Season Three
(Guest-stars who later played roles in or directed Starsky & Hutch are bolded and linked.)
Here are a few reactions I had after watching each episode. I hope to write more thoughtful reviews in the future.
Another red undercover car...sort of kind of. The Squad's version had red interior. And then there's that blue station wagon which is Linc's?
The Long Road Home While staking out a warehouse robbery, Pete accidentally injures a young woman named Billie. Guilt-ridden, he falls in love with Billie, an aspiring folk singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice. Things become unexpectedly complicated when Billie's brother, Case, is one of the robbery suspects. Case learns that Pete is an undercover cop and, desperate for money, demands Billie get the goods on Pete to lead them to a big robbery.
Directed by: Robert Michael Lewis
Guest stars: Anjanette Comer, Lou Antonio, Bruce Watson, S. John Launer, Garru Waberg
Rated: four out of five stars
"She may never walk again. And we're talking about legal procedure and precedence? What happened to paralysis? What do you do? Just file that under maybe?" ~ Pete
My Take: This one was pretty, with a lot of posing. There were roses, doggies, picnics, dandelions, slow-motion running, love songs, and posing. A lot of posing. There were no unicorns and rainbows. A guilt-ridden Pete is a sight to behold. By the tan, it looks as if Michael Cole just returned from Maui, and according to magazine interviews, he has. He plays guilt-ridden well. This had shades of Starsky & Hutch's "Blindfold" and "Starsky's Lady"… Must be a Spelling thing.
Highlights: Guilt-ridden Pete. Pete in love. Pete in death. Pete with shirt that matches his eyes and refrigerator. King Arthur. Cast an animal that doesn't die, and you've got me.
Lowlights: For a down-home Nashville girl, she wore a lot of make-up in her hospital bed. Ashtrays in hospitals.
Knock-outs and Injuries:
A Picturefest:
See The Eagles Dying When an old man dies in a skydiving mishap, Pete joins the group to find out what happened.
Directed by: Jerry Jameson
Guest stars: Lane Bradbury, Paul Carr, Ross Elliott, James Nusser, Judd Lawrence, Barry Cahill
Rated: three and a half stars out of five
Captain Greer: You really did it, huh? Jump with a parachute?
Pete: It's safer that way.
My Take: I liked this one. Decent sky-diving footage and I like Lane Bradbury, though her southern drawl was unexplainable. The actress is a dancer and still runs a dance program, last I heard (look at her slim muscular arms!) Pete is very tan in this episode.
Highlights: Good skydiving footage. I like that "swirly" music. Lane Bradbury. Nice divide of episode between home, office and fieldwork.
Lowlights: Cindy's southern accent doesn't match up with her father's.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Pete's line was cut, but he was saved before he fell to his death.
Who Are The Keepers, Who Are The Inmates? Linc receives a desperate call from an old friend, an inmate at a mental institution. Shortly afterward, the friend is dead of "heart failure" only the latest of a number of strange deaths at the place. Linc goes undercover as a patient at the institution, hoping to find out what's going on.
Directed by: Gene Nelson
Guest stars: Richard Kiley, Booth Colman, Jerry Summers, Harry Basch, Eddie Quillan, Patricia George, Meg Foster
Rated: three out of five stars
"I think I'm going insane." ~Linc
My Take: Linc went all out on this one, worrying both Pete and Julie as to whether he had gone too far. Pete looked scared and uncomfortable through most of the episode.
Highlights: Meg Foster's eyes
Lowlights: Stereotypical "mad" doctors.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Linc gets electrocuted.
"A" Is For Annie Julie comes to the assistance of her old teacher, who is being targeted by others in her comity for teaching sex education in school.
Directed by: Robert Michael Lewis
Guest stars: Jo Van Fleet, Ron Hayes, Ed Gilbert, Cindy Eilbacher, Jewel Blanch, Barbara Boles, Hank Jones, Peter Brocco, Stu Nahan, Joseph V. Perry
Rated: three out of five stars
Pete: Do you have enough courage to fight one more time?
Mrs. Crabtree: No. No, Mr. Cochrane, I don't. But I'll fight anyway.
