How could I possibly forget The Tripods. I remember watching it every Saturday evening just before dinner. I had a friend at school at the time who was rather lanky, who I nicknamed Tripod, yet up until now I had forgotten about this classic of the 80s.
Thanks to the guys (and gals) at Blackstar, nostalgia took a running jump at me and slapped me viciously around the face. After something sparked the memory off, I started a video hunt. Not long afterwards a video tape containing episodes 1, 2 and 3 landed on my doorstep (well, actually the postman rang the bell and handed it to me, but you get the idea).
Slight problem though. You would have though I would be happy now, but I’m not. Why? I hear you cry. Well, it might have something to do with the fact that I have the first 3 episodes, but no more. As I reached the end of watching episode 3, it dawned on me that although I wanted to know what happens next, I can’t, due to the slight problem that I don’t own any more episodes. The hunt continues…
Anyway, you don’t really want to know about my frustrations, you want to know about the Tripods.
Well, it all started back in the early 80s when we were introduced to England in the year 2089. You wouldn’t have though it was in the future since there are no computers, and nothing much else. It’s just like ye olden times.
What could have possibly happened for us to slip back so far. The Tripods, that’s what. They came to earth about 100 years beforehand, blasted us all to buggery and enslaved those who were left with mind control devices called caps. Thereafter it was a tradition that when a child came of age, they would go through the capping ceremony, and fall under the powers of the Tripods to live like a passive lemon and never seek adventure.
There is one person whoever who doesn’t like the idea of this very much. His name is Will, and funnily enough he’s the main character of the series. After being told by a vagrant (people who supposedly went a bit loopy after being capped) called Ozymandias about a place where human beings are free to roam and graze on as much grass as they can eat (well, not really, I’m just getting a little carried away), he decides to run away to this far away land, and his cousin Henry decides to tag along for a laugh.
This is their adventure of travelling to the White Mountain without getting caught. It may be a bit tacky to watch now, and the acting sometimes leaves you grinding your teeth, but there’s something about it that makes you keep on watching, and get very annoyed when there’s nothing left to watch.
Damn you BBC! Show the Tripods again or at least ship me the rest of the series on video! I want to see the rest of it again!
