Two boys in the Australian Outback, Tony and Bob, are playing their favourite game;International Rescue! And look at this; their dad just bought them a pair of walkie-talkie-like radios!
Unfortunately, Thunderbird 5 tracks all radio transmissions and the kids' game is sufficiently convincing to send the Thunderbirds haring to their rescue. The boys are given a tour of the island and warned not to use their radios again. A newspaper article about the whole thing attracts the attention of The Hood, who realizes the 'weather station' that Mr. Williams, the boys' dad, runs, is actually a top secret research center that has just received some photographs from a spy satellite. The Hood lures the boys into a cave, which he blows shut behind them. The Hood's plan is to use the boys' absence to allow him access to the photos. Alas, when the boys call for assistance, their distress call is dismissed by International Rescue. Will International Rescue recognise their mistake in time?
- Abandoned Area: Tony and Bob use an Abandoned Mine for their game. The Hood traps them inside it after acquiring the information he needs.
- An Aesop: Tony and Bob are playing at International Rescue when they unwittingly summon the real Thunderbirds. They are rewarded for this with a trip to the IR HQ. Later, in the same episode, they genuinely need help, and at first they are not believed when then call International Rescue.John Tracy: Tony and Bob must have gone home to tea, they've stopped calling.Jeff Tracy: I knew they would if we took no notice.
- Bait-and-Switch: The episode "Cry Wolf" begins with a young boy Bob apparently trapped on a cliff ledge, who calls International Rescue on a small radio. Scott duly arrives in Thunderbird 1, a rope is lowered to the boy from the top of a cliff, and Bob is hauled up. However, it is not Scott from International Rescue pulling him up, but Bob's brother Tony, playing at being International Rescue.
- Blindfolded Trip: So that the boys do not learn the secret location of International Rescue, they are blindfolded just before arriving and leaving.
- Chase Scene: Between The Hood in his car and Scott on his Hover Bike.
- Chekhov's Gun: Tony and Bob's dad's reason for not keeping a closer eye on his sons is that his job keeps him extremely busy. That job leads to him being targeted by the Hood in the second half of the episode.
- Crying Wolf: Naturally, although the boys didn't do it on purpose since they had no idea their radios could actually be picked up by International Rescue.
- Edgy Backwards Chair-Sitting: Alan does this when the team are hearing the praises from the boys' father.
- Forgot About His Powers: When Scott sees The Hood fleeing in his car, he gives chase on his hoverbike, apparently forgetting that he could intercept the Hood more easily if he quickly went back to Thunderbird 1 and used that to chase him.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Although it's played for laughs in this instance as Bob covers his eyes when Scott crashes the boys' soapbox Thunderbird 2 into the Williams' chicken coop.
- Is This Thing Still On?: While Alan gives the two boys a tour around Tracy Island, he brags about his own role in piloting Thunderbird 3 and describes Scott (who always comes along as co-astronaut) as being merely his subordinate. Unfortunately for him, the intercom on the cart they are in is still on and Scott hears everything Alan says. However, he plays along and promptly starts addressing Alan as "sir". Although it also sounds like he's gently mocking Alan's attempt at authority...
- Radish Cure: The two young boys like to play at being International Rescue; and on their radio, they accidentally call out the real International Rescue, causing Scott to fly out to them. Scott explains the seriousness of the situation to the boys and their father, and on the spot, he decides to take the boys to their base to show them their equipment, hoping that this will cure them of making false calls again.
- Shout-Out: The title and plot of the episode to The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
- The Tag: After they have been rescued, the boys demonstrate their own "Thunderbird 2" launch to Scott, who lies on a table, which is hoisted up so he goes down a slide. This leads to their own "Thunderbird 2" car, which is far too small for Scott, and promptly moves off out of control, and eventually crashes. Afterwards, Scott mutters "The things I do for International Rescue!"
- Would Hurt a Child: The Hood has absolutely no qualms about trapping two young boys in an old mine (and possibly killing them in the process) to get them out of the way.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: The boys have "Internashunal Rescue" written on their door; probably as a childish mis-spelling, rather than deliberately spelling it this way.
- You Have to Believe Me!: Because of their fake call earlier, IR does not believe the Williams boys when they call for help while being in actual trouble. It's only after they receive another distress call from Mr. Williams' superior that they realize the boys are in real danger.
