Mad Max Minute presents: The Road Warrior (1981): Recent Episodes
Rick & Julia Ingham
Join Rick and Julia as they comb through the post-apocalyptic wasteland in George Miller's Mad Max Series of movies.
In the same year that he portrayed Scottish Hero William Wallace, Mel Gibson lent his voice to the colonial explorer John Smith in Disney’s Pocahontas. Join us, along with Julia’s family, as we watch and discuss Disney’s 33rd feature-length animated production, with music by Alan Menken. A fanciful depiction of the first contact between the Powhatan tribe and English settlers in what would one day become Jamestown, Virginia. Along for the ride are sassy animal sidekicks, landscapes that look nothing like Virginia, and more magical leaves than can be believed.
In the fight against Fascism in Europe Captain Invincible was a shining hero and beacon of freedom for all Americans to look up to. A man mysteriously imbued with superhuman powers, taking the fight to the Nazis. But in the throes of the Red Scare and McCarthy era scrutiny, Captain Invincible disappeared. Forty years pass and in the wake of the emergence of the evil Mr. Midnight, the President of the United States call for Captain Invincible to return, a call answered by a Police Detective in Sydney, who is certain that a local drunkard is just the man they need.
After going toe-to-toe with Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior, Vernon Wells is back as Bennett, the Army special forces commando who was expelled from his unit for excessive violence by his commanding officer, John Matrix, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Together with a deposed South American Dictator, Bennett is determined to ruin the man who wronged him by kidnapping his daughter, and he’s even doing it for free. It’s up to John Matrix, along with his sidekick Cindy, to track down his daughter and rescue her from her kidnappers before he runs out of time.
It’s the film that MadMaxMovies.com describes as “Mad Max 2 mixed up with Star Wars.” Metalstorm is the tale of Dogen (Jeffrey Byron), our leather-clad, fast-driving hero and his pursuit of the villainous Jared-Syn (Mike Preston) who is determined to harvest enough soul energy to dominate the wasteland. To defeat his enemy, Dogen must find a mystical crystal mask which can defend him from Jared-Syn’s evil magics, but sinister forces hunt our hero, including the villainous cyborg, Baal. If this movie sounds ridiculous, rest assured, it is.
From acclaimed German director, Werner Herzog comes the story of modernity versus antiquity and the geologist stuck between them. Bruce Spence is Lance Hackett, an employee of the Ayers Mining Company who finds his search for a uranium deposit in the Australian outback held up by a group of Aborigines who are bound by tradition to stop the company’s expansion into the area in order to preserve the land where the green ants dream. Unable to reach compromise, the two sides meet in High Court to decide if the future belongs to commerce or tradition.
Hot on the heels of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior our hiatus begins with Peter Weir’s story of two Australian sprinters in 1915 and the brutal cost of war. Mark Lee stars as Archy Hamilton, a gifted young runner, who meets up with Frank Dunne, played by Mel Gibson, and together they set out to enlist in the Australian Light Cavalry. From Australia to the training grounds in Egypt they revel in the status afforded them by military service until the day comes that they are shipped to the front lines and the realities of the First World War begin exploding around them.
It’s the return of Yuri Lowenthal and Travis Sentell, from You Are Awaited: A Mad Max Fury Road Podcast, as we open the Thunderdome and pit Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior against Mad Max: Fury Road to see how George Miller’s sophomore effort stacks up against his 2015 mega-hit. Who was the better Max? How does the Lord Humungus stand up against Immortan Joe? Does Pappagallo stand a chance against Furiosa? All this and more as we bid a fond farewell to The Road Warrior.
In this penultimate episode of our deep dive into Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, we take a step back to examine the movie as a whole. We talk about our favorite parts, as well as discuss some elements that just didn’t work for us. We also talk about how The Road Warrior fits into the circular storytelling road map of the hero's journey and we try to come to a consensus over whether Max has a character arc.
With one final departing look at Max, the movie fades to black and the end credits begin. With the conclusion of this chapter in Max’s story let us take a step back and examine how the end chase would have been different if the film had more closely followed the original screenplay. With added instances of fighting, details that clarify questions from watching the movie, and a twist that upsets the entire structure of the horde, the screenplay is a must read.
The Gyro Captain finds Max and the two share a moment before they bring the Feral Child to the rendezvous point to meet up with the other compound dwellers. While the Gyro Captain and the Feral Child choose to travel with the convoy to the coast, Max refuses and chooses to stay behind in the wasteland, drifting into legend. The narrator’s voice returns to share the success of the convoy and how they found new leadership in their new home.
With the rig overturned and the raiders departed, Max collects himself and makes his way out of the wreck. With the Feral Child in hand, Max makes his way around to the side of the tanker and after placing the child down He turns to notice that sand is streaming from a spout on the side of the tanker. Max places his hand under the spout and it quickly fills with a small pile of dirt. This moment of realization is interrupted by the sound of a small motor approaching.
