The WORST episodes of Thunderbirds
Every episode of Thunderbirds ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Thunderbirds!
Thunderbirds are Go!! The year is 2065, and a secret organization called International Rescue has been created by multi-millionaire Jeff Tracy. The team consists of his five sons and brilliant engineer Brains. From their headquarters on Tracy Island somewhere in the South Pacific, International Rescue helps people in danger all over the world. Scott flies Thunderbird 1, a fast rocket often first on the scene. Virgil pilots Thunderbird 2, a heavy transport able to choose one of several pods of equipment. Thunderbird 3, a space rocket, is usually piloted by Alan. Gordon steers Thunderbird 4, an underwater rescue craft, and space station Thunderbird 5 is home to John, who listens to broadcasts from around the world looking for people in peril
#1 - The Mighty Atom
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/30/1965
A tour bus is being taken around the new Atomic Station in Australia that is reclaiming the desert. The reporters are not convinced of the safety of the project due to the risk of a nuclear explosion. Meanwhile the Hood is trying to discover the secret of the plant but is caught by security. In the gun fight follows, the Hood accidently hits a gas pump and it explodes. The fire rapidly spreads through the station and soon the staff have to evacuate. The only thing that could have saved them would be to cut off the sea water intake. The plant explodes and sends a radioactive cloud towards Melbourne. But about a week later the wind pushes the cloud back into the desert. 12 months later, a European professor has a group of army representatives to show off his new invention: the Mighty Atom. It is a very powerful camera concealed in a robotic mouse that takes photos of control panels by recognizing the profiles of people who use them. After a brief demonstration, one of the representatives is revealed to be the Hood in disguise who hypnotizes everyone and steals the invention. He immediately visits a new Atomic Station in the Sahara desert that is just beginning operations. Using the Mighty Atom, he takes photographs of the station's control room. After he completes his mission, he gets the idea repeat the accident that destroyed the Australian plant last year in order to lure out International Rescue and steal their secrets, too. He plants bombs around the plant and they explode, causing a fire that rapidly spreads. In the control booth, the controller realises that sabotage is afoot and calls International Rescue. Thunderbirds 1 and 2 take off with Thunderbird 4 and Lady Penelope, who has been desperately waiting to go out on a rescue mission. Virgil drops Thunderbird 4 and Gordon near the sea water intake of the plant. When they land at the plant, the Hood sends the Mighty Atom into Thunderbird 2 with Penelope still inside. Meanwhile, Scott and Virgil push in the con
#2 - Give or Take a Million
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/25/1966
Christmastime is rapidly approaching, and board members of the Coralville Children's Hospital are meeting to discuss ways to bring joy to the young patients' lives. They are also discussing ways to raise money for a new solar therapy wing. One man agrees to donate a rocket, while another, the owner of a toy store, agrees to fill it with goodies for the children, assuming the launch occurs from the roof of his New York building. In exchange for the free publicity, he will also contribute $10,000 to the fundraising efforts. Adding to the holiday festivities, International Rescue has agreed to give one lucky patient a trip to Tracy Island, notification of which is hidden in one of the rocket's gifts. Though pressed for time, the Tracys manage to finish their shopping, cleaning and cooking in anticipation of their guest. Things are not so cheerful back in New York, where two criminals have tied up a pair of store Santas in hopes of drilling through to the bank next door. Unfortunately, two
#3 - Desperate Intruder
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/1965
Taking a much-needed break from their rigorous schedules, Brains and Tin Tin set off on a working vacation in the Middle East, where they'll be assisting a renowned professor with the recovery of hidden treasure from the bottom of a lake. As our two intrepid heroes embark on their journey, Tin Tin's father, Kyrano, expresses his uneasiness to Jeff Tracy concerning the expedition. ""A beautiful lake miles and miles from anywhere,"" Jeff says. ""What could be safer?"" Kyrano's fears are justified, however, as his evil half-brother, the Hood, has once again compelled him to reveal details about International Rescue's activities. Making a valuable discovery during their very first dive, Brains and Tin Tin anxiously await the next day's explorations. Unfortunately, they may not last that long, as the Hood infiltrates their camp and hypnotizes them. When morning comes, Tin Tin is slumped over in a chair and the professor is clearly injured and sprawled out on the floor of their trashed caravan.