My Take: I remember the evil little girl…she had a memorable look. Mrs. Crabtree had an interesting story.
Highlights: Julie's conviction…and how the guys continued to help. How Linc was able to get Little Miss Evil's friend to tell the truth. Julie was gorgeous in this ep.
Lowlights: How low politics can go.
Knock-outs and Injuries: None to the squad.
The Song Of Wille Sammy Davis Jr. makes his third guest starring role in the series, this time as Willie Rush, an actor and old friend of Linc's, who is apparently the victim of attempts on his life.
Directed by: Gene Nelson
Guest stars: Sammy Davis Jr., Lola Falana, Norman Alden, Lawrence Cook, Jed Allan, Tony Kelvin, Marlene Clark, Bill Walker
Rated: two and a half stars out of five
"Other cats went to church. I went to Willie Rush." ~ Linc
My Take: I had a hard time following this one…how people were related to each other. Linc, couldn't figure much out either. Because the viewer was so in the dark, or confused by names, or didn't know characters well enough to put the pieces together that were told to us, this made it a difficult episode. There were some interesting, but very unnecessary camera angles. Peculiar for director Gene Nelson. It was if Sammy Davis Jr. was calling the shots. And Sammy Davis Jr? As a kid I stereo-typed him. I thought he always played over the top characters and I knew him to have that glass eye and sang "The Candyman"…This time I did appreciate his ease at playing an over-the-top character. He was good. But this story….
Highlights: Some pretty posing. I didn't know those cart pictures of Pete and Julie were from this episode, so questions answered. A lot of the Fox lot shown. Things did come together at the end, since pieces of the puzzle started fitting.
Lowlights: All that drama for nothing? Pete and Julie sat around in a movie cart. Pete even stood around when Willie was climbing up the tower. Linc had to rush in to save Rush, because it was his episode.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Linc was hit from behind.
Search and Destroy A hard-nosed ex-cop returns from Vietnam to investigate the death of his brother, who was killed in a car accident just after he called him and told him that he had seen a murder, and that the murderer was an undercover cop.
Directed by: Philip Leacock
Guest stars: Steve Ihnat, Michael Baseleon, Bruce Glover, Kathleen Lloyd, Bill Zuckert, Wayne Storm, Brad David
Rated: three and a half stars
"I think he's flipped out and he wants me to look around for Linc." ~ Pete to Julie about the captain's request
My Take: Michael Baseleon played Hector in "Deckwatch" in Starsky & Hutch… I don't know why I remember parts of this episode so clearly. When I saw Mr. Red, White, and Blue, not only did I recognize him (he had a feature part in a Starsky & Hutch episode), but I knew he was the guy they were looking for. The girlfriend was also very familiar. I felt like I was in a time warp. Another title for this episode should have been "My Name Is Pete Cochrane"…it was repeated enough in this episode. I'm not sure why I like this episode, but I do.
Highlights: Linc changes his voice for an undercover role… Stalling the bad guy. When the captain orders Pete to look around and Pete thinks he's crazy. Pete and Linc run to the balcony in unison.
Lowlights: Brother had a drug history, but stayed in a pretty pricey rental. Julie was a waitress…again.
Knock-outs and Injuries:
Just Ring The Bell Once The trio becomes involved in the case of a young boy who's being raised in an orphanage. His mother is not taking care of him, but she does not want to give him up for adoption, and she is involved with a drug dealer.
Directed by Jerry Jameson
Guest stars: Brian Dewey, Mittie Lawrence, Lawrence Dane, Linda Meiklejohn, Mathias Reitz, Bill Quinn
Rated: three stars out of five
Pete: I'm hip to it's a bummer. But there's nothing we can do, man. It's out of our hands.
Linc: That's what's wrong with this whole scene. Everything's out of our hands.
My Take: A very uneven, charming, beautifully framed episode. So many screen grabs to capture! The squad looked stunning in this ep. Lukey was a cutie, and Linc's relationship with the boy was beautiful. But for once, Julie represented the other side, which made Linc and Julie at odds. Julie felt for the young mother, since it represented her mother, and Linc couldn't stand to see what the mother was doing to the boy-- holding him in limbo. Pete just hung around and got himself in trouble. Captain Greer had to rescue him. I've been loving the titles of Mod Squad. This title is a reflection of a loophole in the system.
