The Six Million Dollar Man. Episode 9. "Doomsday, and Counting" An earthquake sets off a Nuclear Device countdown.
One of my favourite episodes. A fast pace, a great cast, solid characterization, an epic feel, great action and a tragic ending make for a classic.
We open on Kamkov Island, in USSR territory, and meet (for all intents and purposes) the hero of the story: a Colonel called Vasily Zuchov, an upbeat and likable fellow. We follow him to Washington, and hear his crazy plan to turn a disused Nuclear facility into the spearhead of a global programme to launch a spacecraft to Mars. Even before that has settled in our brains, we learn that disaster has struck and Vasily (with Steve Austin in tow) is back on Komkov Island to "inspect earthquake damage". Next: we learn that the Russian's girlfriend is trapped underground in the deserted complex. Steve is persuaded to mount an unofficial rescue mission. More disaster strikes, and they are trapped. They find the girl. But she has bad news for them: a countdown has begun, and the result will be a Nuclear Device. The final act contains a downbeat and graphic death before Steve comes faces to face with the computer that is determined to blow up the island. And his attempts to stop it are failing... Whew! And that's just the underground action, there's a ton of stuff above ground, too. This thing zips along like you would not believe. There's enough story/plot here for a decent Summer blockbuster.
Gary Collins and Lee Majors have great chemistry. You like them and believe them as friends. Beautiful Jane Merrow is perfect as the (more cautious) girlfriend, while William Smithers almost steals the episode as the gruff superior who tries to put a stop to... everything.
All of the characters are well-crafted in this tale. And the extremes are subtle and shaded. The Smithers character is against Vasily most of the way, but - after slight coercion from Oscar Goldman - is prepared to put his own life on the line to help. This leads to some superb scenes later on where both men sit in the control upstairs, powerless to do anything, resigned to sitting in complete silence and waiting. These quick scenes, more than anything else, make everything more real.
The idea of a Mars mission, and the location shooting, and the global politics all contribute to give the episode an epic feel. You really believe that these two guys are deep underground in a deserted complex and that whatever happens there will have ramifications around the world.
It helps that the episode contains some breath-taking bionic scenes: the opening use of bionics where Steve saves Vasily from the falling girder, the scene of the rubble coming down the stairs, the scene where Steve pushes through the ceiling and jumps down, etc.
And the ending... is sad. Shocking, surprising and sad. I remember the first time I saw this episode (only a few years ago) I was gutted by what happened because - in a short frame of time - I had grown fond of all the characters.
Truly a classic from start to finish.
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The Six Million Dollar Man. Episode 9. "Doomsday, and Counting"
