Gatchaman Episode 58: “Hell’s Mecha-Buttha”

[Thank you, Saturn, for the screencaps!]







Gatchaman Episode 58: “Hell’s Mecha-Buttha”

BOTP Episode: “Giant from Planet Zyr”

The episode begins at night, with music of impending doom playing, as we see a large industrial or scientific facility of some kind. There are two uniformed guards with flashlights on watch duty. “Nothing suspicious to report,” says one guard as he approaches the other.






Looking up at some rooms in one building where the lights are still on late at night, the guard notes that “They’re doing a lot of work,” and he wonders what “they” are building. The other guard replies “Who knows?” and says that they haven’t been told anything. The first guard then concludes that they’ll likely find out once the work is finished, and he walks off to make another round about the facility.

However, he doesn’t get very far! He immediately falls into a very large hole in the ground, several feet deep. He assures the other guard that he’s okay, but they’re both quite puzzled as to why someone dug a pit here. Suddenly, the guard who is not in the hole is hoisted high into the air by a giant hand.







We get a view of the guard far below staring up in horror and we can briefly see that the “hole” he’s in is shaped like a giant footprint.

The terrified guard being held aloft by two fingers of a giant hand now shines his flashlight up at the face of his captor and sees a multi-faced Buddha-like giant. This causes him to yell in terror even more loudly –especially when the giant Buddha then proceeds to drop him. The poor guard falls… and while we don’t actually see him hit the ground, it’s quite apparent that it’s not going to be good for his health.







The scene concludes with the guard who first fell in the hole still looking up in horror and clutching his flashlight, as the giant’s foot comes down to crush him and his recently-plummeted companion.

Now we see the people that the guards had been discussing before they got stomped on, doing the late-night work on their mysterious project: they are scientists. A scientist with a white beard looks up from a schematic he’s drawing and asks “Did you hear something?”

No, none of the other scientists heard the final, dying screams of the guards outside. Besides, they have more important things to pay attention to –another scientist now announces that they are ready to begin testing the Jet Cutter prototype.







In a glassed-in room, the Jet Cutter prototype is now moved into position, and it appears to be designed to concentrate some kind of powerful energy and then shoot it at a target in moving beam.







This beam is so powerful that it can cut straight across a very thick sheet of metal, slicing it in two, but the Jet Cutter’s coils begin to glow red. Just as one scientist is turning a dial on the control panel even higher, the scientist with the white beard becomes alarmed and orders him to terminate the test.

The scientist at the dial wants to know what the problem is, but the scientist with the white beard doesn’t get a chance to explain because just then the ceiling shatters and a giant hand reaches into the room. Frightened scientists scatter, yelling in fear, and the giant hand breaks the glass around the Jet Cutter and seizes it.








The giant, standing outside, retracts its arm from the building now, taking the Jet Cutter. Panels on the giant’s back open to reveal rocket engines which enable the giant to rise up into the air. As a parting gesture, the giant smashes its hand through a balcony where scientists are standing, sending them falling to their deaths. Then the giant flies off into the dark sky beyond.

At a military airfield somewhere, an alarm is sounding and UN fighter jets are taking off from the ground as, elsewhere, the Buddha giant continues to fly, arms stretched out before it.








But now we cut to the Crescent Coral base, and don’t learn how the UN fighter jets fare. Ken is standing there, saying “It’s called the Jet Cutter?” to Dr. Nambu. Nambu confirms this and adds that the Jet Cutter can generate heat of almost 40000 degrees C. It’s designed to cut through subterranean matter, via vaporization, to extract non-polluting energy sources from the Earth’s mantle. As Dr. Nambu is talking, we see that the rest of the Team is there too, sitting and listening.








Unfortunately, Dr. Nambu admits, if the Jet Cutter were to be used as a weapon, for evil, it would be “the most powerful laser gun ever created.”

