Thunderbirds Episode 16 Tele-Snaps

78 Tele-snaps for Episode 16 of Thunderbirds, "The Imposters"


-SYNOPSIS-

“A fake International Rescue team rescues a man from an underground well and makes off with top-secret plans of the AL4, stolen from the nearby Aeronautical Center. When the robbery is discovered, General Lambert launches a worldwide search to track down International Rescue and bring them to justice. The Tracys are horrified, but have no choice but to shut down operations while the hunt is on.

However, International rescue is not powerless in this crisis. Jeff contacts their many agents around the world to help them find the imposters. Lady Penelope and Parker fly to America to interview Eddie Kerr, the World Television reporter who covered the ‘rescue’ at the well, while in the southern states, hillbilly agent Jeremiah Tuttle finds aircraft tracks in the woods leading to an old mine. Jeremiah reports the finds to Jeff but, without any further evidence, Jeff decides to take no action.

Space Observatory 3, a scanning satellite covering the South Pacific region, is out of action with an antenna fault. Technician Elliott suits up and goes outside to effect repairs, but his jet pack goes haywire, thrusting him away from the satellite. Too small to register on radar, Elliott has just three hours of oxygen left. Only International Rescue can save him, but if they help, they will be spotted by Lambert’s search team. Posing as a fellow reporter, Lady Penelope receives vital information from Eddie Kerr which enables Jeff to pinpoint the imposters in the area covered by Jeremiah Tuttle. Remembering Jeremiah’s report of aircraft tracks, Jeff sends Lady Penelope to investigate, but FAB 1 is soon bogged down in mud, so she and Parker proceed on foot. Lady Penelope finds the going tough in her high heels.

Risking exposure, Jeff sends Scott and Alan in Thunderbird 3 to rescue Elliott. They soon get a bearing on the astronaut and recover him from space. Meanwhile, Lady Penelope and Parker arrive at the abandoned mine, the imposters’ hideout, but they are spotted by the villains, who open fire on them. Fortunately, Jeremiah and his mother have followed Lady Penelope and Parker into the woods and flush the two villains out of the cave with Ma Tuttle’s explosive beans. International Rescue are exonerated.”

-NOTES-

Without doubt, this is my favourite episode of the show. It's a terrific story where International Rescue are framed for a crime they didn't commit, and are forced to halt their operations, just as Elliott shoots off into space after his rocket pack malfunctions (ironic, as the satellite was being used to track International Rescue). There's also Jeremiah Tuttle, a hillbilly working as an agent for the organisation, who provides some hilarious moments, especially when he drives his super-speed hillbilly car past a guy's brand new sports car.

Then we have the final shot of the episode, which is just beautiful. The shot, seen above, shows Thunderbird 3 approaching the satellite to drop the Elliott off. The music accompanying this sequence is great, and I like how they decide to shoot the rescue ship floating slowly towards the satellite instead of speeding towards it; it gives the viewer a sense of satisfaction, and leaves you with a good feeling as the episode closes.