M.A.S.K. S2E10

Cliff Hanger

Brad Turner stands by the open door of the purple car while Vanessa Warfield faces him.

After a drag race that Brad Turner wins, Vanessa Warfield accuses him of cheating and promises to settle things when it counts. Later the M.A.S.K. team joins the Mesa Verde Memorial Road Race, held in honor of the ancestors of Nevada Rushmore's tribe, where V.E.N.O.M. has petitioned the tribal council to take part. After V.E.N.O.M. gets hold of military paperwork, Lester Sludge talks his way to a tent and leaves with seeds that, ground into powder and mixed with water, can drive a whole city insane. M.A.S.K. races to take them back while V.E.N.O.M. members argue over who controls them, and Brad and Vanessa meet again once the race is over.

Nice driving out there. Vanessa, if you ever concentrated on driving instead of hating, you'd probably win all the time.

Cliff Hanger opens on a drag race that has nothing to do with the plot. Vanessa Warfield leans on the door of Brad Turner's car while he talks cheerfully behind the wheel, and within a minute the grievance is on the table: she says he will do anything, cheating included, because he cannot stand being beaten by a woman, someone tells her to stop blaming everything but the real cause, and she promises that when it really counts she will eat him up and spit him out. Everything that follows, the memorial road race, the stolen seeds, the V.E.N.O.M. squabbling, is arranged to put the two of them back on the same stretch of track.

The episode is about a rivalry in a thriller's clothes. The seeds supply the stakes on paper, but the story keeps its attention on Brad and Vanessa, and their grudge gets the finish.

The writing sets this up early, with Brad telling Calhoun that his feud with Vanessa has become more personal than M.A.S.K. against V.E.N.O.M. and could turn into a battle for survival. It is a big promise for a Saturday cartoon, and the episode never keeps it. The race ends with a congratulation instead, and there are two ways to take that: the show is too polite to let heroes and villains hurt each other, or the survival talk was only ever Brad being dramatic. The closing scene favors the first reading, though the second is not unfair.

The heist is quick work. V.E.N.O.M. lifts military paperwork early on, and Lester Sludge uses it to reach a tent where a guard and a woman with glasses are minding the cargo. She is wary of him at first, shows him the seeds anyway, and explains that one ground into cornmeal drove a whole tribe into madness. The danger arrives as exposition, delivered in the same breath as the handover. Later a character spells out that the seeds dissolve in water but turn it toxic as powder, and the course is studied on a map, with Floyd Malloy hoping aloud that the water is flowing out somewhere. The rule is planted and then used, which is tidy, if a little convenient.

The animation has its best moments away from the cars. The tunnels with a white glow at the far end, the wall of foam in front of four headlights, and the black whirlwind that carries off a broken purple dragster are bold pieces of staging, and two ink-brush mountain paintings dotted with tiny figures break up the desert palette in a way nothing else in the episode attempts. The tent scene is flatter, with a guard posed beside the door in three similar shots.

The dialogue leans on the sporting register of the setting. Courtesies about honor are traded before the start, and on the V.E.N.O.M. side there is a squabble over whether Miles Mayhem should be cut in at all, with Vanessa's whip curling at her feet while two colleagues look worried in a vehicle. That thread is raised and then dropped, which is the episode's real weakness: Miles is absent, and the quarrel promises a betrayal that the race never has room for.

The standout is the last scene. Brad stands by the open door of Vanessa's purple car in the evening light, the confetti still settling on her windscreen, and tells her that if she ever concentrated on driving instead of hating, she would probably win all the time. It is generous, a little patronising and very much Brad, and the wiki says it surprises her, which is the only payoff the grudge ever gets. The show signs off with two small figures in front of a decorated gate, followed by a safety tip about smelling gas in the kitchen.

As a finale it is modest. It does not gather the cast or settle anything between the teams, but it gives its two best foils one clean scene together, and for a series that was politely inconclusive for most of its run, that suits it.