Highlights: Getting in trouble for petitioning. Colorful episode. Linc. The mother reminded me of my cousin-- even looked a bit like her. My cousin hung around trouble…married trouble, had twins! But she did okay and straightened out her life. Captain Greer saving the day.
Lowlights: Social worker's taste. Her glasses were an octagonal mess, and her apartment worse. It looked like a piñada exploded in it.
Knock-outs and Injuries:
Welcome To The Human Race, Levi Frazee! Pete is knocked out and jailed in a small town when he tries to assist Levi Frazee, an Indian who is believed to be withholding the whereabouts of his cousin, who is suspected of murder. Later the main witness, the victim's wife, changes her story and claims it was Levi who killer her husband.
Directed by: Robert Michael Lewis
Guest stars: Cal Bellini, Edgar Buchanan, Bo Svenson, Veleka Gray, Robert Foulk, Michael Sugich
Rated: five stars out of five
Pete: What do you grow around here?
Levi: Older.
"Look, I understand why you're being silent. Because you don't want them to know that they're hurting you. And I can understand it, I dig it, I respect it, whatever. But I think that you're wrong, man." ~ Pete
My Take: I really like this episode. Preachy Pete, Cal Bellini and really nice Mod Squad music throughout. Really nice posing throughout for great screenshots, too.
Highlights: Edgar Buchanan, Cal Bellini and Bo Svenson. Captain Greer, Julie, and Linc worrying about Pete the way they only can.
Lowlights: Julie was pretty much out of this one...
Knock-outs and Injuries: Pete got knocked in the head. But not by Bubba.
A Far Away Place So Near Linc comes to the airport to meet a friend who is returning from Vietnam, only to learn that he was killed by a sniper on the day he was supposed to go home. Suspicious of the story of how his friend died, he wonders if any of the four other servicemen in his unit who have returned know more than they are telling.
Directed by: Terry Becker
Guest stars: Ben Murphy, Michael Morgotta, Lillian Hayman, Bo Hopkins, Tom Nardini, Pilar Seurat, James Sikking, Margarita Cordova
Rated: three out of five stars
"It's so unfair to be killed on the day you're going home." ~Lillian Hayman
My Take: Starsky & Hutch alumni: Michael Morgotta played Miller in "A Body Worth Guarding." James Sikking played Ted McDermott in "The Action." I knew the guilty one immediately, because he seemed the one less affected by everything. Had to play it cool because, of course, he had the most to lose.
Highlights: Some nice camera angles and framing. Very colorful apartment the group had. Tragic war story. Michael Morgotta…and Linc coming off the hinges.
Lowlights: Bo Hopkins was very gullible.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Linc gets knocked out.
A Time of Hyacinths Julie is staying at a beach house where she is helped by a kind old fisherman who lives nearby. He tells her to ring her porch bell whenever she needs his help. When she visits his house the next day, someone else lives in the house. She can't find the mysterious old fisherman except when she rings the bell, he suddenly shows up. Is he for real or a figment of Julie's imagination?
Directed by: Robert Michael Lewis
Guest stars: Vincent Price, Charles McGraw, Warren Stevens, Cynthia Hull
Rated: two and a half stars
"Am I flipping out? Is that it? ~Julie
My Take: Julie's on hallucinogens. The show was interesting, but not in a Mod Squad way. I really missed them solving a crime. Instead they had to decide if Julie was cracking up, though there was a weird crime to solve. What was really weird about this episode is that I don't remember ever watching it. That was a weird feeling. Must have been difficult to film on the rocks at the beach with all the beach elements.
Highlights: I really love the beach and relate to it in a spiritual way. I think it's my religion. So I loved the beach house scenes. Pete makes Julie cry and he is taken aback. Linc's cool long sweater.
