Path of Destruction
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For a detailed overview of this episode, click here.
International Rescue must stop the Crablogger from destroying a dam.
Original UK broadcast date: October 9th, 1966
Contents
1) Synopsis
2) Notes
3) Errors
Synopsis
Operation Crablogger is about to begin, but the night before Jansen takes crew members McColl, Peterson and Franklin out to a restaurant. Whilst he has his usual, the other three have the restaurant's special. Later on, McColl and Peterson enter the Crablogger, a gigantic machine which can rip out and cut up trees. Franklin has been ill and can't go with the others, but McColl and Peterson begin the operation. The Crablogger turns the trees in its way to pulp, which gets collected by some transporter trucks. However, Peterson soon collapses from food poisoning, something McColl succumbs to moments later.
The Crablogger quickly veers off its predetermined course and heads towards a village. The villagers are informed in time and evacuate. Jansen makes a call to International Rescue, so Jeff sends Scott out in Thunderbird 1 straight away. Jeff asks Brains about the situation, but Brains says they need the Crablogger's designer, Jim Lucas, to tell them the shutdown procedure for its reactor. As he's in England, Jeff contacts Penelope for help. Meanwhile, the Crablogger smashes through the village, but keeps on going. It is now on course to smash through a dam.
Penelope goes to the place where Jim Lucas works, and has Parker stun a guard whilst she finds out where Lucas lives. As she and Parker go to the address, the Thunderbirds arrive at the Crablogger's base control. Scott, Virgil and Brains head out on the Mobile Crane to catch up with the Crablogger. Virgil and Brains are able to get into the Crablogger's control cabin, and whilst they're able to get McColl and Peterson safely out, Brains doesn't dare start messing around with the controls until they've heard from Penelope.
Penelope and Parker break into Lucas' home. Penelope wakes him up and places down a recorder, telling him to state what the the shutdown sequence is for the Crablogger's reactor. Lucas is confused as to what's going on, but he does say what to do. Penelope shoots him with a tranquilizer and then has Parker play the recording to John in Thunderbird 5. John has the recording play back to Brains, who shuts down the reactor. However, there is still a three minute time lag, meaning the Crablogger is still going to move for a short period of time. The Crablogger does eventually stop on a ledge, but the ground beneath if begins to break up. Knowing that the Crablogger is full of the Superon fuel, Scott drives a tanker up behind it and extends its pipes to where Virgil and Brains are. They use them to start draining the Crablogger's main fuel tank.
They're able to drain it just before it goes over. Virgil and Brains use their rocket packs to get out of the way, as the Crablogger falls down the ledge and explodes. Brains says that was quite a bang, but Scott says it could have been a much bigger one. The next morning, Jim Lucas reads about his creation's fate in the news, and realizes that he wasn't dreaming -there really was a girl in the bedroom last night! As he says this, his wife comes over and asks him what he's talking about...
-The Mobile Crane isn't named in the episode, but that's what official merchandise refers to it as. It's also the only new pod vehicle to be seen in the second season.
-The address on the file Penelope finds states "75, Sunnigale Road, Eppington Wood East, Somerset". But later on, when Penelope reads the address out, she says "20, Hazelmere Gardens, Iresham".
