#08: Fear Factor

Air Date: 11/14/77 written by John Sherlock Directed by Gerald Mayer

The trio of searchers (Logan, Jessica, Rem) are moving along in their craft through the wilderness, reaching a forested area in which Rem detects an electronic field. They find an opulent-looking mansion and, just on its outside, a woman who seems overcome with fear. Very quickly, a worker from inside the mansion appears and carries the woman back inside. He also invites the trio of newcomers. The three are introduced to the doctor in charge (Ed Nelson) and his 2nd-in-command (Jared Martin). The place is deduced to be some kind of hospital, though early explanations are vague. It had escaped the effects of the 22nd-century holocaust due to its remote location. Logan eventually surmises it to be an insane asylum. The head doctor might be a bit insane himself, as even his early explanations denote a kind of total control over his subjects that outrages Jessica. Jessica is placed under strenuous questioning, while Logan & Rem fall into a kind of maze which tests their reactions. The head doctor's true goals are soon revealed: it has to do with creating an army of perfect soldiers - a master race similar to Nazi ideals - but what exactly this doctor plans to conquer remains vague.
This episode jumbled together a few ideas in a slightly confusing mix. It begins with the obvious premise of mind control and unpleasant experimentation, reminding me of the Star Trek TOS episode Dagger of the Mind (also involving a deranged psychologist of the future), but then introduces more details involving instant mutation of an adolescent boy into a full-grown man (or soldier). This is crazy advanced technology that seems way beyond even 24th century levels and almost throws the whole story into all-out fantasy. The motivations of the mad doctor (Ed Nelson) are never delved into - not only does he want full control over his subjects (as expected) but he is also a wannabe conqueror (wha..?). There's the usual clumsy aspects to the script; early on, Jessica elects to remain with the head doctor while Logan & Rem are escorted to their quarters; why she would do this is baffling, as she chooses to remain alone with a stranger whom she already finds slightly sinister. Logan weakly objects but lets it go. There are some interesting details to the way the asylum is run and people are divided among several grades of mental capability. Some of the plot is familiar in that it relies on the bad guys underestimating the advanced abilities of android Rem. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10

Logan's Trivia: actor Jared Martin was a regular on the short-lived Fantastic Journey series earlier that same year...