The Lord Humungus is dead, the rig and tanker lie wrecked beside the road, and the raiders who make up the horde find themselves at a loss. The tanker is revealed to be full of dirt, far from the bounty that the marauders were promised and so the raiders turn and leave. Inside the wrecked truck, it is revealed that Max and the Feral child have survived the crash. We are joined by Norman and Cassandra of The Lord of the Rings Minute podcast.
The Feral Child sits on the bonnet of the rig, staring at the shell that is just out of reach. He moves closer, but just as he’s about to grab the shell a blood-covered hand reaches up from the cow catcher, followed by the terrible visage of Wez. Punctuated by screaming, Max pulls the Feral Child back into the cab as Humungus appears on the road ahead. Humungus drives headlong at the rig resulting in one of the most spectacular crashes in all of cinema.
Alone against the fury of Humungus’ Horde, Max makes the bold decision to turn the rig around and head back along the way he came. Desperate for ammunition, Max sends the Feral Child out of the missing windshield towards a single shotgun shell sitting at the end of the Mack’s bonnet. Further up the road, Humungus has shaken off the firebomb and engages all of his trucks enhancements to speed towards the rig that evades him.
The tanker is losing tires, the rig is losing speed, and Max is almost out of defenders. Humungus grabs another trident and speeds towards Max, but before he can throw his terrifying weapon, the Gyro Captain swoops low to deliver a molotov onto the warlord. Suddenly covered in smoke and flames, Humungus back off from the tanker, but the victory is short-lived as the Snake Truck disables the gyrocopter sending it hurtling towards the ground.
The Feral Child goes on the offensive and attacks Bearclaw Mohawk with tooth and nail. Pappagallo finally catches up to the rig and after getting a look at Max tries to convince the Feral Child to jump from the Rig and make an escape, but a thrown spear (or perhaps trident) puts an end to the oil executive turned wasteland leader. Max and the Feral Child watch as Pappagallo’s vehicle drifts into the bush and rolls to a stop in a cloud of dust.
With all other defenders killed, the raiders begin to assault the rig directly. Max is able to quickly dispatch two raiders, but Bearclaw Mohawk and Wez quickly overwhelm Him. Assaulted from above and behind, Max gets creative with His driving and brakes hard, sending Wez flying over the front of the rig. Despite Max’s quick thinking Bearclaw Mohawk manages to hold on. Our special guests today are Caitlin, Karen, and Liz from the Foxes in the Henhouse podcast.
Having disappeared over a week ago, Pappagallo returns to the chase trailing all of the raiders that he led away initially, proving his efforts largely fruitless. Also returning to the chase is the Gyro Captain, flying high over the speeding vehicles giving us a clear view of the raiders that have begun to infest the tanker. Among these raiders is Wez, helped along by Bearclaw Mohawk, who has his sights set on ruining Max’s already terrible day.
After seeing his compatriot shot through the windshield, the remaining Bad Cop in the red XA Falcon continues to pester the tanker, until he makes the mistake of cutting in front of the rig and is plowed through. Despite this setback, the raiders continue to press the attack with marauders mounting the tanker from multiple points. Amidst all of this, the horde suffers an unexpected casualty as one of the motorcycle raiders is caught up in the tires and sucked underneath.
As the Snake Truck is forced off the road, Max turns his attention back to the road ahead. Meanwhile, the Mechanic struggles in a tug of war with a pair of raiders over the Warrior Woman’s body, a contest that ends with both tanker defenders meeting their end on the paved road. Seeing this, Max uses his shotgun to kill one of the raiders which sets off a chain reaction that results in the now infamous Cannonball stunt that sent Stuntman Guy Norris to hospital.
Zetta is gone and the Mechanic is on fire so it’s up to the Warrior Woman to take control of the situation. She’s able to impede Bearclaw Mohawk, but Wez is quick to retaliate with a volley of arrows from the snake truck. The arrows find their target, sending the Warrior Woman over the edge of the tanker onto the barbed wire below. Wez takes this opportunity to rescue Bearclaw Mohawk and lift him onto the tanker before Max is able to sideswipe the raiders away.
We rejoin Zetta at the back of the tanker as he’s blindsided by an enemy grappling hook. As the buggy the hook is attached to begins to roll and drag behind the tanker, the strain proves too much for the platform and Zetta is pulled from the tanker. The mechanic tries to counter attack, but is shot by an advancing Bearclaw Mohawk. We are joined today by Professor Christy Porter, longtime contributor to the Indiana Jones Minute podcast.
With the help of one of his Bad Cops, Humungus unleashes Wez, freeing him to leap onto another vehicle and engage the tanker directly. Fortified at the rear of the tanker, Zetta and the Mechanic set about throwing Molotov cocktails at their pursuers, managing to send one car off the road. Despite this small victory, Wez is able to slip by and tear the driver-side door off of the rig, leaving Max exposed behind the steering wheel.