Lowlights: How did Captain Greer know that a sedated Julie would go back to the beach house? Who does the red car actually belong to? Why did they leave that car at Julie's when she was in a woozy state of mind? I know Vincent Price was a big deal when I was younger. He was a prominent guest star on everything. Weirdo special effects to that ugly painting. Julie's arms swing perpendicular to her body when she runs.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Someone spikes Julie's aspirin. That's the only way I can explain this episode.
The Judas Trap The head of a local caps ROTC is murdered, and the main suspect is the man's mentally disabled teenage son, whom he had frequently beaten. However, Pete and Linc, who have befriended the youth, believe he is innocent.
Directed by: Robert Michael Lewis
Guest Stars: Don Porter, Barry Brown, Marj Dusay, Sid McCoy, Richard Webb, Wayne Heffley, Bob Golden
Rated: five out of five stars
"See, you don't think I lie. Most other grown-ups do." ~Dana to Pete
My Take: This one is exceptional high melodrama. I remembered so much of it from when I was young. Everything pointed to him. When Markham accused his wife, it twisted the case for me. I couldn't figure who else could have done it.
Highlights: Barry Brown's acting. Pete beating up the bad guy and the captain hinting at the seriousness of the injuries in the tag. Pete's well-developed relationship with the boy in a relatively short span was believable, especially because of his past. Everything about the tag…the letter… Pete's groovy pants.
Lowlights: Margaret was sniveling, weak and evil. She was a little much. Pete's calendar read August 24th. It's very warm in that area at that time of year, and hard to believe they were wearing sweats when running. And Julie was wearing a long sweater in the tag. I guess they don't have seasons in Mod Squad? Chews on weeds when he's being timed on a mile run?
Knock-outs and Injuries:
Fever Julie is forced at gunpoint to drive Cliff Hansen and his young son to Los Angeles. Cliff has kidnapped his son to take him away from the influence of his wealthy father-in-law. However, both Cliff and his son have been exposed to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and need medical attention as soon as possible.
Directed by: Jerry Jameson
Guest stars: Robert Viharo, Frank Maxwell, Karl Swenson, Ken Lynch, Paul Collins, Gordon Devol, Paul Wexler, Harlan Warde, David Mutch, John Mutch, Brooke Bundy
Rated: three out of five stars
"We have a lot of work to do because somebody very close to us is with this Cliff Hanson...against her will." ~Pete
My Take: First full episode with Julie's new haircut. It was called 'the shag' and my sister got that cut, too. I held out. Julie's cut was first shown in the tag of "The Judas Trap". I think that's what I truly remember as a kid..how Julie changed her hair. Hair was pretty important to me in that era. Robert Viharo guest-starred in two Starsky & Hutch episodes. He played John Gallagher in "The Collector" and Vern DuBois in "Running." The squad has different wheels in this episode. Julie was driving a car on vacation with the license plate that many a bad guy has used. I see that license plate in this show all the time. And Pete borrowed a black car, but it was important so that he could tail Cliff's friends in the red car. Bad rich guy turned nice and forgiving and wanted to work things out toward the end.
Highlights: Scuba vacation cancelled. Wonder where they were going?
Lowlights: Captain Greer joked around about how to keep a woman quiet. Sign of the times. Learned a lot of false information about Rocky Mountain Fever. You would most likely get it from a tick, not spread like the flu.
Knock-outs and Injuries: None to the squad.
Locations: Infinity is located at 5953 Gregory Ave. (cross street Vine) Music store is still next door.
Is There Anyone Left In Santa Paula? The trio search for an illegal immigrant, a friend of Pete's who ran after an immigration officer was seriously injured while trying to apprehend him. complicating their search is a stubborn police lieutenant, who comes from the same Mexican town as the immigrant, and who regards the trio as interfering. The cop, it turns out, may be involved himself in helping people enter the U.S. illegally.
Directed by: Lawrence Dobkin
Guest stars: Fernando Lamas, Victor Millan, Amparo Pilar, Paul Bryar, Richard Romanus, Julio Medina, George Cervera, Walter Stocker, Joe Renteria, Bert Santos, Patrick Waltz
Rated: two stars out of five
Greer: You didn't figure he was in the county illegally?
Pete: I figured he was.
Greer: Wow. You kept THAT a pretty good secret.
Pete: Nobody asked me.
