Mighty Max - Episode 34 - Around The World In Eighty Arms

AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY ARMS

This is episode 34 (21st of the 2nd series.) A super tanker is making its way through a calm ocean when suddenly the water around it starts churning up, and out of it emerges a mass of huge tentacles which sweeps everybody into the sea. The tanker is then pulled down into the ocean and disappears without a trace.

Episode Captures (Click to enlarge)

Max is in the shopping mall reveling in the fact that it is Saturday, no school, and there is plenty of cool stuff for him to do – but he only has a little over one dollar to spend. Not to be too down-heartened about this Max goes looking for a bargain. As he passes a row of telephones Max is startled when they all begin to ring at the same time. He picks up one of the phones and speaks to Virgil. He is instructed to make his way to the nearest portal to Marseilles.

Once in Marseilles Max meets up with Virgil and Norman who tell him that ships have been disappearing in the Mediterranean, possibly by a giant squid. Max isn’t fazed by this, after all hasn’t he defeated a giant squid before? Virgil agrees but also points out that the particular giant squid only seems to be attacking ships with valuable cargos. As they move away a figure dressed in purple is seen following them, making notes in a pad.

Virgil, using his Lumerian calculations is about to foretell where and when the next attack will take place – in none other than the very port they are currently standing in. The three of them hide behind some barrels as Virgil tells them that it won’t be long now. Sure enough, within moments a set of huge tentacles rises out of the water and attacks a nearby tanker. Virgil is stunned to see that it is an ancient Nautilus gigantus, an ancient relative of the squid. Norman is not interested in whose relative it is, he just wants to attack it, and he leaps forward, brandishing his sword. As he reaches it he takes a swipe, but his sword has no effect – the creature appears to be made of metal. A huge tentacle grabs him and waves him about. Meanwhile Max races past in a speedboat in a bid to save Norman. He tells Norman to jump as he himself leaps out of the speedboat. Norman frees himself from the tentacle and falls into the water. The speedboat continues on, without a driver, and hits the creature side on, exploding on impact, but appears to suffer no damage. Instead the creature turns to face Max, Norman and Virgil who are now all in the water. Just as if it seems the creature has them a large crane hook is lowered down to them by an unseen rescuer, and pulls them to safety.

Back on the dockyard the three are confronted by their rescuer, the man in purple, who claims to be the writer Jules Verne. Max laughs and tells him to pull the other one; “Jules Verne has been dead for like a hundred years!” he claims. “Not dead,” replies Jules, “only sleeping.” He tells them that he can prove who he is, and takes them to his laboratory in Paris. Once in his lab Jules explains to Max that he had been in an induced sleep and was not meant to wake for another one thousand years, but somebody had broken into his lab and stolen his new machine – the very same machine that was no attacking the ships. Max is stunned – the creature is a submarine! They hatch a plan to get onto the submarine by hiding in the hull of a tanker transporting a vast amount of gold. They hid themselves in crates, hoping that the creature will attack and take them the crates they are hiding in. Sure enough the creature attacks and grabs the crate which Virgil is hiding in, but their plans are scuppered when a French Navy destroyer turns up and attacks the creature. Max spies a room of scuba equipment, and thinking fast he puts one on, telling Norman and Jules to do the same. Once dressed, they swim out to the creature and managed to grab it just in time as it submerges and flees from the destroyer.

The creature surfaces off the island of Corsica and disappears into a large cave. Max and the others swim ashore, take off the scuba gear and make their way into the cave, hiding behind the large rocks that lay about. However, their hiding place is not that good and they are quickly caught by what appears to be a pirate with an automatic rifle. The pirate’s laughter soon turns to shock as Norman slices the rifle in two with his sword, picks him up, and launches him into the sea. But the victory seems short lived as they are surrounded by more rifle carrying pirates, but Norman isn’t about to let Max down, and he smashes them all aside like skittles.

Max, Norman and Jules run from the pirates and find themselves in what can only be described as a treasure trove, full of gold, diamonds, and other precious stones. As they gaze all about them, the pirate captain turns up with all his men, and the trio are eventually captured.

Meanwhile, Virgil manages to escape from the crate he had hidden himself in and goes searching for Max and the others. He hides under a table where several pirates are eating. He spies a bunch of keys on the belt of one of them and snatches them from him. He is detected and chased by the pirates, but fortunately manages to lose them. After a search of the base Virgil finds Max and the others and releases them from the cell they are being held in. As the run from the cell they see that the submarine is preparing to sail again, and mange to sneak onboard before it submerges.

In the power room of the submarine, Jules manages to disable the submarines, but once again they are discovered by the crew, but this time they are saved when the French Navy destroyed once again finds the submarine and attacks with depth charges. Crippled, the submarine starts sinking out of control to depths beyond its limits, and starts to break up under the pressure. Within moments it implodes.

Are Max and the others dead? No! Out of the sea rises a flying machine – a balloon which rises up into the air. In the basket below it is Max, Norman, Virgil and Jules. Safe at last!

Back at home, Max is sitting in his room, opening a special delivery package that has arrived for him. It’s a book from that Jules has written just for him – with Max as the central character!