Ken is looking annoyed and he wants to know why, if the Jet Cutter was so potentially dangerous, it wasn’t guarded more carefully. Now Dr. Nambu admits that he didn’t think that Galactor would try to steal a prototype and that the Jet Cutter would only require heavy security once it was perfected. Dr. Nambu turns on a screen that’s showing a map, and tells the Team that the giant that stole the Jet Cutter disappeared at “point RX” –the same location the pursuing UN fighter jets were shot down by the giant.

So now we know how the UN fighter jets fared. I can’t say I’m surprised. We get to see images of the jets all exploding into flames as Dr. Nambu explains their fate.

Now Dr. Nambu turns and orders the Team to either recover or destroy the Jet Cutter.







Ken closes his eyes and brings his hand to his face as if weary or exasperated.








“So you expect us to clean up the ISO’s mess?” he asks.

“What was that, Ken?” demands Dr. Nambu sharply –clearly he was expecting something more along the lines of an enthusiastic “Roger!”

Jun is shocked too, saying “Ken?” and turning to stare at him. Ken has his arms folded and his eyes closed.







Now he looks up and glares at Dr. Nambu. “Well, it’s true, isn’t it?” retorts Ken, “This was stolen, so go get it back,” he mimics bitterly, “Or, this was taken from us –do something about it.” Now he’s yelling, and Dr. Nambu listens, eyes narrowed. “Our entire job is cleaning up after the ISO’s mistakes!”

Jinpei and Ryu can’t quite believe what they’re hearing from Ken, and try to tell him to calm down.

Ken doesn’t want to calm down; what he wants to do is punch the wall with his fist and yell some more.

“I’m not here to catch Galactor’s rejects! I’m here to crush Katse and bring down Galactor!”








“Like hell!” is Dr. Nambu’s stern reply. Ken whips around to stare at him –this, it seems, isn’t quite the response he was expecting. Joe looks up now and glares at Dr. Nambu too.

“The Science Ninja Team doesn’t exist to administer your personal revenge,” declares Dr. Nambu.

Joe frowns and brings his hand up to his chin as if puzzled and thinking “What? If not for personal revenge, then why am I here?” Ken’s still looking angry, eyes closed as if to deny what he’s hearing. Jun, Jinpei and Ryu are exhibiting distress, shock, and bewilderment at the whole situation.

Dr. Nambu continues, “If you don’t want to do it, fine. From now on, I’ll ask Interpol for their help.” He turns to leave the room.

I’m wondering here if Dr. Nambu is aware that maybe he really should talk to Ken and have a real discussion about the ISO’s continuing reactive rather than proactive approach for dealing with Galactor (and the toll it’s beginning to take on Ken and the other Ninjas) and that they could try to devise better long term strategies and goals, and that his turning to leave the room is just a tactic to get Ken to calm down and be more reasonable. Or is he truly being that dismissive of what are, really, some genuinely valid points that Ken is making (albeit in a rather snarky, defiant way)?

Granted, he can’t very well say the likely truth, namely that the TV network and sponsors expect another year’s worth of weekly, more-or-less stand alone episodes that feature a new mecha attacking something and then being stopped by the Science Ninja Team and that therefore an “arc-heavy” multi-episode preemptive war on Galactor won’t be happening any time too soon.

I’m guessing that the writers are well aware of the format requirements constraining the stories they write but are also well aware that a character like Ken, realistically, would be exhibiting some anger and frustration with the continuing situation by now. Ken’s mood here ties in well with his realization, in episode 57, that the Ninjas really need to have weapons on their individual vehicles to fight Galactor more effectively.

But before Dr. Nambu can leave the room, Jinpei runs after him, calling “Wait! Big Bro’s not himself today, don’t be upset!”

“Lord Katse, we finished the installation of the Jet Cutter,” says the Captain of the Week. Katse is pleased to hear this, and declares that “Now Galactor’s magnificent Mecha-Buttha is finally prepared for battle!”

Next we see Katse issuing orders to the mecha’s crew, who are all lined up before him, to “Mobilize at once! Our target: the ISO’s uranium mining facility!” All the goons quickly take the elevator up the scaffolding and enter the Mecha-Buttha.








