“The Night of the Skulls” is my sentimentally favorite episode of the series. It was the first episode I ever watched somewhere around twenty-five (!) years ago. I was hooked immediately. It will probably still rank as my all time favorite even after I have refreshed my memory of the remaining episodes. The episode left a long-lasting fascination with secret societies, conspiracies to coup d’ tat, and, oddly enough, the grim reaper. Someone has been rescuing notorious murderers right before their capture by authorities and squirreling them away for some reason. Jim stages a fight with Artie in which he appears to murder him. While on the run, Jim is captured by whomever has been gaterig up other famous murderers.
He is brought to a fortress which is ru by robed men in skull masks. They have gathered together all the murderers and sought to determine their guilt for a special mission. Jim is confirmed as a cool blooded killer just I time for the competition to winnow their umbers down to three. Jim survives to make it to the final the and receives his assignment--he is to kill the vice-president as part of a plot to overthrow the government. The other two are to kill the president and secretary of state.
The (bone?) head of the operation turns out to be Sen. Stephen Fenlow, who plans to take over the government in the chaotic aftermath. Artie helps rescue Jim, figures out Fenlow is behind the plot, and has im arrested while Jim helps round up all the murderers left in the fortress.
“The Night of the Skulls” is classic Wild Wild West. Weird plot, crazy villain, odd henchmen, eccentric killers, a samurai sword fight, and extraordinary gadgets allowing for an escape. It is one of the more tightly plotted episodes, to boot. The only formula it really follows is that nothing is ever as it seems.
I even like this episode in spite of the glaring factual error in presidential succession. In the 1870’s, the law of the land was the Presidential Succession Act of 1792. The Act established the order of succession as president, vice-president, then President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and then Speaker of the House. The law was caned in both 1887 and 1947, but under none of them would the Secretary of State have been second in line of succession. Fenlow’s has a rater large hole in it, yes?
Oh, and once again, my political science degree comes in handy. Worth every peny, that little bugger.
Rating: ***** (out of 5)
