Race for Revenge

Part 1

Speed is at a test track and whizzes by Sparky and Trixie. Sparky times Speed at 44 seconds and an average Speed of 180. This is a test trial for a new engine in the Mach Five in preparation for the upcoming Race at Danger Pass. Just then, a black sports car enters the track and easily catches up and then tailgates Speed. Speed uses the auto-jacks to leap out of the way of the naughty tailgater. At trackside, Sparky says the go had to be going over 220 mph. Speed is still mad at the driver's recklessness.

Soon after, we see the same car driving down the street in a city, and again begins to tailgate someone. As it flashes its highbeams, the driver looks in his rearview mirror to see, on the hood the car, ``X-3'' flashing. This scares him, but before he can do anything, the X-3 says something unintelligible, passes him, turn around, and hits him head-on knocking him off the road. An ``X-3'' calling card is left at the scene.

Later, Mr. Herring of the Racing Car Association is with Speed in Inspector Detector's office at Police Headquarters. Speed is immediately certain that the cause of the car crash must have been the reckless driver on the test track. Mr. Herring is less sure claiming that he never heard of such a car. Inspector Detector asks Herring if ``X-3'' means anything to him; it was left at the scene of the crime. Herring says no, but becomes clearly agitated and says he must leave to ``take care of something immediately.'' Using his car phone, he calls the president of Ocean Industries and tells him the accident was caused by Bangler's car. Herring tells his friend not to travel at night, but the Ocean Industries pres says he has business, even at night, to tend to. (The president's clock reads 9:00, presumably a.m. since it's light out.)

But, as we savvy Speed fans knew would happen, that night on the road, the company president is tailgated by you know who, and run off the road into the ocean. We again hear some sort of voice coming from the X-3 but the speech is not intelligible.

The next morning Speed is polishing the Mach Five and hears the police report about the accident on the radio. Just then, Trixie comes up with a picnic basket, looking forward to a nice drive in the country and a picnic. Speed, ever the responsible racer, is pondering why the car is going after race officials. But as Speed and Trixie are about to pull off for a romantic drive, Inspector Detector pulls up asking for Speed's help. The Mach Five, he says, is much faster than the slow police cars, which have no hope of catching the X-3. Trixie is annoyed at the cancellation after having worked hard to prepare a wonderful picnic basket. On the inspector's radio, we hear a report that the black sports car is spotted going south on Highway 5 at 180 mph. Speed roughly (and not very nicely at all, I might add) pushes Trixie from the Mach Five saying it's too dangerous and speeds off. Trixie wonders where Spritle got to. Hmm, I can't imagine where...

In the city, the X-3 is causing havoc running through fruit stands and scaring pedestrians. Speed is following but loses the car around a corner. He stops at a nearby flower shop, but the cute girl working there says she hasn't seen the black sports car. At that point, Trixie radios to Speed that she's spotted the car five blocks away from her chopper. She's helping Speed in the hopes that they'll still get their picnic in the country. Speed slowly gains on the X-3 which approaches a railroad crossing just as the gates are coming down. The car makes it under, but the driver is torn from the seat and hangs over the crossing gate. Speed runs up and discovers that the driver is a robot. It says something that Speed can't make out over the noise of the train.

At the police station, Inspector Detector, Speed and Trixie look at the robot. The Inspector deduces the car must have been remote controlled via the robot. Speed mentions that he couldn't hear what the robot said, but as luck would have it, Spritle had recorded it on his spy recorder he brought along in the Mach Five trunk. After demanding cake for the tape, Inspector Detector promises him a seven later chocolate cake when the investigation is complete. When played, the tape lets us clearly hear, ``Malaise still races'' repeated several times (the flashback in the Part 2 intro, however, repeats ``The Malaise is alive''). Trying to figure out what that means, Speed mentions that he learned about Napolean's horse, Malaise, in French history and that the horse had saved his life once. But Pops says he remembers another story. Fifteen years ago at Danger Pass, Mr. Black and Green, the men recently killed by the X-3, were coaching a team expected to win the race but were afraid that a young driver, Flash Marker, would be able to win instead. Fifty cars entered the race, and during the first half, it was anybody's race. During the second half, though, Flash began passing everyone. But at the entrance of Danger Pass, a car from the Three Roses Club cut him off. To avoid hitting him, Flash, driving his Malaise, swerved and went off the edge of the mountain. No one knew if it was done on purpose or not, but Pops remembered that Flash had two small children at the time.

