A Multitude of Idols

A Multitude of Idols
Season 1, Episode 5
Air date	October 24, 1988
Written by	Tom Lazarus
Directed by	Neill Fearnley
Episode Guide
Previous Thy Kingdom Come	Next Eye for an Eye

"Don't be scared. This won't hurt you."

―Truck driver

"A Multitude of Idols" is the fifth episode of the 1st season of the War of the Worlds TV series.

Plot

The aliens move toward an operation that will begin integrating themselves into human society, thus developing agents to be active anywhere in the world.

Synopsis

The aliens steal two truckloads of nuclear waste from the government. Elise Conway, a local news reporter covering the nuclear waste transport, tapes them. From a copy of her tape, the team learns about the stolen trucks. Via TV news choppers, Elise locates the stolen trucks in an abandoned town called Beeton, California. Following the Defense Department satellite photos, the team goes to Beeton and realizes to their horror that the aliens are reviving hundreds of their brethren and possessing humans they have lured there. Discovered, the team flees, returning with troops, but the aliens have already gone with a thousand new soldiers.

Quotes

Elise Conway: These workers are loading cargoes of death onto these trucks. Sound like sensationalism? You'll wish it was. These steel drums are filled with what they call in the business hot stuff. Radiation waste – radiation waste that will remain lethal for over a thousand centuries. Their destination: a Government toxic waste storage facility high in the mountains at James Pass, over 800 miles away. And if there's an accident along the way, the thought is positively chilling. These and other shipments are rolling time bombs on our nation's highways. Advocate #1: The logistics of this operation are complex. Advocate #2: Complex or not, our war can be won if we are able to move among the Earthlings undetected. Advocate #3: Be thankful that they're childishly casual with their nuclear materials. Stealing what we need should pose no problem. Advocate #1: True, but we still haven't found a secure location to revive more of our sleeping brethren. Advocate #2: Nor do we have an adequate supply of suitable humans whose bodies we might use. Advocate #3: One problem at a time, comrades! It's a puzzle with many pieces. We deal with the nuclear materials first. Harrison: Can you enhance this image digitally? Norton: Does a computer download in the woods? Advocate #1: The town they call Beeton seems tailor-made for our purposes. Advocate #2: Away from their cities, off their main highways... Advocate #3: And best of all, it's completely abandoned. Advocate #1: The place called Beeton won't be abandoned for long, comrades. We must begin transporting the burial drums containing our sleeping brethren to this location immediately. Advocate #2: The puzzle is almost complete. Advocate #3: Yes, except for the last most important piece: we still need human bodies... many human bodies. Advocate #3: For once, everything is proceeding according to plan. Advocate #2: Yes, with new human hosts arriving every hour. Advocate #1: These pathetic Earthlings have even less intelligence than our own planet's vegetation! Advocate #2: Our own planet. If only we could see it one last time... Advocate #3: Erase those thoughts from your mind, comrade. Our planet is already well into its final death rattle. Advocate #1: You must remember that this planet is our home now. Advocate #3: As it will be home to those on the way. Our colonists are relying upon us to be strong. Advocate #1: The three of us. Advocate #2: Of course. I must remember to deal with what is, not with what might have been. I appreciate your patience, comrades. My lapse will not be repeated. Advocate #1: We have much to be grateful for. Within 24 hours, we will have increased our numbers by two-fold. Advocate #2: Perhaps we should inform those on the way of our progress. Advocate #3: Yes, they will be pleased... very pleased. Ironhorse: This is really sick, Blackwood! Suzanne: They're reviving new aliens! This whole town's been set up to recruit host bodies for aliens! Harrison: It's like an alien Bates Motel. Harrison: [referring to the aliens] Gone. They're all gone. Suzanne: We did everything we could! Harrison: That's not good enough, Suzanne. Ironhorse: He's right. If we keep losing like this, we're dead meat on this planet. Harrison: They must've revived a thousand of them. And now, they're out there. They're out there among us! Elise Conway: [possessed] And now on the lighter side of the news, apparently, it's that time of year again. Our station has received numerous local reports of, quote, "An invasion by aliens from another planet." We checked with nearby Goodwin Army base and public relations officers there have confirmed that military personnel were involved in routine training exercises at the time of the alleged incident. So far, no aliens have come forward to dispute these reports. But our door is open. Is yours?

