The Tripods (1984) Episode 8

To Will's horror, he learns that Sarlat has chosen Eloise to be Queen of the Tournament, a position that requires her to serve the Tripods by being taken away to the City of Gold - forever. With the fate of Eloise sealed, Will is heart-broken and is left with only one alternative, to leave the Chateau and follow Henry and Beanpole.  

 

IB - It's very sad that the actress who played Eloise died in a car accident before the show was transmitted. Knowing this is the last footage of her makes that long pull back by the camera leaving Eloise alone and abandoned particularly poignant. I bet this was hard to watch for her family.

 

JL - Christ, what a downer! On a happier note, Contrary to geek myth Ceri Seel wasn't dead, he was just resting. Which rather left egg on the face of that fan who fashioned an effigy of him out of shredded wheat.

IB - Sarlat even cheated to get his own way. He has Eloise taken away out of sheer spite. He didn't even love her, but if he couldn't have her then nobody could. He only really wanted the power of the position and says he'd have grown to love her. He truly does believe Will and Eloise deserved it for having the audacity to cross him. He's an awesome villain.

 

JL - Everything in the eighties was awesome. Except real life.

 

IB - We had a gay Doctor Who in his rainbow pride coat who sounded like Christopher Biggins.

 

JL- Proves my point.

 

JL - The Duc could wallop me anytime!

 

One evening, while it is dark and everyone is eating, Will sneaks out and steals a horse to give him the speed he needs to catch Beanpole and Henry, but his escape has not gone unnoticed: a Tripod has been monitoring his movement.

 

IB - It's sad the way Will leaves the Chateau.

 

JL - I'd have kept that ring. I have no honour.

 

IB - It would have been a beautiful life in a beautiful place but now he's back on the road, alone.

 

JL - Half of that Chateau was a matte painting, so what's to miss? At least he got a topping flat cap/riding hat thing out of the deal. And a horse. I'd love a horse.

 

Will suddenly sees the green lights beaming from the base of a Tripod light up, and he is thrown from his horse when it falls. Will tries to run but is grabbed by the machine's claw and hauled inside the glowing sphere...

IB - Notice how this is an expensive night shoot, it's really dark, not like when they add a grey filter to a camera filming in sunshine and its supposed to be night time (which failed horribly in Moondial).

 

JL - I know, It's just sunglasses in front of the camera. Maybe a CSO moon. Which sounds romantic actually.

 

IB - It's a crowning moment of awesome when Will is captured by the Tripod.

 

JL - I disagree. The dark just makes it easier for them to have one crappy ring of green lights on the floor and pass it off as an alien war machine.

 

 

The next morning he awakens, and it all seems like a bad dream. No Tripods are in sight and his horse is still there, so perhaps it was a dream. He continues on his journey and finds his comrades, sheltering in an abandoned canal boat.

 

JL - It's very intimate in that boat.

 

IB - I love the candle lit discussion between the boys in the boat, its so well directed. Will reveals he's been inside a Tripod and they speculate on the nature of the machines being vehicles, perhaps containing a human driver.

JL - Shackley is too old to play Will . You can see his five o'clock shadow.

 

IB - Maybe he was chosen for his baby face.

 

JL - It wasn't his charisma.

 

IB - All this negativity.

 

JL - On the bright side, the boys rediscover the delights of canal travel. I'm on the edge of my seat with all this action and drama.

 

IB - It makes a change from railway tracks.

 

JL - You mean chemin de ferre! Which got mentioned about ten times for some reason a few episodes ago. Were the producers being paid to encourage the learning of French in primary school at the time or something?

 

Over the next few days they continue seeing Tripods, and Will finally reveals he believes he's been inside a Tripod. Even worse, he shows his friends where he has found a disc inserted in his side by the Tripod, and it seems to be a homing beacon allowing the metallic monsters to follow them everywhere they go in an attempt to find the resistance lair in the White Mountains.

JL - Instead of being obvious and capping poor Will the Tripod sticks a tracer disc device under his armpit. Then it stalks the gang not very surreptitiously right to the mouth of the tunnel where they're hiding so that they cotton on they're being followed. Doh!