With its crew on board now, the Mecha-Buttha starts walking. On its bridge, Captain-Buttha orders the Jet Cutter to be fired, and the beam it emits is aimed at the cliff in front of it. This is the same cliff that contains the tunnel where we last saw Ken, lying unconscious. The Jet Cutter beam slices widely through the cliff, and soon the entire cliff collapses into rubble and the Mecha-Buttha can just keep on walking, obstruction removed.

We see Ken’s face, lying against a smooth floor, and hear Jun anxiously saying “Hurry, Ken, wake up!” Ken groggily opens his eyes.







“Good, he’s waking up,” says Jinpei, and now we see that Ken is, in fact, on the bridge of the God Phoenix.








Ken sits up, and wants to know what happened. Joe tells him about the high voltage electricity that had been flowing through the bars Ken touched, and remarks that he’d have been “deep fried” if he hadn’t been wearing his gloves.


“Damn it! How could I have let this happen?” yells Ken, punching the floor with one fist.


“What’s wrong?” asks Jun, “You’re not acting like your normal self, Ken”

I guess she didn’t believe his earlier explanation regarding dreams about his dead father and concerns that their current strategy against Galactor is misguided, or she thinks there must be more to it than just that.

But Ken ignores her question and demands “What happened to that giant?” Ryu informs him that they’re in pursuit of it and should be caught up to it soon. As Ken stands up, Joe pointedly remarks that the delay was due them having to go back into the tunnel to rescue Ken.

“Sorry,” says Ken, and he sounds sincere.







Meanwhile, Mecha-Buttha is on foot, moving through a city…

Commercial Break!



The God Phoenix is still catching up to the Mecha-Buttha and Joe, looking at his radar screen, announces that the mecha is now moving towards “direction PS.” “What’s over in that area?” he asks Ken.

Ken brings up a map on a screen and answers that there’s an ISO uranium mining facility there, that’s part of the Mantle Project.

Ryu surmises that Galactor must be after the underground uranium deposit there, noting that the Jet Cutter was designed for such mining work in the first place. So, Ken instructs Ryu now to head directly for the uranium facility, to get there before the Mecha-Buttha does.

This is a good strategy, I am sure, for the uranium facility and its personnel, but it’s a bit rough on the people who are currently in the Mecha-Buttha’s path who are being left to their fate by the Science Ninjas. Oh well.







The Mecha-Buttha, still walking through a city, randomly smashes tall buildings apart with its arms and legs, sending people falling to their deaths or causing them to be crushed by falling rubble. But beyond the city that the mecha is currently smashing up, lies a large body of water and the uranium mining facility is on the far side of it.

On the bridge of the mecha, Captain-Buttha sees the uranium mining facility in the distance and says “There it is, let’s grab it and get back to base.”







So, smashing a few more buildings for good measure, the Mecha-Buttha heads for the water and goes wading in until it’s completely underwater.







I’m puzzled as to why it’s walking all the way from point RX to point PS when it’s already been shown that it can fly –and I’m sure that it would get to the uranium mining facility a lot faster if it were flying. Maybe it needs to conserve as much energy as it can for the Jet Cutter’s use or it wants to try to sneak up on the facility without being seen.

On board the God Phoenix, Jinpei remarks that the Mecha-Buttha has gone into the lake, and Jun notes that that is the shortest distance to the uranium mining facility.

Ken instructs Joe to scan the lake bed with radar. Ryu wants to know if he should take the God Phoenix underwater, but Ken wants to wait for Mecha-Buttha to resurface –then they’ll blast it with bird missiles. Not surprisingly, Joe likes this plan and leaps to his feet in eagerness.

So Mecha-Buttha continues to walk along the bottom of the lake, while Joe waits…







Finally, Mecha-Buttha’s head bursts out of the water (startling Jun) and then its body emerges too. Ken gives the word and Joe starts firing bird missiles at its head.







On the bridge of Mecha-Buttha, goons go tumbling out of their chairs and Captain-Buttha says “Damn, the God Phoenix!” as he sees it fly past on the view screen. Then Joe targets its leg. We get a view of goons inside the Jet Cutter control room crying out in alarm and tumbling around, and Mecha-Buttha goes down on one knee.








