Definitely one of the weaker episodes. This one is a chore to get through.
The story is about a wild horse and the wealthy rancher who is determined to kill it because it injured him three years ago.
All very silly. Difficult to care about any of this.
The regular cast give it their all, but they are given nothing particularly interesting to work with. Normally these three characters sparkle when they are together, but here it could be any three characters.
Judson Scott. A basic story, yes, but it works really well thanks to liberal doses of comedy.
Bill Maxwell is the source is much of the laughs, and Robert Culp excels. Of course! The opening scene showing FBI agents learning a new phone system is a hoot, and Bill’s general disdain for the modern music is milked to great effect for the rest of the episode.
The a-story concerns a famous rock musician getting death threats. It plays out in expected fashion. No surprises, but competent and enjoyable nonetheless.
The b-story concerns Ralph’s neighbours and their attempt to get the Hinkleys to conform to the quiet tone of the neighbourhood. All of these scenes work really well – particularly the one where Bill comes driving up with tires screeching – and one cannot help but wish these disapproving folks had been a regular part of the series from day one.
Scott makes for an engaging guest star. The lengthy scenes where he plays music are a bit cringe-worthy but that’s not his fault. Such scenes are de rigueur for stories like this in 80s TV. In other scenes – expressing shock that his band-mate would betray him or (especially) reminiscing with Pam about the past – he is great to watch, bringing a lot to the character.
A good case-of-the-week with a really clever/funny gimmick and terrific Connie Sellecca performance.
It’s worth noting how evenly the episode is between the three leads: everyone of them gets equal screentime and something to do that drives the story. They all get comedy as well. Particularly Sellecca who shines in the kitchen scene (constantly changing course as Ralph uses his new power on her).
Some of the flying scenes are spectacularly good in this one, especially when Ralph swoops down on the sniper.
Great use of William Bogert as Carlisle in this episode, as Bill’s boss comes very close to figuring out what makes Bill so good at his job.
It starts slow but has a great story and the final 15 minutes are magnificent: funny, exciting, romantic.
Structured like a season one episode: covering only a few hours, and Bill is constantly stealing Ralph away when he has something else to attend to. In this case: his wedding to Pam!
Pam gets a lot of good screentime in this one, even before she is kidnapped and made part of the story.
The scene where Powers suggests splitting up Bill and Ralph is wonderful. They are both upset at the idea, and set about putting the kibosh on it.
Hansford Rowe is terrific as the villain of the piece.
Those final 15 minutes are a treat: Bill phones his friend and gets the truth, he shows up at the wedding (hilarious scene with both Ralph and Pam), the wedding ceremony is even funnier than what went before (all three regulars are on top form), the action stuff is some of the best we’ve ever had on the show and the epilogue is sweet.
Over the years, my “Favourite TV Show” has been: 24 (00s), Voyager (90s), Wiseguy (80s) and Space: 1999 (70s). With Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Press Gang & Seinfeld coming in 2nd at various times.
A Briefing With Michael 