Tag: Series Finale

Series finales are the last broadcast episodes of a given series’ original run. It may not necessarily mean that the show’s makers had time to plan/write a definitive wrap-up of the story, simply that this was the last episode aired (additionally, episodes may have been aired out of order by their respective broadcasters). If episodes were left unaired and turned up later in syndication, those episode listings will be available from that show’s page.

Categories
Classic Series Prisoner, The

Fall Out

The PrisonerHaving triumphed against Number Two, Number Six is finally on his way – so he thinks – to meet Number One. But first, he has one more trial to undergo, though he can’t tell if he is the defendant…or the judge. The impetuous Number 48 is brought before him, held in contempt for his youthfully rebellious attitude. Number Two is miraculously brought back from the dead, though he seems unaware that his reign has ended. Number Six finally embarks on the final leg of his quest, but he is unprepared for the revelation that he may, in fact, already be Number One.

written by Patrick McGoohan
directed by Patrick McGoohan
music by Ron Grainer and Albert Elms

Cast: Patrick McGoohan (Number Six), Leo McKern (Number Two), Kenneth Griffith (President), Peter Swanwick (Supervisor), Michael Miller (Delegate), Alexis Kanner (Number 48)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Original Series Season 03 Star Trek

Turnabout Intruder

Star Trek ClassicStardate 5298.5: Visiting Dr. Coleman and the ailing Dr. Lester, a colleague of Kirk’s from Starfleet Academy who has always envied him due to her inability to achieve a captaincy in a male-captains-only Starfleet, Kirk is rendered unconscious by Lester. It turns out to have been a trap, and Lester puts herself and Kirk into an unknown device that transfers their minds into one another’s bodies. Lester, in the form of Kirk, doesn’t have time to kill Kirk (now in the female body). Lester and Coleman make every attempt to leave Kirk on the planet, but must bring “her” aboard to save face. Kirk, still suffering a severe shock from the mind transfer, is unable to warn McCoy about Lester’s plan to command the Enterprise (especially when Lester keeps ordering Kirk sedated). Lester, however, is unable to conceal her lack of knowledge of command procedures and, more specifically, Kirk’s character, and when Spock learns the truth and attempts to help Kirk, Lester has him placed under arrest and tries to speed Spock’s court-martial toward a conclusion which would have Kirk and Spock executed.

Order this episode on DVDDownload this episode via Amazon's Unboxteleplay by Arthur H. Singer
story by Gene Roddenberry
directed by Herb Wallerstein
music by Fred Steiner

Guest Cast: James Doohan (Mr. Scott), George Takei (Lt. Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura), Walter Koenig (Chekov), Sandra Smith (Janice Lester), Harry Landers (Dr. Coleman), Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel), Barbara Baldavin (Communications Officer), David L. Ross (Lt. Galoway), John Boyer (Guard)

Notes: Only 47 days after the final episode of Star Trek aired, Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Starlost, The

Space Precinct

The StarlostHaving endured an endless series of life-or-death adventures alongside Devon and Rachel, during which he faced up against threats he could barely begin to comprehend, Garth decide’s he’s had enough: he’s leaving to return to Cypress Corners. Despite the others’ best attempts to convince him to remain with them, he parts company with them and goes his own way…and it seems like he’s barely out of their sight when Garth is accosted by a uniformed man claiming to be a member of a security force on the Ark, something Garth finds unlikely since no such force has ever intervened during the many crisis situations he’s personally seen. It turns out that this security force isn’t native to the Ark itself, but instead comes from outside; the chief of this squad is keen to recruit Garth for his instincts, his sense of order, and his local knowledge of the Ark. As soon as Garth dons his new uniform, however, he’s embroiled in a series of incidents including hijackings, political posturing and the threat of an imminent war – all with the Ark helpless in the middle.

Get this season on DVDwritten by Martin Lager
directed by Joseph L. Scanlan
music by Score Productions Ltd.

