Production GuideObservations: The Bringers Of Wonder part 2
Production Guide
In the recap at the start of the episode, the shot of the Eagle hitting the dome antenna is a completely different shot (left: part 2 with 22 inch Eagle, right: part 1 with 44 inch Eagle).
The shot of the Superswift landing in the recap only appeared on the Big Screen in part 1.
Helena says "Commander Koenig insists they are monsters determined to kill him". Koenig never said this, and it's only at this cliffhanger, while Helena is narrating, that the aliens are trying to kill him. Thanks to Fergus.
During the title credits, we cut between Koenig in Medical and the monsters on the moon surface. The surface shots are the same as later in the episode, when Koenig finds them outside the waste dome entrance. Are there aliens all over the lunar surface, as well as pretending to be the Superswift crew? Koenig has seen the real alien spaceship that brought the aliens to Alpha. How did the aliens get to the waste domes - another spaceship?
Part 1 ends with Koenig almost entirely smothered (40 seconds from when Koenig wakens). The title sequence of part 2 rewinds and plays it much slower (55 seconds including cuts to aliens on the lunar surface) until Koenig passes out.
Koenig is lucky to survive unconsciousness due to suffocation. Lack of oxygen can very quickly cause permanent brain damage. Koenig wakes up without any memory of being smothered, so he obviously had some short term brain damage. Shaw gives an exceptionally vague and brief diagnosis and abruptly disappears: "His vital signs are very erratic. This could be causing his mental instability. Well, if there's anything more I can do?". Perhaps Helena was just being polite (or ironic) when she said Shaw taught her everything about being a doctor, as his medical opinion is completely useless and Helena ignores him.
When Koenig asks Maya what she sees in Command Center, we cut to a view of Maya and Helena as she answers "people from Earth"; Maya and Helena are slightly closer together. Thanks to Thomas
When Maya reflects that everyone on Earth is somebody's friend, we see a clip of Sandra and Peter kissing, from part 1. The clip is longer, with additional footage of them as they part and hug.
Many of the other "reunion" shots are actually not seen in part 1.
Maya says that they could have tapped the Alphans minds to project the illusion of friends from Earth. Helena tries to dispute this by saying that Maya sees these people too and they can't be from her memory. Why does Helena say this when she is also seeing people that are not from her own memory such as Guido and Peter? Thanks to Fergus.
Maya says "Kander, they took him over. He must have made a discovery which threatened them. If only we knew what it was that he'd found out." From what we saw, his only discovery was to see the aliens as they really are- like Koenig. His mind was then taken over to kill himself. Maya is assuming a more complicated conspiracy, instead of the obvious. Thanks to Fergus.
We first see Helena's view of Dr Shaw and Peter in the Alpha corridor, by a communications post (this is a view from the Medical Center). We then see Maya's view of the monsters- but it is a different section of corridor, without a communications post (this is a view from the Command Center intersection; Medical Center is beyond the monsters).
Where in New York is the spaceship landing site? We first see a view over lower Manhattan, with Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal below (the ferry terminal of Battery Maritime Building is visible). The "Pilot Ship" then moves up Manhattan to the end of the Brooklyn Bridge, with the cross-plan of the Governor Alfred E. Smith Houses in the foreground. Perhaps they will land at the Murry Bergtraum Softball Field between South Street, Cherry Street and the Manhattan Bridge. The stock footage is from early to mid 1972, as the first shot shows the Bankers Trust building (later the Deutsche Bank Building, at 130 Liberty Street) is still under construction, with a yellow stripe around it.
The "Pilot Ship" lands at the nuclear waste domes (which helpfully have a big yellow sign with the warning "Danger"). Koenig has already established that the Pilot Ship is actually an Eagle. So we should either see an Eagle landing at the domes ("reality") or the Pilot Ship landing in New York (alien illusion). Having an illusionary ship in the real location makes no sense.
Koenig presses a button in Medical under the label "Surface". There must be more than 4 cameras on the lunar surface, but apparently pressing one button brings up the nuclear waste domes pointing directly at the Eagle/pilot ship. Why is this labelled button required in the Medical Center? Thanks to Fergus.
The logical inconsistency is shown again when Koenig, Maya and Helena watch the "Surface" camera. Helena says "I still see the pilot ship", but it is the pilot ship at the waste domes, not New York.
When Maya transforms into one of the creatures, black cables are seen trailing them on the floor as they move.
Koenig leaves Medical Centre and heads for Launch Pad 4. In part 1, the Superswift crew arrived at the same travel tube to Launch Pad 4. If the Superswift/alien ship is at pad 4, how can Koenig launch an Eagle from the same pad? Thanks to Fergus.
At Launch Pad 4, Tony and Dr Shaw are waiting for Koenig. Why are they there? Koenig's mind cannot be read and if they had read Helena's mind, she doesn't know which pad Koenig is headed for. Thanks to Fergus.
After Koenig is returned to Medical, Tony leaves them with a security guard, but Maya stuns him. It appears that Shaw leaves with Tony, but in fact he doesn't. In the Blu-ray version of the episode, we can see Shaw looking over Koenig. In previous versions, including DVD, only a glimpse of the silver jacket is visible. A "blooper" (out-take) continues to show Shaw trying to leave and falling over the body of the guard.
