Friday, April 9th, 2010
07.00 The Rockford Files
02.00 WKRP In Cincinnati
The Rockford Files. Episode 18. "Claire" ex-girlfriend
This is the second episode I've seen where Jim Rockford is in love. And I'm not sure I like it.
Don't get me wrong: the episode is terrific (an interesting story, well told, and a great cast) but an episode with Jim in love is an episode with Jim vulnerable. Part of the appeal of the show, for me, is seeing a hero who never loses sight of his ability to look after Number One. It's fun to see Rockford haggle with clients over the bill, or tell a client he's going off the case because it's too dangerous. Sure, The Rockford Files is a funny show but moments like this are what makes Jim Rockford all the more real.
Episodes like Claire (while superb) do manage to lower Jim to the levels of typical TV heroes: guys who will do anything for their client, guys who will do anything to protect an innocent and guys who will trust/believe a stranger no matter how odd/unlikely the story. It works on any other show, but I hold Jim Rockford to a higher standard.
Anyway...
The episode, itself, is very good. There's no dialogue for the first few minutes, just the sight of a woman running for her life from two hoods. Eventually she gets away and calls her ex-boyfriend: Jim Rockford. From there on it's your typical TRF episode: Jim does what his client wants, but he's not been told the whole story and - pretty soon - that gets him in trouble. Linda Evans is a very good guest star, but I was far more excited to see Lance LeGault and Lane Smith as the hoodlums on her trail. They are superb, and absolutely burn up the screen when they are on it. There's a great scene where they corner Jim and he gets the better of them. Hilarious. And, later on, regular character Becker gets a wonderful line about Jim being a 'maniac' when driving.
The ending is corny. But it works. Jim is lying to the cops about the whereabouts of the girl, when the bus carrying her out of the city (by a random coincidence) stops right beside them and Jim gets to see her one last time. Shouldn't work. But it does.
One last thought. Kinda random.
When the episode started, I didn't recognise Linda Evans. "Who is that?" I thought. "It looks like Bo Derek."
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 79. "You Can't Go Out of Town Again" Carlson's reunion
Average. Given the strength of most season four episodes, this one (while sweet) comes across as quite weak. Much of it is set away from the radio station, which - for once - disappointed. It didn't help that the scenes that were set at the station were very funny.
Sometimes it's nice when a show does a change-of-pace episode. But, sometimes, you watch a show because you actually want to see the same ol' gang doing the same ol' things.
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The Rockford Files, WKRP in Cincinnati