With one last explosion, the compound is nothing more than a thick mushroom cloud drifting over the outback. Elsewhere, the rig is driving hard with a swarm of raiders on its heels and only a handful of defenders. Hoping to lighten the load on Max, Pappagallo leaves the roadway managing to lead away several marauders in the process. With one fewer vehicle in their way, the raiders begin shifting around and preparing to unleash their deadliest weapons.
As the compound dwellers make a run for the rendezvous point, a small group of raiders enters the abandoned compound. Their victory is short lived as the compound dwellers rigged the encampment with explosives, sending the entire facility up in a massive fireball. The explosion is grand in scale and terrible in efficacy, causing the compound dwellers to turn back in amazement at the destruction that has been wrought in the hopes of the compound not falling into raider hands.
At the beginning of week 16, it’s up to max to use the raw power of the rig to smash his way through the assembled raiders. Aiding him in this task is the Gyro Captain who lays down a healthy smattering of molotovs to scatter the marauders. Humungus answers this defiance with gunfire as he tries to disable the rig once again. Finding thick armor blocking his efforts, Humungus turns his weapon on the Gyro Captain and drives off the aviator as Max leads the horde away from the compound.
Outside the compound, Wez sits chained before the Lord Humungus. As Humungus waits for the compound dwellers to make their move He loads his remaining bullets into his revolver. Back inside, the Warrior Woman notices the Feral Child clinging to the cab of the rig and orders him collected, but the Feral Child breaks free and finds his way back onto the Rig. Our special guests this Friday are Gary Roby and Victoria Cope from the Harry Potter Minute podcast.
Pappagallo capitulates to Max’s request and hands him not only his shotgun but a handful of shells to go with it. With all matters settled, the compound dwellers make their final preparations to leave. Zetta and the other tanker defenders get into their fortified positions, Pappagallo and Max share a respectful nod, and Arkie and the Gyro Captain share a meaningful look across the compound before they make their grand escape.
As the compound dwellers continue to discuss the evacuation, Max utilizes the Feral Child to help him walk across the yard and join the conversation. The Mechanic argues with the Warrior Woman about being included on the tanker team, but they are interrupted by Max who’s had a change of heart and wants to drive the rig. Pappagallo and Zetta are skeptical of Max’s ability to perform the feat, but Max is adamant and reminds them that he is the best driver they have.
Max swings his legs down to the floor as the Feral Child brings him his jacket and gear belts. They share a look between them before we join the compound dwellers outside. In the courtyard of the compound, Pappagallo is going over the evacuation plan one more time before they leave their refuge for good. He reminds everyone of how the tanker should draw off the raiders and how important it is that they get away as quickly as they can.
High above the wasteland, Max drifts in and out of consciousness following his ordeal out on the road. Whisked along by the Gyro Captain, Max allows himself to fall asleep only to wake up inside the infirmary of the compound with his wounds dressed. Noises above him are revealed to be the Feral Child who has been holding on to Max’s gear. As Max sits up he discovers that he’s not alone, and Max comes face to face with what remains of the Quiet Man.
Disoriented, bloodied, and alone, Max drags himself through the underbrush. As the dust and smoke swirls around him, Max hears the muffled sound of the Gyrocopter and turning over, sees a familiar shape moving towards him out of the sky. Soon Max finds himself flying high above the outback with a familiar face. This week we’re joined by the incomparable Sean German from the Spinal Tap Minute, 5 Minutes of Mime, and the upcoming Groundhog Day Minute podcasts.
As the Black-on-black burns below, Wez is joined by his reinforcements, but seeing as his prize has gone up in smoke He orders an immediate withdrawal. Far away, one of the compound dwellers sees the smoke rising in the distance, which prompts the Gyro Captain to take a closer look with his spyglass. By instincts alone, He can tell that Max is in trouble and after considering his options makes no hesitation to leap into action.
Max has found cover behind a rock, but it’s not enough to hide him from the leather-clad raider hunting him. Dog puts on a brave display but is killed by the raider. The Toadie opens the gas cap on the interceptor, activating the booby trap, but fails to hear the fuse burning until it is too late. As the other raider is ready to kill Max, the booby trap explodes the black-on-black disintegrating the Toadie and sending Max’s attacker flying. From the ridge, Wez looks on, furious.
As the Black-on-black lands at the bottom of a ravine Wez and his accompanying raiders are there, ready to pick over the remains. Max is alive but gravely injured and bleeding heavily. Defiant, Max drags himself from the wreckage as Wez barks his commands to the Toadie and a Bad Cop raider. The two marauders make their way to the bottom of the ravine where the bad cop discovers an empty car, but the Toadie finds full gas tanks.
