Pic-nicking was an offense punishable
by death in post-war Britain.

QUATERMASS II

Episode Three: The Food

November 5, 1955

The "synthetic" episode

The board meeting doesn't go too well. Quatermass notices that some of the members have been infected by the strange mark, and the others have adopted that "zombie policy" and speak of things they can't talk about. Broadhead, Quatermass' government contact also falls prey to the ammonia-infection and....becomes one of THEM!!!

Back at the Rocket Group, Dr. Pugh (the professor's assistant) and Paula have determined that the meteorites have come from a larger stellar body, orbiting the "dark side of the earth" (the new Pink Floyd album, no doubt). Meanwhile, a couple pic-nicking nearby the Winnderden Flats plant are summarily executed by the zombie guards.

Quatermass and his friend Fowler drum up another government official, Ward, who has already visited the plant several times, as part of an official inspection. Using Ward's pass, the intrepid explorers into the unknown visit the plant. Quatermass' attemps to contact Captain Dillon fails, and the "food" produced here is ammonia-based for some reasons. Ward opts to find stuff out by himself and turns up later covered in black goo.

Meanwhile, back at the Halls of Jus....sorry...Rocket Group, Dr. Pugh tells a worried Quatermass that the large meteorite responsible for sending the smaller ones is about to enter Earth's atmosphere.

• The aliens have certainly understood a few things or two about labor relations. Who needs unions when you can have zombification.
• The sight of the woman's arm dangling out of the truck was certainly quite a graphic sight at the time. Remember, though, this is the team that were the first to portray torture live on public TV.

  

  "Yes. Yes, I did let that poor family die.
  Yes, I am a right bastard, yes."

   
• Doctor Who have been often favourably compared to the Quatermass serials (particularly during the Jon Pertwee years), however one main difference is when Quatermass hears gunshots (of the gards killing the family) yet decide to proceed with his inspection. The Doctor would never have acted like that.