Atlantic Inferno
|
|
For a detailed overview of this episode, click here.
When Jeff goes on holiday, Scott is put in charge of International Rescue.
Original UK broadcast date: October 2nd, 1966
Contents
1) Synopsis
2) Notes
3) Errors
Synopsis
Penelope blows up part of a mountain, in an event for a construction company to lay down a new road through it. As she heads to her Australian ranch, she decides to invite Jeff over for a vacation, since he hasn't had one in 18 months. Jeff is initially reluctant to go, believing he is needed on the island to organize any potential rescue operations. However everyone else wants him to go, so he eventually changes his mind. He checks in with John and finds out that nothing is happening in the world at the moment, other than the World Navy running some weapon tests. Jeff leaves for Australia, putting Scott in charge during his absence.
The crew of Seascape, a drilling platform located in the Atlantic, are warned that tests are being conducted near their location, but are told there shouldn't be any problems. The rig's superintendent Hooper is not pleased the Navy are going about this. The Navy conducts the weapon tests, and a submarine fires two new torpedoes. Whilst one hits the target vessel, the other malfunctions and hits the seabed, causing an explosion. Jeff arrives at Penelope's ranch, and is told by Penelope to forget about International Rescue and relax.
Scott is desperate for an emergency call, but after contacting John, he finds out nothing is wrong. However a few hours later, a massive flame jet erupts out of the sea where the torpedo hit. Seascape puts out an emergency call, which John picks up and reports to Scott. Scott asks Brains what's up, but Brains says it's too early to say. John contacts Seascape and asks what the dangers are. Hooper says that atomic explosion fractured the seabed, but the heat has taken a few hours to penetrate through to the gas field beneath the ocean floor. This particular gas pockets stretches 40 miles to the west of Seascape's position.
News of the fire is reported on TV, but Jeff says International Rescue don't need to get involved in this. However, Scott decides this is a job for International Rescue. He dispatches Alan in Thunderbird 1, whilst Virgil and Gordon take off in Thunderbird 2. Virgil drops the pod and Thunderbird 4 is launched, dragging along with it a sealing device. Gordon has the device placed over the crack in the seabed, which stops the fire.
International Rescue return home and everyone is happy with Scott's leadership. However Jeff then calls and yells at Scott, saying that International Rescue isn't just a lot of machinery for putting out fires, it's a serious business. Scott says that fire could have caused a disaster, but Jeff says they aren't dealing with chances and they can't afford to make mistakes. He says he's going to return home, but is convinced by Penelope to stay where he is. Later on, more fires start near Seascape, which John reports. Scott it reluctant to involve International Rescue again, and instead arranges for the World Navy to evacuate Seascape via using helijets.
However the fires cause waves that damage one of Seascape's support struts. Hooper and O'Shea enter a diving sphere to assess the damage, but whilst they're down there another flame erupts and causes another wave. This causes further damage to the strut and causes the diving sphere to crash to the seabed, trapping Hooper and O'Shea inside it. John reports this to Scott, who once again dispatches Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4 to Seascape.
Having heard how much worse things have gotten at Seascape, Jeff decides he must leave, but Penelope says she's going with him. Seascape's structural integrity continues to get worse, and whilst the crew are all evacuated, the rig begins to collapse. Gordon takes Thunderbird 4 down to where the diving sphere is, and cuts through the winch cables. He then clears away some debris around it, but more wreckage from Seascape continues to drop down.
Seascape catches fire and completely collapses, but Gordon is able to use Thunderbird 4's electromagnets to pull the diving sphere out of the way just in time. Thunderbird 2 uses its grabs to pick up the diving sphere and move it to safety, and with everyone saved, International Rescue return to base. Jeff congratulates everyone on a job well done, but says he's come home to start work again, because he figured it's the only way he'll ever get any rest! He asks Scott that, if he doesn't mind, he'll have his desk back. Scott tells him he can have it, because now he needs a vacation!
-This is the first episode of season 2, and some of the sets have notable changes -the Tracy lounge looks slightly different, whilst the cockpit of Thunderbirds 1 and 2 have also been changed. Thunderbird 5's interior is also different. Some of the puppets have been slightly changed, such as certain characters having different hairstyles (most notable with John Tracy).
-The voice actors largely remain the same as in the first season, but Virgil is now voiced by Jeremy Wilkin. David Holliday, who voiced Virgil in the first season, was unavailable to record for the second season as he had returned home to the United States.
-Unlike the first season, the episodes for the second season were broadcast in the same order they were produced.
-The massive road construction vehicle seen near the start of the episode was originally featured in End of the Road. It was repainted from red to yellow.
-Sir Harry is wearing a hard hat in the long shots of him driving the jeep, but in the close up shots he's not wearing one.
-Penelope has 200,007 sheep, but the counter she has only has 5 digits, making it useless.
-When Hooper says "sound the alarms!", you can see someone's hand move his legs.