With the compound behind him and a full tank of gas, Max thunders out onto the open road pursued by a detachment of raiders from the nearby camp who saw him leave. Max is quick to lose most of the marauders, but Wez is still gaining on Him. The Mohawker unleashes the full might of The Lord Humungus’ truck and quickly closes the distance, dealing a killing blow to the interceptor that sends Max off the road and into a terrifying rollover.
Max opens the bus gate and begins walking back to his car, but the Gyro Captain is quick to intercept him and let Max know that he’s making a mistake by leaving like this. Max says goodbye and drives away, leaving the compound dwellers behind to watch him disappear into the darkness. Max doesn’t get too far before the sound of his engine reaches Wez, and a new chase begins. This week’s guest is our good friend, teacher and fabricator, Nathan Porter.
With His fuel tanks full, and all stowaways cast off, Max fires up the Black-on-black and drives through the compound to the bus gate. Seeing the Road Warrior leaving, Zetta marches over to Pappagallo, surprised that He would allow Max to leave like this. Pappagallo defends Max, giving him credit for upholding his end of the bargain. Zetta points out that they still need a driver for the tanker. Pappagallo is not concerned, as He has decided to drive the rig.
As Max replaces the booby trap under the Black-on-black, the Feral Child drops from the pipes above and sneaks into the car. Hearing the Feral Child scurrying about, and the twinkling of the music box, Max quickly discovers the kid and tells him to get out. The Feral Child is determined to leave with the Road Warrior, but Max isn’t having it and using the music box He gets the Feral Child out of his car, and turns his back on the disappointed child.
Desperate to convince Max to stay and drive the tanker, Pappagallo presses on Max and makes the mistake of pressing too hard on the subject of lost family. Max tries to turn away, but a grab at his arm causes Max to haul off and punch Pappagallo in the face, sending him sprawling. Pappagallo rises to his feet, condemns Max as a piece of garbage aimlessly blowing in the wasteland, and hobbles away leaving Max to reinstall his booby trap on The Interceptor.
Lucky week 13 begins with Max insisting that Pappagallo has run out of bargaining chips to keep him around, but He and the Curmudgeon are convinced that they can still change Max’s mind. Curmudgeon leads by showing Max some postcards from their destination, the lovely Sunshine Coast, and extolling the virtues of a simple life by the ocean. Unimpressed, Max continues to refuse which leads to Pappagallo stepping up his tactics.
Arkie Whiteley’s character makes the final decision to stay with the other compound dwellers. The Gyro Captain respects her decision and ultimately decides to stay with them as well. Elsewhere in the compound, Max is approached by Pappagallo and the Curmudgeon who would like Max to stay and drive the rig, but the Road Warrior is not keen on sticking around. We are joined this week by Tom Taylor from the Indiana Jones Minute podcast.
As the mechanic and his assistants work on preparing the rig, the Gyro Captain and Arkie Whiteley’s character appear to be sneaking away. Before they get too far Arkie has a change of heart and stops to look back at the other dwellers frantically preparing for the morning. Noticing her hesitation the Gyro Captain tries to assuage her concerns, but she simply cannot bring herself to sneak out on the people who have become her family.
The torture montage continues as scouts are strung up and brutalized while Lord Humungus stands on the ridge gesturing and reciting poetry. Meanwhile, in the compound, the dwellers are frantically preparing to leave the next morning. Zetta stands in the center of the courtyard calling out directions in order to ensure that no effort is wasted. Vehicles are reinforced and repaired as the Curmudgeon tries to round up the compound’s livestock.
Despite the praise he received from the compound dwellers Max in unswayed in his decision to take his fuel and leave. Later that evening, the compound’s look-out points to the ridge where the Lord Humungus and his raiders have begun torturing and killing the captured scouts in full view of the dwellers. He declares for all to hear that they will know his vengeance and none of them will make it out alive. Then there’s a raider montage of raiders doing raider things.
Pappagallo receives an estimate of how long it will take to fix the damage to the rig and immediately orders it done in half the time. Max is replaced on the flamethrower by the Warrior Woman who extends an olive branch after their rocky first encounter. Max is only interested in getting back to his car, but several compound dwellers take the opportunity to swarm around him, this time to express gratitude for the delivery of the rig and to persuade him to stay.
The Curmudgeon is taken with the Gyro Captain’s flying machine and wonders if it can be used to ferry people away from harm. Up on the wall, Zetta checks on Pappagallo whose main concern is the condition of the rig. Using the tried and true strategy of shouting across open spaces, the Mechanic, and his assistant relay the extent of the damages to the rig. We’re joined this week by Brad Mendenhall from The Cosmic Geppetto Podcast.
Suddenly alone against the entire compound, Wez beats a hasty retreat, vaulting over the compound’s moat to scurry away. The Gyro Captain takes this opportunity to land in the compound. Things begin to settle as the horde retreats into the distance and the clean up begins. In the middle of it all is the Gyro Captain who finds himself divided between greeting the compound dwellers and trying to keep the Feral Child from touching his gyrocopter.
