01.30 Parks And Recreation
02.30 The Phil Silvers Show
03.00 Raven
Parks And Recreation. Episode 4. "Boys Club" Leslie opens a wine basket gift, thus breaking the rules of local government.
A fun episode in which Leslie makes a tiny mistake and - because she feels so bad - goes on to make it into a big issue, that causes problems for everyone. It's a good idea, and they make it work. I like Leslie a little bit more, every week, and the supporting cast are well chosen.
The Phil Silvers Show. Episode 2. "Empty Store" Bilko rents an empty store in a nearby town and lets the rumour mill take care of the rest.
This episode is a direct continuation of Episode 1. Bilko is still down on his luck, three other sergeants have taken his money and frozen him out of the poker games, and he is still in charge of a bunch of new recruits. Even worse, the three sergeants hustle the kid who was holding the recruits money and takes it from him.
So Bilko plots revenge...
And a masterful one it is. One in which he does nothing, and sits and waits for everyone to come to him.
As a longtime Bilko fan, who has grown up watching and re-watching these episodes over and over, I have a very clear idea of who Bilko is and what he is capable of. When Colonel Hall panics at the mere mention of Bilko's involvement in something, I understand why that would be, because I have seen Bilko the master con man in action.
But back in 1955, when this first aired as the second episode of the show, viewers had no idea yet what Ernie was capable. So, rather than spend a lot of time establishing the sorts of things that our hero can do, Nat Hiken chooses to establish the man's reputation instead.
And it works like a charm. Even if this was your first time to meet Phil Silvers in his signature role, you would quickly understand what sort of character he is. Such is the power of Silvers' performance, and the work of the supporting cast. Particularly Paul Ford, who - more than anyone else - sells the terror of what it must be like to deal with Bilko on a daily basis.
Paul Ford is responsible for the episode's biggest laughs: the fantasy sequence, with the flying newspapers, and the scene where Hall pays a surprise visit to Bilko's quarters. A scene that never loses it's comedic power no matter how many times I see it.
Raven. Episode 2. "The Unseen Enemy" Ski leads Raven to a woman who may know where his son is. It turns out that the woman has been targeted for assassination and while protecting her, Raven discovers that it is all part of a plan to bring him face to face with the assassin.
A superb episode. And one that has always puzzled me, in a very minor way. The story opens with Jonathon arriving on Oahu - as if for the first time - and meeting Ski - as if for the first time in a while - and getting himself a place to live. The episode does a fantastic job of filling in his complicated backstory. So, all in all, it feels more like a 'pilot' than the actual pilot. That's always puzzled me.
Anyway...
The key elements of a truly great Raven episode are in place here.
1. Random Action Sequence. The episode opens at the airport, where Raven arrives and collects his jeep. He notices two jerks treating a dog very badly and he rescues the dog. The jerk, naturally, pick a fight with him and... suffer the consequences.
It's corny, kinda rubbish, but it is very, very cool when Raven kicks ass.
2. Strong Story. Raven wants to speak to a reporter, in his quest to find his son. He fears that she may be a target (for the Black Dragons) so he wants to speak to her as soon as possible, even if that means a little breaking and entering in the dead of night. It turns out that she has been marked for death. Raven saves her. But, in a wonderful twist, he is contacted by the assassin and they sit down to a nice friendly lunch. They were once spies together. Spies, assassins, killers. And, when Raven does a little investigating, he finds out that the point of sending this guy after the woman is to bring him into contact with Raven, and get Raven to kill him.
Even now, many years after first seeing it, I still think that that is a truly fantastic story.
3. Funny Lee Majors Moments. There are many great ones in this episode. The best is surely the sequence on the boat, where Tracy Scoggins is feeling sick and Ski - oblivious - makes sandwiches and talk about the 'up and down' motions of the sea. Hilarious. As is the episode coda where Ski tries to impress a sexy girl while being carried off by several suited henchmen.
4. Big Name Guest Stars. Tracy Scoggins and Judson Scott are great in this. Scoggins is sadly underused, but Scott gives a superb performance. He has two major scenes: the 'friendly' lunch with Jonathon, and the climactic battle on the rooftop. The script gives him a terrific character to play - an emotionless killer, who questions no order - and Scott steps up to the plate. His plight renders him a sympathetic character, despite his actions. His plight, and the great performance from Judson Scott.
5. Cool Raven Moments. The best one, of course, is the 'friendly' lunch scene, where Jonathan counts the '13 ways to die' on the table and - as revealed in the scenes' final two seconds - doesn't actually drink anything for the entire meeting, he just holds it in his mouth and spits it out afterwards. How cool is that? It blew me away the first time I saw it. It still blows me away. He sat there, and talked and so forth, and held the drink in his mouth (in case it was poisoned) for the duration.
Then there is the phone call to his former boss. In which Raven reveals that he knows intimate details of the man's home. Wow. How powerful is Raven, really? Powerful and dangerous.
6. Unanswered Questions. The best Raven episodes (the early ones) have a major unanswered question of some sort. In this one, the episode's climax fades to black before we find out what happens between Raven and his foe. Does he actually kill the man? It appears that he has no choice. But they don't show us. They fade to black, and let us decide.
And then there are the things that are common to all episodes of Raven: superb action scenes, great music and strong chemistry between the leads.
Highlight? Raven (a superb episode)
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Mon, May 4, 09 - Parks And Recreation, Phil Silvers, Raven
