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Recap / Thunderbirds S 1 E 5 Edge Of Impact

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Thunderbirds did 9/11, before it happened
The One With… the TV tower.

The Hood is hired by the corrupt General Bron to sabotage the test of the new Red Arrow fighter. He does so by means of a overriding homing beacon that pulls the plane off course. It crashes, killing the pilot. Tim Casey, the head of the Red Arrow tests, is dismissed in disgrace and goes to visit his old friend Jeff Tracy on his private island.

While he's there, the Hood strikes again, sabotaging the second test (although the pilot is able to bail out). This time however, the Red Arrow has hit a television control tower, trapping two men hundreds of feet off the ground. With time running out and a civilian on the island, International Rescue have to choose between their cover and innocent lives!


Thundertropes Are Go!:

  • Artistic License – Biology: Tin Tin's Snipe Hunt involves looking for the fictional "water mamba", allegedly a rare mammal. In reality, a mamba is a highly venomous snake. Mind you, it’s blatant that Tin-Tin is making up the existence of the Water Mamba.
  • Basement-Dweller: Col. Casey suggests that this is how the rest of the world sees the Tracy boys when he tells Jeff they need to get off the island and do something with their lives. If only he knew...
  • Big Storm Episode: The men at the top of the control tower are nervous enough about the approaching storm. Then a plane crashes into the mast. International Rescue are in a race to get them down before the wind snaps the damaged mast in half.
  • Broken Bridge: The Hood drives off one near the end, leaving him Trapped in a Sinking Car.
  • Coming in Hot: The technicians are warned of the out-of-control Red Arrow being about to hit their tower, but unfortunately the lift does not make it to their control room in time.
  • Contrived Coincidence: Red Arrow just happens to crash into the tower at the start of a massive storm, for maximum broken-tower shakiness.
  • Cool, but Inefficient: The workers at the relay tower must get a stunning view from their control room on a clear day. But what practical advantages there are to having it at the top of the tower rather than in a shed at the bottom is neither obvious nor explained.
  • Cool Plane: Red Arrow.
  • Crippling the Competition: A variation. General Bron wants to destroy the Red Arrow because he has his own high-tech jet fighter which is almost as good, and the Red Arrow is the only plane that can challenge it.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Very brief, but the Tracy's believe this is the first time International Rescue has failed after apparently not seeing the two men escape the tower.
  • Homage: The Red Arrow is a fairly obvious homage to the RAF aerobatics display team, the Red Arrows.
  • Jet Pack: Two of these are shot inside the television control tower so the men can use them to escape.
  • Million to One Chance: Lampshaded by one of the tower operators. There's a million-to-one chance that an un-piloted aircraft will hit them. Unless, of course, there is a homing device attached to the tower.
  • Vehicular Sabotage: The Hood does this to both Red Arrow fighters.
  • We Need a Distraction: Tin Tin has the unceremonious job of distracting Colonel Casey during a rescue mission.

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