Thunderbirds 1 and 2 are called out on a mission when radiation levels in a remote corner of Africa begin spiking threatening the safety of a nearby town.
Tropes
- Amoral Afrikaner: Marion Van Arkel. She seeks to take the leftover uranium and sell it to the highest bidder, the Hood. We later learn she's just trying to restore her family's fortune after their mine was shut down. Ultimately subverted in that she joins the GDF at Scott's recommendation.
- Anti-Villain: Although she resents Scott sticking his nose into her business and interfering with her attempts to sell her uranium, Marion isn't a killer, and helps Scott escape the place alongside her, though she complains about it.
- Freudian Excuse: Marion at one point waxes nostalgic about how much she loved growing up in the mine, and besides money she's motivated by resentment at having it taken away when it belongs to her family by right.
- Green Aesop: The episode goes to great lengths to reflect on the dangers of nuclear energy. Scott mentions that in 2060 nuclear energy is no longer used and "it's a better world now".
- If I Do Not Return: With radiation coming out of the mine's back door and a storm on top of them, Scott tells John to bury the mine if he and Marion aren't out of it in five minutes.
- It's All About Me: Marion refuses to acknowledge the dangers nuclear power presents to the environment, simply scorning Scott for people like him, "do-gooders", shutting down her family's mine thus stripping them of their fortune.
- Ragnarök Proofing: Averted. The Van Arkel Mine has completely abandoned for over a decade, and all the equipment inside (older than that) hasn't been maintained. Ultimately, both the elevator she's using to transport containers of uranium and the metal staircase leading up to mine's back door prove unreliable.
- Riches to Rags: When people were using nuclear power, the Van Arkel family was rolling in dough. When less-dangerous power sources became viable, the world didn't just stop using nuclear power, they started reviling it to the point that members of the family couldn't even find jobs suited to their expertise in nuclear materials.
- Villain Has a Point: Well, anti-villain. As Marion notes, her family lost everything because the world completely abandoned all nuclear power and even research—which seems to be an overreaction.