My Take: The good guys and the bad guys blur in this episode. Because depending how you feel about illegal immigrants, the bad guys are the good guys in this episode. And this theme works well with the Mod Squad theme of helping out the parolees and the underdog. It's a timely subject.
Fernando Lamas played a rather intense character, but it was a flat episode… a lot of searching and soul searching on everyone's part. I do remember the last scene they froze at the very end of the show. Funny what we remember..
Highlights: Pete wore his pants tucked in. (I've been watching seasons 4 and 5, where he always wore his shirt out. This is my go-to episode for screen-caps of Pete.
Lowlights: Confusion on my part about Santa Paula. There is a real Santa Paula north of Los Angeles with a large immigrant population. Didn't figure it was a village in Mexico. I don't like Julie's hair, even though she did try to puff it up. My sister got the shag cut, too. I guess I just really loved her hair before the cut.
Knock-outs and Injuries: None.
Puppies and Roses
A Short Course In War Student activists protesting for academic changes at their college take over the administrative building, and hold Julie and an elderly ill female teacher hostage. Meanwhile, a seemingly quiet but demented student named Walter has taken their otherwise peaceful fight into fanatical-warlike territory with a rifle and other weapons. It's up to both the men of Mod Squad and the hostages to stop Walter before he kills any more innocent people.
Directed by Robert Michael Lewis:
Guest stars: Bob Balaban, Joesephine Hutchinson, Jack Bender, Michael Warren, Paul Kent, Mark Tapscott, Monty Margetts, Harriet Bronston, Georgetta Banks, Thad Geer
Rated: three out of five stars
"Then the gods spoke unto the people, 'We make a decree for all of you and for all time to come. We say unto you that on this earth all men who tremble shall live afraid. All men who battle shall die in battle. And only those who love shall reap of this life and plant the seeds for tomorrow.'"
My Take: The fringe is always scary…the person or persons who take the fight and turn it into their own agenda. A lot of people died in this episode (four innocents and many injured). Combine an unstable person, guns, schools…and... (shiver).
Highlights: Heroic teacher. If we learn from our past, we don't repeat it. The Mod Squad is still relevant.
Lowlights: One pill away from being that sick? I wouldn't leave it in my car.
Knock-outs and Injuries: None to squad.
Kicks Incorporated Linc goes undercover in a well organized ring of vandals who have been harassing a number of citizens. The leader behind the ring is a golfing partner of Lieutenant Greer's.
Directed by: Gene Nelson
Guest stars: Jack Cassidy, Barbara Rush, Diane McBain, Kim Milford, Leo Gordon, Cal Wilson, Fred Holliday, Danny Thomas
Rated: four out of five stars
"Like the man said, we hang together, or surely we hang separately." ~Pete
My Take: Gene Nelson directed the Starsky & Hutch episode, "Death Ride." This one was really, really fun. Even the closing credits made me smile. Pete had a really cool blue jacket. This episode was so pretty. They really did a nice job of doing whatever they do to make crystal clear, beautifully colored DVDs. Jack Cassidy looked so much like David. When I see him, I can only remember his tragic death. I was about fifteen. I learned he had burned to death when he drunkenly lit a cigarette and fell asleep. They could only identify him by his dental records. Quite shocking for a fifteen year old learn. David Cassidy's father….
Loved Danny Thomas' cameo, considering he produced the show. (I know Aaron Spelling made a brief appearance as a gay man dancing in a gay bar in Starsky & Hutch.) It was quite funny when Jack was acting like he was good friends, and Danny was looking at him like a stranger. That had to be fun. Ah, the comedy. There were some fabulous lines, and Linc seemed to be having fun.
Highlights: The way Linc got in with the group…clever! The pranks. Pete's blue jacket at golf course and his crazy patterned pants when Linc explains the operation at his place. The captain eating crow. The central division…everything hand-written with giant computers(?) The funny exercises of the "other" woman.
Lowlights: There were no lowlights…that's why this is a strong four-star episode.