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#4 - Security Hazard
Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 3/31/1966
International Rescue has just wrapped up another successful mission, helping to extinguish an out-of-control blaze and pulling the men trapped by it from the bottom of a shaft. The mission hasn't run as smoothly as initially believed, however, as Jeff Tracy detects an intruder aboard Thunderbird 2. With blasters drawn, Jeff, Scott and Gordon converge on the hangar, only to discover the ""saboteur"" is a little boy that stowed away in an unguarded pod after excitedly witnessing the rescue in action. While Mr. Tracy gives three of his sons a stern lecture about the security breach, Virgil is supposed to be babysitting -- and keeping his mouth shut. He does a good job of it, until the boy challenges his manhood by saying that Thunderbird 1 -- Scott's ship -- is the best. Virgil's response to the inadvertent verbal slight is to fold like an accordion, spilling his guts about their adventure in episode 14. After Dad summons Virgil to his office, Alan assumes the task of watching the child. He
#5 - Lord Parker's 'Oliday
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/23/1966
Lady Penelope and Parker are off on vacation, invited by a small Italian village to join in on a historic celebration. Thanks to a remarkable invention by a local scientist, the town is set to become the first to have all of its electricity needs completely powered by the sun. For Penelope and Parker, however, it seems like they've never left home, thanks to a rare rainstorm that's drenched the resort town. A porter at the hotel at which they're staying -- perhaps bitter about all the extra work the influx of guests has caused -- predicts disaster, claiming that the sun will seek revenge for the theft of its power. Initially dismissed as crazy, the porter's words seem prophetic, as the storm grows in intensity and sends the solar generator toppling over the side of a cliff. The town is safe for now, as the guests bask in the intense glow of the moonlight reflected by the generator once the storm has passed. It'll be a different story when day breaks, however, as the now wrongly positio
#6 - Ricochet
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/6/1966
Just when it seems Alan and Brains will have to endure another story about the good old days of space exploration, Jeff Tracy is distracted by what Tin Tin considers music. Jeff may be a little out of touch with what's hip, but the music he hates so much broadcasts from a pirate radio station orbiting the earth. Tin Tin fails to see the harm caused by her favorite DJ, but Jeff does, saying that an unregulated satellite could cause a serious accident among all the other countless government-sanctioned ones. Right on cue, a rocket suffers a malfunction shortly after blastoff, and must be taken out after veering off course. Unaware of the music satellite's existence, mission control destroys the rocket right near it. The violent explosion jolts the vessel out of orbit, forcing the DJ and his engineer aboard on a slow descent toward Earth. Still worse, the engineer is trapped in the airlock after surveying the damage outside. Can anything save the DJ from a deadly crash and his engineer fr
#7 - Edge of Impact
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/28/1965
The Hood is back and again up to no good, this time ordered by the evil general for whom he works to destroy the Red Arrow, a state-of-the-art fighter jet and the only thing standing between his boss and world domination. Thanks to the Hood, the first test of the Red Arrow ends in a spectacular crash, killing the pilot and leaving Colonel Tim Casey disgraced and off the project he was tasked with leading. Casey unexpectedly turns up at Tracy Island to seek advice from Jeff, an old buddy from the early days of space exploration. Despite help from Brains, the second Red Arrow test is destined to end the same as the first, because the Hood won't receive payment from the General until each plane is destroyed. Planting a homing device to pull the aircraft off course, the Hood causes it to crash into the control tower, leaving the two men at the top teetering and clinging to life. Can anything save them from falling to their deaths? And can anyone stop the Hood from carrying out more destruc
#8 - The Duchess Assignment
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 2/17/1966
British royalty cannot seem to distance themselves from scandal, even in the far future. The Duchess of Royston, thanks in part to her excessive gambling, is doing her part to maintain that grand tradition. Luckily, Lady Penelope is on this particular evening at the same Monte Carlo casino, and she notices that her old friend the Duchess is down on her luck. She also notices that the roulette table at which the Duchess is losing her shirt is fixed, and she and Parker set off in pursuit of the crooked dealer and casino manager. They unfortunately are unable to capture the two con men, but do eventually catch up with the Duchess -- now virtually penniless thanks to her addiction -- back in England. She does, however, still own a Picasso (only because it wasn't with her at the roulette table), and it may be the key to regaining some of her fortune. Enter Jeff Tracy, who actually leaves his office for the first time in recent memory. Jeff meets with an old friend who's flush with cash, and
