The Omega Factor (TV Series) St. Anthony's Fire (1979) User Reviews

Angry plants. All a bit humdrum.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 9 October 2019]

Tom travels up to Scotland, after a couple he was once friendly with, die violently, Anne soon follows to help.

After a pretty bizarre, shocking start, St Anthony's Fire soon becomes a very dull episode, this one lacks the clever writing, originality, and dare I say it, menace, most episodes have some sort of psychic menace, here we have a hot greenhouse as the main threat.

Sarah and Graham are both truly irritating, although I enjoyed Anne and Sarah's jealousy and spat. The brawl is not a high point for the show. It feels more like a plot for Sapphire and Steel.

Love the series, this episode is the low point. 5/10

Loose ends

[keysam-02610 · 6/10 · 20 January 2022]

If I have a problem with Omega Factor it's that the writers don't seem to like to have more than 2 actors doing anything at any one time. So on the previous ep, no one shouted "look out" at the chauffeur when the child started the car moving.

In this episode, when Tom is using his powers to stop the murderous knife wielding man at the end, neither the policeman nor Kellerman does anything to try to stop him, which they would if they really were determined Tom should die.

The whole nefarious scheme gets far too easily dismissed too. Even if Martindale is up to no good (which we aren't really sure about) you'd think he would at least TELL Tom there was to be an inquiry or something?

Despite the frustrations though, I'm still finding this series entertaining. It's all just a bit slower paced than we're used to now.

St. Anthony's Fire

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 22 January 2022]

The episode has an unnerving sinister opening. Reminiscent to the later The X Files.

A woman is laughing maniacally as she soaks water on her like her body is overheating. She then stabs her husband.

The couple were friends of Tom. He travels to a small island off the coast of Scotland to find out what happened. The woman was mild mannered.

Tom finds that the locals are suspicious, there is a shady foreign corporation who has lots of lackeys keeping their eye on Tom. The police seem to have been bought off. There is a doctor who is fond of the booze and who has something to say to Tom.

Martindale has sent Anne to get Tom back. However she gets jealous with some new squeeze that Tom has found.

The episode sees Tom use his powers to get himself and Anne from a tight scrape. There is something unsatisfyingly about how the story ends. The police and the corporation were in cahoots over murder and using foodstuff to experiment on people. The rest of the episode is just too ponderous.

Then there is the bit where Tom is having a casual fling with a woman even though he is newly widowed and making eyes on Anne. It looks out of step from Tom who is still meant to be grieving.