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Old Man Out, Part One Recap
posted by Savage918STAFFMOD on November 20, 2019 at 4:29 AM
Because I can't sleep and I'm watching this episode right now, I decided to do a recap (ANOTHER one, I can you guys say? Yes, I reply).
This is the first 2 part episode of the series, set during season 1. The assignment, should Dan choose to accept it (and you know he will), is to free Anton Cardinal Wojcek, an 80 year old beloved Eastern European freedom fighter from the prison in his country to the West before the evil (aka Communist) government can execute him.
The prison in this country, which shall now be called Communistaville, is the most escape proof in the Eastern Block (but of course it is). For some nutty complicated reason, Dan recruits High Wire trapeze artist Crystal Walker to help with the mission. Dan has used her as a female agent before, but she's in love with him and wonders why he never calls her for personal reasons. After having a temper tantrum, Crystal agrees to help. I'll finish this in a couple of days because I'm getting tired.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on November 22, 2019 at 9:09 AM
I never understood why this was a two-parter, with a practice run in the first part.
Mary Ann Mobley was lovely as Crystal.
Reply by Savage918
on November 22, 2019 at 10:33 AM
I always felt bad for Crystal. And she was so jealous of Cinnamon because Cinnamon got to hang around with Dan more than she did.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on November 22, 2019 at 10:40 AM
Yes, Dan was so inconsiderate. He even let her perform without a safety net.
Reply by sukhisoo
on November 22, 2019 at 9:46 PM
I remember this episode having a lot of padding. There were more circus scenes that strictly necessary, for example. Squeezing it into a single episode might not have worked, but two episodes did seem a bit too much.
Reply by Jayhn1111
on December 10, 2019 at 10:53 AM
I love old man out
Reply by Savage918
on December 18, 2019 at 9:57 PM
Okay, folks, I'm back! A recap of the recap:
Dan gets an assignment to break an elderly Roman Catholic Cardinal out of the toughest jail in Eastern Europe (why is it always a Catholic religious leader? Just once I'd like to see an Episcopalian aka Anglican leader get sprung). The first thing Dan does is contact Crystal Walker, a high wire acrobat to help with the mission. Crystal, who is in love with Dan, throws a temper tantrum, then agrees to help.
The plan is to pretend that the team is a circus troop that conveniently sets up shop next to the prison. Roland, for the first of many times to get himself arrested ON PURPOSE (another thing, why can't Dan just once go up to the front door and say "hi, can we please get the Freedom Fighter out so he can overthrow your government?") to check how he can sneak the Cardinal out by swinging him out on a high wire line launched by Barney. As the guys are doing this, Crystal and Cinnamon will distract the guards by having a lot of catfights. Just as Roland's plan is perfected, the mean Commie guards move the Cardinal to a different cell (don't you hate when that happens?) After Dan visits Roland and finds out, he decides to call off the mission. This is the end of Part One. Will the team be able to get the Old Man Out? Will Crystal's and Cinnamon's pretend catfight become a real one? Can Crystal convince Dan to take her out to dinner when the mission is over? These and other silly questions will be answered (or will they?) in my next recap.
Reply by sukhisoo
on December 19, 2019 at 9:58 PM
Haha. Great snarky recap. For a change, poor Cinnamon doesn't get to be the center of male attention.
Dan has a social life, it seems, but he uses it to gain connections for his mission.
Every good episode has a skeptic in the ranks of the villains. Today it is the great Joseph Ruskin. He made a living simply by having a menacing face. (Sort of like Danny Trejo.)
Now I'll need to watch part 2. Perhaps tomorrow. Then, I need to dust off season 7 and finish it while there is a brief lull in my personal life before the holidays set in.
Reply by sukhisoo
on December 23, 2019 at 5:07 PM
Yow. Part 2 was over the top! I'm not sure how, but I completely forgot about the extended catfight at the end. Doubtless, it was aimed at the viewer's basest impulses, but I'm at heart a basic person so I got some enjoyment out of it.
Was there only one guard outside watching the back of the prison? And a non too bright one at that. I'm not sure how no one ever escaped from it before, but there we are.
Great season 1 fun.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on December 30, 2019 at 4:09 PM
The catfight was fun to watch. I may learn some fighting skills from that.
How many takes would they have shot to get it just right?
Reply by LansingFan
on October 6, 2020 at 6:24 PM
Was I the only one who thought those 3,952 hugs Cinnamon and Crystal give each other at the end of part two of this episode were very unnecessary?
Reply by Jayhn1111
on October 21, 2020 at 5:46 PM
I think I even posted that on the imdb some years back. That was way over done in my opinion
Reply by sukhisoo
on October 26, 2020 at 9:09 AM
It is part of the padding I complained about earlier in this thread. There was an episode and a half worth of story in the script. They stretched it out by extending some of the circus scenes and making the reconciliation between the two heroines longer than necessary.
Reply by wonder2wonder
on October 26, 2020 at 10:57 AM
'Padding' is not uncommon when there is too much story for one episode and too little for two.
Reply by LansingFan
on November 24, 2020 at 12:05 PM
Other than the excessive hugging at the end of part two, I liked Old Man Out.
Reply by LansingFan
on January 20, 2021 at 6:17 AM
Have I ever mentioned that Joseph Ruskin played a guest IMF Agent in a season seven episode? If I have, well guess what? I'm doing it again!