Cast

Episode Cast

• Jared Martin as Harrison Blackwood
• Lynda Mason Green as Suzanne McCullough
• Philip Akin as Norton Drake
• Richard Chaves as Lt. Col. Paul Ironhorse
• Michele Scarabelli as Elise Conway
• Neil Vipond as Reverend
• Ray James as FBI Leader
• Von Flores as Alex
• Jackie Richardson as Blanche
• Garfield Andrews as Simons
• Roger McKeen as Driver #1
• Tedd Dillon as Driver #2
• Judy Sinclair as Judy
• Chick Roberts as Frank
• Richard Gira as FBI Agent #1
• Jim Walton as FBI Agent #2
• Joseph Matheson as FBI Agent #3
• Richard Comar as Advocate #1 (uncredited)
• Michael Rudder as Advocate #3 (uncredited)
• Ilse von Glatz as Advocate #2 (uncredited)

Episode Crew

• Directed by Neill Fearnley
• Written by Tom Lazarus
• Produced by Jonathan Hackett, Greg Strangis and Sam Strangis
• Original Music by Billy Thorpe
• Cinematography by Robert Saad
• Film Editors - Steve Weslak and Mairin Wilkinson
• Production Designer - Gavin Mitchell
• Art Director - Rolf Harvey
• Set Decorators - Gareth Wilson and Greg Chown (uncredited)
• Costume Designer - Leonie Reid

Makeup Department

• Jenny Arbour - Hair Stylist
• Jane Meade - Makeup Artist
• Jacques Fortier - Special Makeup Effects Technician (uncredited)

Production Management

• E.A. Jemison-Ball - Post Production Supervisor
• Susan Murdoch - Production Manager
• Robert Wertheimer - Executive in Charge of Production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

• Jill Compton - Third Assistant Director
• Linda Fox - Third Assistant Director
• Philip Mead - First Assistant Director
• Gordon Yang - Second Assistant Director

Art Department

• Dan Bezaire - Property Master
• Andriy Pereklita - Props: Second Unit (uncredited)
• John Wilcox - Scenic Painter (uncredited)

Sound Department

• David Appleby - Dubbing Mixer
• John J. Thomson - Sound Mixer
• Kevin Ward - Sound Effects Editor

Special Effects

• Tony Hayman - Special Effects Editor
• Ted Ross - Special Effects Coordinator
• Bill Sturgeon - Prosthetics: Alien

Visual Effects

• Brian Howald - Matte Artist
• Steve 'Spaz' Williams - Graphics Artist

Stunts

• Ted Hanlan - Action Coordinator
• Dennis Lundin - Stunt (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

• Scotty Allan - Gaffer
• Mark Manchester - Key Grip
• Christian Murray - Grip (uncredited)

Casting Department

• Susan Forrest - Casting: Canada
• Caro Jones - Casting: Los Angeles

Costume and Wardrobe Department

• Isabel De Biasio - Wardrobe Mistress

Editorial Department

• Stewart Dowds - Assistant Editor
• Bernie Laramie - Post Production Consultant
• Mary Jane Patterson - Post Production Coordinator
• Dave Hussey - Colorist (uncredited)

Location Management

• David Coombs - Location Manager

Music Department

• Larry Brown - Composer: Additional Music
• Ernie Savage - Music Mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department

• Eddie Bowman - Transportation Coordinator

Additional Crew

• Jack Crain - Designer: Custom Edged Weapons
• Monika Gagnon - Continuity Supervisor
• Janet Gayford - Production Secretary
• Tom Lazarus - Executive Script Consultant
• Heather McIntosh - Production Auditor
• Susan Perry - Assistant to the Producer
• Nan Skiba - Production Coordinator
• Herbert Wright - Creative Consultant
• Karen Nadon - Production Accounting Clerk (uncredited)

References

External links

• A Multitude of Idols at the Internet Movie Database
• Thesis: A Multitude of Idols (War of the Worlds 1×04) at TrenchcoatSoft Interactive

Video

WAR OF THE WORLDS TV Series (1988-90) Advert for Ep 4 A MULTITUDE OF IDOLS

War of the Worlds TV Series - Season 1

The Resurrection I The Walls of Jericho I Thy Kingdom Come I A Multitude of Idols I Eye for an Eye I The Second Seal I Goliath Is My Name I To Heal the Leper I The Good Samaritan I Epiphany I Among the Philistines I Choirs of Angels I Dust to Dust I He Feedeth Among the Lilies I The Prodigal Son I The Meek Shall Inherit I Unto Us a Child Is Born I The Last Supper I Vengeance Is Mine I My Soul to Keep I So Shall Ye Reap I The Raising of Lazarus I The Angel of Death