Along with watching the progressing chapters of this serial, for the first few weeks now we've also been talking about some of the changes that were made between the first two series and this one. This week we come to one that may at first seem merely a matter of semantics, but actually, I think, reflects the changes going on not only in Flash's world, but in the real world beyond the screen.
For the first two serials, Ming the Merciless, the arch-villain of the Flash Gordon universe, was referred to almost exclusively as an "emperor". In this serial, however, he is more often called a "dictator". (The last chapter of the serial is even titled "Doom of the Dictator".) Now, the thing to remember is that at this point, though the United States had yet to enter the second World War, much of the world was already embroiled in conflict, and even in the US there were those saying that America's involvement was inevitable, and who were the enemies of the Allies during the war? A collection of dictators: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and more. And it was into this dictator role, rather than the simple "yellow peril" role that Ming was recast for this serial. Even Ming's enemies are recast to fit this new role, being portrayed more like the war's famed resistance fighters than the rebels of the first two serials.
Anyway, enough talk, let's get on to the action, shall we? In order to catch up a bit, I'm going to give you both chapters four and five today. Enjoy!
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