VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

LEVIATHAN

Writer-William Welch

Dir-Harry Harris

Music-Alexander Courage

Teaser

At an underwater sea lab the pressure outside is building due to an erupting fissure. Dr. Cara Sloan feels it is not safe for another man they are working with to go out for underwater samples. Dr. Anthony Sterling, in charge, feels it is and is thankful that he likes Cara for what she is: a woman as well as a scientist. The man goes out and is eaten by a giant swordfish.

Act One

Nelson is turning down Cara's request (a fine sales pitch Nelson tells Sterling when the man calls on the vidphone. Nelson explains there are too many requests for Seaview's facilities but Sterling tells him he has found a hole in the mantle that goes right to the core, enabling them to study the core. Nelson sets sail immediately. Stu Riley, Chief Francis Sharkey, and crewman Kowalski play cards in the Mess Hall; Sharkey is wearing his lucky shirt. Kowalski says Cara is welcome aboard; they noticed Crane eyeing up Cara; and the other two younger men make note of Sharkey's superstitious ways--the lucky shirt for example. Crane comes in to show Cara the kitchen area--the cook is not due for another hour. Cara wants a no salt diet. After they leave, Sharkey complains about her; Kowalski wins gin. Crane shows the lady the lab--which is filled with Nelson's fine equipment. Later, Cara goes to the galley and puts some powdery substance into the salt container. Men eat. Chip mentions Crane's no progress with Cara. Crane thinks all the woman wants to do is work. Later, Chip Morton calls Nelson from his lab to the control room. Riley was in the observation nose when he saw a sea serpent but sonar and radar do not verify this. Chip tells them Riley passed the sobriety test. Kowalski reports an underwater contact---a large object should be closing in on them but at the nose they see nothing. After a moment, they see a giant squid; Crane makes Seaview move back and sounds general quarters. Cara passes men in the hallways. Torpedoes are prepared. The octopus arms on the observation window clutch on. They see it but Kowalski reports no contact. After a moment, the octopus-squid is gone also. Cara seems pleased.

Act Two

Ski checks the radar and sonar--both are fine. Chip wonders if to Crane if they all need a mass eye exam. In the lab Cara notes Nelson detests what he can't explain. Nelson corrects her, "I worry about things I can't explain--those are the things that can hurt you." Crane calls them to the control room; Nelson laughs, "Here we go again." Same story: they have a contact but the nose is clear; also this time the cameras about the ship are also clear. Then the sail camera picks up a giant Man of War--a jellyfish. The contact vanishes as they watch the visual image. After a moment the thing on the monitor is gone. Nelson briefs about 8 to 10 officers-lookouts are put on the nose. Crane feels Nelson is holding back something and Nelson tells him he has a theory. Later, sonar bleeps. Crane wonders about the crew as he mentions, "the boy who cried wolf." The bow lookout has a bearing 0-1-0. A giant manta ray. Crash doors are closed over the nose window but the collision that seems imminent--never happens. Sonar clear. Crane says, "That does it--we're raving mad." Nelson laughs, "You know, Lee, you may be right."

Act Three

In the lab, Crane, Cara, and Nelson discuss the things that were never there. As they get closer to the sealab the hallucinations become more frequent. They contact Sterling who agrees with Cara--radioactive emissions or gases from the fissure may be causing hallucinations. Sharkey, in the galley, brags that he doesn't see things but Ski corrects him, "What about that 3 day binge in San Diego?" Crane comes in and asks about the scuttlebug on the hallucinations. Sharkey explains the ship has a self contained environment--floating in pure gin wouldn't affect them. Crane thinks there might be something in their food. After he leaves, for luck, Sharkey tosses some salt over his shoulder. Chip checks out the Flying Sub. Nelson tells Cara the black jacket she must wear has a built in life jacket. Crane reports hundreds of giant blips but no visual yet. Then they see giant fish. Crane tells them he can't ignore his training--what you see is what you get. Sonar contacts are over a greater range now. Cara explains with hallucinations he cannot be logical. Flying Sub launches with Nelson and Cara aboard, goes up, and emerges from the surface into the air. On the surface they see an explosion from the fissure. The Flying Sub dives and we see the hit at the water from the inner viewport point of view. Next, giant fish pass the viewport as Cara and Nelson watch. Flying Sub docks atop the sea lab. Nelson and Cara Sloan enter...and find Tony Sterling is a giant whose head almost touches the ceiling--at least 30 feet high!

Act Four

Cara tells Nelson she caused the hallucinations since it would make the crew accept the real giant marine life forms once they arrived at the sealab area. The real emissions from the fissure cause uncontrollable growth. When Nelson moves to call Seaview to seal up the fissure, Tony uses a chair to smash the radio and knock Nelson down. Seaview swims in the contacts--giant fish, turtles, and swordfish all around. Crane says, "Let's see how real they are." A gigantic, larger than the rest swordfish hits Seaview and it shakes. Crane gasps, "Those things out there are for real!" A giant turtle passes by. Cara is crying when Nelson awakes. Tony got worse and grew, a horrible thing to see. Seaview gets a new contact of unbelievable size. Nelson pulls Cara, who wants to stay, through the doorway, then as he opens the hatch, Cara dashes inside the sea lab and uses a bar to lock the door. Cara tells Nelson to forget about her--she will find a way to help Sterling. Nelson won't leave without her but can't get in. He eventually leaves, telling her he is getting help and will be back. Beyond the sealab is Tony, swimming in the ocean and mutated. He...it attacks Seaview, rising up in front of the nose section. They see his fangs and clawed hands. They fire torpedoes. Nelson sees Tony grabbing Seaview and can't read Sparks on the radio. The Seaview is thrown around. Nelson tells Sparks to have Crane bring the reactors up to full power and send a charge threw the hull.

Tag

Tony puts Seaview on the bottom. Crane orders a charge as Tony is picking up a huge boulder to smash on the sub. An electric field rises up from Seaview and hits Tony. He falls into the sealab and crushes it by accident, probably killing Cara. The fissure erupts again. Nelson takes the Flying Sub up into Seaview as it rises from the floor of the ocean. Seaview seals up the fissure. Nelson, Chip, and Crane eat. Nelson tells them Cara was in love with Sterling. Chip asks Crane for the salt, then forgets about having it as Crane tells him he likes to live dangerously. Crane, however, still uses the salt on his own food.

NOTES: An excellent story, good guest stars and performances, fast pace action at the end, and nice build up. Too bad we had to see Cara put the hallucination causing drug in the food supply--it kind of gave away that this was causing the hallucinations. Nice new music reminiscent of JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. Very HP Lovecraftian.