Mighty Max - Episode 12 - Out In The Cold

OUT IN THE COLD

This episode takes place in the Aluetian Islands, Alaska, where there is something strange going on at an American Weather Station; the storyline reminds me of the John Carpenter movie, The Thing!

Episode Captures (Click to enlarge)

Max wakes up at the start of the winter school holidays. He leaps out of bed overjoyed that he has no school for several weeks. He rushes to get changed into his summer clothes, rushes outside sees that instead of the sunny weather he was expecting, there is several feet of snow everywhere. He runs back indoors and gets changed into something more suitable for the weather. Having done that he grabs his sledge and starts to play about on the snow covered slopes. His fun is quickly brought to an end when he discovers a message in the snow; a message to him from Virgil. Doesn't Virgil know that it is the school holidays!

Once he arrives at the weather station he meets up with Virgil and Norman, and the trio enter the station to find out what is wrong. They are surprised to find however that all seems normal; the scientists look in good health and deny that anything out of the ordinary has happened. Virgil becomes very confused as he was sure he had read the signs correctly, but then all at once there is the sound of rapid gunfire. One of the scientists is firing out of the window at another man, and he is quickly joined by his companions who pick up rifles and run after the man. "See!" exclaims Virgil, "I told you something was wrong!" Max, Norman, and Virgil rush outside to follow the men to find out exactly what is going on. They split up; Virgil going off with one of the scientists, and Norman and Max going off with each other.

As they are searching Max suddenly finds himself looking down the barrel of an automatic rifle held by one of the scientists, who is obviously scared about something. He takes Max and Norman away and ties them up, accusing them of being aliens. He brings out to thermometers and advances on Max and Norman, telling them that if they are aliens then the thermometers will prove it; the aliens have a body temperature of below zero. Max looks alarmed; "I hope you're not going to put those where I think you are!" However Max need not worry as the scientist pops the thermometers into their mouths. When the scientist reads their temperature he is relieved to find them normal; this big guy and the kid are obviously a real big guy and a real kid. The scientist releases Max and Norman from the bonds, but as soon as Norman is freed he grabs the man and forces his arm up behind his back, demanding answers. The man produces some photographs of the rest of his team changing into aliens, which he shows to Max. He tells them both that the aliens plan to take the Earth out of its current orbit to create one big global ice age, enabling them to rule. It takes a moment for Max to think of Virgil - he's with the aliens!

Max and Norman run back to the weather station where they bump into Virgil. max rushes to greet him but Virgil pushes him out of the way. Something is wrong! This isn't Virgil. Everybody splits as the alien men start firing upon Max and co. Max finds himself on his own running from the alien men, but finally manages to escape them by hiding in the false ceiling of an empty room. As he explores further, looking for Virgil and Norman, Max stumbles upon a huge cave made out of ice. He enters with some nervousness; it seems to go on forever. At last Max comes to the end of the tunnel which opens up into a vast plain; and to his astonishment Max is confronted with a huge alien spaceship. Cool!

Max sneaks into the spaceship and soon discovers that what the scientist told him was true; the aliens really are planning on freezing the whole world. They must be stopped. As he explores the spaceship further he is shocked to find a row of glass cages, and in one of them - Virgil! Max suddenly hears a voice behind him. He turns around to see Virgil standing there. Max is confused at how on earth there can be two Virgil's. He grabs Virgil by the scruff and demands what has he done to Virgil, but a bolt of pain goes through his hand; this Virgil is freezing. Max grabs a shelving unit and pulls it down on the alien Virgil, and has it comes down trapping him, it also smashes the glass cage that the real Virgil is in, releasing him from his frozen prison. An amazing thing happens; when the real Virgil is released, so the imposter Virgil reverts back to its natural alien form. Together Max and Virgil go looking for the others.

As they are wandering around they hear curses and shouts coming from a room up ahead. They both instantly recognise the voice of Norman. They enter the room to find Norman strapped down in a glass cage which is next to a strange cubicle. An alien enters the cubicle, there is a flash of light, and out steps another Norman. Virgil begins to understand; the aliens can only keep their new form whilst the person they are assimilating is held captive. Max reaches for his hand warmer and sneaks up behind the alien Norman. He brings the warmer down on the back of alien Norman's neck causing him to cry out in pain and collapse. Max then smashes the glass cage and frees the real Norman, causing the unconscious alien to revert back again, but this time the alien bursts into flame. Virgil states that it would appear that when the aliens body temperature rises above sub-zero, it ignites.

As the three of them search for the scientists they find one of them, the one that held Max and Norman captive, in the corridor. An almost philosophical debate erupts as they try to determine who's real and who's an alien. Max comes up with the idea for a test; they should all take it in turns to hold his hand warmer, this should determine who is real and who is not. Virgil goes first, but when he touches it he cries out in pain. Norman immediately leaps on him and starts beating him up. Max looks at his hand warmer and realises he has it turn up too hot. He tells Norman that it's okay, Virgil is real. Norman apologises to the half beaten Virgil.

As they continue their search an alarm suddenly sounds and everywhere red lights flicker on; the aliens have discovered that they have intruders onboard. They split up in two groups of two - Max and Norman; Virgil and the scientists. As they search, Max and Norman find a room filled with more glass cages, and inside of them are all the scientists. Norman does what he does best and smashes all the cages open, thereby releasing the captives, causing their respective alien counterparts to transform back into their alien form. Max peers at the last tank, and sees that it contains the scientist who they have just left with Virgil. Another smash and he is freed, but Max knows that somewhere on that ship Virgil is now in company with an alien.

Meanwhile Virgil and the alien scientist are in the control room of the ship. Virgil plays about with what appears to be ice crystal controls and announces that he has realigned the Earth back into her proper orbit. Behind him the now transformed alien creeps up behind him. It attacks Virgil with a ray weapon that emerges form its hand.

The other are running as hard as they can with the aliens in hot pursuit. They lock themselves in another room but the aliens are smashing their way in. Max notices that they are in what appears to be the central temperature control room for the whole ship. He begins to smash the controls up in desperation, hoping that it will do something to buy them time. It does! As the control board is smashed so the temperature in the ship rises, causing all the aliens to overheat and finally burst into flames. Max and team go looking for Virgil and soon hear his cries for help. They find him in the control room trapped by the fire that is now raging throughout the ship. They rescue him and then all abandon ship just as it explodes, causing poor old Max to end up in a heap in the snow.

With the aliens destroyed and the Earth now safe, Max begins to vent off his anger on Virgil. "I'm going to get a really big dog!" he announces. "What type of dog are you afraid of Virgil?"