Cast:
- Eric Johnson ... Steven 'Flash' Gordon
- Gina Holden ... Dale Arden
- Karen Cliche ... Baylin
- Jody Racicot ... Dr. Hans Zarkov
- John Ralston ... Ming
- Jonathan Walker ... Rankol
- Anna Van Hooft ... Aura
- Panou ... Nick
- Giles Panton ... Joe Wylee
- Jill Teed ... Mrs. Gordon
- Adrian Holmes ... Camera Man
Official Summary:
Athlete/mechanic Flash Gordon reunites with old flame Dale Arden, now a TV reporter and engaged to a police detective, just as his father's old assistant, Hans Zarkov, finds Flash and tells him that their old experiments have assumed new importance. Flash's dad, whom he thought was dead, was actually sucked into a portal to an alien world. The portals are active again: planet Mongo's tyrant, Ming, is seeking a device Dr. Gordon once had, the Imex. Flash and Dale go through the portal, seeking his dad, but barely escape back to Earth. Ming's daughter Aura tries to retrieve the Imex on Earth, but is thwarted by Flash.
Key Moments:
Flash, partly to be a reassuring presence to Dale, takes being flung across the galaxy to a different world in stride: he introduces himself as "Flash, from Earth" and encourages Dale to keep smiling. Aura claims to be an "abbot," and it's a real head-scratcher whether Dale's attempted joke "If she's an abbot, I'm Costello" falls flat more because of Gina Holden's lifeless delivery or because it's impossible to believe these vapid pretty people have ever even heard of Abbott and Costello.
Power Politics, Mongo-Style:
Rankol, Ming's enforcer, is so artless in asking about the Imex that even Flash catches on instantly, completely unraveling all of Ming's charm. However, we can be grateful to Rankol later on, since he found it necessary to expose Flash's buff torso for us prior to torturing him, even though the torture involves some sort of psychic cattle prods to the temples. Perhaps Rankol had reasons of his own for doing so.
Cheesiest Will They/Won't They Moment:
Dale hears that Flash has shown up at her office and immediately gets all flustered, while her coworker indulges in staring openly at Dale's hunky ex.
Bottom Line: Worth Watching?:
As I said in my
review of the premiere episode, the whole thing doesn't work. The plot mechanics are clunky, the performances are clunkier, and the special effects are well below what they should be. They don't even use Queen's theme song ("Flash! A-ah!" -- the only thing worth salvaging from the even more terrible 1980 movie), despite the misleading use of a cover version in the promos. Though Eric Johnson acquits himself acceptably, the inauguration of
Flash Gordon is an uneven misfire.
