Review by Manetoys:
Our story begins in the jungles of South America. A mysterious truck drives up to what appears to be a restricted area with the fence and guards and all. The truck stops right infront of them and from it comes Dr. X and his Skullmen. These guards aren’t very good at their job. Dr. X tells them to drop their weapons, and they do. It was mainly ‘cause the Skullmen pointed guns at them, but this still isn’t very good security. At least their faces look as though they are ashamed. Behind the fence is a native village. One of the huts in this village is filled with natives that are sick with a virus called The Red Plague. A doctor along with them works on a cure. He is successful and cures them of their illness. Just as he does, Skull men with Dr. X busts through the hut behind them. Dr. X tells him he has “big plans†for the red plaque. “Big plans indeed.â€
At Action Force's Headquarters, Secretary Norris alerts Action Man of Dr. X’s plan to contaminate the world with the Red Plaque if he’s not given a trillion in gold. As Norris informs Action Man of Dr. X’s plan, a man gives Norris an envelope. As he opens it, Action Man screams “NO! DON’T OPEN THAT!†but is too late. Norris opens the envelope and exposes himself to the Red Plaque. As he’s infected, he grabs the man, his suit tears off and is revealed to be a Skull man.
Yeesh, what is it with Action Man’s world and lousy security? At that moment, Dr. X appears on their screen which opens the question on how he got on their frequency but, oh well. Dr. X confirms that Norris has indeed been infected and has 48 hours to live. Dr. X demands his trillion in gold in that time or he will infect the world with his plaque. They trace Dr. X’s signal and find him in South America in some underground lab.
After the stock footage of Jet Extreme taking off, Natalie makes an observation that Dr. X could only infect parts of the world with the virus and the virus could me contained before it hits the rest of the world, but Action Man assures them that if Dr. X does not make “Idle threats.†As they reach South America, they are met with the warm Skull men greeting of large laser guns shooting at them. Action Man, Knuck, and Natalie eject on a jeep and a military vehicle and charge after the laser cannons and the skull men working them. A direct hit from the Jeep’s laser destroys the cannon and the Skull Men run away like Cobra soldiers.
Afterwards, Action Man rushes to the nearby lab where even MORE Skull Men greet them with open arms, and open lasers. They and the Action Force exchange laser fire. Just like GI Joe, no one in this show seems to be able to actually HIT anything. Action Man quite literally leaps into action and pounces on one of the Skull Men. He then uses his little technique that puts them to sleep ‘cause actually PUNCHING them would proboly be too much for the censors to handle. Then they blast through the doors and capture Dr. X. Knuck gloats about how they won, but Action Man’s no fool. He’s perfectly aware that this was far too easy and he was of course right. Dr. X is revealed to be the scientist in a Dr. X mask. But not before Jet Extreme parks infront of the lab and behind them is Dr. X with more Skull Men. Dr. X reveals that he needs Jet Extreme in order to move fast enough into the Stratosphere to spread the plaque all over the world. Dr. X then sprays the plague at the Action Force.
Action Man picks up what must most likely be a canister of the cure but a Skull Man shoots at it, blowing it up and blowing him clear out of the building leaving Knuck and Natalie infected. Dr. X and his Skull Men invade Jet Extreme. Jock has no choice but to eject out and find Action Man. The Skull Men surround him but Action Man ambushes them. With the scientist a big heaping canister of the plaque on board, Dr. X takes off with Jet Extreme. Jock says that he placed a homing device on the Jet before escaping and suggests that they could shoot it down, but with the scientist on board, they can’t. They need him to cure Knuck and Natalie.
As he watches Natalie suffer, he has a sudden flash back of a burning house, and himself as a boy screaming for his mom and dad. So now we know his parents most likely died in a burning house.
Action Man does something REALLY insane. Even Jock said so. Action Man puts himself in a rocket still armed in a rocket launcher and is fired towards Jet Extreme. With a grappling gun, Action Man hurtles swings onto the jet. And manages to climb onto it.
Once inside, he fights off some Skull Men and rescues the scientist. But Dr. X stand over the exit of the plane gloating that they’ve reached the Stratosphere and goes on about how he’s going to infect the plaque when the Scientist sneaks up and injects the cure into the canister, killing the virus. Dr. X is about to zap the scientist but it bacfires and he’s blasted right out of the jet. Anyone else would assume that was the end of Dr. X, but Action Man doesn’t. He’s either VERY negative, or just knows better. Back at the lab, Knuck and Natalie are still ill but the Jet comes in with Action Man giving a thumbs up. We don’t actually SEE them get cured, but you just gotta assume.
FINALE THOUGHTS :
What have we learned? Not much. Mainly that Action Man’s family apparently died in a fire. We also learn about a place in the Himalayans that may be important.
Final verdict, interesting episode. This was one of the more action packed episode. Lots of lasers and fighthing. Not that it’s a bad thing. I also found it funny how Dr. X loses in the most typical super villain way. By talking far too much. My first thought went to “The Incredibles†when Scyndrome said “You got me monologing, you sly dog!†We don’t learna lot about his past, but what little we learn is a DOOZY!
Interesting notes:
This episode is written by Bob Forward of Beast Wars Fame