It would be easy to be dismissive of this episode (in that it's largely made up of recycled material from earlier episodes) but I think that misses the point. Presumably you wouldn't pour scorn on your favorite pop star releasing a 'greatest hits' package - so why Thunderbirds?
I'm a way, this episode paved the way for future 'budget-saving' compilation specials of various filmed shows, and it makes a fitting end to season one.
The framing material of a young stowaway is a clever way of getting footage of each Thunderbird craft on a mission inserted into the story, and the episodes chosen make for a wonderful showcase of Thunderbirds 1-4 in action.
The stories chosen for flashbacks (End of the Road, Sun Probe, Day of Disaster and Trapped in the Sky) are all classics, and interestingly were all originally 25 min episodes that were expanded to 50 min when Lew Grade excitedly ordered the shows fill an hour of screentime, following a private screening of the pilot show.
This then makes for the perfect opportuniy to revisit these earlier stories - especially for viewers from the 1960s/70s such as myself, who had no easy means of seeing them again unless they were re-run!
So it's good to sit back and enjoy some exciting stories that form the backbone of what made this show so great - and maybe not be too hard on annoying young chip and the slightly cliched ending.
I'm a way, this episode paved the way for future 'budget-saving' compilation specials of various filmed shows, and it makes a fitting end to season one.
The framing material of a young stowaway is a clever way of getting footage of each Thunderbird craft on a mission inserted into the story, and the episodes chosen make for a wonderful showcase of Thunderbirds 1-4 in action.
The stories chosen for flashbacks (End of the Road, Sun Probe, Day of Disaster and Trapped in the Sky) are all classics, and interestingly were all originally 25 min episodes that were expanded to 50 min when Lew Grade excitedly ordered the shows fill an hour of screentime, following a private screening of the pilot show.
This then makes for the perfect opportuniy to revisit these earlier stories - especially for viewers from the 1960s/70s such as myself, who had no easy means of seeing them again unless they were re-run!
So it's good to sit back and enjoy some exciting stories that form the backbone of what made this show so great - and maybe not be too hard on annoying young chip and the slightly cliched ending.