Koenig finds the guard's weapon was set to kill. As Helena and Maya leave at the end of the scene, the microphone is visible at the top of the frame.
The house that Alan and Ehrlich leave is the "South Lodge", a house alongside the south gate of Pinewood Studios. It was probably originally a groundsman's cottage. The gate has not been in use for the studios for many years. An unpaved trail called South Lodge Drive winds through the woods behind the gardens and ponds of Heatherden Hall. This is the woodland trail that Alan and Ehrlich drive along, meeting the attacker near the foot of the ponds. The shots of Alan and Jeanie in the canoe were filmed in the pond a few metres away. More on the Pinewood backlot
The aliens move very slowly and have "very little kinetic energy". The Superswift crew move at normal speeds. How, for instance, did Alan move the slow moving blob that appeared to be Louisa away from Ben Vincent? If Louisa was human it is possible, but as a blob she would take several minutes to cover a small distance.
When Koenig kicks Dr Shaw away, would his kick be effective against a blob creature? Would his kick move such a large creature- or sink into the "plasma"?
A minor continuity error when the aliens disappear from Command Center: before, there is a yellow sleeved Alphan near the Big Screen; after, he is in front of a desk. By the computer wall, red sleeved Glenda Allen appears suddenly in place of one of the cut-out aliens.
As Bartlett listens to Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, he adjusts a dial marked "blend mic". By blending in the microphone, Bartlett must be intending to sing or play an instrument along with the symphony. Thanks to Simon
The spacesuit insignia clearly state this is Eagle 5. Koenig calls "This is Eagle One to Alan Carter." Thanks to Elliotpav
Two shots of the moonbuggy are reversed left for right (notice the "5" label), seen just before Koenig is lowered to confront them. Thanks to James.C
Why do they try to run down the assailant in the forest when they would be better escaping? (The aliens are manipulating the illusion, however). The buggy is a Meyers Manx dune buggy, produced between 1965-1971, with the UK registration number LPM 355.
During the struggles, we see the helmet visor is held down by adhesive putty.
The aliens order Alan and Bartlett "When you're inside, you will seal the door." This is a direct verbal order, not a projected illusion. Putting on spacesuits and operating specialist equipment would require some level of conscious thought. Alan and Bartlett must largely be under direct control, not purely acting out an illusion. But why give verbal orders at all? At the end, they order "put the trigger in the atomic core", but Alan must be fully controlled by the aliens at this point. Thanks to Fergus.
Maya goes to inspect Ehrlich, unconscious in the Eagle passenger module. In his helmet visor, we see Maya has removed her helmet and chest pack. In the wide shot, she is still wearing both.
Bartlett has a five year old daughter. On Moonbase Alpha it is at least 7 December 2004 (as stated in part 1). The Moon left orbit 5 years, 2 months ago. He would have only seen the child as a baby. In part 2 it is 2 August 2006 (2515 days after Sept 1999- over 6 years). The child could not have been conceived before the Moon left Earth orbit. Thanks to F9000.
Bartlett uses a Black and Decker hedge trimmer.
In the reflections on Bartlett's visors, you can see some of the filming equipment.
The strip along the side of the moonbuggy is falling off, and the front looks authentically battered when Koenig drives into the door.
When Helena uses a contact gas to knock out the Alphans, it would make sense to broadcast a warning that she is about do so, but she obviously doesn't. When the gas is released we see two Alphans collapsing in the corridor unaware of the oncoming gas. There could be serious injuries from just falling, but they could also be operating dangerous equipment. The computer and lights are still on full power, using much more energy than the 4w per human brain. Thanks to Fergus.
The "atomic fuel" cylinder has a mirror-like end which reflects the wheels of the camera dolly.
Why doesn't Koenig simply stun Alan with Bartlett's gun? Note that the close ups of Bartlett show him holding his stun gun higher than the reverse shots. Thanks to Thomas. If the aliens are concentrating on Alan, why is Bartlett immobilized? Thanks to Fergus.
Alan's tries to strangle Koenig with crossed hands against the stiff rubber collar, which shouldn't be very effective. Koenig still loses consciousness, perhaps because of his previous brain injuries: from the Eagle crash, two point blank stuns, and being smothered into unconsciousness by an alien.
Why do the aliens (and later their spaceship) disappear? Where do they go to? Do they revert to their own "other dimension"? If they are so short of energy, why don't they just collapse and die?
Why do they have a spaceship at all? When the "white noise" exposed them, they disappeared and reappeared around the waste domes (in the vacuum of space). So they can transport themselves easily without a vehicle. They don't have the kinetic energy to carry a small tube of atomic fuel to the waste domes, so how could they operate the controls of a spaceship?
Two Alphans with their heads on the top of desks are clearly standing up.
Maya picks up Tony. Beyond we can see the computer wall with the central orange/red panel. We then see Koenig and Helena, with an Alphan sleeping against the same computer panel.
Copyright Martin Willey