Guest Cast: Ivor Barry (Rafe), Nuala Fitzgerald (Reena), Richard Alden (Mike), Diane Dewey (Technician), William Osler (Computer Host)

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

Categories
Orson Welles' Great Mysteries

The Furnished Room

Orson Welles' Great MysteriesA man named John, looking for a room to rent in New York City, is also looking for a woman named Louise. He’s sure that the lady from whom he’s rented a room has seen her, though she denies it – New York is, after all, a big city. But everywhere he looks, John is sure he sees evidence of Louise. He’s certain she was there. And not being able to find out what happened to her might be the death of him.

teleplay by David Amrbose
based on the short story by O. Henry
directed by Alan Gibson
theme music by John Barry

Orson Welles' Great MysteriesCast: Clarence Williams III (John Cambridge), Irene Worth (Mrs. Purdy), Sally Travers (Mrs. McCool), Joan-Ann Maynard (Louise)

Notes: Clarence Williams III had just completed his run as Linc Hayes on the popular American series The Mod Squad when he starred in this episode. Among a great many other roles, he would later appear in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (To The Death, 1996).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Original Series (Animated) Season 02 Star Trek

The Counter-Clock Incident

Star Trek ClassicStardate 6770.3: The Enterprise is en route to Babel on a fairly routine mission, ferrying Commodore Robert April (the Enterprise’s first captain) and his wife (the ship’s original medical officer) to a retirement ceremony on Babel. When an immensely powerful ship of unknown origins blasts past the Enterprise on an apparent death dive into a nearby supernova, Kirk tries to stop it with the tractor beam – which only has the effect of dragging the Enterprise into the exploding star with the other ship. Somehow, both ships survive, but find themselves in a different universe where the laws of time and space no longer apply. The crew of the other ship originate from this dimension, where time runs backward and instead of gaining knowledge, their race is losing knowledge as each generation regresses rapidly into infancy. This temporal effect also renders the Enterprise crew too young and inexperienced to find their way back home – and Commodore April must take the Enterprise’s captain’s chair one more time to save Kirk and the current crew.

Order the DVDswritten by John Culver (a.k.a. Fred Bronson)
directed by Hal Sutherland
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael

Guest Voice Cast: James Doohan (Commodore April), Majel Barrett (Mrs. April), Majel Barrett (Karla 5), James Doohan (Karl 4)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Planet Of The Apes Season 1

Up Above The World So High

Planet Of The ApesVirdon, Burke and Galen spot something unusually large flying overhead; the two humans immediately recognize it as a primitive hang glider, which would represent a huge step forward for humans. The glider has also attracted the interest of the apes, however: Dr. Zaius sees great potential to enforce ape law from the air, while General Urko dismisses the glider as a toy. Its inventor is determined to keep developing it regardless of the risk, but when Virdon and Burke demonstrate some knowledge of flight, he instantly regards them with suspicion. And there’s someone else involved too – someone who sees the glider as the perfect way to drop bombs on the apes.

Order the DVDsteleplay by S. Bar-David and Arthur Browne Jr.
story by S. Bar-David
directed by John Meredyth Lucas
music by Lalo Schifrin

Guest Cast: Joanna Barnes (Carsia), Frank Aletter (Leuric), Martin Brooks (Konag), Mark Lenard (Urko), Booth Colman (Zaius), William Beckley (Council Orang), Ron Stein (Gorilla Guard), Eldon Burke (2nd Trooper), Glenn Wilder (Human Driver)

Planet Of The ApesNotes: This was the final live-action Planet Of The Apes project until the 2001 remake movie directed by Tim Burton, and the last Planet Of The Apes media to feature Roddy McDowall (1928-1998). With declining ratings, and the show’s increasing tendency toward controversial subject matter (including an entire completed episode that CBS deemed unsuitable for air), CBS opted not to order further episodes of the series.

S. Bar-David is a pseudonym frequently used by writer Shimon Wincelberg; he also used this pseudonym on episodes of the original Star Trek. Director John Meredyth Lucas was a frequent writer and director on that show as well, and was a name often seen in one of those capacities in 1960s TV credits. He also wrote episodes of The Starlost and Logan’s Run.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Sky

Chariot Of Fire

SearchThe Juganet is revealed: 20th century civilization knows it as Stonehenge. Sky steps into the stone circle and vanishes; a disbelieving Arby follows him, and finds himself in another time, among what he believes is Sky’s civilization, though they banish him to a “place of darkness” for being evil. Sky explains that these are the descendants of humanity, dedicated to harmony with nature – and that they may achieve more than 20th century civilization ever could. But none of that answers the question of whether or not Arby can safely return to his own time.

