of total farce comes when they have the gorilla tied down in a cage in the missile room.(Some very obvious lines from Patterson so we are all aware how powerful the gorilla is)
Brock slopes into the missile room looking guilty as hell and tells the guard he's just checking. The guard obligingly turns his back on Brock who then lands him a truly monumental blow with a wrench.
Then we learn that Brock is "apparently" fully trained on the procedures of firing torpedoes aboard nuclear submarines. He stuffs the guards body into a torpedo tube operates the controls perfectly and shoots the body out into the ocean.
The biggest gripe is to do with poor Captain Crane!
Crane is absent from the bulk of this episode. It transpires that he knew Brock at some point in his past and would have told the Admiral what a toe rag he was. Brock ambushes him in the corridor (there always empty) and somehow gets the better of him in a fight! I doubt Brock could of achieved this especially with all the experience Crane has of punch ups!
The result is Crane being trussed up like a turkey and his unconscious body being hidden so well by Brock (a total stranger to Seaview) that not even the rest of the crew could find it!
I supposed the gorilla is done as well as possible but still looks fake.
The one true star of this episode is Woodrow Parrfey who was ironically a decorated world war two hero. He makes the scheming cowardly Brock really come to life.
Here's a very brief rundown.
A doctor friend of Nelson's is working on a device that seems to be really good at sending a "white" gorilla of its head. Quite why he decided to use this monster and extremely rare gorilla as a test subject is hard to fathom.
Unfortunately he has picked up a scheming assistant along the way named Brock. He's a sly cunning selfish man who wants all the glory of the new device for just one person..Him!
As Nelson and Sharkey make their way to the Doctor's forest camp in the flying sub Brock decides to make his move. He plants a homing device on the Doctor and then activates the device so the gorilla will attack him. The gorilla wastes no time in being alerted and the doctor is helpless but just to make sure Brock tips him over in his chair. (He's a real beauty)
In a nut shell Brock thinks Nelson will let the experiment die with the Doctor leaving him free to "rediscover" it and claim all the credit and cash. Unfortunately the Doctor was a friend of Nelson's and he's determined to carry on his work and make sure he gets the credit awarded posthumously. This leaves Brock secretly fuming and almost like in an episode of Columbo he ends up committing more crimes to hide the first. These include kidnap, murder, attempted murder and almost destroying Seaview by letting the Gorilla run wild on-board.
A scene of total farce comes when they have the gorilla tied down in a cage in the missile room.(Some very obvious lines from Patterson so we are all aware how powerful the gorilla is)
Brock slopes into the missile room looking guilty as hell and tells the guard he's just checking. The guard obligingly turns his back on Brock who then lands him a truly monumental blow with a wrench.
Then we learn that Brock is "apparently" fully trained on the procedures of firing torpedoes aboard nuclear submarines. He stuffs the guards body into a torpedo tube operates the controls perfectly and shoots the body out into the ocean.
The biggest gripe is to do with poor Captain Crane!
Crane is absent from the bulk of this episode. It transpires that he knew Brock at some point in his past and would have told the Admiral what a toe rag he was. Brock ambushes him in the corridor (there always empty) and somehow gets the better of him in a fight! I doubt Brock could of achieved this especially with all the experience Crane has of punch ups!
The result is Crane being trussed up like a turkey and his unconscious body being hidden so well by Brock (a total stranger to Seaview) that not even the rest of the crew could find it!
I supposed the gorilla is done as well as possible but still looks fake.
The one true star of this episode is Woodrow Parrfey who was ironically a decorated world war two hero. He makes the scheming cowardly Brock really come to life.
