05.00 Burn Notice
06.00 In Plain Sight
07.00 Kolchak: The Night Stalker
08.00 Rising Damp
02.00 WKRP in Cincinnati
Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 10. "Do No Harm" A scam artist (Stacy Haiduk) steals from the father of a sick child.
I love this show because Michael is such an old fashioned TV hero. As this story opens (picking up from the cliff-hanger that ended the previous episode) Michael is on the run and in danger for his life, but he takes time to stop a suicide in progress and take on 'a case'. A case involving a sick child. Sure, he's on the run for his life, but Michael won't walk away from someone in trouble. Particularly a sick child. And that's why he's cool. He's the modern successor to Magnum, pi, Spenser, The Equalizer and all the great TV heroes of bygone days/nights.
The story that follows is good. It doesn't follow the usual Burn Notice pattern. In fact, things don't fall into place for much of it and it looks as if this is one time that Michael won't be able to get the job done (towards the end he looks set to go to his enemy Carla to get the money needed).
A cool hero (who cares about the problems of ordinary people) and an exciting story: Burn Notice is back.
In Plain Sight. Episode 9. "Good Cop, Dead Cop" When a cop from Chicago turns up dead, suspicion falls on on of Mary's protected witnesses: an ex-cop from Chicago who put some crooked cops in jail.
Another very strong episode. The main storyline (told both in the present and 18 months ago) is very strong and the b-plot involving Mary's hot sister is getting better every week. Her growing attraction to Mary's boyfriend (driven by her own isolation and loneliness) have become a great hook into the character.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Episode 8. "Bad Medicine" It's never going to be on anyone's Favourite Episode List, but this is a solid, flawless outing and it has one moment of truly inspired comedy.
Several key-Kolchak elements are in place.
The Bad Guy. Richard Kiel stars as one of the great Kolchak baddies. He's got an ice-cold stare and buckets of menace. His background (a Native American legend under a curse) makes him one of the most imaginative creatures offered up by the show.
The Experts. This show is full of experts, the little people enlisted by Carl in his fight. Marvin Kaplan, Alice Ghostley and Victor Jory are on hand to give our hero all the details he will need. None is quite as quirky as the ones that will appear later in the show's run, but each is memorable and fun to watch.
The Regular Cast are well served by this script: At one stage we see Tony sleeping in the office i the vain hope that Carl will show up at some stage and listen to him. There are some great comedy moments in the office, one of which is probably my favourite funny moment in all of KTNS. First off: there's some great business with Carl ripping pages from phone books in the office. Such a simple idea, and they manage to get lots of mileage out of it. Then there's the truly awesome stuff with the phone calls. Carl phones Emily to get some information from Ron, who gets suspicious after a few questions (and a few fibs from Emily/Carl) so Carl then phones Ron's phone to distract him... And on it goes. Fast paced, quick-fire and very funny.
The Authority Figure/Conspiracy. No real conspiracy this time. More of a police cover-up. Ramon Bieri makes his first appearance on the show and isn't in league with anyone. He just wants to keep a lid on the strange elements of the crime. Too bad (for him) that Carl is on the case...
The Logic. This is one of the episodes with a fast pace and flawless logic. Carl sinks his teeth into the story long before an element of the supernatural is discovered. It's just a succession of odd robberies and Carl's nose for news drives the story. Every move he makes, ever deduction he makes, is logical and stands up to good common sense.
The Scare Factor. The ending to this one is one of the best. Instead of an abandoned spooky house, we get an abandoned spooky skyrise. It's dark and deserted, the chanting on the soundtrack will creep you out, and Carl once again proves he's a reporter first and hero second by dropping things, making noise and getting caught very, very fast.
Rising Damp. Season 3, Episode 1. "That's My Boy" A year has passed. Miss Jones moves back in, and when a baby appears, Rigsby assumes that it is hers...
Very funny opening to the third series. The long break between the previous episode and this one allows for a funny/silly misunderstanding to work. Rigsby returns from two week's holiday to find that Alan has let out two rooms: one to Miss Jones and one to a lady that Rigsby has never met. A baby appears, and Rigsby assumes that it belongs to Miss Jones. Pure sit-com nonsense, of course, but the cast (and script) milk the idea for all that it is worth and there are a lot of hearty laughs to be had.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 66. "Nothing To Fear But..." The station is robbed.
A serious and thought-proving episode that is (a) very funny, and (b) never preachy. In other words, this is an absolute classic. The aftermath of the robbery finds all the regulars coping in their own way with their feelings of violation and invasion. Herb buys a gun, which is where things get interesting...
In second half of the story, Venus and Johnny (a terrific team) are alone in the station late at night when they hear noises. They take Herb's gun from his desk and go on the prowl. Without ever drawing direct attention to the fact that it is saying anything, the story makes it clear that having a gun lying around is very dangerous. But the downbeat ending (there's another robbery) leaves the viewer wondering if maybe having a gun is necessary anyway. No clear answers, but it leaves you thinking (which is no bad thing for a sitcom).
Highlight? Kolchak (flawless)
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Fri, Jan 23, 09 - Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Kolchak, Rising Damp, WKRP