But, then Mecha-Buttha stands up again, and it’s pretty clear that the bird missiles haven’t really damaged it.



“Damn it! Don’t our missiles work on anything?" snarls Joe. (Come on, Joe, offhand I can recall they recently worked pretty well on Cataroller, Crabkiller and that mecha Koji and his Blackbirds were in!)


But it’s true that they’re not working so well on Mecha-Buttha, which now fires the Jet Cutter at the God Phoenix.







The God Phoenix lurches, sending Jun and Jinpei tumbling.








Ken demands to know what’s happened and Ryu tells him that the Jet Cutter just hit the port wing. And sure enough, there’s a big gouge cut across it, though it is still attached to the God Phoenix. Ken is more than a little alarmed at the Jet Cutter’s power. Mecha-Buttha rotates its head to fire at the God Phoenix from another one of its faces but this time Ryu is able to evade the Jet Cutter’s beam.

Captain-Buttha wants to finish off the Science Ninjas now as “It’ll make the rest of our job that much easier.”







Mecha-Buttha’s head keeps rotating and each face fires at the God Phoenix. It looks like Ryu is managing to keep the God Phoenix from being hit, but he’s complaining that, with four faces, there’s no blind spot he can take advantage of to rush Mecha-Buttha.

“Damn it, I can’t tell if that stupid thing is looking backwards for forwards,” rants Jinpei.

“Ken, why don’t you call and ask the Doctor’s advice?” says Jun. But after their “fight” earlier in the day, it seems Ken can’t quite stomach the idea of swallowing his pride like that.

“I can’t at this point,” he says, looking down at his feet.

Mecha-Buttha then slices another gouge across the God Phoenix with the Jet Cutter. “Argh, we’re hit!” cries Ryu, as Mecha-Buttha keeps on firing.







“This is no time to be stubborn, Ken!” yells Joe. Heh, you’d think he’d be the most understanding of Ken’s pride –but I guess that doesn’t extend to dying because of it.

Mecha-Buttha keeps on firing from all its faces, and the Jet Cutter hits the God Phoenix again (and I think it just sliced across the tail of Ken’s G-1!) “Ah, now the tail wing!” yells Ryu.

Jet Cutter now hits the underbelly of the God Phoenix and a (no doubt, important) piece of the landing gear breaks off and falls away.

“Our landing gear’s ripped to shreds!” yells Ryu.

“Ken!” cries Jun. Now Ken does something, and tells Ryu to take the God Phoenix up 500 meters.

“Ryu, keep circling and don’t let that thing move a step from where it already is,” orders Ken. Mecha-Buttha keeps firing from all four faces, but now the Jet Cutter’s beams aren’t reaching the God Phoenix.

Jinpei notices this and Ken explains that every weapon has range limitations.

“Right on,” says Joe, “While we were being hit, you were measuring distances.”

Now Ken asks Jun to look up all the data she can find on the Jet Cutter.







“It hasn’t been perfected yet,” says Jun, reading, “If you fire the Jet Cutter continuously, there’s a danger of triggering a nuclear explosion from within. That must be why they’ve cancelled the experiments.”

Ken’s been listening intently to all this, and now he tells Ryu to take them to 3000 meters. Ryu points out that that altitude is pushing the God Phoenix’s limits, but Ken is adamant. “Hurry up!” he yells.

Ryu, nervously, complies.







And up, up, up they go…







“Now, let’s split up into our G-Machines!” orders Ken, and Joe wants to know what the plan is.

“Science Ninja Technique: Shadow Separation!” replies Ken and everyone gasps.

Okay, what follows is a (briefer!) recap of the Battle of the Planets version of this episode: “Giant from Planet Zyr”

Zark is in his usual room at Center Neptune, nattering on about how dedicated and vigilant he is while complaining “Human beings get to enjoy R&R, but the R&R I get is rust removal.”

But, now he sees there’s been a security perimeter breach at a top research installation in the B Sector. “Planet Spectra has developed an indestructible metal, but our research people are working day and night [Are they robots too, Zark?] to design a powerful jet beam that can defend against it.”

