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Two Thousand
posted by Savage918STAFFMOD on July 19, 2019 at 11:59 AM
This is the second episode of the season (note to fellow Honorary IMF agents: I may change my review at a later date if I noticed some important plot point on a rewatch.)
This is the story of a disgruntled scientist who thinks that America doesn't appreciate him and his wonderful weapon of mass destruction. So he's arranged to sell it to a foreign buyer then move to Switzerland and live happily ever after. The IMF gets the assignment and gets to work. However, a mysterious bad guy (who is Larry Tate from Bewitched of all people!), has entered the situation and wants to buy the WMD as well. In seasons four through seven most of the episodes have had third parties (some innocents, mostly not) stumbling into the IMF operations. The interuption was usually resolved well. So Larry calls the scientist, tells him he's being watched, and he'll be in touch.
The IMF grabs the scientist, who shall now be called Sparky and drives him to police HQ, then Willie and another agent let Sparky believe there's been a nuclear explosion that conveniently blows up in front of their office window. Meanwhile, back at Larry's office......Larry has no idea what the hell is going on and has a bought cop try find out. After a conversation with Lt. Uhura (I have no idea why she was there, either) at the REAL police HQ, the cop tells Larry the men who picked up Sparky are bogus(I always wanted to use that word!) Moving on.....Sparky comes out of his daze and notices that he's working on some kind of assembly line. He finds out that He looks about 28 years older and (of course) he has no idea what is happening. He then gets put in a cell with Barney, so Barney can do his world famous "Jamaican exposition" act.
Barney tells his new friend Sparky that their two countries have been at war for 18 years (we've been at war for 18 years with JAMAICA?) The situation is dire, Jamaica is about to nuke us (Jamaica has NUKES?) Could you possibly help us stop them? Yes, Sparky replies, I believe I can.
So, Sparky gets taken to Jim and an importantly dressed bunch of extras, gives the location of the WMD, Jim tells Sparky he's been punked, Larry Tate, who's been watching all of this from afar, curses and drives away.
This episode made great use of one of the buildings that was destroyed in the Earthquake that happened in the Los Angeles area a couple of years previously. I was going to say that I'm getting sick of the phony time- jump ploy, but really can't since it's the last season. I'd rate this one average.
Reply by sukhisoo
on September 19, 2019 at 9:00 AM
Nice recap.
I am watching these episodes in the order they appear on the discs. It is easier to keep track of that way. I just put a disc in the player and watch the shows until it is over. Then put in the next one. When I am done with all the discs, I know I have seen them all.
It would be disconcerting to a viewer watching for the first time. At the end of the last episode, Jim tells Lenore Karidian that Casey will be gone for awhile. And yet here she is. She doesn't do much here. She's just plays a phone receptionist. They could have hired someone from the Hartford Repertory Theater for that. And, presumably, they did that for this mission. The number of bit players they had to use was huge. It seemed like the resources they spent were excessive just to trick the guy into to blabbing the location of some plutonium. It was plutonium, though, which justified this expense. And the overly complicated plans is, after all, part of the fun of this show.
This time around, there is third party involved that the IMF didn't know about. This could have potentially thrown a money wrench into their plans, but the sitcom villain and his two silent henchmen didn't do much. They just watched from afar and got arrested at the end. Once again, this is plutonium. Did they not realize that the U.S. Government would use a lot of manpower to obtain it? Three guys could not possibly have done the trick.
This is the second time in as many episodes this season that our heroes ended up winning by holding the villains at gunpoint. I don't like it. I much prefer the vintage shows where our heroes just leave and the villains do all the dirty work, never realizing the extent that they have been fooled.
Oh well. It was fun watching Vic Morrow frantically try to figure out what was happening and finally going crazy at the end.
Still, this was definitely in the lower echelons of the show. I found myself fighting off sleep. It could have been that I had gone through a workout at the gym followed by supper. But the low-ish quality of the show didn't help.
I hope the remaining episodes are better.
Reply by Savage918
on September 19, 2019 at 5:27 PM
Regarding the IMF using guns, I remember that at the end of the season one episode Legacy, the IMF has a shootout in a cemetery with 2 Neo-Nazis and Dan gets shot by one of the bad guys.
Reply by sukhisoo
on September 19, 2019 at 9:08 PM
True. Shootouts and car chases are often a part of the show. I'm always disappointed when it happens, though.
When I watch Hawaii Five-O I am disappointed if there isn't a car chase, shootout, or at least a scene where McGarrett browbeats a suspect.
Reply by Savage918
on September 20, 2019 at 6:26 PM
Ain't that the truth! I love Jack Lord!
Reply by Savage918
on November 13, 2019 at 7:24 PM
I love your recaps!
Reply by Jayhn1111
on November 14, 2019 at 11:43 AM
How are you doing and feeling?
Reply by Savage918
on November 14, 2019 at 6:46 PM
Well, on Halloween the defibulator in my chest had to shock my heart because for a minute my bpm was 233. Scared the living daylights out of me!
Reply by Jayhn1111
on November 14, 2019 at 10:30 PM
Oh my god that is scary! I hope you’re ok now with everything going on☹️
Reply by Savage918
on November 15, 2019 at 12:03 PM
Yes, I'm okay. How are you doing?
Reply by Jayhn1111
on November 15, 2019 at 5:08 PM
Not too bad keeping busy
Watching a lot of superhero shows
Reply by Savage918
on November 16, 2019 at 4:02 PM
I'm doing some binging myself. Perry Mason
Reply by Jayhn1111
on November 16, 2019 at 6:35 PM
I see they are missing you on the Star Trek board. You are soooo popular
Reply by Savage918
on November 16, 2019 at 8:32 PM
I'll let you know that I think in a couple of days.
Reply by sukhisoo
on November 18, 2019 at 10:38 PM
WOW! That's pretty scary. I'm glad you are still with us. Keep on posting, Maria.
Reply by Savage918
on November 19, 2019 at 9:30 PM
I was lucky. Maybe I think about Robert Lansing and the second season of Star Trek Discovery too much!