#9 - Danger at Ocean Deep
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/3/1966
Ocean Pioneer I, the world's most modern tanker, encounters a strange mist and suddenly explodes while transporting its cargo, killing its three-man crew. Six months later, its disappearance is still a mystery, but it'll take more than that to stop the maiden voyage of Ocean Pioneer II, christened by International Rescue's own Lady Penelope. Unbeknownst to onlookers, she is there on behalf of Jeff Tracy to investigate any signs of the sabotage that just may have caused the disappearance of its predecessor. Penelope gives it the ok, but Jeff has other concerns at the moment. He's lost all communication with Thunderbirds 1 and 2 -- sent out on a rescue in Hawaii -- and their space satellite as well. The good news is that his sons all manage to return in one piece, but radio contact is still vital to their operation. What is causing the mysterious interference, and what will happen if someone finds themselves in need of rescue, especially those aboard Ocean Pioneer II? After retreating to
#10 - Alias Mr. Hackenbacker
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/16/1966
Growing tired of the massive explosions that follow crashes or faulty landings, the airline industry has taken drastic measures to prevent any future accidents. Enter Hiram K. Hackenbacker, also known as Brains, whose latest invention, the Skythrust, will make flying infinitely more safe. Brains isn't the only International Rescue member with their face in the public eye, however, as the lovely Lady Penelope is in Paris to model a fabulous new clothing line for Francois, her friend and favorite French designer. Francois has actually developed a revolutionary new fabric, and while he should be thrilled he's only feeling stress, as he faces constant attempts to steal his secret invention. Between the hidden listening devices and spies outside her friend's window, Penelope comes to the conclusion that the safest place to debut the fabric would be at a fashion show on Brains' new plane. Citing safety concerns, Penelope arranges for the fashion show to be held aboard the Skythrust, a new pl
#11 - Move - And You're Dead
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/10/1966
Alan is back into the racing game! But is not very welcomed. A jealous car racer got him and his grandma trapped on a bridge. Problem? Well look at the episode title and you'll see what it means. One move... you're dead. Will Jeff Tracy be able to keep his son talking? Or will there be a very big boom?
#12 - Pit of Peril
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/7/1965
In a faraway jungle, the US Army has just finished three weeks of successful testing for the Sidewinder, a new transport vehicle. However, the congratulatory pats on the back prove a bit premature as the sidewinder fails to reach it's rendezvous point The ground crew sees smoke but there are no sign of the vehicle and attempts and contacting the sidewinder crew goes unanswered. When the crew finally responded, it is revealed that they have tipped over on their side and are unable to move! The fact that they have fallen 300 feet into a crater and are engulfed into flames makes it even more disastrous. Being so far from civilization, the Army isn't as alone as it thinks, as International Rescue has been listening in on its plight with great interest. For the moment, however, they choose to wait to see what happens. After two Army rescue attempts result in hospitalization, Jeff Tracy sends his sons out to try and help. But will they succeed when others have not?
#13 - Terror in New York City
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/21/1965
While on their way back to Tracy Island from extinguishing an oil well fire, Scott and Virgil inadvertently cross paths with the Sentinel, a new naval strike vessel. Mistaking Thunderbird 2 for a hostile aircraft, the ship fires several missiles and manages to connect, despite evasive maneuvering by Virgil. With Thunderbird 2 sustaining tremendous damage, Virgil slips into unconsciousness, barely awakening in time to pull up from his dive and continue toward home. Thunderbird 2 struggles to remain airborne and crashes just as it reaches the island, once again knocking its pilot out cold. Finding himself in the comfort of his own bed, Virgil again opens his eyes at just the right moment, this time to witness a broadcast of the Empire State Building's relocation. Nothing could possibly go wrong with hydraulically lifting a 102-story building and transporting it along tracks to its new destination, could it?