At the research installation, a white-bearded research person is saying “Let’s give it a final test.”

“If we’re right, it will cut Spectra’s new metal like butter,” remarks another research person.

“Well, it works!” says the white-bearded research person, as the beam cuts through the block of metal. That’s right –the glowing coils are nothing to worry about, everything’s fine.

I’m sure, at this moment, they’re all planning to head out and enjoy some hedonistic, human R&R, but unfortunately, something is breaking through the ceiling.

A giant blue hand reaches into the test chamber and takes the jet beam. Then we see the rest of the giant standing outside the building. Without further ado, the giant ignites the rocket engines on its back and flies off into the night, with the jet beam.

Well, at least nobody got hurt.

Okay, now some fighter jets are taking off from an airfield, and as the giant flies along, we hear Zark contacting Security Chief Anderson with a “Double Red Alert” and adds that G-Force has been contacted.

We don’t get to see what happens to the fighter jets.

Now, we’re back at Center Neptune, where schools of fish are also serving as vigilant guards, doing constant perimeter checks [they must be robot fish].

Inside, Chief Anderson is informing the assembled members of G-Force that “our most advanced weapon, the Jet Cutter, has been stolen” and that according to reports from terrified eyewitnesses, a giant stole it.

Mark asks if “we have anything else to go on.”

“Very little,” admits Chief Anderson, and he shows them all footage of the planes that Zark dispatched in pursuit (courtesy of film from remote sky cameras), “immediately after the giant robot blasted out of B Sector.” We see explosions in the sky, but I guess those are from the giant robot “blasting” out of B Sector? “But the robot was programmed to anticipate this, and the results are obvious,” concludes the Chief.

Um, not so obvious, really.

“You know now as much as we know,” says Chief Anderson.

Mark rubs the bridge of his nose wearily, “Which is just about nothing.”

“Sorry, Commander,” says Chief Anderson.

“Mark!” says Princess, a bit reproachfully.

“Okay, I was out of line,” says Mark, “But it makes me mad to think that now Planet Spectra no doubt has our newest and best weapon to use against us.”

Jason casts a somewhat less-than-friendly look at Chief Anderson.

Chief Anderson agrees it’s the work of Spectra, but he thinks they launched the giant robot from a new base on Planet Zyr.

Keyop is so eager to learn where Zyr is, he leaps up and follows Chief Anderson, who has decided to leave the room.

Mark folds his arms and informs him that it’s in the Milky Way.

Oh right, that narrows its location down!

Keyop, looking miserable, wants to “blast off” for Zyr.

“Okay, pack your toothbrush,” says Mark more cheerfully, “And let’s head for outer space.”

And we get footage of the Phoenix doing just that.

Now they’re at Zyr and Tiny wants to know where to land. According to Mark, “It’s a guessing game.”

Jason thinks the giant had better be on Zyr, because there’s no other reason for them to come to such a “burned out” planet that’s no “Fun City or Vacation Wonderland.”

“We’ve got the whole planet to cover,” says Mark, “Where does a 50 foot giant hang out, anyway?”

“Broot, any place he doot doot wants to,” says Keyop, looking miserable again (perhaps because he knows just how trite that joke is).

So they land at (presumably) a completely random place, but once Mark, Jason, Princess and Keyop leave the Phoenix, Princess spots the giant standing behind a cliff.

“Tiny put us down right on target,” says Jason.

Mark sends Princess and Keyop to “run diversion” while he and Jason try to approach the giant. Two Spectrans spot Princess and Keyop with a surveillance camera concealed in the eye of a cliff sculpture.

In a tunnel through the cliff, Jason sees a bunch of statues and says it looks like an old wax museum, and he wonders what all these old statues are doing here.

But, the statues’ eyes glow, making Mark cautious, and then their heads detach and come flying at Mark and Jason.

“I hate to say this,” remarks Jason, as one head narrowly misses him and embeds its teeth in the tunnel wall, “But they’ve really lost their heads.”

