The New Adventures of China Smith (TV Series) The Sign of the Scorpion (1954) User Reviews

Resistance is futile

[Paularoc · 6/10 · 4 May 2013]

China Smith is hired by a Mrs. Tilson to act as a bodyguard for her husband Commodore Tilson. The Commodore is a very wealthy retired British naval officer who has a passion for exotic fish and has a room filled with aquariums. It seems the pleasant but nutty Mrs. Tilson has come under the influence of a shady fortune teller named Aban (Keye Luke) who has told her that her husband will be dead within the week. Smith doesn't do a very good job as a bodyguard for soon after his arrival the Commodore is found dead in one of the aquariums, stung to death by sea scorpions. Even worse - from Smith's point of view but not the Commodore's - the police think that Smith is the murderer. At one point, Smith confronts Aban who tells him, among other things, that "Resistance is futile." That got me laughing as when I hear that phrase I immediately think of the Borg from Star Trek, The Next Generation. Not surprisingly, Duryea does a wonderful job as the cynical and light hearted rogue and adventurer, China Smith. However, it was sad to see Keye Luke in the silly role of Aban. What a waste of such a fine actor.