Directed by Toshihiro Iijima. Written by Keisuke Fujikawa. Airdate Dec. 25, 1966.
The Science Patrol is assigned to escort the president of the Science Public Corporation to the official activation of the new Undersea Science Center. Also along on the trip to the center is a special guest, young girl Jenny Childers. What should be a problem-free ceremony goes sideways when an ocean floor disruption cuts off the undersea center’s lifeline and floods its docking bay. Captain Muramatsu, President Yoshimura, Hoshino, and Jenny are now trapped in an underwater tomb. The rest of the SSSP races to rescue them before their oxygen supply runs out.
This is what I call a “trapped in an elevator” episode. Plenty of television shows — sitcoms, dramas, and several iterations of Star Trek — have episodes where characters become accidentally stuck in a single location. While they wait for rescue, the characters bicker and bond, and the production saves money on sets. TV Tropes calls this “Locked in a Room.” My term is better.
“Undersea Science Center” isn’t a budget-saving installment, however. It has numerous new sets, underwater action sequences, and an enjoyable monster battle with a memorable kaiju. But it achieves the dramatic purpose of an “elevator episode,” which is to put character conflicts at the forefront.
Every Science Patrol member has an important role in the crisis. Ide gets a terrific moment where he scolds Arashi for coming up with another rash, violent plan that won’t work. (You never ask Arashi to plan anything, you just turn him loose when it’s time.) But the characters who get the most attention are the trio of Muramatsu, Fuji, and Hoshino.
Muramatsu has his hands full managing the frightening situation inside the undersea base when President Yoshimura flies into a full panic and comes close to getting everyone killed. Hoshino takes on the job of calming and reassuring young Jenny. Fuji, on the outside of the undersea base, blames herself for the pipeline burst that triggered the disaster in the first place. Her guilt pushes her to take on a dangerous underwater scuba mission to help in the rescue.
I was harsh on how the show indulged Hoshino as a heroic super-kid in “Breach the Wall of Smoke,” so I’m glad I can fully support the way he’s used here. This is the ideal role for the 12-year-old Science Patrol member: helping to ease the fears of a young child during an emergency. Actor Akihide Tsuzawa works well with the young girl playing Jenny, showing genuine concern for her while maintaining as cool an exterior as possible in the tense situation. Putting a cute little kid in jeopardy may seem like an easy manipulative move, but because of Hoshino’s presence, the emotional payoff with Jenny is earned and touching.
Fuji’s feeling of culpability is a good turn for the character, similar to Ide’s personal guilt trip in “Oil S.O.S.” There’s just one problem with how the episode executes it: Fuji believes her poor piloting of the S25 submarine caused the pipeline rupture, but the real culprit is the episode’s kaiju, Gubila. However, nobody acknowledges Fuji’s innocence at the end, closing the episode with the hovering sense that Fuji is still blaming herself. We can assume an investigation discovered the real cause of the disaster, but since we don’t see any of that, we’re left with a major emotional arc dangling in an unpleasant place.
This is the first extensive underwater episode for an Ultra show, and the pacing feels off at times. Early on, the camera takes in slow underwater landscapes and extended stock footage of sea life. The tension lapses in places because of the slow-motion limitations of the aquatic effects. Because there wasn’t enough tank space to stage a full underwater battle, Ultraman and Gubila go up to the surface to duke it out for the finale. Honestly, that’s for the best. The sudden burst of speed and motion gives the climax a jolt of energy right as the suspense starts to sag.
The Ultra fight is a good time. Gubila, a narwhal-fish thingy, has appealing silliness. Designer Tohl Narita thought the design didn’t work, but time has been kind to Gubila, who’s gone on to appear in many future shows. Along with Gubila smashing into several buildings, it has a clever and funny defense against Ultraman’s deadly Ultra Slash attack. In an episode filled with fear, panic, and guilt, this sort of nutty moment during the finale is a welcome respite.
So there you have Ultraman’s “trapped in an elevator” episode. No money was likely saved, but Hoshino got one of his best outings, Muramatsu yelled at an idiotic bureaucrat for smoking in a low-oxygen environment, and the monster of the week played ring toss. I hope Fuji isn’t still feeling unnecessarily guilty.
Rating: Good
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