06:30 McMillan And Wife
08:00 The Name Of The Game
McMillan And Wife. Episode 3. "The Easy Sunday Murder Case" is the first episode where it feels like the comedy is padding, being used to extend a slim story out to movie-length proportions. Sally's mother's best friend has her dog kidnapped. The fact that her husband was also taken is of no real concern to her! It's a funny idea and there are some laughs to be had, but after a while I tired of seeing Mac and Sally get in and out of their car over and over (He isn't supposed to drive, but keeps forgetting). It's average stuff, it lacks the polish of the Columbo episodes being produced at the same time and it would have been a much better story at half the length.
The Name Of The Game. Season 1, Episode 5. "Nightmare" is an ordinary crime drama, telling how Dan Farrell tracks down the men who shot and killed his wife five years earlier. The only real highlights are the performance of Robert Stack (the expression 'steel jawed determination' was probably created with him in mind!) and two great scenes. Mid-way through the story one of bad guys meets Farrell's young daughter as she plays on a swing. The evil of the man and the innocence of the girl are contrasted. He shows her his gun, and they talk about it. She is full of questions. Then, when asked to show how it works, he casually points it at her chest and pulls the trigger. The gun turns out to be a toy but the scene is truly chilling. Later on, the story concludes with a great scene between Stack and guest star Martin Balsam which is worth watching over and over. Farrell has chased these men for years and he finally has them. But he doesn't want them dead. The final line of the movie "Why would I want you dead?" is a wonderful piece of character development and does more to distinguish Dan Farrell as a TV Hero than anything else that happened in the story up to that. Great stuff.
Highlight? The Name Of The Game
Fri, Jun 20th, 2008 - McMillan And Wife, The Name Of The Game