Knock-outs and Injuries:
Pete and the captain share a sweater:
A Bummer For R.J. In a reversal fo the more common situation, a conventional young friend of Julie's asks the trio's help in locating her father, who has gone into the hippie subculture. Unknown to any of them, he has also unwittingly become involved in a girl's murder, which the trio is also trying to solve.
Directed by: Philip Leacock
Guest stars: Carl Betz, Daniel J. Travanti, Elliott Street, Annette O'Toole, Brooke Mills, Joyce Jameson, Barbara Rhoades, Herbie Fay, Robert Patten, Tracy Reilly
Rated: two and a half stars out of five.
Pete: What do you want us to do?
Captain Greer: Nothing.
My Take: First off, this episode has a couple of Starsky & Hutch guest-stars. There's Father Ignatious from the episode, "Silence" and Robin Morton from "Shootout." This was a groovy episode with groovy music and dancing. Pete looked pretty dressed up at the beginning of this one. I like his pinstripe pants with white shirt and dress jacket. And there was a lighter scene with some witness flirting with him. The episodes where they're just looking for suspects can get a bit boring, no matter how groovy the music and cheap effects. I can't figure out why the father figure was looking for the bad guy-- supposedly to prove his innocence. But I can't figure out what he was going to do once he found him, since the bad guy was looking for him to kill him.
Highlights: The silly witness. Pete's clothes at the beginning of this episode. They get in trouble with the captain…and don't care.
Lowlights: None of them were in danger.
Knock-outs and Injuries:
The Hot, Hot Car A business man reports the theft of his partner's car-- and admits that he wired it with dynamite set to go off in eight hours. Unfortunately, the search for the car is complicated, as the thieves change the plates, and the car changes drivers more than once.
Directed by: Robert Michael Lewis
Guest stars: Greg Mullavey, Robert Donner, Arthur Franz, NedGlass, Tamar Cooper, Frank Farmer, Lloyd Battista, John Gruber, Robert Easton, Robert Miller Driscoll, Timothy Blake
Rated: three out five stars
Pete: We have had reports that your number is getting crossed with a 322 prefix.
Nan: How awful.
Pete: Well, that's why I'm here. Do you mind if I check your terminal.
My Take: This was basically the same episode as "Savage Sunday," a Starsky & Hutch episode; only in Starsky & Hutch, it was an old couple who wired the car because they wanted better conditions at their retirement home. Same basic plot, though. Only one Starsky & Hutch guest star…Timothy Blake played Cindy in "Lady Blue." The ending definitely saved this one. Man, they work fast and can accomplish a lot in five minutes. Julie made more progress on the case than the boys.
Highlights: The boys (well, their stuntmen) jump a good two floors to the ground. Impressive. Pretty ending, though Julie's still recovering elsewhere. Lady flirting with Pete.
Lowlights: Canary yellow?
Knock-outs and Injuries: Julie….hit in the jaw a couple times and out cold.
Suffer, Little Children A straight-laced young minister comes to L.A. to investigate the murder of his brother, a doctor who had set up an inner city free clinic for homeless and runaway youths. Many stolen goods were found in the doctor's clinic after his murder, and no one, including Pete, Linc, and Julie as well as the brother, believe he could have been involved in burglary. Linc is assigned to go undercover and accompany the minister in his search for answers.
Directed by: Lawrence Dobkin
Guest stars: Kaz Garas, Sheldon Allman, Jenny Sullivan, Ken Scott, Jill Choder, Ian Sander, Dan Spelling, Nino Candido, Thelma Camacho
Rated: four out of five stars
They'll love you in Santa Whatever." ~Linc
My Take: A whole slew of Starsky & Hutch guest stars in this one; Kaz Garas played Eddie Carlyle in "98 Pounds of Trouble." Sheldon Allman played the doctor in "Blindfold." Jenny Sullivan played Cheryl Jennings in "A Coffin For Starsky." Ken Scott played Detective Saunders in "The Bait."
This was one of the prettiest episodes…the bright pastels and deep colors were a beautiful backdrop for "the good" the minister's brother did. I think an alternate title should have been, "Schooled by The Squad." This episode decided to give the squad over to the judgmental minister in small parts. The plot was interesting, though there wasn't a whole lot of action. The director had these very interesting camera angles. The fact that I noticed meant that this wasn't necessarily a gripping episode. But it was artful. The director mostly had the bad guys seen as the underbelly--- they literally come out of the woodwork. They're even captured in the dark.
