i try to imagine the writers of 1975, fresh off the heels of the fabulous television and radio writing of the 1960s, trying to maintain fresh, new ideas and experimenting with different and alternative plot styles.

i applaud this episode for trying to rally in the human condition and centering around a very rare topic of the times: guilt.

in a time when crime dramas and thrillers were the genres of choice for most writers, Ian Martin - perhaps influenced by Oboler, perhaps not - decided to take an almost Elspeth Eric approach to a cliché scenario of a group of people trapped.

It's possibly a traditional, thematic twisting of The Tempest, Swiss Family Robinson, or even Hitchcock's, Lifeboat, and for Martin to have explored the role of guilt within the characters, i thought, was done well, especially in the sense of experimentation.

While the program was obvious and predictable right from the start, i truly enjoyed the way the events unfolded. there are some terrific, small details which enhance the immersion, like the knife, the prostitute's eveningware, the business card, the smoking, and even the seat belts and seat belt signs. The concentration on character development within a 48 minute program was, i thought, quite tight. The rhythm and pace of the show was also worth noting. I felt there was enough about this program to make a fair study of human emotion, despite not being the most original setting for it.

i gave it a "good" rating overall, but for me personally, it was more in line with "very good" and i enjoyed the program.

just a few thoughts.