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THUNDERBIRDS: SET 2

A&E continues the series with two more volumes of episodes packaged together as a slipcased set. International Rescue's hidden nemesis The Hood graces the cover of Volume 3, though he's nowhere to be found within. The first episode, "Vault of Death," is based on a premise that's ludicrous today, let alone in 2065. IR's London agent Lady Penelope assists her ex-yeggman chauffeur Parker to break into the Bank of England. Of course, it's all to demonstrate that the bank is in need of a new, up to date vault, which is subsequently installed. Unbelievably, a clerk is accidentally locked in the new vault the first night. With the air being pumped out of the vault, International Rescue makes a late and ineffectual entrance midway through this episode, leaving it up to Parker to pick the lock on the supposedly hi-tech vault with a hairpin!

The "Supermarionation" style always offers bizarre visual treats, one of which is when real body parts take the place of the marionettes for close-ups. This episode gives us several such jarring shots - we see Sylvia Anderson standing in for Lady P.'s hands, feet, and even eyeball. "Operation Crash-Dive" re-introduces the supersonic commercial jetliner Fireflash, last seen in episode 1. Here, the plane heads into disaster yet again, similar to that seen in AIRPORT '77. After a flight crashes into the ocean, a second Fireflash is sent on the same course as a test, with identical results. Welcome to a world without flight recorders. Though International Rescue was not alerted for the first crash, which killed several hundred people, this time the airline calls them to save the two pilots trapped onboard the submerged jet. Gordon Tracy in the little-used sub Thunderbird 4 finally gets a workout in this episode, first saving the two pilots, then going to the rescue when IR's own test of the Fireflash is also sabotaged. Gordon even gets to shoot a guy.

"Move and You're Dead" appears to be a delayed episode from earlier in the series, as Grandma Tracy is shown to be joining IR on Tracy Island. She and Alan get trapped on a bridge in the desert, with a sonic wave doohickey set to blow them up if they make a move. Flashbacks show the bomb was set by rivals of Grand Prix driver Alan so they can steal his hot new racer. Can Brains defuse the bomb without getting close? Can Alan and Grandma stand the heat? This episode is highlighted by the racing scenes, which look like slot car races with huge explosions.

The Hood finally checks in for the first episode of Volume 4, though it's Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward who gets the cover shot. "Martian Invasion" shows us Martians that closely resemble Marvin from the Loony Toons shorts invading Earth - but it's only a movie! The film's producer is The Hood in disguise, and it's all one of his wacky schemes to film the Thunderbirds in action for his mysterious client "General X." The Hood uses his still-active hypnotic control of Tracy's servant Kyrano, forcing him to deactivate the "camera detectors" on Thunderbird 1. Yes, International Rescue is still keeping their activities as secret as possible, which must be a lot easier in a world unlike our own where cameras are everywhere.

"Brink of Disaster" splits the action between two locations. Lady Penelope has a visitor: Mr. Grafton, who heads up a syndicate building a new monorail line. Lady P. turns down his offer to become an investor, while Grafton cases her mansion for thieves he's hired. While the thieves raid Penny's house, Jeff Tracy, Brains and Tin Tin investigate Grafton's monorail with a personal tour. Disaster strikes the unsafe system when a heli-jet crashes into the track, with their train headed full speed for the break. While "Vault of Death" played up Penelope's bad driving for comic effect, here she handles the gadget-crammed F.A.B. 1 like an expert. One little detail is sadly prophetic: a shot of the New York skyline without a World Trade Center.

Lady Penelope's spy antics are the focus of the next episode as well. "The Perils of Penelope" begins with a rocket launch - from Cape Kennedy. When the scientist who designed the new fuel (which is made from sea water) is kidnapped after attending a conference in Paris, Lady P. gets on his trail, boarding a train identical to that seen in the previous episode. When the bad guys nab her as well, the Tracy boys come to the rescue.

All the prints used in this DVD series so far have been in fantastic condition, save for the stock footage of the Thunderbird launches, which show a bit more wear. Otherwise, the images are sharp and vivid. A&E again soups up the soundtracks with not only 2.0 DD stereo, but an additional thundering 5.1 track. However, they've again failed to provide subtitles. Volume 3 repeats the inclusion of a brief behind-the-scenes segment previously seen on Volume 1. There's also a small image gallery. What would be more fun on one of these discs would be some Thunderbird blueprints, showing details of Tracy Island and the fabulous IR vehicles.