The M.A.S.K. wiki numbers this as episode 10 of 10 in Season 2 and episode 75 of 75 overall, with no next episode listed.
The M.A.S.K. wiki lists this as the final appearance of Brad Turner, Calhoun Burns, Ali Bombay, Nevada Rushmore, Miles Mayhem, Maximus Mayhem, Vanessa Warfield, Bruno Sheppard, Floyd Malloy and Lester Sludge, with Alex Sector and Scott Trakker marked as appearing in the safety tip only.
The M.A.S.K. wiki lists Buzzard, Manta, Stinger, Vampire and Iguana as making their final vehicle appearances here.
According to the M.A.S.K. wiki, Razorback is a red and white Ford Thunderbird that turns into a heavily armed rescue tank.
The M.A.S.K. wiki states that, per the original toyline color guides, the Vampire was first named Vulture and the Raven was first called Vampire.
The M.A.S.K. wiki describes Stinger, driven by Bruno Sheppard, as transforming from an orange Pontiac GTO into a tank, and Manta, driven by Vanessa Warfield, as transforming from a lavender Nissan 300Z sports car into a stealth jet fighter.
The M.A.S.K. wiki notes that the Peaceful Nations Alliance is mentioned in this episode; its page describes the group as an international peacekeeping organization with Duane Kennedy as its liaison to M.A.S.K.
The M.A.S.K. wiki says the closing Safety Tip has Scott ready for one of Alex's omelettes until Alex smells gas and they take the correct precautions; the transcript has Alex advising to open a window, call the gas company and not light a match.

Brad Turner

Calhoun Burns

Ali Bombay

Nevada Rushmore

Alex Sector

Miles Mayhem

Maximus Mayhem

Vanessa Warfield

Bruno Sheppard

Floyd Malloy

Lester Sludge

Scott Trakker

Vanessa Warfield leans toward Brad Turner, who sits helmeted in a racing car.

Brad Turner talks cheerfully from his car seat behind the wheel.

Brad Turner raises a gloved hand as he drives.

Swimmers rest by a resort swimming pool surrounded by palm trees.

A pool deck with lounge chairs and a doorway sits beside the water.

A man in a green shirt walks toward Brad Turner, who lounges on a pool chair.

A man in a green shirt points a finger at Brad Turner on the lounger.

A man in a green shirt raises one finger with a worried look.

A man in a green shirt stands by the stairs while Brad Turner relaxes at a distance.

Brad Turner looks aside in sunglasses as a man in green approaches in the background.

Brad Turner sits up on his pool chair and gestures with an open hand.

Brad Turner listens quietly in his sunglasses by the brick wall.

Three green engine nozzles sit at the tail of a grey jet.

A uniformed officer smokes in a cloud of white smoke beside a seat.

A military jeep races down a dirt road beside a chain link fence.

A patterned black car leaps through the air beside a fence.

Vanessa Warfield sits in a purple car beside a goggled man in a red and blue jacket.

A stadium and tents sit in a valley of tall rock formations.

Two elders in feathered war bonnets sit and dance as two drummers sit nearby.

Brad Turner talks with Nevada Rushmore and another driver in front of a garage.

Ali Bombay leans on his blue and white motorcycle and spreads his hand.

Brad, Nevada and Ali stand near a motorcycle and a dark car outside a garage.

A small aircraft flies between rock spires in the sky.

A purple jet vehicle flies with three lights on its front.

A vehicle with a red edge rolls beside a rocky outcrop.

Brad Turner, Ali Bombay and another driver sit by the stands.

Nevada Rushmore looks out in front of the grandstand.

Nevada Rushmore turns and speaks in front of the grandstand.

Racing cars and a few drivers wait in front of a massive grandstand.

Ali Bombay and another driver in an orange vest look ahead in front of the stands.

Vanessa Warfield's purple car sits in front of the stands with several people behind it.

Nevada Rushmore and a man in an orange vest look off with serious faces.

Workers stand on scaffolding next to a tent near a stone tower in a canyon.

Lester Sludge holds up a document in his hand in front of a canyon wall.

A woman opens a tent flap as Lester Sludge walks up beside his quad bike.

Lester Sludge holds up a badge on his chest.

Lester Sludge shows a lantern to a woman with glasses in front of the tent.

Lester Sludge drives a black and red quad bike out of smoke past a woman.

Racers speed down a track under a decorated arch with grandstands.

A white car and a purple car sit near a feathered post in front of the stands.

A white car's front and a purple car's side sit in front of the packed stand.

Racing cars kick up dust as they speed along the track before the stands.

A woman in a green suit stands at the tent next to a uniformed guard.

A woman in glasses and a guard stand in front of the tent.

A guard in a green uniform stands alone in front of the tent.

Ali Bombay rides his motorcycle through the canyon away from the camera.

A driver in a gold helmet with hoses leans forward in an orange vest.

A blond rider in red launches off a ledge on a red jet cycle with a dragon head.

