‘PATH OF DESTRUCTION’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This is another exciting ‘Thunderbirds’ episode featuring a giant machine called the Crablogger that goes out of control. I saw this episode when ‘Thunderbirds’ was being shown on BBC Two in the year 2000.
When the crew of the massive deforestation machine called the Crablogger is overcome by food poisoning, the behemoth machine careens uncontrollably through a South American rainforest here.
The crew include McColl (voiced by John Tate) and Peterson (voiced by Ray Barrett). They met up with Commander Jansen (voiced by Ray Barrett) of the construction company hiring the Crablogger.
There’s also Simms (voiced by David Graham) and Franklin (voiced by Matt Zimmerman). Jansen, Franklin, McColl and Peterson went to a restaurant owned by Sanchos (voiced by David Graham). 😀
Jansen had his usual whilst Franklin, McColl and Peterson ordered the ‘special dish’. It didn’t look appetising when Sanchos brought it over. They should have asked what the ‘special dish’ really was.
The fact that Franklin, McColl and Peterson had food poisoning isn’t surprising considering the state of the kitchen run by Maria (voiced by Sylvia Anderson). A shame those three poor chaps passed out.
It’s awkward when McColl and Peterson passed out whilst the Crablogger was still running on its wheels. Commander Jansen calls up International Rescue to help them stop the Crablogger machine.
International Rescue is soon on the scene with Scott in Thunderbird 1 and Virgil and Brains in Thunderbird 2. By the time they’ve arrived in the danger zone, the Crablogger levels a local village. 😐
It’s a good thing that Commander Jansen called for the local village to be evacuated. He’s worried though once the Crablogger will break through the newly-built San Martino Dam, causing a big flood.
Thankfully, Scott, Virgil and Brains manage to overtake the Crablogger machine, using the Mobile Crane from Thunderbird 2. Virgil and Brains get inside the machine, but they have to wait for Lady P.
Yeah, Lady Penelope was called by Jeff to secure the vital deactivation codes from the vehicle’s designer in England. This is hopefully before any greater destruction ensues in the San Martino area.
Lady Penelope and Parker manage to get the address of Jim Lucas from a security guard at Robotics International (voiced by John Tate). Parker blinds a bright light at the security guard, distracting him.
The light is also hypnotic. It was funny when Lady Penelope and Parker helped a car crash victim on their way to Jim Lucas’ house before they carried out their mission. Thankfully it didn’t take too long.
Lady Penelope and Parker manage to get inside Jim Lucas’ house. Jim Lucas (voiced by David Graham) is held at gunpoint to his head by Lady P whilst he’s divulging the deactivation codes to her.
I know Lady P was doing it to conceal her and Parker’s identity that they work with International Rescue, but did she need to use a gun on Lucas in a threatening manner? Wasn’t there another way?
Once the information is sent by Lady P to John in Thunderbird 5 to Virgil and Brains in the Crablogger, the deactivation of the machine starts. But it will take three minutes for it to shut down.
What’s worse, Virgil and Brains find that the Crablogger is moving close to a ledge next to where the dam is. If the Crablogger falls with the fuel inside it, it will cause a massive explosion within the area.
Virgil and Brains have to empty the Crablogger’s fuel before it falls and blows up. Scott helps out, bringing along a Superon tanker/fuel truck in order for the Crablogger’s fuel to get emptied in there.
It gets tense when Virgil and Brains find the Crablogger about to fall whilst draining fuel from it into Scott’s Superon tanker/fuel truck. Thankfully they’re able to do this in time before the machine falls.
Jim Lucas reads about the Crablogger’s destruction in the newspaper, realising International Rescue were involved. His wife (voiced by Christine Finn) is concerned about the woman in the bedroom. 😀
I find ‘Path of Destruction’ to be another gripping ‘Thunderbirds’ episode to watch in the series! I’m glad I saw it on BBC2 TV back in 2000 and I’m pleased to have seen it on DVD lately for this review. 🙂
On Disc 7 of the complete series of ‘Thunderbirds’ on DVD, the SUPER FEATURES include the ‘F.A.B. Fact File’ on the ‘Thunderbirds’ novels; a second set of original TV ads for Kellogg’s Sugar Snacks and the Nestlé ice lollies including Zoom, Super Sea Jet and FAB; a ‘Thunderbirds Rom’ feature showing an in-depth image of Thunderbird 5 to access on your PC or a laptop; and a gallery of ‘Thunderbirds Specifications’ sheets.
‘Path of Destruction’ rating – 8/10
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Bradley's Basement 
Easily one of my favourite episodes. Giant overly complex (and nuclear-powered because why not?) machinery is the best thing in Thunderbirds.
If only the Thunderbirds universe had high-tech things like emergency stop buttons and dead-man’s switches.
Also, Brains and Virgil didn’t disconnect the fuel line before they jumped off at the end, so Scott would have been dragged down with the Crablogger!
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Hi K.o.R,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the ‘Thunderbirds’ episode ‘Path of Destruction’. Very pleased this is one of your favourite episodes in the series. I saw this episode recently on ITVX when checking out some ‘Thunderbirds’ episodes. I agree, it’s a shame that ’emergency stop buttons’ weren’t provided in this version of the future by ‘Thunderbirds’. Then again, the future is interpreted differently in many TV shows and movies, including ‘Thunderbirds’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Back to the Future’. So, there’s no knowing how accurate the future will be in the 2060s compared to how ‘Thunderbirds’ does it, which looks a lot like a 1960s future.
Many thanks for your comments,
Tim 🙂
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