Reviews

This has got to be my favourite episode: Probably after the same storm that had left Mark Harris high and dry, but in a different time and place, a man finds himself, lying on a beach. Coming to the conclusion that he'd been beaten and left there, and with no knowledge of where he was or who he was, he gives himself the name, Billy Jones. This is the 'wild west', and to ensure his survival, Billy learns how to use a gun, and becomes a gunfighter. He arrives in Land's End, where he is employed as a Hired Gun, by local rancher, Clint Hollister, who appears to run the town. Artemus Washburn, has a small ranch outside of Land's End, and lives there with his son, Charlie and daughter, Bettina. Clint's son, Luke, thinks that because of his fathers status in the community, he can get away with murder, quite literally, and ends up in jail having shot Charlie in the back. Clint has a lady friend; a saloon girl, by the name of Carla, who he suspects Billy is having an affair with. Mark experiences a physical pain whilst the Cetacean (the Foundation for Oceanic Research submersible) is in an area of ocean, and goes out into the water, feeling that he will find the answer, for it, there. Mark finds himself swimming ashore, and soon arrives at the Washburn ranch, where he meets Bettina and her father. Initially, they assume Mark is Billy, as they seem identical in appearance. After deciding that he is, actually, not who he appears to be, they give Mark a horse and clothing so that he can go into town to find Billy. Mark is mistaken for Billy by those that he meets, and is approached by Billy, himself, just after he has been given the job, by Clint, to deal with the Editor of the local newspaper, for speaking out against Luke. Mark and Billy have a conversation, both looking for answers to how it is that they are so alike, and their possible connection. Mark invites Billy to visit the 'sub', but Billy swims out to the Cetacean alone, having tied Mark up. When Billy, masquerading as Mark, arrives on the sub, Elizabeth sees that in the place where Mark had felt pain, there is a, now, a wound. Billy is amazed by the technology on board, but because of his strange behaviour, Elizabeth thinks 'Mark' is ill; not feeling himself, and during a conversation with CW on the 'radio phone'- a disembodied voice to a confused Billy -decides that maybe they should return 'home'. Billy promptly leaves. Returning to dry land, Billy is confronted by Clint and his men. Clint accuses him of seeing Carla, behind his back, and takes a whip to Billy. At the Washburn ranch, Mark collapses in pain, feeling every stroke Billy receives. Virgil, a friend of Mr Washburn arrives to confirm what has happened, and informs Mark that Clint was heading out to hang Billy, before going into town to free Luke from jail. Mark, Mr Washburn, Bettina and Virgil go to Billy's rescue. Bettina shoots the rope down just in time! Having given Billy a soaking, to revitalise him after his ordeal, the two 'brothers' go into town to stop Clint. Before they attempt to tackle the gang, Mark and Billy visit the sheriff's office, and Billy becomes a deputy, figuring that if he wants to 'stick' around he would need to be on the right side of the law. Billy appears identical to Mark Harris physically, but had removed the webbing between his fingers; "What good are webbed hands to a gunfighter?" Billy and Mark's personalities are so very different. Mark is naive, innocent and just a little too trusting, whereas Billy having had to look out for himself, is more astute; and just a little cocky. Billy knows that being in water makes him 'feel good', but was unaware until he met Mark that he was able to 'breathe' water. Both, appear happy in the knowledge that the other exists, but not wishing to go, or remain in each others' world. Mark leaves Billy to his new life, and returns to the Cetacean, where Elizabeth is still under the impression that Mark had been 'suffering some form of surface manifestation of an inner pain he was feeling'.

A storm churns up the ocean depths, and close to death, a man is washed up onto the shore. A hospital medical team is unable to stabilize him. Intrigued by 'a man who has forgotten how to breathe', naval medic, Dr Elizabeth Merrill accompanies a medical consultant into the emergency room. Noting the patients' appearance, Elizabeth asks to examine him. She comes to a quick conclusion, and hurriedly takes the man, in an ambulance, back to the ocean. Pushing his inert form, around in the water, face down, Elizabeth pleads with him to 'breathe', for she had discovered, that his lungs, instead of the usual 'air sacks', contained gill-like membrane. Slowly the man revives, his cat-like green eyes staring up, at her, through the waves. Elizabeth names him, Mark Harris. With government funding she puts Mark through a series of tests to find out his speed, agility and strength in the water. They prove to be superhuman. At home in the water, he's only able to stay on land for short periods of time, before he needs to return to it; or perish. At first, Mark does not communicate verbally, until he responds to a request to help locate a lost submersible. During his mission Mark encounters Mr. Schubert (who appears in several more episodes); the villain wanting to 'take over the world'. After saving the day, and although having no recollection of his origins , Mark decides to return to the ocean, but he has a change of heart, and stays, telling Dr Merrill, 'I have not learned enough'. Handsome Patrick Duffy is brilliant as Mark Harris, with his trade mark yellow trunks and unique swimming style. I don't think that there were many who saw the show, who didn't try, just once, to imitate it. I've, recently, had the chance to see the series again, which was absolutely fantastic. It still has to be one of my all-time favourite TV shows. I was sad that the series just suddenly stopped, with no real conclusion. Maybe some of the episodes; like the one featuring the two-headed sea horse, Oscar, do look a little silly now, but special effects have come a long way since the late 70s. The Man from Atlantis never pretended to be anything more than what it was, just pure entertainment; sci-fi fantasy.