‘MARTIAN INVASION’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Don’t be deceived by the episode’s title. An actual Martian invasion doesn’t happen in the episode. That’s the story featured in a film being made where two Martians are being played two actors here.
In the episode’s opening sequence, we see two cops – Maguire (voiced by David Graham) and Slim (voiced by Matt Zimmerman) – when they investigate a UFO sighting. They’re soon caught by aliens!
The two Martians are played by two actors – Pete (voiced by Peter Dyneley) and Ray (voiced by Ray Barrett). That must be an in-joke to the actors who were playing the actors playing Martian aliens. 🙂
The episode’s opening sequence turns out to be a scene described by the film’s director Goldheimer (voiced by Ray Barrett). This is when he has his meeting with the producers Bletcher and Mr. Stutt. 🙂
Bletcher is voiced by David Graham whilst Mr. Stutt happens to be the Hood in disguise. This is part of the Hood’s new dastardly plan to steal secrets from International Rescue in the movie business. 😐
There are two plots going on in the episode. In the first plot, the Hood uses his hypnotic power over Kyrano to force him to disable Thunderbird 1’s automatic camera detector. This all works for him. 😐
Kyrano ends up visiting Tin-Tin in Thunderbird 1 and she shows him where the automatic camera detector is. Though we don’t see him disable it, we can assume that he actually did it in the episode.
It’s interesting that the International Rescue team don’t uncover who sabotaged Thunderbird 1’s automatic camera detector. They don’t even suss out it’s one of their members who has done this. 😐
Meanwhile, a film shoot goes wrong when the Hood manages to trap the two actors Maguire and Slim inside a cave that floods with water. I assume that water came from an underground stream. 😐
When Goldheimer becomes panic-stricken about his two actors trapped inside, Bletcher suggests he contacts International Rescue. Bletcher is also in on the deal with the Hood since he wants ‘his cut’. 😮
Once International Rescue are called, they’re off to rescue the two actors inside the flooding cave. The Hood gets that chance to film the machines without TB1’s automatic camera detector going off.
Scott is in Thunderbird 1 whilst Virgil is in Thunderbird 2 carrying Pod 5. Virgil uses the Excavator vehicle in order to drill a hole from the flooding mountain in order to allow the two actors to escape.
Once the two actors are saved, Goldheimer is grateful for International Rescue’s help. Just as they’re about to depart, Scott discovers that Thunderbird 1’s automatic camera detector has been disabled.
Eventually seeing the Hood driving off with the filmed footage of the Thunderbirds, Scott in Thunderbird 1 chases him to destroy the film of the operation! Thus the episode’s second plot starts.
The Hood happens to be working for a General X (voiced by Matt Zimmerman) who wants the film of International Rescue’s vehicles. Scott in Thunderbird 1 gets to catch up with the Hood in his jeep. 😀
This episode might be the closest we’ll ever get to the Thunderbirds team meeting the Hood as their enemy. It never actually happened in the TV series, but this is the closest we’re ever going to get. 🙂
The Hood tries to evade Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 2 trying to stop him, but they manage to catch up with him and stop him in his tracks. Soon, the Hood abandons his jeep and steals a plane. 😀
It was funny when it turned out the plane happened to need an overhaul and it wasn’t working properly for the Hood to fly in. I found it funny once the Hood’s plane caught fire while up in the sky.
I laughed when the Hood went “I can’t see! I can’t see!” before coughing away. In the end, the Hood’s plane ends up crashing into General X’s house. Not exactly the landing which he’d planned. 🙂
Scott assumes that the filmed footage was destroyed upon crashing into the house. Err, I would have checked if I were you, Scott. Then you might have had a chance to catch the Hood before he got away.
I found ‘Martian Invasion’ another gripping ‘Thunderbirds’ episode in the series! This episode is the closest the International Rescue team meet the Hood. I wonder if they’ll ever encounter him again. 🙂
On Disc 6 of the complete series of ‘Thunderbirds’ on DVD, the SUPER FEATURES include the ‘F.A.B. Fact File’ on the TV Century 21 comics magazine; a set of original TV ads for the Zoom ice lollies by Nestlé; and a ‘Thunderbirds Rom’ feature showing an in-depth image of Thunderbird 4 to access on your PC or a laptop.
‘Martian Invasion’ rating – 9/10
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