Thunderbirds Are Go, 112 - JohnNed and Gladys are in trouble again – and this time it’s Gordon to the rescue…

Thunderbird 4 and FAB 1 are the mechanical stars of the show this week as Gordon has to save trouble-prone Ned and his pot plant (whose “reactions” neatly time with the movements of the undersea rig they’re in) from certain doom. That’s counterpointed with Penny and Parker dealing with some motorbike hoods that try to prevent them from reaching the base of operations of the bad guys, and a fun – if not too surprising – homage to True Lies at the end of the chase. Unfortunately a similar gag is then used for Gordon and Thunderbird 4 – and it’s one that was also used in the pilot episode.

The scale issues seem to have been addressed, although TB 2 doesn’t always communicate the sheer bulk of the transporter – it still judders a little too easily, particularly if you compare it with footage of a similarly bulked real-life vehicle. There continue to be nice touches in the music score – the launch music is repurposed in this episode to accompany TB4 underwater, with a more aquatic feel in the instrumentation and tempo: I’m hoping that we’ll get a series 1 score album later this year, as there have been some very enjoyable themes.

Verdict: A solid episode. 7/10

Paul Simpson

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