Number Six (Patrick McGoohan) squares off against Number Two (this time played by Peter Wyngarde) in a layered scheme in Checkmate. Written by Gerald Kelsey, this episode first debuted on 24 November, 1967. Inspired by a life-sized chess game, Six begins canvassing his own pieces, fellow prisoners, as he’s reasoned out how to tell the…
Tag: paranoia
TIFF 2021: Encounter dir. Michael Pearce
From the beginning of the film, thanks to the way the film is told, and the willing suspension of disbelief that is inherent with cinema, we believe Malik (Riz Ahmed) and his conviction that a microscopic parasitic alien organism has come to the planet and is slowly taking over, manipulating people to their own end….
The X-Files (1996) – Quagmire, and Wetwired
Kim Newton takes on one of my favourite subjects in this week’s X-files, the episode features some additional work by Darin Morgan and brings lake monsters into the realm of our two FBI agents, Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson). The episode first debuted on 3 May, 1996, and featured the final appearance of…
The X-Files (1995) – Fresh Bones, and Colony
Howard Gordon brings Mulder (David Duchony) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) into the world of voodoo with Fresh Bones, which features some very relevant subject matter. First airing on 3 February, 1995, Fresh Bones finds the agents travelling to North Carolina at the behest of a marine’s wife, when they refuse to further investigate his death,…
The X-Files (1994) – Blood, and Sleepless
Mulder (David Duchovny) finds himself in a paranoia and violence filled town in Blood. Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong from a story by Darin Morgan (who had just appeared as the monster in the previous episode), this episode first aired on 30 September, 1994. A seemingly unconnected series of violent incidents leads Mulder…
The X-Files (1994) – E.B.E., and Miracle Man
This week’s entry into exploration of The X-Files brings me one of my favourite episodes, E.B.E. written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. This episode truly lays the groundwork for the alien conspiracy arc that would play such a large part in the show’s mythology. Filled with lies, disinformation, shreds of truth, and the stark…
Star Trek: Voyager (1999) – The Voyager Conspiracy, and Pathfinder
Captain’s log: stardate 53329 Joe Menosky penned this Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) episode that delves into paranoia as she begins to suspect that the Voyager was intentionally transported to the Delta Quadrant. After augmenting her alcove to assimilate more data, her neural pathways are unable to handle it, and begin correlating facts into vast…
Star Trek: Voyager (1998) – One, and Hope and Fear
Captain’s log: stardate 51929.3 Jeri Taylor pens this Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) episode that debuted on 13 May, 1998 and served as the penultimate episode of the fourth season. When a nebula that needs to be traversed as opposed to circumvented seems to stop the Voyager’s trip home, due to the level of radiation…
Star Trek: Voyager (1997) – Scientific Method, and Year of Hell
Captain’s log: stardate 51244.3 Lisa Klink pens the teleplay for this episode from a story by Harry Doc Kloor and Sherry Klein. It first aired on 29 October, 1997. There are a number of strange illnesses and events occurring on the Voyager. The Doctor (Robert Picardo) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) are the only…
Space: 1999 (1976) – Journey to Where, and One Moment of Humanity
Moonbase Alpha continues to hurtle among the stars drawing us with them as Koenig (Martin Landau), Russell (Barbara Bain), Alan (Nick Tate), Maya (Catherine Schell), Tony (Tony Arnholt) and the rest of the crew try to survive. Trouble rears its head this week in Journey to Where, penned by Donald James this episode first debuted…
The Mind Reels 