An orange car and a purple car race side by side across the desert sand.

A car's open trunk reveals a mechanical claw arm.

An orange car with a mounted gun launches off a sandy cliff with a passenger waving.

A dark car with a white edge slides through a cloud of dust.

Brad Turner sits behind the wheel in his blue and white helmet.

A driver in a green helmet and suit grips the steering wheel.

A tunnel of rock opens in a canyon wall with a glowing end.

Brad Turner drives in sunglasses with a dark haired man in an orange vest beside him.

Brad Turner stares ahead in his sunglasses.

Ali Bombay in his pink visored helmet sits on his motorcycle in the canyon.

Ali Bombay looks to the side in his turban in the canyon.

A man with spiky blond hair smiles from a car window in a dark suit.

A scowling blond man sits in a car while Vanessa Warfield is behind the wheel.

Brad Turner and another man study a map spread on a car hood.

A white car's grille shows a gloved hand holding a small device.

Brad Turner smiles in his sunglasses holding a gadget in his hand.

The white number 5 car races over a dirt road with a canyon behind it.

A cave tunnel is lit by a bright glow at the far end.

An orange car and a purple car race on sand as a blond rider follows on a motorcycle.

A blond man in black and red sits on a red motorcycle with an engine pod.

A river runs through a rocky tunnel in the canyon.

Lester Sludge looks ahead as Vanessa Warfield stands behind him on a rock.

Vanessa Warfield smiles and looks to the side in the canyon.

Foamy water churns over a flooded car.

A woman with glasses salutes her hand to her forehead and looks into the distance.

Nevada Rushmore smiles under his feather in front of a mesh fence.

Nevada Rushmore is reflected upside down in the water as he grips a plank.

A glowing web of lines covers a dusty rock slope.

A car's four bright headlights glow in front of a wall of foam and water.

Water splashes in a stone tunnel as spray flies.

Brad Turner drives with a confident look in blue sunglasses.

Ali Bombay holds his pink visored helmet and looks to the side.

Vanessa Warfield sits on a black and red buggy beside a blond man as a man watches.

Vanessa Warfield stands beside her buggy as an energy whip coils at her feet.

A spiky blond man and Lester Sludge look worried inside a vehicle.

Rock formations stand in the desert under a blue sky.

Brad Turner in his helmet sits in the car seat.

Vanessa Warfield, Lester Sludge and a blond man stand with their vehicles in an ink painted mountain landscape.

Small figures stand on a mountain ridge in a brushstroke ink landscape.

A purple car slides with its door open as a driver reaches out.

A white number 5 buggy rolls over the desert trailing a thin dust twister.

A red and black vehicle hangs a claw arm in the air against the sky.

White clouds and blue sky fill the screen.

A web of cracks spreads over a yellow surface around a small round object.

Lester Sludge sits in a black armored buggy with twin guns beside a cliff.

Brad Turner swings his arm out of the window of the white car.

A driver in a gold helmet sits in the dark car seat.

A gold helmeted driver sits in a car beside a white car with a driver standing.

Brad Turner sits in his blue helmet inside a red and white car.

Ali Bombay in his helmet leans over his white motorcycle.

Ali Bombay rides his motorcycle toward the camera through a narrow canyon.

Ali Bombay rides along the canyon with a trail of smoke behind him.

A purple car drives down a rocky track in a canyon.

A large black tire and a mechanical arm sit in a pile of rocks.

A purple car with green trim drives past rock walls.

Brad Turner drives while Vanessa Warfield sits beside him in the purple car.

Brad Turner smiles and turns the wheel in his sunglasses.

Dragster racers sit by a mesh fence in a yard in front of a mountain.

A man in a blue vest and orange trousers stands with his back to us watching a jet.

A purple race car throws a wheel and breaks apart in the air.

A purple vehicle spins inside a dark whirlwind in the sky.

Ali Bombay and Nevada Rushmore smile and talk together.

A white number 5 car races past a purple car on the track.

A white car and a purple car race on the track beside the grandstand.

Fans wave flags and streamers in the stands as confetti flies.

Vanessa Warfield sits in the purple car surrounded by streamers.

Brad Turner rests an arm on the purple car in the evening light.

Brad Turner and a man in an orange vest stand side by side in front of trees.

Two small figures stand on a large paved lot under a patterned gate at sunset.

Scott Trakker opens the refrigerator while a bearded man holds a mirror in the kitchen.

A hand dials a rotary telephone on the wall.

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