Top 5 Thunderbirds Rescues

How the hell can one sum up such as show as Thunderbirds? Well, you can’t, other than saying that it’s a show that pioneered children’s television, made models a legitimate form of entertainment in TV and film, and is loved by millions of people (young and old) all across the globe.

Thunderbirds told the adventures of International Rescue, a secret organisation set up to save those in peril who can’t be saved by conventional rescue means. Armed with the most incredible fleet of rescue vehicles ever shown on screen, it was all in a day’s work for the Tracy family to go round saving lives in any part of the world. And it was all done with models and puppets.

It’s set to get a CGI remake, to be broadcast in time for its 50^th anniversary next year. But if this is the first you’ve heard of it, don’t tear your hair out in despair immediately. The cast has been announced, Peter Jackson (or at least his company, Weta Workshop) is handling the CGI, and for the most part, it looks as if it’s being produced by those who actually watched the series beforehand (unlike the 2004 film… curse you Jonathan Frakes, curse you).

So in the run-up to the new series, here’s a fan’s take on the top 5 rescues performed by the Tracy family.

5. Thunderbird 3 rescues the Sun Probe from flying into the sun, then Thunderbird 2 attempts to rescue Thunderbird 3 for the same reason

This is cheating somewhat, as its two rescues in one, but they flow into each other rather well. In “Sun Probe”, the titular rocket is on a mission to collect solar flares, but becomes stuck on a collision course with the sun.

Thunderbirds 2 and 3 are launched to handle the situation, but it’s Thunderbird 3 who saves the day, pulling Sun Probe off course via its radio beam. Sun Probe heads for home, and all seems well with the world, until Scott, Tin-Tin and Alan realize the same fate has befallen Thunderbird 3!

Their only hope is Virgil and Brains, armed with Thunderbird 2’s Transmitter Truck and a mobile computer, which together can be used to drag Thunderbird 3 away from the sun.

At least, that’s what Brains thinks he packed along with them, and on opening the box is understandably vexed when he discovers he’s packed his unfinished prototype robot, Braman, instead. With the crew of Thunderbird 3 dropping like flies from the heat of the sun, it’s up to Braman to save the day!

“Sun Probe” provides the first and best outing for Thunderbird 3, and also shows the lovely little Tin-Tin actually taking part in a rescue, instead of being stuck behind a typewriter or serving coffee.

 

4. Thunderbird 4 has to save two drowning men from a collapsed Empire State Building

Best known as the episode in which Thunderbird 2 gets shot down by the World Navy, the rescue in “Terror in New York City” relies heavily on the waiting for International Rescue to reach the danger zone. Without Thunderbird 2 as transport, Thunderbird 4 must race to save two television men trapped underneath the debris of a collapsed Empire State Building; all the while an underground river slowly opens its jaw wider and wider towards them.

The tension cranks up a notch when Thunderbird 4 struggles to locate the men, whose oxygen tanks are running out rapidly, while another building above threatens to collapse, all adding up to a rescue that truly encapsulates the whole race-against-time ethos of the programme. The near-final shot of Thunderbird 4 lurching backwards and being engulfed by rubble is particularly nail-biting.

3. Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4 must save a drilling rig from fires and crumbling into the sea, without Jeff’s approval, and without Scott at Thunderbird 1

Again, a two-in-one deal, and again one happens because of the other. With International Rescue’s founder, leader, and all-around Tracy dad Jeff away on holiday, the first of two rescues performed in “Atlantic Inferno” is done via Scott in command at base, with the youngest Tracy brother Alan at Thunderbird 1’s controls.

International Rescue must save a drilling rig in the Atlantic from a towering flame shooting up from gas fields on the ocean bed caused by explosions from the World Navy (they don’t paint a pretty picture for themselves, do they?).

Initially succeeding in putting out the first flame, International Rescue consider the job done, until more flames spring up, resulting in the huge drilling rig becoming fractured and beginning to slip into the sea.

The mixture of underwater and above shots of the drilling rig surrounded by flames gives a great sense of scope, plus it shows one of the lesser-seen Thunderbirds (that ditty little submarine) in full action, plus the inexperienced Alan can only scramble as Thunderbird 1 begins to slip off the collapsing rig…

2.  Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4 must protect a handful of scientists from mutant alligators

“Attack of the Alligators!” is one of the most famous episodes of the series, mostly boiling down to it including said creatures. But the rescue itself is one with many layers, more so than your average rescue.

Two scientists have developed a formula to increase food growth, which a nasty chap gets hold of and accidentally dumps a load into the alligator-infested swamp that surrounds the scientist’s home.

The creatures grow to extraordinary size, and prove to be a worthy adversary to International Rescue – it’s the only on-screen rescue that involves I.R. having to deal with some form of monster rather than the bog-standard out-of-control machinery.

The alligators, combined with the capture of one of our Tracy heroes (Scott), another going one-to-one with the creatures (Alan), and the colourfully murky location with mutant alligators popping out from all directions all make for an immense rescue.

1. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 have to rescue the Fireflash from detonating a bomb placed in its undercarriage

I really hope you got the reason why I did a top 5 instead of a top 10. If you didn’t, why are you even here? But to be honest, choosing 5 rescues out of 34 (one TV show split into two series, AND two movies) comes across as devaluing many of the other incredible situations International Rescue are called in to resolve.

But this one does wash away some of that guilt away. From the pilot episode “Trapped in the Sky”, it’s a rescue that epitomizes not only what International Rescue can do to save people, but also why Thunderbirds is such a wonderful show.

The atomic-powered airliner Fireflash can’t land on its own accord due to a bomb hidden somewhere in its undercarriage, so it’s up to Virgil and the Elevator Cars to bring the huge passenger jet in. It’s brilliantly filmed and edited, fusing alternating wide-shots of the vehicles rattling along the runway, mid-shots of the cars having such a massive craft flop down on them and close-ups of Virgil’s grim face as he struggles to keep the situation from turning into a disaster.

They all charge along the runway, which is quickly running out. The brakes are applied on the cars. The Fireflash seems secure, but Virgil’s master car suddenly swerves out of control!

In the space of about five minutes, drama, danger, adventure and suspense explode together in a thrilling cocktail, which of course only shows Thunderbirds at its most basic.