Order the DVDswritten by Bob Baker and Dave Martin
directed by Derek Clark
music by Eric Wetherell

SkyCast: Marc Harrison (Sky), Stuart Lock (Arby Vennor), Cherrald Butterfield (Jane Vennor), Richard Speight (Roy Briggs), Bernard Archard (Haril), Peter Copley (Revil), Robert Eddison (Goodchild)

Notes: The 2″ master videotape of this episode suffered critical damage in the 1990s, and is Skyrepresented on DVD by a VHS backup copy of noticeably lower quality. This is the final episode of the series, and its nature-over-technology message is strikingly similar to a BBC series, The Changes, aired the same year.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Invisible Man

An Attempt To Save Face

The Invisible ManDan Westin’s old friend, Dr. Nick Maggio, was the man who gave him a new face after Dan became invisible…and now he is summoning Dan and Kate to a hospital in Chicago under mysterious circumstances. When the Westins arrive, Maggio explains that he has been brought in to perform a secret facelift on the chairman of an Eastern Bloc country, but that members of the chairman’s entourage have now sequestered Maggio’s would-be patient away…and are keeping Maggio under round-the-clock guard. Dan goes on an invisible intelligence-gathering mission, learning that there are two rival factions among the chairman’s entourage: one faction wants him returned home without the facelift, and the other wants to assassinate him and blame his death on American doctors. Short on time, a plan is devised to put Dan’s face mask on the chairman to get him out of harm’s way…but the longer it takes to put the plan into action, the more goes wrong with it.

teleplay by James D. Parriott and Leslie Stevens
story by Leslie Stevens
directed by Don Henderson
music by Pete Rugolo

The Invisible ManCast: David McCallum (Dr. Daniel Westin), Melinda Fee (Dr. Kate Westin), Craig Stevens (Walter Carlson), Charles Aidman (Dr. Nick Maggio), Terry Kiser (Petra Kolchak), Oscar Homolka (Chairman), Ina Balin (Katrina Storoff), Gene Dynarski (Vasil), Julie Rogers (Wendy), Sid McCoy (Anestheseologist), W.T. Zacha (Sergei), Karen Cobb (Nurse)

Note: Though there are broad (and somewhat stereotypical) hints that the chairman is the leader of the Soviet Union, the script remains vague, not narrowing things down any more than “the Eastern Bloc”. This was the final episode of The Invisible Man to be produced or aired, but was far from the final outing for the concept of an invisible spy. The following year, NBC premiered Gemini Man, a virtually identical series The Invisible Manstarring Ben Murphy, though the method of invisibility was retooled to utilized cheaper special effects. Craig Stevens (1918-2000) continued on to a steady string of guest starring roles through the late 1980s, though he remained best known for having been Peter Gunn. Melinda O. Fee remained active through the early 1990s, and David McCallum is, at the time of this writing, still Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on NCIS, a role he has played since 2003; he has also appeared in Babylon 5, VR.5, and Jeremiah, and starred in the short-lived cult classic genre series Sapphire & Steel in the late 1970s. Far from being invisible, McCallum has been a fixture of the small screen on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 40 years.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Star Maidens

The Enemy

Star MaidensWith Adam and Shem captured, Earth and Medusa prepare to exchange prisoners. As arrangements are made, another signal is found in deep space, originating from somewhere other than Medusa; the Medusans suddenly accelerate the timetable for the prisoner exchange. When the signal is played back on Earth, it makes Shem violently ill, and Professor Evans is only able to get Fulvia to tell him that this is a matter between Medusa and its ancient enemy from another galaxy.

written by Otto Strang
directed by Freddie Francis
music by Berry Lipmann

Star MaidensCast: Judy Geeson (Fulvia), Lisa Harrow (Liz), Gareth Thomas (Shem), Pierre Brice (Adam), Christian Quadflieg (Rudi), Christiane Kruger (Octavia), Derek Farr (Evans), Dawn Addams (Clara), Uschi Mellin (Andrea)

Notes: This is the final episode of Star Maidens; the unnamed (and mostly unseen) enemy hails from Proxima Centauri, just like the planet Medusa, and they are said to have fed upon the Medusans during past clashes.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Electra Woman & Dyna Girl