I like that the guys keep the minister on a loose leash, regret it, and then Linc has to pull Pete back from saving Julie. And this show is not about preaching, but showing. I like that. And I relate to it, and live my professional life around that concept.
I was never in the camp of Pete and Julie being romantically involved. But boy, I have to admit I felt some chemistry between them on Pete's part, anyway.
I'm rating this one pretty darn high. But it spoke to me in a quiet way. I thought it through about why I liked it and didn't write a reaction. Lots of Starsky & Hutch guest-stars (the minister played a very bad guy in Starsky & Hutch). And I want to screen cap this episode to death. Which I will!
Highlights: Color. The banter between Pete and Linc that the minister can't follow. The change of attitude.
Lowlights: Julie needs to study some sort of martial arts. She's such a wimp. Linc's pants were too high-waisted and weirdly baggy.
Knock outs and Injuries: Linc was stunned when a motorcycle went after him, but I wouldn't call it a complete knock out. Julie…she's so wimpy, I have no idea what she was doing on the ground. Maybe crying.
Is That Justice? No, It's The Law Greer and another veteran cop have both been frustrated by a drug pusher they've been trying to nail, who has twice had his case dismissed on legal technicalities. Finally, the third time appears to be the clincher, as the man is caught at an airport with a case full of heroin. But then the pusher calls Greer to his cell and insists that he has been framed, and Greer reluctantly agrees that something about the case doesn't fit.
Directed by: Philip Leacock
Guest stars: Nehemiah Persoff, Burr DeBenning, Leonard Stone, Stanley Kamel, Ed McCready, Clark Ross, Bob Golden
Rated: three stars out of five
Captain Greer: Pete, isn't that what your paper was about?
Pete: Forget about my paper.
Captain: I can't forget your paper. If I ignore the law, then I'm breaking it.
My Take: Again, a very relevant episode even in today's times. Pete takes a college course and writes a paper that's relevant, and then he fights against his own thesis. Linc pretty much takes a back seat in this episode. I knew all along who not to trust, but I guess Greer was too close to it all, so I'll excuse him…..this time.
Highlights: Pete plays a role of an addict, and figures out a key part in the case. In a rare moment, he holds a gun. For the Mod Squad, that's rare that they even touch one. The captain breaks into Pete's place to read his term paper-- what if he had a chick? I liked trying to follow the briefcases and figuring out what was going on.
Lowlights: Julie's showcases her hunched over posture again in this episode. Needed more Linc. While he was very much part of the team, he was the quiet background undercover guy, while the others played roles.
Knock-outs and Injuries:
A Double For Danger A girl working undercover for a cop trying to bring down a drug lord is accidentally killed. Because of her resemblance to the dead girl, Julie is quickly recruited to impersonate her and continue in the mission, despite the great risk.
Directed by: Gene Nelson
Guest stars: Michael Ansara, Ray Walston, Ron Soble, Rex Holman, Ben Frank
Rated: Two and a half out of three stars
"You guys make me want to cry." ~Julie
My Take: I really don't remember this one at all. I guess Julie as someone else didn't intrigue me much as a kid.
Highlights: She does a pretty good job portraying her when it really counted. The look of the boys when the helicopter took off.
Lowlights: It's almost a total Julie episode (well, Mickey episode).
Knockouts and Injuries: Julie was drugged with truth serum.
Welcome To Our City The trio tries to help a boy in his search for his father, who came to L.A. from West Virginia hoping to find work. It soon becomes apparent that there are people who don't want them to find the man, and the he is in debt to loan sharks.
Directed by: John Llewellyn Moxey
Guest stars: Billy Bowles, Virgnia Gregg, John Carter, Woodrow Parfrey, Edward Faulkner, John Dennis, Nancy Stephens, Don Eitner, Allen Garfield
Rated: three and a half stars
"Think you have a monopoly on feelings?" ~Captain Greer
My Take: I really liked this episode. I remember the opening sequence for some reason, but not much else. Probably because most of it was loan shark material I didn't understand. Julie was pretty much wallpaper in this episode, but I really liked the Pete and Linc partnership. Pete would initially go solo...but as a team they conquered.