Distracted by the fighting behind him, Pappagallo lets his guard down and falls prey to an arrow shot by an attacker causing him to collapse and leave the flamethrower unattended. Both Wez and Max see this and begin a race to the weapon. Wez swings and climbs across the compound while Max takes off running through the mayhem of raiders and dwellers. Max is able to reach the flamethrower and fend off another wave of marauders charging the gate.
The rig is in the compound, but the danger is no over as several raiders, including Wez, were able to get past the bus gate before it closed. From his defensive position, Pappagallo is able to destroy one raider vehicle and keep the rest of them at bay. Meanwhile, Wez is trying to direct the raiders inside the compound to gain control of the gate but finds his efforts made difficult by the fierce opposition from the compound dwellers.
The compound is in sight as Max makes the last push through the raiders. Suddenly, Max is blindsided by Wez, who punches through the side window nearly trying to pull Max out of the rig. As Max fights off the raider in his window, more marauders close in on the rig, shooting at the tires. Not content to be an observer, the Gyro Captain drops one of his snakes onto a raider, causing them to panic and crash, giving Max the time to make it inside the compound.
The sounds of the approaching rig reach The Lord Humungus as Max continues to barrel past encampments. Though a raider is able to smash the rig’s windshield, Max’s focus is on the road ahead. Meanwhile, Lord Humungus has armed himself and takes careful aim at the rig, succeeding in damaging the internal systems as it speeds by, tearing away a tent in the process. Our special guests this week are Adam and Jake from the Dark Knight Minute podcast.
Raiders scramble to their vehicles and give chase as Max begins to speed his way through the camps. One marauder tries to sideswipe the rig, but Max is too skilled and deflects the car away, to the delight of the Gyro Captain, watching from high above the action. Despite this victory, Wez is quick to strike, shooting at the rig’s tires before moving into position and leaping from his motorcycle onto the rig in order to meet Max in closer proximity.
It’s just Max and Dog, as the two prepare to make the run through the raider camps between them and the compound. Max steels himself and takes off down the packed dirt road, but He’s not alone, as it’s quickly revealed that the Gyro Captain has freed himself from his restraints and is following Max in the gyrocopter. Wez is the first to hear Max approaching and whips the other raiders into a frenzy in order to stop the rig before it reaches the compound.
With some coaxing from Max, the rig sputters and rumbles to life, billowing clouds of dirt and dust into the air. An excited Gyro Captain cheers but quickly realizes that Max intends to abandon him, which he prevents by calling out and inquiring about his fate. Reluctant to dwell too long on the subject, Max tosses a set of keys to the Gyro Captain allowing the chained man to free himself. With that settled Max takes off in the rig, leaving the Gyro Captain behind.
Max’s efforts in searching the dead wastelander are rewarded with an intact shotgun shell which He promptly loads into his shotgun revealing that the firearm was empty the entire time. The Gyro Captain tries to shame Max for his deception, but the road warrior is only interested in using the gyrocopter to make the rest of the journey fast and easy. After a relatively short flight, Max and the Gyro Captain reach the rig and they set about getting it started.
Week 9 draws to a close as Max, the Gyro Captain, and Dog return to the dried riverbed where lies the Gyrocopter. Alongside the flying machine is a new vehicle, the buggy of an unfortunate wastelander who fell victim to one of the Gyro Captain’s snakes. Max sets about searching the body for supplies as his two companions argue over who’ll get to eat the snake. This week’s fresh eyes are provided by Ethan McKinley from Two-Minute Terminator.
On the white sandy bed of a dried out river, the Gyro Captain drags the dead wood that serves as the ball on his chain. He trudges along, making his way back to his beloved Gyrocopter, but the familiar sound of a dog barking makes him stop dead in his tracks. Turning, the Gyro Captain sees the Road Warrior and his Dog. Dog is quick to catch up to the Gyro Captain and Max exchanges the dead wood for cans of gasoline, and the three continue on together.
With the coast clear, Max picks up his gas cans once again and continues onward, following the pointed directions provided by the Feral Child. As Max disappears once again into the night, the Feral Child watches him go. By dawn’s light, Max has reached his camp atop the ridge to find the Gyro Captain has absconded with the tree he was chained to, and with a weary look, Max begins the long trek back to the Rig he saw two days earlier.
Happy Halloween! It’s the darkest minute of The Road Warrior as Max finds himself hiding in a ditch from the raider that heard him fall. It’s a tense situation as even the slightest noise would alert Bearclaw Mohawk to Max’s position and rally the camp. Luckily, Max is not alone and the Feral Child appears providing Max with a clever distraction for the raider, convincing him that the sound he heard was merely wild dogs.
