Thunderbirds are Go: Review: Series 1 Episode 11: Skyhook

Have International Rescue finally met their match?

One of the questions regarding Thunderbird 5 raised in an earlier review is answered at the top of this episode, and becomes central to the whole story – the way by which John gets to and from Tracy Island. There are a few hints about John’s mental condition dropped (and he certainly seems much more comfortable verbally sparring with a computer program that he created himself than he does interacting with his family), but that’s put aside once the rescue gets underway.

There’s a slight dialogue disconnect as the boys get going (Brains’ explanation that TB1 is being maintained surely should have come before Scott says he’ll be right behind TB2 – TB1 would get there faster if they launched simultaneously), but otherwise this episode just powers forward with various rescue attempts all failing for a variety of reasons. The eventual solution uses physics neatly (and wouldn’t have been possible with the old configuration of the Thunderbird craft).

One of the reasons that this episode works so well is that it’s actually about a rescue, rather than the Tracys taking pre-emptive action (or getting caught up in the Hood’s schemes). There are plenty of references to rescues taking place elsewhere during the episodes; hopefully for series 2, the focus will be more on these.

Verdict: A solidly entertaining episode. 8/10

Paul Simpson