Afterwards, Inspector Detector drops Speed and Trixie off at the same flower shop Speed had stopped at when chasing and losing the X-3. While the girl, Lily, is worried that a detective is there, she still, at Inspector Detector's request, brings them to see her brother, Flash, Jr., who has been sick in bed for three weeks now. The inspector leaves satisfied when Flash, Jr. says he knows nothing about the black sports car. Alone with her brother, Lily breaks down crying saying she won't lie again for Flash. On crutches, he asks her to follow him to see his newest plan now that the robot was lost. Through a secret door under his bed, he brings her down into a huge cellar he built without her knowledge. (Funny, since it's at least the size of an airplane hangar.) A crane takes off the body of the X-3 and replaces it with a similar looking one numbered ``3.'' Forcing Lily into the car and controlling it remotely on his indoor track, he scares her into agreeing to enter the Race at Danger Pass to take revenge against the Three Roses Club for their father's murder. Flash said if he's better, he'll race in her place.

At the race, the announcer is naming some of the world famous drivers: in car #6 is Skid Chill, driving car #77 is Sooten Grime, in #86 is Scootem Rooter, and of course Speed is in the Mach Five. The owners of the Three Roses Club are worried about Speed winning, but the drivers says they know what to do to get rid of him. But the same drivers get very worried when car #3 pulls up driven by, the announcer says, Miss Julie. They know it's the Malaise that they caused to crash 15 years ago. Meanwhile, Trixie learns from Spritle and hides in the trunk before the race starts. She seems jealous that Speed is interested in Miss Julie, though Speed is simply wondering why she looks familiar.

Overhead, Flash, Jr. is hovering in his helicopter controlling the X-3, aka car #3. At Danger Pass, the three cars from the Three Roses Club prepare for their dirty work to get rid of the Mach Five. But Flash has car #3 move ahead, and the number on the hood flips to reveal ``X-3.'' As the car passes the Mach Five, Lily passes out under the pressure of the situation. Her helmet falls off, and Speed recognizes her. Flash realizes Speed is onto the plan, and decides he also has to get rid of the Mach Five.

Recognizing Lily, Speed realizes that the X-3 must be remotely controlled by Flash, Jr. When Flash fails at his attempt to do in Speed, he remarks that Speed is the best driver he's ever seen. He decides to leave Speed be for now, and take his revenge against the Three Roses Club. The announcer tells us that car #6 (that's Skid Chill, you'll recall) is in the lead, with car #12 following next, and the Three Rose Club cars close behind. At checkpoint three, he announces that the average speed is 143.7 mph. Pops is nervously pacing to and fro with Spritle and Chim Chim each under an arm. Sparky tells Pops to relax since there are still three hours to go in the race. Spritle agrees telling Pops he can hardly breathe Pops is squeezing him so hard. Wondering where Trixie is, Spritle guesses correctly that she's in the trunk of the Mach Five.

Speed, meanwhile, is amazed at the X-3, saying it might even be better than the Mach Five. Trying to catch up, he complains to himself that it feels like there is some extra weight in the trunk. Stopping, he finds Trixie there. They hop in and take off again, but not until Speed complains that Trixie shouldn't be there. She says there's nothing to be done about it now, and they better start off again. Speed says, ``You're right again, as usual.'' Nearing Danger Pass, the Three Roses Club cars, #7, #8, and #9, begin to take out the competition. Cars #6 and #12 are knocked off the mountain.