Mark decides they should run further into the tunnel, but Jason is held up by a barrage of heads (and has to turn some handsprings) and then all the statues start spraying flaming hot liquid from their necks, flooding the tunnel, so he can’t follow Mark.

Mark runs all the way to the other end of the tunnel, with no spikes coming out of the floor or ceiling –nope, nothing untoward like that- and gasps when he sees the giant.

“The bigger they come, the harder they are to handle,” he thinks to himself.

Then he takes a step and suddenly bars come shooting out of the floor, ceiling and sides of the tunnel and form a grid-like barrier. Mark grabs it with his hands, and gets electrocuted (though he manages not to scream) and falls down, unconscious.

Then a poor, innocent little moth who never hurt anyone in its life lands on the grid and gets incinerated!

Okay, I’m seriously traumatized now.

Zoltar, however, is gloating that he has Earth’s weapon and “now G-Force as well.”

The Spectran (or Zyrian?) Captain wants to know if he should launch the next attack on Earth, and Zoltar says “yes,” but first wants the giant to destroy their base here on Zyr, as they have no further use for it.

“Giant Katana will lead us to victory over Earth!” concludes Zoltar, as Spectrans begin running up the scaffolding that leads to the giant’s entrance and going inside.

The giant, now moving, blasts the cliff apart, to destroy the base, and keeps on walking.

Elsewhere, Mark wakes up on a floor, sees he’s on the Phoenix with the rest of G-Force and wants to know what happened.

“You were flattened by an electrical charge meant to delay us so Zoltar could reload his giant and fire him back down to Earth.”

“I guess I blew it,” says Mark, sounding mildly disappointed in himself, but punching the floor for emphasis.

Princess assures him everything’s fine, they just have to be fast. So, they head for Earth.

Now, Zark is at Center Neptune, talking to a somewhat stilted looking on-screen Mark. Zark tells him that G-Force is cleared for reentry to Earth, and Mark replies that they’re just passing Orion and are ready to commence de-orbit.

I could say something here about astronomy, but…

I love this episode! Of course, I can't watch it without thinking of the abridged version on YouTube .

Great job as always!

__________________
Exaggeration misleads the credulous and offends the perceptive. ~Eliza Cook

Hi all!

This episode holds a special attraction for me. You see, "Giant From Planet Zyr" was the first episode of Battle of the Planets that aired in San Diego, and the one that started me on the path to where I am today. As my first exposure to the series, it'll always mean a lot to me.

It's also significant for me in that this was the last episode of the original Gatchaman series that I watched. You see, most of the copies of the series that were available here throughout the 1980s and early 1990s came from when the series was rerun in Tokyo in the early 1980s. Unfortunately, the station airing the series messed up things a little bit, skipping from episode #48 to #50, and then airing episode #49 in place of this episode. As a result, this episode didn't air during that rerun of the series. So, while I got to enjoy viewing the other 104 episodes, I had to wait several more years for another rerun of the series before I finally got to see this episode in Japanese.

Naturally, this turned out to be the one episode whose title was regularly messed up on every Gatchaman episode title list that I had found up to that point. For whatever reason, the episode title lists claimed that this episode was called "Fearsome Mecha-Buddha." Since we had never seen the actual episode title card, no one knew it was wrong until that episode finally became available! Fortunately, once the Gatchaman laser disc box set came out in 1990, the actual title became better known, and most episode title lists that have been published since then have had the correct title for this episode.

James

I can really understand what this episode means to you, James!

And, yes, UW ... the giant lava Jesus is not one you can actually forget!

__________________
To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!

Giant From Planet Zyr
Battle of the Planets, Episode Six
Gatchaman Episode #58, Hell’s Mecha-Buttha
DVD and Veoh episode #49

Review/Summary: We open again with the establishing shot of Center Neptune, plainly near the ocean’s surface, yet stated to be deep beneath the sea. [According to Zark, it’s famous. But, in the first episode, the base was described as secret.] Zark starts talking about all the hard work they’re doing, and that he hasn’t stopped working since he started in ‘Program two thousand twenty, code X40, time-phase 90.’ He’s about at the end of his resistors. Humans get to enjoy R&R, but the R&R he gets is rust removal. [Scriptwriters attempting to be cute, again.] He expects to go to the ‘Robot Rehabilitation Center’ for a complete recycle any day now. [Huh? Just the previous episode, he was going on about getting new components and upgrades.]