Max picks his way across burned out wrecks and disappears into the night carrying his liquid payload as well as the hopes of all those who dwell within the compound. However, the night is dark and full of horrors as Max tries to skirt around the raider camps and finds himself falling into an unseen ditch. The clamor raises the suspicions of Bearclaw Mohawk, who moves to investigate the noise. Lying in the bottom of the gully Max pulls his knife and waits.
Having heard Max’s demands, Zetta reminds those gathered of their earlier failures but expresses a willingness to let the road warrior try. The other members of the inner circle are wary of putting their fates in Max’s hands, but Pappagallo agrees to Max’s proposal and the deal is struck. Laden with fuel cans, Max leaves the compound that night as the dwellers watch him go. The special guest this week is Gerry Porter from the Indiana Jones Minute podcast.
Unimpressed by Pappagallo’s speech, Big Rebecca calls his plan into question, to the Warrior Woman’s displeasure, and compound dwellers begin to drop their weapons at Her feet. The Captain’s Girl expresses her apologies to Pappagallo, but Max, silent until now, interjects that he has a solution to their problem. Later that night Max lays out his terms for this new agreement before Pappagallo and the compound’s inner circle.
Max reaches into his jacket and produces the music box he retrieved from the truck driver’s corpse in minute 9 and plays it for the Feral Child. The boy is captivated by the device, and Max decides to gift it to him, which delights the child before he scurried back into his hole. Back in the center of the compound, Pappagallo reminds the other dwellers that their failure to protect the fuel could result in them never reaching a place beyond that vermin on machines.
Continuing their debate from minute 36, Zetta claims that once outside the safety of the compound, the raiders will cut them down like pigs, a statement Big Rebecca adamantly opposes. Curmudgeon steps forward and offers to parlay with Humungus, but Pappagallo is not willing to walk away from all they’ve worked to build. Meanwhile, the Feral Child emerges from his tunnel by Max and shows off his bloodied boomerang.
Having delivered his terms, The Lord Humungus’ and his horde drive away leaving the compound dwellers to decide their fate. Some react with defiance swearing they will never walk away, but Big Rebecca pleads with the other compound dwellers to accept the warlord’s dubious offer. Her position is countered by Zetta who claims that accepting the marauder’s offer would only result in their complete annihilation.
As Wez is taken away, The Lord Humungus lays out his offer. He wants the pump, the oil, the gasoline, and the compound. In return, the compound dwellers will be allowed to leave unimpeded. They are given one full day to decide, as The Lord Humungus orders his horde to withdraw once again, leaving the compound to make their decision. This week our guests are Yuri Lowenthal and Travis Sentell from You Are Awaited: A Mad Max Fury Road Podcast.
The Lord Humungus attempts to get his address back underway, but Wez has other ideas and leaps aboard Humungus’ Truck trying to order a full retaliation. Not intent of losing control, The Lord Humungus takes his Dog of War in a bear hug and begins to squeeze. As Humungus squeezes, Wez loses steam and the warlord assures him that they will destroy the compound all in good time. As Wez drifts into unconsciousness, he’s carried away by Bearclaw Mohawk.
The feral child’s boomerang traces an arc through the sky before being caught and almost immediately rethrown. This time around the boomerang lodges itself in the Golden Youth, to Wez’s dismay. Furious, Wez throws the boomerang which flies over the Feral Child and begins to return towards the raiders where the Toadie is confident he can catch it. Without a protective glove, the Toadie only succeeds in injury himself much to the amusement of the other raiders.
The Lord Humungus chastises the compound dwellers for thinking they could evade his dogs of war and goes on to shame them for being selfish and not giving freely of the spoils pulled from the wasteland. Meanwhile, the defiant shouts for the compound dwellers not to listen and to blow it all up to deprive anyone from taking the fuel. A short demonstration by Wez illustrates how nothing escapes the horde, and a headbutt prompts the feral child to intercede.
Still handcuffed to a railing, Max stands atop the compound wall as the Horde spreads out before the compound. Perched atop the Lord Humungus’ Truck, The Toadie waves his arm to signal an end to the revving and the valley falls silent. Standing before the horde, The Toadie introduces the warrior of the wasteland, the Ayatollah of Rock n’ Roll-ah, The Lord Humungus, himself, who is gravely disappointed in the compound dwellers after that morning’s events.
Finding himself handcuffed to a railing, Max can do nothing but sit back and watch as the compound dwellers prepare their defenses. Outside in the valley, The Lord Humungus approaches with his captured scouts draped across the vehicles in his menacing fleet. Two of the scouts, mounted as hood ornaments on the Humungus’ truck, still live and shout to the compound dwellers. This week we’re joined by Travis Bow from the Reel Comic Heroes podcast.
The Mechanic and his assistants are towing Max’s interceptor into the compound as he is being led out. The Mechanic stops to compliment Max on his vehicle before raising the ire of Dog who doesn’t like the idea of someone else messing with the black-on-black. Max is able to calm Dog, but before they have a chance to do much else, the alarm is raised from the watchtower that the horde is returning and everything goes into lockdown.