Return Of The Pharaoh – Part 2

Electra Woman & Dyna GirlThough Frank can only be of minimal help to Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, they manage to escape the Pharaoh’s latest trap. Just as he as within reach of the Coptic Eye, an ancient Egyptian relic of great power, the Pharaoh finds himself trapped, buried alive with an artifact that’s now useless. The catch? Electra Woman and Dyna Girl can’t escape either…and if they do, they risk releasing the Pharaoh’s evil upon the world again.

written by Greg Strangis
directed by Jack Regas
music not credited

Electra Woman & Dyna GirlCast: Deidre Hall (Lori / Electra Woman), Judy Strangis (Judy / Dyna Girl), Norman Alden (Frank Heflin), Peter Mark Richman (The Pharaoh), Jane Elliot (Cleopatra), Sterling Swanson (Mr. McLintock), Marvin Miller (Narrator)

Notes: This is the final episode of the series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Raven

Episode Six

RavenAfter the meeting in the stone circle, Raven emerges as the voice of a movement against the dumping of nuclear waste in the caves. But Raven suddenly bolts out of a meeting at the county hall, overcome by a feeling that something “big” is still needed to change the minds of government ministers in favor of the nuclear dump. He and Naomi return to the caves to find a chamber that they’re sure is there, but appears nowhere on the maps. In that chamber lies the answer Raven seeks, but it seems his story will parallel King Arthur’s in one tragic way: the loss of a friend and mentor in a time of need.

Order the DVDswritten by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray
directed by Michael Hart
music not credited

RavenCast: Michael Aldridge (Professor Young), Patsy Rowlands (Mrs. Young), Phil Daniels (Raven), Shirley Cheriton (Naomi Grant), James Kerry (Bill Telford), Tenniel Evans (Editor), Harold Innocent (Minister), Ellis Jones (Vicar), Blake Butler (Stone), Hugh Thomas (Castle), Geoffrey Lumsden (Sir Lewis Gurney)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Season 2 Space: 1999

The Dorcons

Space: 1999The moon nears some kind of drifting artificial satellite in deep space. But when the object is scanned, it blasts through Moonbase Alpha’s shields with a powerful scanning beam of its own, rendering the crew immobile and damaging equipment. The beam settles on Maya, awakening her and subjecting her to extraordinary pain. A Dorcon ship appears and demand that Koenig hand Maya over – or watch his entire crew die. Koenig refuses, and a vicious attack ensues. Alan Carter leads a small fleet of Eagles into combat, but both the Eagles and Alpha suffer heavy damage while the Dorcon ship is virtually untouched. The Dorcons and Psychons are sworn enemies, and the Dorcons have the ability to stop a Psychon transformation in mid-change – and to drain a Psychon’s life force to renew their own. Faced with Alpha’s destruction, Koenig – at Maya’s own insistence – gives up the fight and hands her over to the Dorcons. But an insurrection within the Dorcons’ own ranks could give Maya and the rest of Moonbase Alpha a means of escape.

Order the DVDswritten by Johnny Byrne
directed by Tom Clegg
music by Derek Wadsworth

Guest Cast: Tony Anholt (Tony Verdeschi), Nick Tate (Alan Carter), Patrick Troughton (The Archon), Ann Firbank (Consul Verda), Gerry Sundquist (Malic), Alibe Parsons (Alibe), Laurence Harrington (Stewart), Kevan Sheehan (1st Dorcon operative), Michael Halsey (1st Dorcon soldier), Hamish Patrick (Command Center Alphan), Hazel McBridge (Female medical officer)

Notes: The late Patrick Troughton was, of course, best known as the second incarnation of Doctor Who.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Space Academy

Johnny Sunseed

Space AcademyAs the Space Academy cadets are growing accustomed to a new artificially grown vegetable in their meals, Commander Gampu tensely awaits an inspection from someone who he knows would love nothing more than to shut the Academy down: his brother, Johnny Sunseed. With a reputation as an anti-technology crusader, Sunseed is unimpressed with the Academy, and is annoyed that Gampu has assigned Peepo to serve as his tour guide. An outbreak of an unknown condition with intoxicating effects sweeps through the Academy, and Sunseed is quick to pounce on any sign that things aren’t running smoothly.

written by Don Heckman
directed by Ezra Stone
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael and Horta-Mahana

