"You're the Scorpion!"
For a ninth episode of a movie serial, and therefore doomed to tread water by default, this episode is extraordinarily good. It treads said water with real aplomb.
It would be quite extraordinary to claim that any ninth episode in a twelve part story advances the plot in any meaningful way. This is the point where we're just filling in time with set pieces until we get to the finale. And yet, between the opening and closing cliffhangers, this episode does a superb job ofv maintaining the illusion of plot advancement.
It does this by means of the two simple drivers of the Scorpion's quest for the two remaining lenses and the ongoing mystery as to which expediation member is the Scorpion. Dramatically, Lang sees an unmasked Scorpion before he's shot, and the number of suspects is decreasing. Could it be Malcolm himself?
All this intrigue, plus the ever-present peril and action, means I'm no less entertained in spite of being at the part of the serial where one would expect things to drag. And the cliffhanger- Billy and Betty menaced by two booby trap guns emerging from a dumb waiter- is as splendid as ever.
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