Ben – Fusion Patrol

Ben and Eugene discuss Irwin Allen’s second attempt to get City Beneath the Sea going with this TV movie and seeming back door pilot. They discuss the survivability of an asteroid strike in the Pacific Ocean, Robert Wagner’s evil ‘tache, the fact that the unsuspecting people of Pacifica were always going to get saddled with ... Read more

Not a movie, but a follow-up to our discussion of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea feature, as we look at this television episode remake of the movie. Ben and Eugene examine the moral dilemmas faced by Admiral Nelson and Dr. Weber as they propose differing solutions to a catastrophic scenario. The discussion ... Read more

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, Ben and Eugene delve into the 1961 Irwin Allen film “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Fontaine. The discussion centers on the USOS Seaview and Admiral Nelson’s desperate mission to extinguish a catastrophic burning of the Van Allen Belt, which threatens all life ... Read more

This week Fusion Patrol looks at The Andromeda Strain as Ben and Eugene discuss hard science fiction tension built from plausible medical and military technology; human errors, prejudice, and design flaws that nearly trigger nuclear catastrophe; Nostalgic enthusiasm for long‑forgotten light pen computer interfaces; and a strangely prominent topless corpse and its clash with the ... Read more

This week, Ben and Eugene look at the 1956 Japanese Kaiju classic, Rodan! Or, as originally known, Sora no Daikaiju, Radon. Rodan Release Date: December 26, 1956 (Japan), August 6, 1957 (US) Runtime: 74 minutes Starring: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata Director: Ishirô Honda Writer: Takeshi Kimura, Takeo Murata (screenplay), based on story by ... Read more

This week Ben and Eugene look at the 1960 movie, Village of the Damned, inspired by the 1957 John Wyndham novel, the Midwich Cuckoos.

It’s hard to keep a good Phibes down. Would it be as hard to keep a bad Phibes down? Ben and Eugene discuss the 1972 The Abominable Dr. Phibes sequel, Dr. Phibes Rises Again. Dr. Phibes Rises Again Release Date: July 5, 1972 Runtime: 89 minutes Starring: Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Valli Kemp, Peter Cushing, ... Read more

This week, on World Beyond movie Night, Ben and Eugene dip their toes into comedy/horror Diesel Punk with The Abominable Dr. Phibes. The Abominable Dr. Phibes Release Date: May 18, 1971 Runtime: 94 minutes Starring: Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Virginia North, Hugh Griffith, Terry-Thomas, Peter Jeffrey, Aubrey Woods, Susan Travers, David Hutcheson, John Cater, Maurice ... Read more

Between seasons 1 and 2 of Space: 1999, Gerry Anderson took another stab at space opera, this time with an eye towards teachiing children about Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity. How well did that plan go? Find out as Ben and Eugene discuss The Day After Tomorrow. (AKA, Into Infinity) The Day After Tomorrow (Into ... Read more

“Barbarella, pychodella, there’s a kind of cockleshell about you…” It began as a scandalous comic book, then Dino De Laurentiis thought, “hey, they oughta make a movie about that.” …and now, Ben and Eugene have to watch it and discuss it. It’s the 1968 movie, Barbarella starring Jane Fonda.

Cheap Star Wars ripoff, or a more brilliant parody than Space Balls? This week, Ben and Eugene look at the Roger Corman film, Starcrash!

This week, it’s movie night, and Ben and Eugene take a serious look at a movie about a giant flying turtle. It’s 1995’s Gamera: Guardian of the Universe!

This week, Ben and Eugene look at the 1972 British-American pilot movie Baffled!, a supernatural thriller starring Leonard Nimoy.

This week, Simon, Ben, and Eugene discuss the Doctor’s sexuality and changes in the representation of sexuality on Doctor Who, Gatwa singing the same pitch as Gene Wilder, and Checkov’s psychic earrings as we look at the #DoctorWho episode #Rogue.

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, I conduct a detailed analysis of the Doomwatch episode “The Islanders,” which examines the plight of displaced South Pacific Islanders thrust into a foreign environment after an earthquake devastates their home. We explore the themes of cultural displacement, health deterioration, and the impacts of environmental neglect as investigator John ... Read m...

For our tenth year podcasting, we’re featuring a series of special episodes looking at some of our favorite sci-fi movies.  First up: Planet of the Apes. Movie Synopsis:  A spacecraft from Earth plows through space at near light speed. Alone in the cockpit, George Taylor muses about the world he’s left behind forever and the ... Read more

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, we analyze the unsettling “Doomwatch” episode titled “Invasion,” where investigators Hardcastle and Ridge confront a disturbing disappearance of two local boys, Dave and Reggie, amidst a backdrop of military secrecy and a legacy of germ warfare experiments. As the search intensifies, we delve into the emotional turmoil experienced by ... Re...

The first season (or is it the series?) of Battlestar Galactica comes to a close with an attack on a Cylon Basestar.  Will the Galactica survive? Ben and Eugene discuss. Episode Synopsis:  Apollo, Sheba, Starbuck and Cassiopeia are on a…. let’s call it a double-date.  Apollo takes them all for a surprise.  A celestial chamber, ... Read more

Toby Wren is dead.  (Oops, spoilers.) In this episode of Fusion Patrol, we explore Doomwatch’s season two opener, “You Killed Toby Wren.” The narrative unfolds with a surveillance team scrambling to defuse an accidentally activated nuclear bomb, highlighting characters’ moral dilemmas, particularly Quist’s guilt over his past in destructive technology. The evolving dyn...

There’s trouble brewing onboard the industrial ship Celestra.  How is it tied to Starbuck’s long-lost flame? Ben and Eugene take (apart) the Celestra. Episode Synopsis:  Adama presides over a ceremony to honor Cmdr. Kronus, former Commander of the Battlestar Raikon and Adama’s former commanding officer.  Kronus is being promoted to “fleet” commander of the industry ... Read more

In this episode of Fusion Patrol, we analyze “The Battery People” from Doomwatch, revealing its unsettling exploration of human conditions tied to agricultural practices. Alongside my co-host Ben, we discuss themes of worker exploitation, toxic masculinity, and the darker implications of industrialization on personal relationships. As Quist and the Doomwatch team confront public percep...

In this episode, the Galactica finds Earth…  or Terra… which probably isn’t Earth.  Plus Apollo and Starbuck get a little help from on high. Ben and Eugene discuss this Experiment in Terra. Episode Synopsis:  Picking up from last week’s episode, the evil Eastern Alliance enforcers, along with the Borelean Nomen have escaped the Galactica.  Rather ... Read more

In this episode, we explore the “Doomwatch” episode “Train and Detrain,” centering on an investigation into animal deaths linked to a pesticide company. We analyze character dynamics, particularly between Toby Wren and Chief Chemist Ellis, highlighting themes of age discrimination and corporate ethics. The narrative critiques workplace bureaucracy and the human costs of cor...

How can Baltar remain a credible villain if he remains in jail?  Answer:  He can’t, so, it must be time to escape! Ben and Eugene discuss Baltar’s Escape. Episode Synopsis:  Since the arrival of the Eastern Alliance Enforcers and Apollo and Starbuck’s prisoners, the Council have been getting increasingly upity.  It seems the civilian government ... Read more

The Doomwatch team tackle sound pollution… or is it? In this episode of Fusion Patrol, we revisit the classic British sci-fi series Doomwatch, focusing on its exploration of technological consequences through the fictional Department of Observation and Measurement of Scientific Work. We analyze the character of Dr. Quist, a Nobel laureate grappling with guilt over ... Read more