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Gerry Anderson’s UFO
(1969 – 1970) is a remarkable initiative, in part, because it offers such an
unromantic, unglamorous view of Earth’s “secret” war with the aliens.
The program’s lead character is
draconian Commander Ed Straker (Ed Bishop), a man who gives and gives, while his
mission takes and takes. Straker is
left, finally, a man for whom the “job” has become everything…because every
other consideration is sacrificed…lost.
An early episode of the series, “A
Question of Priorities” lands Straker in a terrible dilemma. His son, John is injured when struck by a
car. Straker is in a position to help,
but only by utilizing the resources of the war effort; SHADO’s (Supreme Headquarters
Alien Defense Organization) resources.
At the last minute, however, an
alien incursion on Earth requires the diversion of those very resources, and
Straker’s little boy dies.
Many characters in
cult-television history are haunted, or grappling with the loss of a child, but
I can remember very few programs in which the lead character must endure the
death of a child for a broader cause, in this case saving planet Earth.
It’s a dreadful position to be
in, and Commander Straker is truly a tortured man, one of the most tragic
protagonists imaginable. UFO
is therefore eminently worthy of re-visiting today because of Straker’s
journey, and his tragedy. And, unlike
today’s haunted heroes Straker doesn’t act out his grief in angst or
brooding. Rather, he suffers in stony
silence.
One of the finest episodes of the
short-lived series is “Confetti Check
A-OK” by Tony Barwick, a flashback tale in which the audience is treated to a
view of Ed Straker before he was Commander
Straker. The episode recalls his wedding
to Mary (Suzanne Neve), his honeymoon, and the founding of SHADO.
In truth, the episode concerns
two births in Ed’s life: John Straker (who is fated to die) and SHADO, which is
fated to live.
Again and again, “Confetti Check
A-OK” diagrams the contrasts between these births, and Ed’s role in each.
UFO is such an unglamorous series
because episodes such as “A Question of Priorities” and “Confetti Check A-OK”
both concern a crucial and very unpopular point in western culture. It’s a point that most TV shows -- designed to
entertain -- scrupulously avoid.
You can’t have it all. It is impossible to have it all.
Life is limited, certain choices
preclude certain possibilities, and no one -- not a soul -- can get everything
he or she wants.
Life is all about balancing wants
and needs, and “Confetti Check A-OK” concerns Straker’s inability -- because of
his responsibilities -- to adequately balance his personal and professional
life.
But importantly, Straker’s
problem is not one of personal or professional ambition. It’s not about
achieving wealth, or gaining power.
Straker’s choice is between leading a happy family life, and fighting
the implacable aliens in the way they must be fought.
And even if Straker selected his
family over the war effort, would Earth survive long enough for him to enjoy
it?
No man is irreplaceable, of
course, but it’s clear that Straker has the countenance, the necessary “bloody-mindedness” to fight the war that it
needs to be waged at this point in history.
Another man or woman in his position might not succeed. At this crucial time, Straker is the
(reluctant) warrior the battle requires.
“Confetti Check A-OK” is such an emotionally-wrenching
episode of UFO not only because it explores the reasons for Straker’s
loneliness -- his status as separate, essentially, from the human race -- but because
it shows the audience SHADO’s earliest days.
We meet the first international recruits
in the program, see the construction of the underground control center, and
even attend the initial meeting with international authorities wherein Straker
requests funding to fight the most important war in human history. We also see Straker’s frustration with the
assignment he has drawn. “Sometimes it seems like we’re fighting a
ten-headed monster,” he laments.
And fighting a ten-headed
monster, alas, leaves little time to be a good husband, or an adequate
father. “Occasionally, just occasionally I’d like to see my husband,” Mary
notes with anger.
The tragedy here is that Mary
would likely understand Straker’s problem if he just explained the situation to
her. But the war with the aliens is top
secret, and Straker feels that to inform Mary is not only a breach of protocol,
but an act that could seriously endanger her life.
“Break
the rule for once,” Mary implores, but Straker can’t do it. He will not
bend, but he breaks his marriage.
Even when Mary suspects that
Straker is having an extra-marital affair, he can’t tell her the truth. He can’t defend himself, or his
behavior. All he can do is watch his
marriage -- and his family -- slip away.
And, with clenched jaw and
piercing eyes, that’s exactly what he does.
Straker confides in no one about his pain. He suffers alone, in silence.
In the wraparound scenes of “Confetti
Check A-OK,” which take place in the present, Straker, acting as a good leader,
attempts to assure that no one else in SHADO will have to contend with his personal
demons. A SHADO worker has just had a
baby, and Straker immediately orders the man on leave.
Then, the episode ends with
Straker sitting alone -- forever alone
-- in his office.
There are a number of genuinely great
episodes of UFO, including “Timelash,” “Mindbender” and “A Question of
Priorities,” but for my money, the title of best episode must go to “Confetti
Check A-OK.”
This episode reveals the man
behind the Nehru jacket and punk haircut, and gives us precious insight into
Straker’s character.
The power of this UFO episode
is such that, even with relatively few stories focusing on the characters, one
feels intense sympathy for Straker throughout all 26 episodes. He’s been through the wringer and given up
everything to save the Earth.
But no one in his life (outside the
war) knows what a self-less hero he is.
I have always believed that UFO
is a science-fiction series about one thing:
cost.
Several episodes deal with the
monetary cost of fighting a covert war against technologically superior
foes.
But some episodes -- such as “A
Question of Priorities” and “Confetti Check A-OK” -- contend with the human, personal cost of fighting that war.
We see that cost written on
Straker’s face here, as well as in other episodes, and that silent but
ubiquitous pain is part of what makes him a great character in the sci-fi Valhalla,
and a key element of what makes UFO a great series, even forty plus
years later.
The other key element and perhaps
the quality that keeps drawing me back to UFO is the feature film-quality
cinematography of the series. “Confetti
Check A-OK” demonstrates this quality in spades.
At one point, Straker is seen
separated from his family in his house.
Between Straker and the camera is a
white window frame (the visual equivalent of bars or a barrier…), and beyond
the window is pounding rain.
So we see Straker
behind two “barriers,” the rain and the window-frame, and thus get the distinct
sense of his isolation from those he loves. Also, he is a
man who keeps his emotions close to the vest, and would never be seen “crying.” In this case, the rain does the crying for Straker; representing his interior emotional state.
Similarly, one of the episode’s
closing shots reveals Straker in his office -- alone -- smoking a cigar. The shot is a long one…from a perch outside his
office door. This composition suggests a final, irrevocable distance from the man. He
has no one to share space with and everyone, even “friends” like Alec, view him
from this distance. They may catch a glimpse of "who" Straker is, but they must look beyond the door frame, and a wall-support.
At long last, the camera moves in -- perhaps because Straker is alone and unobserved by the other characters -- and the audience is afforded a close-up look
of his sad, lonely face.
Ed Straker is a man doomed -- cursed -- to be alone. And "Confetti A-OK" proves it.
