City of Fire

Towering...: The opening shot of the tower coming out of the clouds is very pretty, but I'm not sure you could build a stable structure that went above the cloud layer... ah well, maybe it was just a foggy day.

Newsflash: They must be really pushed for news. I can't imagine a TV news broadcast today dedicating so much time to flying down the side of a tower block. But then, since most of the population seems to have been wiped out, there must not be so much happening to report on.

Isn't that...?: Yey! Helijet again! And doesn't the WTV reporter sound a bit like Alan...?

Cruelty-Free: I love the way they test the new gas on their two most important operatives. What was Jeff planning to do if it killed them both? Is this why Brains is living on Tracy Island and working anonymously? He's been shunned by the scientific community for his lack of respect for human life. Look at the way he casually disregards the first sign of trouble (Virg's blood pressure rising) "N..No, Mr T..Tracy, that c..could be a n..normal re..reaction to c..c..concentration." Concentration? How much concentration do you need to point a blowtorch at a door? Even for Virgil?

Huh?: And what's with those little lights on the gas cylinders? Nice sense of danger and menace, but with absolutely no explanation. I must have watched this episode ten times, and I still don't know what they're about. Am I missing something blindingly obvious?

"They appear to be working fine, Brains. Almost enjoying themselves.": Boy, they must be starved for entertainment on Tracy Island. And how can he tell? To me, they just look like they're cutting through a door.

Playing Doctor: The sick room looks like one of the most depressing places on earth. Just look at the wallpaper, for god's sake. And the 'auto-nurse'. Does that reming anyone of a certain famous American 60's sci-fi show? At least they're not using salt shakers as diagnostic instruments. That dress Tin Tin's wearing reminds me of Leech Woman from Puppet Master. That'd be a cool twist, Tin Tin suddenly starts coughing leeches up over everyone.
Oh, and don't the boys look manly with their stubble? Bless 'em. Although it does seem to indicate they've been out for about 48 hours. Personally, I wouldn't let them get up straight away... I think Jeff is plotting to kill them.

A woman's place...: Ah, the comedy crap woman driver... Urge to slap Gerry Anderson... That's not entirely fair, the show is, after all, a product of it's time. Still, that doesn't make it any less infuriating now.

Boom!: Yet another spectacular car crash that the occupants walk away from. Do all the cars have huge amounts of padding on the inside, or something?

I Wanna Go!: I love the security guy's moving desk. Doesn't serve any immediately identifiable purpose, but it's damn cool.

Bad!: I am less than impressed with the Carters' raising of their son. The kid wanders into a restricted area, solely because he's been left on his own for five minutes. Surely they should teach him what 'KEEP OUT' means at some point...

General Failure Error: So, the main vent seal has failed, the main sprinkler system has failed... Who the hell did the safety checks on this building? (They probably hired Brains...)

Cute!: The wickle emergency vehicles got to do something! Granted, they weren't any use, but they did get to squirt water at the fire...

You're Out of There!: The evacuation system in that building must be great... They've compared the population to that of a city, yet they manage to evacuate the lot before the building goes sky-high. Obviously the evacuation procedures got all the money they saved by scrimping on the fire-control systems.

Messing About in the Swimming Pool...: The unbearably cute poolside scene... I can't decide whether this is a blatant excuse to show Tin Tin in a bikini or a blatantly elongated and pointless link to John's bit. I think it's both.

I talk to the trees... But they don't listen to me...: I think John really has spent too much time in TB5, he's started talking to himself.

"Thank goodness I remembered that outfit..." What, the purple spangly one?

Contradiction, Benediction...: "Better get over there right away, Scott. We won't know the details until you investigate." Normally I would object to this overly obvious exposition, but since Scott doesn't seem to understand exactly what his job consists of, it's probably necessary.
Although Jeff sends TB2 out before he gets there anyway... No wonder the poor boy's confused.

"I'll need some men to help with my equipment...": Nuff sed.

Life's Nothin' But a Gas: The extreme blatantcy of the gas grates, even for Thunderbirds. They apparently haven't got enough time to use conventional methods to cut through the doors, but they have enough time for Scott to do all the cutting, while Virg just sits around looking pretty. If they'd have taken one side of the hole each, they could have got through in half the time. And why did Brains put the gas in the pod after he finished experimenting with it? I'd have thought, given the incredibly tight time limits they always work to, the weight of the TBs would be very closely monitered.

Conspiracy Theory: Despite all that, I like Scott and Virgil collaborating on the planning. It's sweet how well they work together.

No, Please, Leave Them to Die...: Just how irritating are the Carter family? I know they were trying to give a human face (well, puppet face. Close enough) to the danger, but I think it would have had more impact if they hadn't been able to evacuate the tower. After all, it burnt from the base upwards, and unless they had those big slidey rampy things (like they have in planes) in the upper floors, I'm still not sure how they managed to finish the evacutation, especially after most of the tower had caught light.

Pretty 2: The Firefly is pretty cool; until it fires the cannon, and then it's really cool.

...And You...: Virgil's "be seeing you" is especially disturbing if, like me, you had just finished watching the whole series of The Prisoner before seeing this episode. Jeff is the new No. 2!

Piles, Piles and Piles...: I find Virg's bulldozing technique sadly lacking. You don't just carry on driving forward, you'll bury yourself like that. You shove the rubble over to the side of the path in small drifts. Idiot.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen before...": So, in the future bulldozer manufacturing will be a lost art...

The Mole: They must be using a different model of either the Mole or TB2's pod, because in Pit of Peril, when it drove out of the pod, it scraped the roof. However, in this episode, it fits nicely.

You're It!: I love the Firefly/Mole tag team. Although if Virg had made that path a little bit wider they could have driven the Mole straight in and saved themselves some time...

"Those International Rescue boys sure have some great equpiment!": Yes, and if you're very good little extras, they might even let you play with it...

Tell Me Again: This week's convoluted explanation courtesy of Virgil Tracy not knowing what the hell's going on around him.

Saturday Night At The Movies: Love the posters on the wall where the boys go in to start cutting through the walls. 'Volcano', 'Cutty Sark', very nice.

Pretty 3: The close-ups of the cutting torches melting through the doors are so cool, especially the one from the inside.

Why?: I don't see the point of the floaty things, besides preventing the necessity of the puppets walking. I still want one, though.

The Last Door: Might it not have been a good idea to pull it inwards? You don't know where the people inside are. You don't really want to squash them at the last second after coming all this way to rescue them. On a similar note - "stand back, Virgil!" Because I'm about to kick this door away from you, and I don't want you to suddenly jump through the wall and get in front of it...

"No one knows where they come from, but thank heavens they come...": Heh heh heh...

Not Again...: "It causes the gas to evaporate..." Brains' explanations strike again...

How youdoing?: "What're you reading, honey?" First evidence of Virg trying to hit on Tin Tin. Or maybe it's just another derogatory comment aimed at the only female character present.

And On a Similar Note: "I was afraid you'd ask me that, Scott. Yes, you've guessed it, the driver was female." I want to slap Scott for being such an arse, and Tin Tin for going along with it.