I saw a reading book I remembered in my younger school days. I think I saw a Tige's painting over Pete's fireplace.
Highlights: Pete gets even. Linc's caper to get the listening device back. Kind of a Grapes of Wrath feel.
Lowlights: Woman gets beat up.
Knockouts and Injuries: Pete gets beat up.
The Comeback A middle-aged legendary prizefighter tries for a comeback match, mainly to please his troubled son, whom he thinks wants him to prove he's not a has-been. But the son may have other reasons: he is in debt to gamblers who want him to give them inside information on his dad's odds. Linc feels that the fighter may be in physical danger if he goes ahead with the match.
Directed by: William Crain
Guest stars: Sugar Ray Robinson, Hilly Hicks, Rocky Graziano, Rod McCary, Ernie Lopez, Bucklind Beery, Dick Young, Jimmy Lennon Sr., Dick Enberg
Rated: one star out of five
Linc: When are you going to face it, Candy?
Candy: Face what?
Linc: Age. The undefeated champion of us all.
My Take: Sugar Ray Robinson could not act. It was painful watching him try. And they gave him a big part. I come from a family of boxing fans. Watch old, old home movies, and you can see my grandparents boxing around everywhere. Even my peace activist mother loved boxing. I don't care for it. I even get bored in kick boxing class, and I'm doing the boxing! Now the illegal gambling part had my interest. People do crazy things when blackmailed. But love prevailed, of course.
Highlights: The sequence in which they filmed the story was different…very necessary, though, in that it would be too boring to just watch round after round.
Lowlights: They just had to find a way to put Linc in the ring with Sugar Ray. How come actors want to be athletes and athletes want to be actors? Robinson's cardboard performance. Not enough of any of the squad. Even the ending freeze with the swelling of music is just a bit of Linc at the edge of a boxing ring.
Knock-outs and Injuries: None to the squad. And I can't tell you who won the fight…
We Spy While working undercover as safe crackers, Pete and Linc meet a timid, clumsy young man who asks ten to teach him about their trade. They learn that the young man has a twin brother who is a successful businessman. What they don't know is that the businessman is actually the leader of the industrial spying ring they are trying to investigate. And that's only the start of the surprises to come.
Directed by: Lawrence Dobkin
Guest stars: Rene Auberjonois, Willam Smith, Jay Novell, Joanna Phillips, Sidney Clute, Paul Micale
Rated: three and a half stars
"Ticky. Ticky." ~ Pete
My Take: Rene Auberjonois, who had a part on Starsky & Hutch did a great job of playing twins. Fun mix of comedy and dead seriousness.
Highlights: Linc's name, "Happy"…The Captain regretting a decision he made. The uncomfortable subject of mental illness was illustrated--watch Captain Greer's hands as they watch the patient being taken away. The closet scene. Pete in a suit. The captain taking them off the case, but not really taking them off the case.
Lowlights: Julie's part was small.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Captain Greer got knocked out.
The Price Of Love When his motorcycle breaks down on a trip, Linc stops in an abandoned town, only to discover that a kidnapped boy is being held there for ransom. The kidnappers decide to hold Linc as well until they get the money.
Directed by: Philip Leacock
Guest stars: Paul Richards, Clint Howard, Gregory Walcott, Dub Taylor, Barry Atwater, Connie Hines, Jeanne Bates, Royce D. Applegate, Ed Deemer
Rated: three stars out of five
"Okay Dad. Solid." ~Davy
My Take: Linc runs into trouble by simply running out of gas on his vacation. Timing, as Linc would say. It was very suspenseful when Linc and the kid tried to get away. Although I had watched this back in the day, I had forgotten what happened.
Highlights: Clint Howard is always an interesting child actor to watch. The "solid" code word.
Lowlights: Why did that woman let the boy watch all the horrible things that were happening. She should have shielded him.
Knock-outs and Injuries: Linc was beat up and dragged around by a motorcycle…that was not easy to watch.