Timelash UFO

"Timelash," the eighteenth episode of the first series of *UFO* (1970), was written by Terence Feely and directed by Cyril Frankel. Despite being aired as the eighteenth episode, it was actually the twenty-fourth to be filmed. The series was created by Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson, and Reg Hill, produced by Century 21 Productions for ITC Entertainment. The episode begins with Commander Straker destroying equipment at SHADO Headquarters after being found with a hypodermic needle and an unidentified drug. Under hypnosis by Dr. Jackson, he recounts the events in flashback. Straker and Col. Lake encounter a UFO while en route to HQ, causing time to freeze on Earth, leaving everyone and everything frozen except themselves. They inject experimental stimulants to counteract the effect. At SHADO HQ, they confront Turner, a SHADO operative working for aliens, who has installed a device to freeze time and allow a UFO to approach undetected. Straker kills Turner after a chase, retrieves the missile key, and destroys the incoming UFO. The drug's effects cause him to remain paranoid, continuing his destructive actions even after time unfreezes. The episode features the regular cast, including Ed Bishop as Commander Straker and Wanda Ventham as Col. Lake. Filming was halted for two days due to Ed Bishop's injured ankle. Reception highlights include praise from *AnorakZone.com* and John Kenneth Muir, who commend its execution, character depth, and self-reflexive setting on a film studio backlot. Some ITV networks excluded the episode due to its portrayal of stimulant use. The episode is ...