Time is short for Max to get the gas that Nathan promised him, but everyone only wants to talk about the scouts. The Quiet Man interrupts to ask about the woman that was brutalized by the raiders, but Max brushes him off with no explanation preferring to direct Pappagallo to ask Nathan about their deal as he pulls the warrior woman’s knife from his throat. As if on cue, Nathan dies and Pappagallo orders Max expelled from the compound.
As Max is searched, the compound dwellers begin to take Nathan away on a stretcher, but Big Rebecca gets angry with Pappagallo, upset over the scout’s injuries, a situation The Curmudgeon uses to serve up a few I-told-you-so’s. Max is led inside the compound and a team is instructed do the same to the black-on-black. Once within the walls, Pappagallo approaches Max looking for information about His identity, and more importantly, the other scouts.
Week 6 begins as Max pulls up to the compound in the black-on-black and disembarks with his passenger slung across his shoulders. Moving slowly and making sure to follow all of the orders given to him, Max makes his way towards the gate until it opens to reveal a flood of compound dwellers wary of this mysterious stranger from the wasteland. Max passes Nathan to some others as he is searched by Zetta. Our outro music today is Mike Preston’s 1960 cover of “I`d Do Anything” from Oliver.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Rape. As Max tends to the injured scout, the man thanks Max profusely, but He is not there for gratitude, He wants gasoline. Seeing Max as his only way to safety, the scout promises as much petrol as He wants so long as he returns him to the compound. Max brings the man back to the compound, and we meet The Feral Child. Along for the ride is Curtis Bloes from Better Off Dead Minute: The Podcast.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Rape. Left alone atop the ridge, the Gyro Captain looks back towards the scouts in time to see the Grinning Mohawker murder the female scout. After a fade to black, Max approaches the lone raider and after a quick look between them, Max kills the raider with his bolt cutters. Turning his focus to the scout pinned by arrows, Max approaches the man and begins tending to his injuries as the man thanks him.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Rape. Max and the Gyro Captain continue to watch from their vantage point on the ridge as Wez begins to round up his marauders to move on. Most of the raiders comply with the call to move, but one stays behind as Wez and the others ride away. With the raiding party mostly gone, Max looks back at the compound and realizes his opportunity to leap into action has arrived and fires up the black-on-black.
Content Warning: Sexual Assault/Rape. With their vehicle disabled, one of the compound scouts makes a bold move and tries to make a run for it. From their place on the ridge, Max and the Gyro Captain watch as that scout is quickly captured and disrobed. The other scout is pulled from the vehicle and held down as arrows are fired into him. The Gyro Captain is especially disturbed by what he is witnessing.
As one by one the compounds scout vehicles acquire pursuers, a fourth and final scout leaves the gate and makes a break for it. The lone scout vehicle is able to make it some distance, forcing Max to change his perspective, but like the others is quickly overtaken. Max looks on as a swarm of raiders disable the vehicle and move in to terrorize the driver and passenger.
At first light, the compound’s gate opens to release scouting parties intent on slipping past the horde and making it out into the wasteland. Unfortunately for them, The Lord Humungus lies in wait, ready to give chase. Max, Dog, and the Gyro Captain watch from the ridge as one by one the scout vehicles are swarmed by raiders. This week we are joined by Scott Carelli from Spider-man Minute.
With the sun going down the horde calls a retreat, their vehicles kicking up long columns of dust and dirt as they go. Max, Dog, and the Gyro Captain watch from atop the ridge as the compound, its lights shining brightly, is finally left alone after a long day of violence. With the sound of engines fading in the distance, the Gyro Captain cleans his mouth after his meager meal, and we fade to black before rejoining our heroes in the morning.
Still nestled in the relative safety of his ridge top camp, Max continues to monitor the attack on the compound while enjoying his midday meal. Below, a gutsy marauder jumps his motorcycle over the compound fence and quickly disappears. Max leans back from the binoculars and having had his fill, passes the can off to Dog who would be able to enjoy his meal if not for the Gyro Captain trying to steal it away.
Max, Dog, and the Gyro Captain are settled in to watch the assault on the compound from the relative safety of the hill top. Max pulls out a can of dog food, opens it, and begins eating. Meanwhile, Dog and the Gyro Captain wait eagerly for their chance as Max’s leftovers. Be prepared for tangents in this episode, we go off on our fair share.
As Max continues to survey the compound, the Gyro Captain is at his ear assuring Max that he has the best potential of getting inside and petitioning for his release. Lowering his binoculars, Max seems annoyed by this request and instead chains the Gyro Captain to a nearby log. Rising in protest, the Gyro Captain is quickly put in his place by Max who reckons that the Captain is rather well off, all things considered.
