mae@milo.UUCP (Mary Anne Espenshade) (10/19/84)
>> From: jimc@haddock.UUCP >> I received a written request to blab away, so I am posting the answer here: >> Helen >> Now the interesting thing is that Straker was once in a terrible >> hurry in his beautiful gull wing car, so much so that he >> accidentally ran down his son who was crossing the street. >> Helen, who was on his case over and over again about not spending >> enough time with his family, hated him from that moment; and >> walked out on the marriage when the kid finally died of the >> injuries he sustained. In a later episode, Straker was beginning >> to suffocate in an abandoned Skydiver, thought she was in the >> room with him and started talking to her, telling her he still >> loved her and that he has never forgiven himself. NO!!!!! NO!!!!! A THOUSAND TIMES NO!!!!!!! You have everything wrong from the name on. The episode referred to is called "A Question of Priorities" and is only one of two episodes involving Mary Straker. She had divorced Ed before the child was even born. In the episode with flashbacks to the creation of SHADO (the name of which I have forgotten and my episode guide is at home) she believed Ed was involved with another woman because he couldn't tell her anything about his work. By the time of "A Question of Priorities", she had remarried and Ed got to see Johnny one Saturday a month. When on the way home from one of these visits, Johnny tells his father that he built a model plane and wants to show it to him. He gets out of the car a runs into the house to get it. Mary comes out of the house and tells Ed to leave, she obviously doesn't like the fact that he gets to see Johnny at all. As he gets back in the car and backs out of the driveway Johnny looks out the window and sees his father leaving. He runs out of the house, right past his mother, and into the street, where he is hit by another car coming around a blind curve. Rushing him to the hospital, Mary and her new husband have him admitted with his stepfather's last name, so that Ed is prevented from even seeing him. While Johnny was seriously injured in the accident, the real problem is that, because of an allergy to most antibiotics, they can't treat him to prevent infection. A new drug in the U.S. could be used, but there is none in the U.K. and a ordinary plane couldn't get it across the Atlantic in time. Straker is able to get a SHADO supersonic jet to pick up the medicine and bring it over but the "Question of Priorities" comes up when a UFO is forced down in Scotland and the plane is diverted to investigate. The irony of the ending is that the downed UFO self-distructed before any new information could be gotten and the drug got to the hospital only moments to late to save Johnny. I hadn't realized how completely this episode was engraved in my memory. It's been a while since I saw it and it is very upsetting to watch, especially when one has become accustomed to the last minute rescues and "nobody dies" attitude of much American tv. Mary Anne Espenshade ...seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!mae
jimc@haddock.UUCP (10/23/84)
Wow! Where did I get the name "Helen" from? I guess it's been longer
than I thought.
Perhaps I should sit back and listen to you experts more.
Thanks for setting everything straight.
Jim