Man from Atlantis (TV Series) Shoot-Out at Land's End (1977) User Reviews

Took me back to my childhood for 45 enjoyable minutes

[therumpo-kid · 7/10 · 24 July 2006]

you know when a series is running out of ideas when it turns to a time travel plot. Having said that I love westerns and I've been waiting 30 years nearly to see this again and it was strangely enjoyable. The plot involved Patrick Duffy searching out his long lost 'bad' gunfighter twin brother though how he managed to time travel was never explained,he just left the submarine swam to shore and suddenly he was back in the Old West! Pernell Roberts was the main villain and was as watchable as ever. As an aside along with 'One Eyed Jacks','High Plains Drifter' and the truly awful 'Cactus Jack' these are the only westerns that I can think of that feature scenes set by the ocean. Took me back to my childhood for 45 very enjoyable minutes.

Wild Wild West with a dose of Aqua

[ODDBear · 10/10 · 30 June 2013]

Turns out that Mark has an identical twin brother! Whenever Mark's in his vicinity he can sense his brother's pain and that's just what happens when Billy (Duffy, of course) gets stabbed in the shoulder when he's caressing an unwilling lady. Because his instincts tell him so; Mark heads out of the sub and onto land - but there's a twist - in 19th century wild wild west.

Why? I've no idea. Mark's suddenly back in time and Billy seems to be the same kind as him, looks the same and even sported webbed hands before he cut them off (the web - not his hands).

"Man From Atlantis" has had some weird ideas floating around but this tops them all. But this episode is a joy from start to finish; easily the most entertaining so far. The concept here works surprisingly well, mostly thanks to Duffy's superb performance in his dual role. Obviously relishing the chance to be a bit uninhibited; he excels here.

"Shoot-Out at Land's End" is fast paced, well acted, full of action and hilarious on occasion. The bit where Billy enters the sub (obviously assuming that the people won't know him from Mark) is a laugh riot.

We also have a fairly engaging main plot revolving around a powerful bad guy wanting Billy to spring his son out of jail. All this culminates in an exiting gun fire that wouldn't look to out of place in an above average western.

It's clear that inconsistency plagued "Man From Atlantis" and I'm beginning to see why it only lasted 13 episodes. But this one is terrific and the definite high point of the series so far.

Patrick Duffy x 2 - Excellent!

[karenosment2003 · 10/10 · 17 May 2008]

This has got to be my favourite episode: Probably after the same storm that had left Mark Harris high and dry, but in a different time and place, a man finds himself, lying on a beach. Coming to the conclusion that he'd been beaten and left there, and with no knowledge of where he was or who he was, he gives himself the name, Billy Jones. This is the 'wild west', and to ensure his survival, Billy learns how to use a gun, and becomes a gunfighter. He arrives in Land's End, where he is employed as a Hired Gun, by local rancher, Clint Hollister, who appears to run the town. Artemus Washburn, has a small ranch outside of Land's End, and lives there with his son, Charlie and daughter, Bettina. Clint's son, Luke, thinks that because of his fathers status in the community, he can get away with murder, quite literally, and ends up in jail having shot Charlie in the back. Clint has a lady friend; a saloon girl, by the name of Carla, who he suspects Billy is having an affair with. Mark experiences a physical pain whilst the Cetacean (the Foundation for Oceanic Research submersible) is in an area of ocean, and goes out into the water, feeling that he will find the answer, for it, there. Mark finds himself swimming ashore, and soon arrives at the Washburn ranch, where he meets Bettina and her father. Initially, they assume Mark is Billy, as they seem identical in appearance. After deciding that he is, actually, not who he appears to be, they give Mark a horse and clothing so that he can go into town to find Billy. Mark is mistaken for Billy by those that he meets, and is approached by Billy, himself, just after he has been given the job, by Clint, to deal with the Editor of the local newspaper, for speaking out against Luke. Mark and Billy have a conversation, both looking for answers to how it is that they are so alike, and their possible connection. Mark invites Billy to visit the 'sub', but Billy swims out to the Cetacean alone, having tied Mark up. When Billy, masquerading as Mark, arrives on the sub, Elizabeth sees that in the place where Mark had felt pain, there is a, now, a wound. Billy is amazed by the technology on board, but because of his strange behaviour, Elizabeth thinks 'Mark' is ill; not feeling himself, and during a conversation with CW on the 'radio phone'- a disembodied voice to a confused Billy -decides that maybe they should return 'home'. Billy promptly leaves. Returning to dry land, Billy is confronted by Clint and his men. Clint accuses him of seeing Carla, behind his back, and takes a whip to Billy. At the Washburn ranch, Mark collapses in pain, feeling every stroke Billy receives. Virgil, a friend of Mr Washburn arrives to confirm what has happened, and informs Mark that Clint was heading out to hang Billy, before going into town to free Luke from jail. Mark, Mr Washburn, Bettina and Virgil go to Billy's rescue. Bettina shoots the rope down just in time! Having given Billy a soaking, to revitalise him after his ordeal, the two 'brothers' go into town to stop Clint. Before they attempt to tackle the gang, Mark and Billy visit the sheriff's office, and Billy becomes a deputy, figuring that if he wants to 'stick' around he would need to be on the right side of the law. Billy appears identical to Mark Harris physically, but had removed the webbing between his fingers; "What good are webbed hands to a gunfighter?" Billy and Mark's personalities are so very different. Mark is naive, innocent and just a little too trusting, whereas Billy having had to look out for himself, is more astute; and just a little cocky. Billy knows that being in water makes him 'feel good', but was unaware until he met Mark that he was able to 'breathe' water. Both, appear happy in the knowledge that the other exists, but not wishing to go, or remain in each others' world. Mark leaves Billy to his new life, and returns to the Cetacean, where Elizabeth is still under the impression that Mark had been 'suffering some form of surface manifestation of an inner pain he was feeling'.