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| Straker is about to go home for the night when three UFOs are sighted heading towards earth. The Interceptors successfully destroy two while Skydiver is alerted to deal with the third one. A new aircraft is being tested in direct line with the UFO's flight path. Lo and behold, it's Paul Foster doing his pre-SHADO vocation as a test pilot. Paul and his co-pilot see the UFO, start filming it and refuse to leave the area. Sky One successfully hits the UFO and the blast hurtles the test air craft dangerously spiralling towards earth. |  |
Foster wakes up after a six-day coma and he is temporarily blinded. Doctor Fraser tells him he is at Grenville Hospital. He also relays the sad news that Jim, his co-pilot, did not make it.After recovering, Paul meets his boss, Bill Kofax, at Ventura Aircraft Corporation. Kofax suggests Paul take temporary paid leave. Paul wants to know what happened to the film he took of the UFO. He is told both the aircraft and the film are with a military investigation unit. Foster wants a hearing even if it means his story being torn to shreds. He leaves Kofax's office in a temper. |
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Back at SHADO HQ, Straker wears a ghastly blue jacket trying to look like a real film executive. He then learns Foster wants a hearing. Flying in a swish aircraft, Paul encounters the interrogation techniques of Doug Jackson. Jackson is adept at winding-up the young upstart. Paul lunges for the him but Jackson's aide and general assistant, Tsi Chan, knows a thing or two about martial arts. Foster sees for the first time that the film from the XV 104 aircraft has been doctored: the UFO is nowhere to be seen. It is revealed that Foster has already reported sightings of UFOs twice in the past. Paul goes back to his flat and finds someone there passing herself as Jim's, the co-pilot's, sister. She asks Paul why he murdered her brother. He tells her that in 1968, the authorities issued a report denying the existence of |
| UFOs. Why bother denying it? If news leaked out that there was indisputable proof of UFOs then there would be mass hysteria and a breakdown of authority. So, the authorities simply deny it and discredit any
other proof. Paul is undaunted despite being on the receiving end. 'Jim's sister' tells him Kofax has a copy of the film. He is off like a shot to get it. After successfully breaking into Kofax's office, Paul finds a safe behind a picture (very original). Even more unoriginal is the fact that the keys are kept in a folder in the filing cabinet labelled 'safe'. He retrieves the film and notices a letter addressed to Ed Straker, Harlington-Straker Studios. Ed Straker learns of the break-in. He knows he is dealing with someone who is tough and very persistent. Back at Foster's flat, Paul and 'Jim's sister' find the slides of the film have been touched, too. She asks if it might be |
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a good idea to forget all this but he refuses. She goes to fetch some old newspapers that Paul wants. In the meantime, two guys barge their way in to beat up Paul and
rough up the place. 'Jim's sister' comes back and finds the flat in chaos. One of the newspapers she brings back has the headline "Cabinet Minister Killed" and a picture of Colonel Ed Straker. Foster is getting closer. He finally meets Mr. Film Executive Straker at Rupert Square on one of the movie lots. Ed shows his skill with a gun, discusses business with Louie, his construction manager, and does not seem interested in Paul's plight. When Paul pulls out the old article, Straker suddenly becomes serious. |
| Ed takes Paul to a cavernous sound stage. The young chap gets more and more irate. Ed fuels the fire by pointing the wind machine at him. "I keep slinging the mud until some of it sticks", roars Foster.
He is about to leave when Ed locks the door, aims his gun at Paul and fires. But it is an acoustic gun: it fires elaborate blanks. Nothing, so far, has really been what it seems. It is time for the showdown. Ed tells Paul to brace himself and takes him to SHADO HQ. Paul learns of Project Foster and meets everyone involved including the Field Leader, Janna Wade ('Jim's sister'). All the time he was being given clues; an inevitable chain which led him here. And now he can not leave. Foster is offered the opportunity to become a member of SHADO and gladly accepts it. |
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out of 10
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Dr. Doug Jackson
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Are you a bit confused? Even though Survival was made
first, Exposed formally introduces Paul Foster. Exposed was meant to be the second episode in viewing order. And that is just the way it was September 1972 on CBS Channel 2 in Los Angeles. This
was the first episode I saw of UFO as I missed Identified the first week. I still sometimes wonder if I had seen Identified first would my
reaction to UFO have been very different. Who knows and who cares? I love UFO! Everything is coming together now. Ed is chilling out nicely and despite his choice of gaudy jacket, we begin to see the double life he leads up top. Alec is Ed's dogsbody and morale officer. In Exposed, he wants Alec to go to Moonbase to see if the pilots can speed up their reaction times when there is a red alert. The Big Stick treatment is |
| not needed here. It is Alec's down-to-earth and humane approach that will bring out the best in the troops. I wish in the real
world big companies would realise this. I encountered some right obnoxious managers during my time working for Tesco! Vladek Sheybal's delightful character, Doug Jackson, was brought in because Maxwell Shaw (Dr. Schroeder) had to quit the show due to ill health. Notice Jackson is not a doctor...yet! And let's face it, Doug Jackson can not be his real name. He enforced Gerry Anderson's favourite theme that not everything appears to be exactly what it seems. Jackson brought mystery and a certain amout of panache to UFO - oh, and a good dollop of kinkiness! |
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| In Exposed, we meet a young buck insisting he is absolutely right and so he goes through hoops, tests and the approval of an older male figure. How kinky is that? Whether you love it or loathe it, UFO has homo-erotic elements. I do not know if this was intended or not but it becomes more apparent in Kill Straker later on. This relationship between Straker and Foster has been the delight of slash writers on the Internet for a long time. Many war of words have been fought on this issue on the UFO mailing list I used to frequent. If people do not want to see or accept it then that is no skin off my nose. I have no problem with the homo-erotic element. In fact, it keeps me very entertained! I do not think it cheapens or degrades the high quality of the programme. The thing you have to remember is that UFO was made in Britain. The homo-erotic element is very subtle and under the surface. It is there but no big deal. You can forget its existence or enjoy it like I do! |  |
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Alec still likes to ogle at those SHADO HQ girls in their skin-hugging all-in-ones. He is not lecherous like he was in
Identified but he still has that quick look even when he is discussing business with the Boss. Paul Foster, my lovely warrior, and his benefits to the show can be read on my Survival page. Michael Billington had to play the part of Paul Foster in Survival as if the character was already established. Now with Exposed he can get more settled in. Even in this episode, he draws the bird even if it is an old boiler like Janna Wade. She is on his wavelength, however, knowing how to probe and manipulate the younger man (she is a Domme after my own heart). |
| And with the arrival of Doug Jackson, we get our first Visible Eyeliner Moment! So, you think only the women in UFO wore eyeliner? Think again! Yes, view him up close and there it is. Doug is our Man of Mystery. As an expert interrogator, the mind boggles just what he does to practise his technique. Does he play interesting kinds of games with Tsi Chan? Is he always the Master or does he like her to take the lead every so often to ring the changes? Whatever it is, Jackson is the King of Kink. Whenever he is in an episode, you can depend on him to make it a truly stimulating experience. Ah, I love this man! |  |
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