Space AcademyCast: Jonathan Harris (Commander Gampu), Pamelyn Ferdin (Laura), Ric Carrott (Chris), Ty Henderson (Paul), Maggie Cooper (Adrian), Brian Tochi (Tee Gar), Eric Greene (Loki), Dallas McKennon (Johnny Sunseed), Peepo (himself)

Notes: Although it seems as though Johnny Sunseed is being set up as a new regular at Space Academy, this is the show’s final episode; plans were already underway, in the wake of Star Wars‘ smash success earlier in the year, to use the Space Academy sets, props and models for a more action-adventure-oriented show.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Logan's Run

Carousel

Logan's RunLogan, Jessica and Rem stop to explore on foot, but Logan is hit by a tranquilizer dart from a hidden attacker, and Rem and Jessica vanish before his eyes before he loses consciousness. Rem and Jessica find themselves in a place devoid of any features, with a man claiming he represents a “higher authority,” though he declines to say exactly which authority that is. He claims that he and his kind are exploring Logan’s memories, but at the result of temporarily erasing Logan’s memories. The amnesiac Logan is apprehended by Francis. Francis asks Logan of Jessica and Rem’s whereabouts, but Logan remembers neither of them, and he certainly doesn’t remember abandoning the principles of the City of Domes and going on the run himself. Logan is brought back to the City of Domes and stands before the Council of Elders, who promise to let him live past the age of 30 if he will make a public testimony at the next Carousel that there is no such place as Sanctuary. Rem and Jessica are allowed to return to the City to save Logan, but when Jessica brings his plight to the attention of the underground network of runners still inside the City, they have a different assignment for her: she must eliminate Logan before his subconscious knowledge of the runners and Sanctuary resurfaces for the benefit of the Sandmen.

Download this episodewritten by D.C. Fontana and Richard L. Breen Jr.
story by Richard L. Breen Jr.
directed by Irving J. Moore
music from stock music library

Guest Cast: Rosanne Katon (Diane), Ross Bickel (Michael), Wright King (Jonathon), Morgan Woodward (Morgan), Melody Anderson (Sheila), Regis J. Cordic (Darrel), Gary Swanson (Peter), Burton Cooper (First Man), William Molloy (Second Man)

Logan's RunNotes: This episode establishes that Logan has been running for nearly a year. This was the final episode of Logan’s Run broadcast by CBS. Following numerous time slot changes, an intermittent schedule of new episodes, and a fall 1977 schedule that had pitted the science fiction show – traditionally seen as the domain of male viewers – against Monday Night Football at a time when ABC’s weekly football game completely dominated television ratings. Three further episodes were produced, but not aired as part of CBS’ run; they premiered later in syndicated packages sold to such up-and-coming cable “superstations” as Ted Turner’s WTBS. The synopses of the remaining episodes, since their premiere dates are unknown (regardless of what the user-generated content on IMDb says), can be accessed by clicking on the show logo above.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Captain America

Captain America II: Death Too Soon

Captain AmericaSteve Rogers lives the life of a wayward artist, finding that his alter ego, Captain America, is still needed wherever he goes. The disappearance of a scientist known for his research into countering aging draws Steve to an out-of-the-way town, where he finds the locals tight-lipped or openly hostile. After she sees him single-handedly fight off a group of thugs, local ranch owner Helen Moore offers Steve shelter. When an international terrorist known only as Miguel claims to have the mission scientist, and threatens to use his research to age the population of a major city to death unless the U.S. government pays a massive ransom, it seems odd for Captain America to continue focusing all of his efforts on a small town, but he’s certain that the secrets behind Miguel’s grab for power and wealth are there.

written by Wilton Schiller and Patricia Payne
directed by Ivan Nagy
music by Mike Post & Pete Carpenter

Captain AmericaCast: Reb Brown (Steve Rogers / Captain America), Connie Sellecca (Dr. Wendy Day), Len Birman (Dr. Simon Mills), Christopher Lee (Miguel), Katherine Justice (Helen Moore), Christopher Cary (Professor Ilson), William Lucking (Stader), Stanley Kamel (Kramer), Ken Swofford (Everett Bliss), Lana Wood (Yolanda), Arthur Rosenberg (Doctor), Bill Mims (Dr. J. Brenner), Alex Hyde-White (Young Man), Lachelle Chamberlain (Young Girl), Susan French (Mrs. Shaw), John Waldron (Peter Moore)

LogBook entry by Earl Green