The Most Dangerous Race -- Speed Racer Forum

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 00:30:16 12/07/08 Sun
Author: Tim
Subject: The Most Dangerous Race

The focal point of this excellent three-part episode is the Alpine Race, an especially dangerous competition lasting for three days and three nights, with 86 cars entered. Among the entrants are Speed Racer and Racer X, as well as the Car Acrobatic Team, a notorious gang of daredevil drivers with no scruples at all. Some favorite moments include:

Unusually nervous about the upcoming Alpine Race, Speed loses his temper with Sparky.

Racer X cautions Speed about the dangerous conditions of the Alpine course.

Spritle and Chim Chim go out on a late night drive and wind up spying on the Car Acrobatic Team. The group is engaged in a strange ceremony to select which drivers will enter the Alpine. Seven are chosen, including Snake Oiler, a particularly unsavory rival of Speed Racer.

Entering a mountainous region of the course, Speed notices the brakes on the Mach-5 are not functioning properly. He regrets his earlier argument with Sparky.

Speed loses control of the Mach-5 at Skull Chasm.

Arriving by helicopter with Trixie, Sparky rescues Speed.

Speed catches up with the Car Acrobatic Team at Yawning Chasm Pass. Everyone has stopped there because a storm has washed out parts of the course, making it a treacherous run.

By now there are only six cars left in the race, and the drivers agree to draw lots to determine the order they will attempt to cross at Yawning Chasm. Snake Oiler goes fourth, to be followed Racer X at fifth and Speed Racer last.

As part two ends it appears Speed did not make it across the chasm.

Trixie has a nightmare about Speed Racer.

The failed jump has left Speed blind, but still determined to finish the race.

Racer X pretends to have his legs injured, and offers to team up with Speed to finish the race. Speed will be Racer's legs, while Racer will be Speed's eyes.

Racer X guides Speed in the Mach-5.

Speed attempts to jump a wide chasm where the bridge is partially broken, against the advice of Racer X. Speed has no fear of the jump because he cannot see, and they make it across.

Speed tries to warn Snake Oiler that his car is leaking oil.

Snake's car crashes, and Speed and Racer X cross the finish line.

Snake Oiler survived the crash, and he and the Car Acrobatic Team vow revenge.

Tim

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Re: The Most Dangerous Race -- Rick, 04:37:41 12/07/08 Sun [1]

Speed makes it across the chasm, but when he lands on the highest peak, a landslide starts under the back tires and he falls. The auto-jacks could have prevented it, but not enough time or he didn't think to use them. In "Race the Laser Tank", Speed does find himself in a similar predicament and uses them and gets over the top of a volcano.

Snake Oiler is the only one of the Car Acrobatic Team who makes it across and when he gets to the other side, his car drifts over and he vanishes. Racer X's jump is very impressive, as he appears to be jumping from more than 3 sections as he goes across, makes it to the top and is over it.

Trixie's nightmare with the gargoyle is very frightening; he's in disguise as Speed from the rear view and you can't tell. But when he turns around with that evil grin, it clearly isn't Speed. The creature used the power of illusion to fool Trixie as he went: "Heehaaa! I am not Speed. Yes, Speed Racer no longer exists."

One thing Racer X never knew when they jumped over the broken bridge is the Mach 5 did have the wings to assist in jumping. You can see them as the car lands on the bridge as Speed knew just where to hit the switch to activate them. I don't think Racer X was in the mood to look under him in the middle of the whole thing! I'd suspect the oil leak was caused by a jump Snake Oiler made that caused the oil to start leaking on the second night or early on the third morning of the race.

Earlier, in part two, the chaos Snake and his men cause leads to tragedy. They activate the wings on their cars to hamper Speed that results in stalactites which crash to the floor of the Alpine Caverns and results in a massive collapse of more stalactites and two Car Acrobatic Team members are killed in the ensuing disaster. Speed goes off the course and is on a side hill and can't get solid ground. Sparky proves he is still Speed's best friend when he saves him at Skull Chasm.

Overall, the emotional aspect of this 3-part serial is the highest in the series' history. I can only think "Race for Revenge" comes close to it.

Rick

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Re: The Most Dangerous Race -- Paul Christman ("Oh, Speed...are you alright?"), 08:53:45 04/08/10 Thu [1]

Part III of this episode very nearly traumatized me at the tender age of seven. SPEED'S BLIND!! It freaked me out!! Although Trixie is taking him to the hospital at the end of the episode, Speed is still blind, and I couldn't sleep that night after watching. I remember dashing home from school the next day to tune in; Speed was fine, of course, so I was relieved, but, actually, an episode detailing Speed's convalescence would have provided some intense further drama.

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> [> Re: The Most Dangerous Race -- Rick, 00:25:58 05/31/10 Mon [1]

True, no follow-up was done that detailed Speed's eyesight returning, but the real freaky part was Trixie's nightmare!!

Rick

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]