Mighty Max - Episode 14 - Pandora's Box Part 1

PANDORA'S BOX - PART 1

This the first episode of the second, and last, series, and is in two parts. In this first part we see Max and his friend Felix racing wheeled wind buggies. Max doesn't realise it, but he is about to be brought out of retirement.

Episode Captures (Click to enlarge)

Deep inside Skull Mountain, a war wages. The Lava Beasts have been enslaved by the Rock Monsters who punish them with cooling water, the only thing that can stop the molten Lava Beasts. Suddenly a bright yellow light shines from across the cavern and beckons to all the Lava Beasts, who follow its call, leading them to their entombed leader, Lava Lord. To their delight Lava Lord wakens and breaks free from his rock prison - and realising that the Crystal of Skulls must have been destroyed, swears revenge on Skullmaster. But Skullmaster waits!

Back in the daylight world, Max and his friend Felix are racing each other on wind buggies, but Max is easily winning as he speeds past Felix. This is the life! Being a normal kid again! No more Mighty One, I'm retired, Max shouts joyfully. Not even when a newspaper message from Virgil hits him in the face does Max give it any more consideration. He's had enough of it! Unfortunately the newspaper cutting obscures his vision momentarily causing him to have to swerve down an alleyway to avoid hitting pedestrians. Max emerges from the alley way and finds himself on the main road where traffic is all around him. As if that isn't enough Max suddenly hears a siren behind him. He glances round to find a police patrol car, lights flashing for him to pull over. Before Max can stop for them his cap bursts into light, and once again Max finds himself hurtling through a portal, leaving the cops looking very puzzled.

On the other side of the portal Max is out of control as he emerges into a snow covered mountain range. His wind buggy now has a mind of its own as it hurtles toward the edge of a huge cliff. The buggy flies into the air and falls down and down. Max, however, now hangs in the safe hands of Norman who places him safely on the snow covered ground. Virgil tells Max that he is required for another mission, but Max hands him his cap, turns away, and tells Virgil that he has retired from his job as the Mighty One. No matter how much Virgil tries to change his mind, Max stands firm in his option. Sighing Virgil accepts Max's choice and tells him that in order to relieve himself of the cap and its responsibilities, he must take on one final mission - to destroy Skullmaster. He warns Max that everything depended on Max doing exactly as he was told, no matter what happens. Max reluctantly agrees, and the 3 of them make their way into Skull Mountain.

"Do you think Skullmaster knows we're here?" Max asks as they emerge from the portal into Skull Mountain. His quickly finds out as they find themselves surrounded by Rock monsters, who attack on Skullmaster's command. "You always were so predictable!" taunts Skullmaster as the rock monsters, and skeletal dinosaurs charge. As Norman fights them all, Max is horrified to see that Virgil has been captured by Warmonger. He moves to help, but Virgil shouts at him to run, and to do as he is instructed. Norman and Max run from Skullmaster's hordes, but soon find themselves trapped on the edge of a huge lavafall. Max instantly recognises it as the location of a portal that would take them back to safety, but what does he do? If they jump they leave behind Virgil. Max pauses for a moment and then defiantly decides to go back and rescue Virgil, much to the delight of Norman.

Meanwhile Virgil hangs upside down from the roof as Skullmaster taunts him and his failed plans of killing him. He points out to Virgil that both their destinies are entwined; if one dies, so surely will the other. Skullmaster offers Virgil a reprieve - join forces with him to obtain the cap, and live a life of luxury, or refuse and die. Virgil gives it some careful consideration before agreeing to Skullmaster's plan, on the promise that he will let Max live.

Max and Norman find themselves surrounded by rock monsters, and all seems lost. That is until help arrives in a rather unexpected form; lava beasts. Seeing their only chance of escape Max and Norman allow the lava beasts to guide them to safety across a lava lake in a boat. As soon as they reach the other side, however, they flee from the lava beasts in an attempt to get back to Skull Mountain to rescue Virgil. However, they soon find themselves captured by the lava beats, and taken to their Lava Lord. The Lava Lord laughs when he discovers that the Mighty One foretold by legend was no more than a mere worm. He asks Max why he shouldn't kill them both, and Max wisely points out that they are all enemies of Skullmaster together. This pacifies the Lava Lord who shows them his ultimate weapon in the fight against Skullmaster; a huge robotic machine known as Megatron, and impresses Max with a demonstration of its power.

A noise is heard! Max, Norman, and the Lava Lord see Skullmaster and his armies racing toward them on flying rock disks, Virgil leading them. "Attack!" Virgil shouts. Max is stunned. "What is Virgil doing?" he asks Norman.

Here the episode ends. As with all the previous episodes we zoom into the reading room at Max's house, where Max normally tells us some factual information about the place, item, or person featured in that episode. This time, however, the chair is empty. The door opens and Max's mom enters the room. "Max?" she calls. But there is no answer.