Review Fantastic Journey (1977)

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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Your thoughts on this show....

A scientific expedition in the Atlantic Ocean becomes lost in the Bermuda Triangle and washes up on an uncharted island. They meet up with travelers from other times, planets and dimensions who have also become trapped, and together they "slide" through portals from one dimension to the next hoping to find the one that leads home.



 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Episode Guide:


1 "Vortex" February 3, 1977
A party of scientists disappears into the Bermuda Triangle and becomes trapped on an island where past, present and future co-exist. After meeting 23rd century healer Varian and encountering 16th century privateers, the survivors begin their quest to return to their own time. All the while, they are being observed by a mysterious man from a futuristic city in the desert.

2 "Atlantium" February 10, 1977
With many of the original party returned to their own time, Varian, Scott and Fred find themselves caught up in the machinations of a megalomaniacal "brain in a box" called The Source, which has enslaved the inhabitants of the city of Atlantium (actually the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles), built by the survivors of the original Atlantis and intends to use Scott's life force to regenerate itself. The trio are aided by dissident Atlantean, Liana, who reveals that she is half alien.

3 "Beyond the Mountain" February 17, 1977
The travelers are separated by a red cloud which leaves Liana as the 'guest' of Jonathan Willoway, who is the master of a community of robots, and the others trapped in a dark swamp surrounded by green skinned humanoids. However, Willoway's intentions are less than honourable and he has no intention of letting Liana leave, while Fred's medical skills prove invaluable in discovering the truth.

4 "Children of the Gods" February 24, 1977
The travelers arrive in a new timezone and meet a young boy who has escaped from a community run solely by children. They are led by bullying teenager, Alpha.

5 "A Dream of Conquest" March 10, 1977
An alien dictator, Tarant, is planning to invade other timezones and conquer the island. Willoway pretends to agree with him so that he can learn Tarant's secrets, especially as the true leader of this alien community is being slowly poisoned by the would be dictator. Liana takes pity on an abused alien creature called a Nefring. Guest starring John Saxon.

6 "An Act of Love" March 24, 1977
Varian, under the influence of a love drug, meets a woman named Gwenith from a religious community in a geologically unstable timezone. His judgment impaired, Varian decides to leave the travellers to stay and marry her. He soon discovers that the community fanatically worships a volcano god called Vatticus, who demands human sacrifices.

7 "Funhouse" March 31, 1977
Arriving at a strange 20th century funfair, the travelers become part of a game played by an ancient Greek sorcerer named Apollonius, who also possesses Willoway.

8 "Turnabout" April 7, 1977
The travelers encounter a city where the women are subservient to brutish male authority. The women mutiny and imprison the male travelers in a strange black void, and Liana appears to join their cause. Guest appearance by Joan Collins.

9 "Riddles" April 21, 1977
Guided to an old house by a mounted messenger, the travelers – minus Liana – quest for an object that will assist their search for Evoland, and a strange couple conjures illusions drawn from their deepest fears. The interior of the old house is the famous set of the Stephens' house in the sitcom Bewitched, with Elizabeth Montgomery.

10 "The Innocent Prey" June 6, 1977
A prison craft from Earth's future crash lands in the time zone where the travelers are resting, releasing dangerous killers into a community that does not comprehend violence. With a killer on the loose, Varian and the others must deal with him and protect the pacifists. Cheryl Ladd guest-starred only a few months before she joined the cast of Charlie's Angels.
 

Amyghost

Member: Rank 3
I was a fan of this one mainly for Roddy, whom it was always good to see. The show itself was hampered by a fairly visible low budget, and the scripts varied pretty sharply in quality from one episode to the next. But if it had been given time, I think it might have been a fairly successful foray into television SF, no classic of the genre but watchable; it's a bit of a pity that there's no release of this to home video due to the small number of episodes--I wish someone like Shout Factory would make a project of creating sets of multiple short-lived shows (this one and the brief 80's spy series Masquerade, starring Rod Taylor would be two good picks) into box sets, where some of these shows might have a chance of being seen again which they'll probably never have under syndication.
 

johnnybear

Member: Rank 6
Why don't they bring this classic out on DVD? I remember loving it back in 77 on BBC1 and taping the repeats soundtracks in the Christmas holidays! The episode Funhouse was never shown on the BBC and the first time I ever saw it was on YouTube a few years back! Great music and stories!
JB
 
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