And there’s trouble. The security perimeter has been penetrated somewhere in ‘B sector’, one of their top research installations. [That’s either a small sector or a very large facility. And what’s with ‘somewhere’? More fog? Federation Security needs to review that contract with Quanto Tobor. ‘Somewhere’ is not precise. How about notifying someone right now, Zark?]

Over Gatchaman footage, Zark says that Spectra has devised an indestructible metal, and the researchers are working night and day for a defense against it.

Shot of a drawing board, and someone finishing a technical drawing. Then we see a room with scientists and technicians. One orders a test of the jet cutter. Another states that if they’re right, it will cut Spectra’s new metal like butter. [So much for indestructible.]

Cut to the machine, which looks like a nozzle with exciting SF bits attached to it. A metal plate is lowered into place and easily cut. As the scientists congratulate themselves, something gets their attention: a giant, hospital-green hand crashes through the roof and picks up the cutter between its forefinger and thumb. [Nobody noticed the thing approaching?]

The hand belongs to a Godzilla-sized mecha shaped like a four-faced Buddha. Jets open up on its back, and it flies off. Jets scramble.

Zark calls Chief Anderson with a ‘Double Red Alert: alien intruder in B Sector, G-Force has been contacted, briefing readouts on Code 70.”

And back to Center Neptune establishing shot and fish parade.

Mark is astounded: “A flying giant?” [Yeah, Spectra hasn’t used those before. And why isn’t G-Force in hot pursuit of the mecha?] Anderson says he can only relay what’s been reported. The reports come from terrified eyewitnesses, but there’s no denying that their most advanced weapon, the jet cutter, has been stolen. From what they’ve been able to put together, the alien giant is the thief.

Mark says it sounds weird. [A giant metal turtle stole vitalumis not too long ago, folks. Just what does Mark consider ‘weird’?] Do they have anything else to go on?

As he shows film taken by remote sky-cameras [Big Brother alert!], Anderson tells them that Zark dispatched fighter planes. (The footage shows explosions in the sky, perhaps from missiles fired by the planes.) The robot had been programmed to anticipate the event. [And? I think we must presume it escaped.] So, now G-Force knows what Security knows.

Which, Mark says, is next to nothing. He doesn’t sound particularly insubordinate or anything, but Princess bursts out, “Mark!” and he apologizes for being out of line. He’s mad that Planet Spectra has their newest and best weapon to use against them.

Anderson says they’re right to think it was Spectra, but there’s a new wrinkle: Spectra may have launched the robot from a new base on Planet Zyr.

Cut to shot of Keyop looking upset for some reason. (More upset than this news should make him.) As Anderson heads out the door, he runs up and chirrups, “Zyr-Zyr.”

Mark says it’s in the Milky Way. [Just like Earth and Spectra, everyone. The scriptwriters really missed the boat on educational content too many times to count.]

Still looking sad-upset, Keyop manages to get out that they better blast off. Mark ruffles his hair and tells everyone that they’re going to outer space.

Stock footage of the Phoenix taking off. Gradual move from original Tatsunoko animation to Sandy Frank space travel footage.

Then the Phoenix bridge. Blue sky and clouds visible. Tiny reports that they’re coming up on Planet Zyr, and wants a readout. [So, there are clouds in space?]

Mark says they’re not sure the giant is even on Zyr. Jason says it better be. That burned-out planet certainly isn’t fun city or a vacation wonderland. Mark tells them that’s where Zark told them to look, and they have the whole planet to cover. [More of the all-knowing, all-seeing Zark. Who can’t tell a bug on his screens from an alien armada.] And where does a 50-foot giant hang out, anyway? [Don’t know about you, but that thing was more than 50 feet tall.] Keyop (still bummed) replies, “Anywhere it wants to.”