Perched on a ridge high above the compound, Max scouts the layout of the fortified camp below. As he scans with his binoculars the Gyro Captain fills him in on his estimations of the camp population, weapon stores, and sundry amenities. Though there is much to see, it doesn’t take long for Max to get his first look at the fearsome leader of this horde: The Lord Humungus. Our special guests are Crystal Beth and John Robert Wilson from The Fifth Eleminute.
With his navigator chained up in the back scene, Max is back on the road, heading towards this rumored source of fuel. While Max is behind the wheel, Dog keeps an eye, and a shotgun, on the Gyro Captain. The pilot is wary of his four-legged captor’s temperament, but all three of them eventually arrive at the top of a ridge overlooking a compound beset on all sides by marauders.
Having been forced to disarm the booby trap on his Interceptor, Max raises his hands and walks calmly towards the passenger-side of the car. Not one to be fooled with, the Gyro Captain cuts in front of Max and tries to open the car door, only to be greeted by Dog who wrestles him to the ground. At an overwhelming disadvantage, the Gyro Captain promises to bring max to an endless source of fuel.
The Gyro Captain is keen to drain Max’s gas tanks of fuel, but the Black-on-black’s tanks harbor an explosive booby-trap. Under threat of violence, Max is led over to the car and reaches up under the body to flip off the arming switch. Not one to give up without a fight, Max tries to pull a knife on the Gyro Captain, but the squirrelly sky-pirate is quick to spy Max’s scheme.
Max has found a gyrocopter in a clearing, but before he can check for fuel He needs to use his speed and reflexes to deal with the snake wrapped around the mast. With lightning precision, He grabs the snake but quickly discovers the real danger was behind him as The Gyro Captain bursts up from the ground with a crossbow leveled right at Max.
At the end of week 2, we find Max discovering a seemingly-abandoned gyro-copter in a dried riverbed. Despite its suspicious nature, Max decides to investigate in the hopes of finding fuel. Cautiously, Max exits the Black-on-black and moves to examine the machine. We are joined this week by Heidi Bennett and Molly Bailen from the Cabin Minute Cast.
The driver of the crashed buggy gets one last death scream before fading away into the scenery as Max turns his focus to opening the cab of the Mack Truck and unexpectedly releases a bloated and decaying corpse. Rick is disgusted, but Julia does her best to humanize the rotting truck driver. Unfazed by this putrid discovery, Max finds a music box and continues on his way.
Knowing that he has an audience, Wez pulls the bolt from his arm and rides away, leaving Max behind to inspect the wreckage around the Mack Truck. In this episode we talk about the proper way to care for a puncture wound, Julia laments the Golden Youth’s lack of any discernible skills or purpose, and we ask the very American question of whether you can eat a Kangaroo.
Gas can in hand, Max hustles towards the wrecked dune buggy to salvage what fuel he can from their tank, but before he can get to work harvesting, the third marauder rolls into view. We read some travel site reviews for the shooting location, recall that Max is an excellent improviser when it comes to leaking gasoline, and get introduced to Wez and The Golden Youth.
With the option of simply outrunning the marauders off the table, Max starts pulling out his old driving tricks. He’s able to avoid getting shot with an air cannon full of arrows and even flips the script on the Landau, distracting the driver long enough for the raiders to crash into each other, disabling both vehicles. He’s in the clear, but Max can’t leave just yet.
Week 1 draws to a close as we finally catch up with Max and discover that he’s on the run from some marauders intent on doing him harm. The Nomad trash is no match for Max’s driving ability and the sheer power of the Black-on-black but just as Max has an open road ahead of him, a low fuel indicator forces him to cut the supercharger and slow down. We are joined by Brad Mull of The Lost World Minute Podcast.
Today’s minute is what happens when you have to recap a 93-minute movie for an audience that didn’t see the first film in your post-apocalyptic adventure series. We talk about a few ways this montage casts the first film in a new light and get the sense that George Miller used this opportunity to tweak the story that was told in his first film to better fit the style of The Road Warrior.
It’s war, desperation, and violence today as the world falls apart over the scarcity produced by global conflict. We talk about the idea of two great warrior tribes and who they could be, imagine what a whirlwind of looting might have looked like, and acknowledge how quickly modern life can crumble in the absence of gasoline to power our infrastructure. We also weigh the pros and cons of complete nuclear annihilation, so that’s fun!
Production credits give way to narration as we creep closer to the beginning of Max Rockatansky’s next big adventure, but before we have our pudding, we need to have our meat as our unnamed narrator begins calling his mind back to a time of chaos. A quick peek at Max on a hill gives way to stock footage as we talk about timelines, and how the world still runs on the black fuel despite what our narrator has to say about it.
Welcome to The Mad Max Minute Podcast! We’re back with season two where we’ll be covering George Miller’s, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (Released in Australia on December 24th, 1981, and in The U.S.A. on May 21st, 1982). This opening minute sees a new distributor, a shiny new title, and several notable individuals from the cast and crew.