07:00 The Greatest American Hero
08:00 Stingray
09:00 Hunter
10:00 Sledge Hammer
10:30 Raven
The Greatest American Hero. Episode 2. "The Hit Car" The first scene introduces the Hit Car of the title, and it's dumb. An armoured car used by the mob for hits? Nonsense like that belongs on "Knight Rider" and not on a good show like The Greatest American Hero. Never mind, after the daft opening sequence the silly car is barely seen again.
The second sequence is pretty weak, too. Ralph is trying to get his kids to do a school play. I don't much like the kids on this show (and was very happy when they were written out) they all look a bit too old to be in high school. Some of them look older than the teacher, for Frak's sake!!
The episode kicks into high gear when Bill Maxwell appears. Or, to be more correct, when Robert Culp shows up. This man is a television legend. And he is giving his best-ever performance in this show. This is a career high. Bill is a great creation. House, MD, with a gun and a badge. And, as soon as he shows up, barking orders and insulting Pam, this episode becomes fun to watch. And it never lets up.
The story is straight-forward enough: Bill and Ralph are moving a witness from one city to another so she can testify. And they weather various armed attacks along the way. The ending is very good, when Ralph suddenly figures out that they have been duped and why. It all leads to an electric confrontation between (a battered and bloodied) Bill Maxwell and the mobster that is out to kill them. Bill stumbles into a restaurant, makes his way into the back and proceeds to pour food all over the guy's good suit. He does this with his gun drawn, while the other bad guys watch in awe and it is a fantastic scene.
After that, the silly car returns. But the action finale (between Ralph and the car) is actually pretty good.
Stingray. Season 2, Episode 6. "The First Time is Forever" is another thoughtful episode. When he refuses to help a man, and that man is then killed, 'Ray is motivated to investigate. He never says anything but various quick flashes show us that 'Ray is remembering the lives he has taken over the year. Particularly the first. It gives the a-story a great subtext. As always the show has a unique visual style and the editing and camera angles combine to make an hour of TV that looks like nothing else on the air then or now.
Hunter. Season 3, Episode 4. "The Castro Connection" is one of the best episodes of Hunter. When his old partner (now a DEA agent) re-surfaces there are lot of people suggesting that he has gone dirty in the five years since Hunter last saw him. A verdict that doesn't sit well with Rick. And while we admire his blind loyalty we can't help but wonder what the heck is going on.
The episode weaves a complex story. It opens with (what appears to be) a fake shooting. The body disappears, however, and we get to follow one of the bad guys around at various stages of the story. Eventually Hunter and McCall get on his trail and come face to face with Hunter's old buddy, just in time for the big action finale.
The final scene between the two guys in one that often crosses my mind. It's powerful and beautiful and sad. We know that Hunter is lying to his dying friend, but are they both lying? The beauty of this great script is that we never get a definitive answer on what Hunter's ex-partner was up to. The first few times I saw this episode I believed what Stevens said to Hunter at the end, but - this time - I wonder if Stevens himself is being lied to.
We'll never know, I suppose, but we sure know how Hunter feels about his friend and his partner and how he feels about friendship and and partnership in general. A+
Sledge Hammer! Episode 5. "Dori Day Afternoon" is one of the show's best episodes. A classic with bountiful laughs from start to finish. Hammer and Dori are taken hostage during a bank robbery gone wrong and Hammer is forced to endure severe hardships: eating pizza, holding hands with another guy, etc. Pitch perfect in all respects, this is a flawless episode of Sledge Hammer!
Raven. Episode 1. "Return of the Black Dragon" It might be television's greatest action series. Maybe. It's certainly got television's best action sequences, and one the medium's best ever heroes: Jonathon Raven. The opener brings the hero (and his sidekick) to Hawaii on the trail of the son he has never seen. He takes a job at a nightclub and winds up helping the club's owner when his past catches up with him. Raven's own past catches up with him, too, and after a few stylishly edited fight scenes the good guys live to fight another day.
Highlight? Hunter
Fri, Jun, 6th, 2008 - Greatest American Hero, Stingray, Hunter, Sledge Hammer, Raven
