Another brief impression about the latest TAG episode, Unplugged.
This is very much a character driven story with some interesting points.
Thunderbird 2 appears at the beginning but as the plot involves a sort of Electromagnetic Pulse machine which knocks out power across London , Thunderbird 2 is literally grounded.
One thing that was remissent from the original series was how they reused props. I did notice a couple of things in Unplugged which looked familiar . The Electromagnetic generator machine does look a lot like the space mine in Space Race. Also the London street set in that same episode is also reused.
Grandma Tracy is well represented here and shows where the Tracy family get their guts.
As it's set in London, Lady Penelope and Parker have roles to play, infiltrating a gang of terrorists whose goal is to resist technology and bring back the old days. Although they call them selves 'Luddites' after the 19th century protestors whose skills were threatened by the rise of the industrial revolution, these 'new Luddites ' do appear to have an above average knowledge of current technology, and unlike the original protestors they don't reveal a reason why they want to bring down society.
There is a traditional 'Thunderbirds ' rescue featuring a young northern girl , unstereotypically operating a giant crane. ( although I did muse suspiciously over why the producers chose to give her an obvious northern accent rather than a southern one)
To sum up I think this is a thoughtful story , which allows for some reasonable characterization. There are some action scenes which should keep the younger viewers happy, but by and large it's more mature than what we've previously seen.
Hm- Trafalgar Square has seen a few changes since I was last there...
ReplyDeleteMight be unfair to judge just from screengrabs, but the buildings look like models, rather than trying to look real?
Not a bad one, but if the device knocked out electronic systems, it seems unlikely they would come on again afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIt's that toy look again. They had actually improved the crash scene (better editing?) that was shown on the making of special a few weeks ago . The final aerial view of London was plain awful and looked like it was filmed on someone's kitchen table. Derek Meddings and his boys would have nothing to worry about.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually enjoying the show though. IMHO it's like comparing the Marvel superhero movies with the cartoon Hulk and the agents of SMASH. It's aimed at young kids and I think ITV have actually got the scheduling right. This is not a Saturday teatime show. I'll be buying the new Thunderbird toys but doubt I'll bother with the blu-ray/dvd.Hope it's a success with the kids though.
Probably the weakest episode yet, both technically and storywise. There were enough plot holes to fly TB2 through. Why was the crane falling? How come Trafalgar Square was deserted? Why was nothing (not even tb2) damaged? How did Virgil put the wings up with no power?
ReplyDeleteBut aside from that, its great to have an old favourite back on screen and I can wait for some new toys!
The original series had LOTS of empty in it. Just about any time there was a bad guy driving a car, his was the only one on the road until FAB1 caught up to take them out.
ReplyDeleteThe crane support failing was a poor decision to make for a rescue. It was night. She was the only one at the site. So many procedure violations are happening that I'm surprised that construction company is in business. Why not break the glass instead to get her out?
I'm not sure why TB2 would spin down a massively wide street instead of bounce/go straight down the glide path.