Mighty Max - Episode 6 - Rumble In The Jungle

RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE

This episode takes place in the Congo. The opening scene shows Max's mom running through the jungle, being chased by what appears to be a group of savages. As she flees she trips over and is captured. A huge gorilla dressed in armour approaches and directs the savages to take her away.

Episode Captures (Click to enlarge)

Max is relaxing in his back garden and phones for a pizza, when suddenly a planes passes by and leaves a message for Max in the sky; obviously from Virgil.

When Max finds Norman and Virgil he asks them in a nonchalant way, what do they want him to do today; save the world again? But Max receives a shock when Virgil tells him that it is his mother who needs rescuing, and quickly looks for the nearest portal. Next stop - the Congo jungle.

Finding their way around the Conga is not easy, they're not even sure where they are going, what chance have they got of finding Max's mom? They start to climb a huge plateau but suddenly the ground beneath them gives way and they fall what looks like thousands of feet, however, somehow they manage to land safely; if hanging from a tree draped over a branch is considered safe (how Max did not hurt himself I do not know!) As they clamber down from the tree, Max is startled to discover a discarded jeep in the undergrowth. Could it be his mom's? He climbs inside and sees that the keys are still there. As he attempts to start it the trio suddenly find themselves being attacked by savages. As they run away Max trips and a radio that he is carrying falls to the ground and switches on. The savages stop dead in their tracks afraid of the noises coming from the radio. Recognising a possible escape route Max holds the radio aloft and proclaims the power of rock and roll, only to find that a huge spear embeds itself into the radio, silencing it. Max turns to see that the owner of the spear is not a brave savage, but a huge talking gorilla. The gorilla growls something about the evil that can capture voices, and Max quickly surmises that the gorilla must prefer Sinatra. Norman rushes into the fight the gorilla but is beaten back, and they soon realise that they need to run away in order to save themselves. This they do but become trapped be a fasting moving river. The gorilla approaches fast, riding in a chariot pulled by two zebras. Max, Norman, and Virgil jump into the river and are swept away downstream. To their horror they see that they are heading toward a huge waterfall. Norman quickly grabs hold of a branch that is overhanging the river, and Max and Virgil manage to grab him. But the strain is too much and the branch snaps, sending them hurtling over the edge of the waterfall. The gorilla, who is pursuing them from the river bank, gives up the chase, presuming them to be dead.

Meanwhile, the trio have emerged unscathed from the bottom of the waterfall, and manage to scramble ashore, with Norman carrying the exhausted Max and Virgil with him. Max wastes no time in continuing the search for his lost mother, and they eventually find the gorilla village. As they creep around the buildings they come face to face with one of the savages, but instead of raising the alarm the savage stares at them. Max soon discovers that they cannot speak and are being used as slaves by the gorillas (reminds me of the Planet Of The Apes scenario). Somehow Max manages to find out from the slave where his mother is and is overjoyed to discover that she is safe and well, albeit imprisoned. Danger is never far away where Max is concerned and the team are discovered and taken to the gorilla king who orders them locked up.

It does not take long for Norman to smash his way out of the prison, and soon the foursome are clambering out of the jail and making a dash for it, but again danger knocks and they are attacked by a legion of gorilla soldiers. Max rallies the slaves to fight against their masters and does very well, but they are no match for the gorillas and once again Max finds himself trapped on top of a temple with his mother and two friends. The gorilla captain orders his guard to kill the intruders and it looks like the end of the four, however the gorilla king stops the advance of the guard and says, "No more!"

As the gorilla king ponders the fate of Max and co. Max gets into an argument with the gorilla captain, and unwittingly challenges him to a duel to the death, which the gorilla king consents. Taking the portal map with him, Max runs away leaving a surprised gorilla captain who complains that this is not in the rules. The gorilla king tells him there are no rules, so the captain runs off after Max. Max's mom is understandably concerned about Max, and even more so when Virgil tries to comfort her by telling her that it is just a blood-thirsty, 800 pound gorilla that wants to rip Max's limbs off, and that Max can look after himself!

Virgil is not wrong; Max runs to the jeep and in desperation starts the vehicle up, and drives toward the angry gorilla at speed. He glances down at the portal map and sees that there is a portal up ahead of him. He hits the gorilla who in a scene reminiscent of Terminator 2, climbs up over the bonnet of the jeep and prepares to reach out for Max. Max drives the jeep toward the portal which opens up before him, and leaps out just in time as the jeep and gorilla hurtle into the portal and vanish.

Max victoriously returns to the village and is offered the throne by the gorilla king. Max declines but forces the gorilla king to treat the slaves as equals. As the four return home Max wonders what he would witness if he came back in a hundred years.