#14 - The Perils of Penelope
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/14/1965
Sir Jeremy Hodge -- without whom Brains could not have built any of International Rescue's vehicles -- has just finished his latest project, converting seawater into fuel. Sir Jeremy has little time to celebrate the accomplishment, however, as his colleague on the project has gone missing, mysteriously disappearing from the train on which he was traveling. Fearing that the knowledge possessed by his friend could be devastating should it end up in the wrong hands, Sir Jeremy arranges a rendezvous in a Parisian cafe with his old friend Lady Penelope. One barely avoided poisoned drink later (thanks to some quick thinking by Parker), and Penelope is off on yet another mission. Investigating a clue left behind at the cafe by the would-be assassin leads only to another attempt on her life, as Parker must again save his enchanting employer and her companion, this time from gas flowing into a windowless basement. Left with no options other than to ride the same train that prompted their investigation.
#15 - City of Fire
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/6/1966
The tallest tower ever built faces destruction when an out-of-control car starts a huge fire in the parking garage leaving a family trapped inside. Sounds like another day for International Rescue right? Wrong. Brain's new experimental cutting gas caused Scott and Virgil to pass out. Will they pass out during the mission and perish in the fire? Or will they be successful? Find out in... City of Fire!
#16 - The Man from M.I.5
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/20/1966
Seemingly without a care in the world, a man relaxes aboard his yacht in the Mediterranean. Other than the five bullets he takes from a mysterious scuba diver that sneaks onto the vessel, life couldn't be sweeter. The assassin rummages through the dead man's desk, and flees when he finds what he has been looking for. The boat then explodes, attracting the attention of the victim's colleagues, who just happen to belong to the British secret service. Realizing that the explosion was no accident, and that plans for a nuclear device which were supposed to be exchanged are now missing, the British agents contact International Rescue. Lady Penelope, under the guise of a fashion model, plants a story in the paper that she has arrived to crack the case and expose the killers. Predictably, a man wielding a gun pays Penelope a visit and forces her from her yacht. Has she made a mistake by sending Parker off to gamble in Monte Carlo? It's possible that she's underestimated the viciousness of her
#17 - 30 Minutes After Noon
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/11/1965
On his way home to celebrate his third wedding anniversary, Thomas Prescott is forced into an unexpected detour after picking up a hitchhiker. Upon dropping the man at what is supposedly the home of the hitchhiker's doctor, Prescott finds himself thanked with an explosive device clamped to his wrist and not much time to remove it before it detonates. The hitchhiker informs his confused victim that the key is hidden in his office and instructs him to leave the device in a file cabinet once it has been removed. Racing against both time and the police, Prescott does as he's told, but he's trapped in an elevator while fleeing the now-burning building. International Rescue has been monitoring the happenings and decides that now is the time to spring into action. But have they sat on the sidelines too long? Will they arrive in time to pull Prescott from the bottom of the elevator shaft in which he's trapped, or will the fire prove too much even for International Rescue's advanced equipment?
#18 - The Uninvited
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/2/1965
Scott Tracy is returning home from a mission when he is attacked. He is recused by some lost explorers and is soon home. However the explorers get themselves lost and call out for help. Scott finds them in a pyramid where there resides the lost race of Zombites. Now Scott must face a crazy man struck by riches and gold and also a race trying to destroy them? Will Scott make it out with the two men? Will the rest of the Tracys save their brother? Find out!
