"Operation Time" is the sixth episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions.
Set in 2068, the series depicts a "war of nerves" between Earth and the Mysterons: a race of Martians with the power to create functioning copies of destroyed people or objects and use them to carry out acts of aggression against humanity.
Earth is defended by a military organisation called Spectrum, whose top agent, Captain Scarlet, was killed by the Mysterons and replaced by a reconstruction that subsequently broke free of their control.
Believing that Tiempo's life is in danger, White has him flown to Cloudbase with his surgeon, Dr Magnus, who insists that the operation – to be carried out with the aid of a pioneering medical device called the "cerebral pulsator" – go ahead as planned.
With Tiempo saved and Scarlet revived thanks to his retro-metabolic powers, White announces that Spectrum will develop technology to exploit the Mysterons' imperviousness to X-rays and vulnerability to electricity.
[6] Andrew Pixley and Julie Rogers of Starburst magazine note the "cryptic" nature of the Mysterons' threat to "kill time", humorously remarking that it could "[suggest] they'll be passing a few hours playing cards or watching Oprah."
He also commends Ken Turner's direction, calling the car chase "fantastically executed in terms of pace and its visuals" and noting that the regular use of close-ups gives the episode a "claustrophic" feel.