This is the first CBSRMT that I can recall that takes place in Australia. It's also the one (to date) which has the most glaring factual error. More on that in a minute. An Australian charter boat captain and his aboriginal first mate/helmsman agree to take a very wealthy Texan and his young, beautiful wife on a deep-sea fishing trip from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef. The captain was himself once a wealthy, dashing man, but has become victim to a personal vendetta...he lost his foot in an attack by a great white shark (called "the white death" by his helper, who possesses the "psychic powers" many aboriginals are reputed to have), and is obsessed with finding the shark and killing it. The Texan is a big blowhard, but a very strong man whom you don't want to cross. The captain, even though lame on land, can take care of himself, but is quite aware that the Texan is footing the bill, and is more intent on culminating his fight with the great white. In addition to the potential explosion between the two men, the captain is falling for the Texan's young wife. (I must compliment the RMT writers...they kept the captain's character on the moral high ground, though the character admits he mighn't have stayed on it in previous years.) Worst of all, the aborigine is predicting that one person on the charter will die in the trip...he doesn't know which one. There is some great use of simple sound effects in this one...listening to the boat's diesel engines I felt I was leaving Sydney harbor right along with the captain and company. Unfortunately, in a critical moment in the story the captain says that a great white shark isn't a fish but a mammal. In reality, the great white isn't even quite a true fish, but rather part of the lowest subgroup of fishes which have cartilage instead of bone for their skeletons. In addition, this episode sort of turns into an animal rights story of sorts which strangely seems to water down the plot at the very end even though it still has an interesting ending. All IMHO of course...

Really? This is nothing but a trite updating of MOBY DICK. And the aborigne's accent is awful. A generic "Third World tribal native," complete with a halting delivery. In real life, aborgines have Aussie accents, same as white Aussies. Why wouldn't they? They grow up in Australia, so they have Aussie accents.

Lol, and terrible australian accent by Mr. Tolan. If the Australian theme hadn't been presented, I could swear he was from brooklyn

You would have to be pretty lame not to be able to guess how this one was going to turn out as you listened to it. That said, a decent listen.

I rate this episode ★★★☆☆ for AVERAGE. PRO: The chemistry between the captain and the leading lady in the 2nd Act was flawless. CON: This Drama-Mystery, written by Ian Martin, is similar to Herman Melville’s novel of MOBY DICK about a man’s obsession for revenge on an animal that lives underwater. PRO: Nicknaming the shark as “The White Death” is clever. CON: If the title of this story involves a shark, why did the animal show up only in the 3rd Act? Shouldn’t the shark be introduced in the other Acts? PRO: Suspenseful music tracks including the ones played during the main character’s narrations. CON: When the characters argued and/or when the shark is mentioned in the scenes, CBSRMT should’ve used the horror tunes from Ep. #0573-THE ARTIST that would get the listeners’ heart racing. PRO: The sound effects of the seagulls, buoy, boat engine, boat horns, stumbling over the handbag, howling wind, and water splash were essential. CON: Not enough in the 3rd Act; they just repeated the same effects. PRO: E.G. Marshall’s Prologue about Man facing challenges. Plus, his Epilogue quoting Sir Francis Bacon on revenge; followed by the main character’s resolution on finding love instead of revenge. CON: His narrations in all 3 Acts were predictable; knowing he would talk about a shark’s habits. PRO: The leading actress Joan Lovejoy (as Eve Burden) who sounded delicately. CON: Michael Tolan’s Australian accent to play Captain Gunner Trent. And let’s not forget Ian Martin’s role as Jimmy who sounded a lot like Lloyd Battista. Ian Martin’s role as J.H. Burden was OK, though. A lot of PROs and CONs in this episode, but a decent one for those that enjoy Drama-Mysteries about Man VS Man, or Man VS Beast, or even Man VS Himself. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0]

A great adventure. Tolan's accent was spot-on. Anyone who loves a great story and isn't nit-picky about unimportant details will truly enjoy this tale. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Interesting line "First off, a shark is not a fish. It is a mammal." This line was delivered with an attitude of determined insistence. I admit that I was taught a shark was a fish although not a modern bony fish. So is this really true? Is a shark really a mammal?

Dear D.C.: a shark is a fish. The boat captain not knowing that CSIRO stands for "Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation"... a place he said he worked for, it was true idiocy to claim that a shark is a mammal! Especially since this was recorded just a few years after the movie "Jaws."

You know...though the plot was predictable I liked the EXECUTION (no pun intended) of this show, such as where Michael Tolin's voice is sounding over the diesel engines of his boat naming the places they are passing (i.e. "Dee Why") as the rolling piano-and-trumpets/trombones played the music bed which always signified "trouble on the water" in the RMT. But this particular episode, in my opinion, contained perhaps one of the two biggest bloopers ever in the RMT.

Good play. Wasn't Ralph Bell also in this one, playing the part of the old rich guy?

Tale of Moby Dick with Tolands Aussie accent coming and going through the episode.