#19 - The Imposters
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/13/1966
International Rescue is in the middle of saving yet another life in danger, but what makes this mission different is the large crowd that's witnessing the feat. Reporters are also on the scene, and are able to snap the first-ever photos of the team in action. Other than International Rescue's usual camera shyness, there's only one problem: Each member was already at home on Tracy Island, awaiting the next mission. Though confused as to why someone would steal their identities, they try not to think too much about it, especially since a life was saved. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that the whole thing was a ruse to steal plans for a fighter capable of light speed, and the real International Rescue has been blamed, memories of their heroism a thing of the past. With a worldwide manhunt under way to locate their base, the group is powerless to act, regardless of who needs assistance. Will they be able to clear their name without revealing their true identities or location? And wh
#20 - Vault of Death
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/23/1965
Lord Sulton, an offical with the Bank of London, has enlisted Lady P and her trusted Servant Parker to help orve that their safe needs to be modernized. Though a reformed safecracker, Parker's skill is virtually unmatched and breaking in was no problem. The bank's board of directors acts quickly to install an up-to-date vault, one that removes all of its air to better perserve the documents inside. AFter Lord Sulton leaves (with the only key) for an evening at Lady P's mansion, the remaining employees relaize that the bank workaholic has been looked in the safe, with only a few hours of air left! An emergency call from the bank interrupts Lady Penelope's and Lord's Sulton's dinner. Unfortunately Parker, who had just read that his former cellmate is on the loose! He assumed that it was a robbery that prompted the call and tries to stall for time. Will the employee suffocate before the confusion is cleared up? Parker, assuming the distress call to Lord Sultan was for a robbery cou
#21 - End of the Road
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/1965
Only days away from monsoon season, Eddie Houseman's construction company is racing against time to complete a mountain road and fulfill a contract. With the end seemingly in sight, Eddie sets off on a long-overdue vacation, to look up an old friend. When that friend happens to be Tin Tin, however, it's Alan Tracy who's left out in the cold -- and mocked by his older brothers for good measure -- while the two lovebirds jet set around the island. When Eddie stands up Tin Tin after receiving an urgent message from his company, Alan thinks his troubles are over, until he said the wrong things to tin-tin which causes the object of their affections to promptly storm off. Meanwhile, Eddie receives the disturbing news that seismic activity in the mountains, combined with heavy rains, threatens to halt the entire project. Seeing his future crumbling before his eyes, Eddie sneaks off against his senior partner's wishes to detonate atomic charges on the mountaintop, in hopes of forcing destructi
#22 - Day of Disaster
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/1965
Despite pounding rain and gale force wind, Allington Bridge, swaying back and forth, seems to be holding up in the face of a violent storm. When the storm finally dies down, work crews are dispatched to investigate any potential damage. All tests prove negative, but one cautious supervisor would like to run more. His boss, however, feeling pressure to reopen the bridge, rejects the idea. In order to reach its launch site, a spacecraft bound for Mars must first cross the bridge, or risk having to wait four more years before another takeoff is possible. Allington Bridge is indeed opened to the Martian space probe, but its crushing weight is too much and, one by one, its steel cables begin to snap and unravel. The probe, along with two astronauts aboard, plummets to the water below, where its buried beneath mangled girders and its automatic countdown is activated. Luckily, Brains has traveled to England to observe the launch. He and Lady Penelope speed off to the scene of the accident, bu
#23 - Trapped in the Sky
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/30/1965
International Rescue makes its debut when an enemy nicknamed the Hood sabotages the new Fireflash plane. Can International Rescue save the 600 passengers on the plane or would their first mission be their last?
#24 - Path of Destruction
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/9/1966
A South American construction project is nearly under way, and the final testing of the newly invented Crablogger -- a powerful forest-clearing machine -- has proven successful. To celebrate the event, and to go over plans one more time, the project leader takes the Crablogger crew out to eat. Had they noticed the deplorable conditions inside the kitchen, the men would surely have passed on dinner and gladly gone to work hungry the next morning. The foreman wisely orders the steak, but the Crablogger crew each chooses the house special. Apparently the only thing special about it is its ability to cause food poisoning. One man gets violently ill before work the next morning, which makes him the lucky one. The other two seem fine and proceed with the project, but it isn't long before they succumb to their illnesses. They both pass out at the controls, leaving the massive machine to gobble everything in its path. When it's determined that the Crablogger is headed straight for a new dam, I
#25 - Atlantic Inferno
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/2/1966
After attending a ceremony to mark the beginning of road construction through an Australian mountain, Lady Penelope retreats to the comfort of her nearby farm to tend to her sheep. She has no intention of spending her time Down Under alone, however, and makes a call to International Rescue headquarters urging Jeff Tracy to join her. Despite not having been on a real vacation in months, Jeff is reluctant to go in case an emergency should arise while he's gone. His sons know the procedures, and are all in their 20s, yet Jeff must still have his arm twisted into agreeing to take some time off. Surrounded by nothing but nature -- and Lady Penelope -- Jeff still can't relax, thinking of nothing but a naval torpedo accident that has sparked a huge underwater fire. He says it's definitely not a job for International Rescue, but Scott, who he's left in charge, has other ideas. Scott's miscalculation, dispatching International Rescue to extinguish a fire thrusting up from the ocean floor caused