By now, the X-3 has caught up as they approach Danger Pass. Flash radios Lily to wake up so she can enjoy the vengeance taken for the father's death. But Lily remains unconscious. As the Mach Five continues to gain, Speed spots Flash's chopper and tells Trixie that he saw it before when he was chasing the black sports car. She recommends using the homing robot. She records a message to Inspector Detector that car #3 is the remotely controlled Malaise and that Lily is in danger. The homing robot is sent on its way.

At Danger Pass, the X-3 catches up with the Three Roses Club team. Lily begs Flash not to continue with his plan. Flash ignores her and has the X-3 push one of the cars off the mountain. One of the other drivers babbles, "I was just following orders. I didn't mean it." (They're the worst kind aren't they?) And off he's bumped. Speed cuts acroos the mountain terrain and is able to drive back on the road and place himself between the Malaise and the sole surviving Three Roses car. Flash, pretty annoyed by this, flies low enough to shoot at Speed. The bulletproof cockpit glass protects them, but the sound of the bullet firing starts an avalanche that burries the Mach Five and blocks the way of the Malaise.

Worried about their oxygen supply, Speed climbs out and gets out of the snow, and helps Trixie do the same. But Flash is there and threatens to kill them for interfering. Luckily, Lily tackles flash, who's still walking with a crutch. He and Speed fight over the gun. A shot goes off and causes another avalanche covering the two of them. Flash gets out, thinking Speed is dead, and flies off in his chopper. Speed then unburies himself but is hurt. Since he's in shock, Lily decides he needs to be kept warm and uses her body to do the job. But before Speed gets to enjoy this, Trixie pushes her away in jealousy it seems.

Back at trackside, apparently the homing robot made its way to Inspector Detector because now he, Pops and Sparky---and of course our two perpetual stowaways under the seat---are flying via helicopter to catch Flash, Jr. The inspector tells Pops Speed is a clever boy for figuring it out.

Down on the track, Speed, Trixie and Lily decide they better get the Mach Five out to go catch Flash, who is now caught up with the Three Roses Club car. While driving, we see the Mach Five's speedometer reading 240 km/h, the odometer at 502214 km, and the tripometer at 1162. (No one mentions where Lily is during all this, by the way.) First they see Flash's chopper and then manage to catch up with the driverless Malaise itself. Speed tells Trixie to drive the Mach Five while he jumps into the Malaise. When she says she's afraid, Speed tells her, ``This is no time to act like a girl.'' That's Speed for you, huh?

Speed leaps into the Malaise to shut it off, but Flash comes on the radio telling him the remote is in the chopper, not the car. He tells Speed to enjoy the ride because it'll be his last. Trying to remain calm, Speed thinks and decides the remote control receiver must be in the hood. He lays across the hood trying to open it. Speed flips the rotating 3/X-3 hood plate and is able to rip out wires or cables. This causes the Malaise to crash into the remaining Three Roses Club car, and both go off the cliff and crash in a ball of flame below.

Aghast at seeing his father's car destroyed, Flash fails to notice the mountain. His chopper crashes into it, and he's killed. At the crash site, where by now the inspector's helicopter has also arrived, everyone is upset at Speed's ``death.'' As Trixie lays down on the ground and cries, we see Speed swimming up from the nearby by river where he apparently fell into. As climbs out, the Go team are so happy to see him they run, tackle him, and all fall back into the river. But then they see Lily crying about her brother. Trixie says they'll always be her friend, and Lily responds that she hopes someday they can forgive Flash for what he did.

The episode closes showing Lily, Speed and Trixie on a street corner enjoying the company of each other at some sort of mini-carnival; clown, balloons, ice cream, small children laughing... A glimpse at their newly forged friendship.

[The original Japanese comic book version is a little more to my taste. Among the more notable differences, Speed gets into the Malaise only after Lily runs off the road, and Speed begins a fight with the ``crazy'' driver. They agree to swap cars and re-enter the race course. Also, Flash, Jr. still crashes in his chopper in the end but survives and there's a happy ending. But I guess for tv, they didn't want kids to get the message that revenge of that sort is ok.]