As they come up on coastline, Tiny reports they’re coming up on Planet Zyr, and follows it with some technobabble.

They land amid ruins and leave the Phoenix. Mark comments on the dry and deserted appearance of the terrain. Princess calls their attention to the giant, whose head and shoulders are visible above foothills. Tiny landed them right on target. And it seems they were expected. [Uh, explain that, please?] Mark calls Tiny and tells him to stand by.

As they prepare to leave, Princess wonders how they can get up to the giant. Keyop suggests a beanstalk.

Brief shot of a damaged Buddha statue. [Yes, it is a Buddha statue. On an alien planet. Were the scriptwriters even thinking when they wrote this? Did they think none of the audience would know what they were?]

Mark orders Princess and Keyop to form a diversion. He and Jason head off.

Close-up of Buddha eye, revealing a surveillance device. Cut to a couple of Spectra soldiers in a room. One says, “It’s G-Force”, while the other says, “Welcome to Planet Zyr.”

Tunnel, presumably in the side of a mountain. Mark and Jason enter. Jason says it looks as if they stumbled into some sort of old wax museum. More [Buddhist] statues, in various poses [and of various deities], are shown. As he and Mark walk among them, Jason wonders what they’re doing there. (Ominous music and sounds in the background.)

The statues’ eyes start glowing. Mark says the old statues are about to be activated. Then their mouths open, and also glow, as the heads launch at the pair. Mark and Jason dodge the oddball missiles. Jason doesn’t sound quite as breathless and stressed as he should when he comments that the statues have really lost their heads. Mark says they should split. [70s slang. Gotta love it.] As the heads continue attacking, Jason athletically dodges. [No counterattacks?] Then fire gushes from the headless statues.

Mark reaches the other end of the tunnel, and looks out at the launch area for the four-faced giant. He steps forward, and triggers a mechanism. A grating interlinks before he can get past it. He grabs it, and is shocked into unconsciousness. After he passes out, a bug lands on the grate, and is fried.

Zoltar finally appears in the episode. They have Earth’s new weapon, and G-Force as well. He walks out of the base.

Oh, the Captain of the Week is another oddity. In keeping with the rest of the ep, the Gatch artists gave him a semi-Buddhist-mythological-character look. It’s hard to describe. Brownish head, with a sort of yellowish set of markings on the face and what looked like pink pointed ears. He asks if they should begin the attack.

Zoltar confirms, and orders the giant to destroy the base. It served its purpose, and must be abandoned. [How about the fact that G-Force found it? That would be another good reason to destroy it. Make sure the enemy can’t find any useful intelligence.] “Let the operation begin. Giant Gautama will lead us to victory over Earth.” [Keye Luke read those lines. Wonder what he said before and after.]

The soldiers board the giant, which then strides forward a few giant paces, stops, and begins slicing up chunks of mountain to walk through the breach.

Mark wakes up. But not in Spectra custody. [What happened to Spectra having the jet cutter and G-Force?] He’s on the Phoenix. Jason tells him he was hit with an electrical charge meant to delay them so that Zoltar could launch his giant back at Earth. When Mark orders them to launch, Tiny says they launched while he was out cold. Mark wants them to reach Earth before the giant.

Sandy Frank space footage.

AGH! Zark! We were free of Zark for so long, and now he’s back. Worse, he’s back with crappy headshot Mark on his large screen (which had been four smaller screens not so long ago). He tells Mark that they’re on target and cleared for re-entry. Mark says they’re just passing Orion and will commence de-orbit. [Somebody get a star-chart. Or ask the scriptwriters what they were doing.] Zark tells him the situation is urgent.

Now Zark tells the audience that the giant has already landed on Earth. What his ‘gyro-activators’ do not tell him is what target has been fed into the giant’s computer. [Why should he know that?] He can only put G-Force on an approximate course and hope for the best.

Sandy Frank animation of Earth. And then the Phoenix flying through clouds.

Jason says they’re coming up on the projected target. Mark looks at some aerial maps and says the giant could be closing on any of the energy plants in the area.

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