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The Rockford Files: Gearjammers, Part 2 (1975)
Good for father-son interaction, plot not as good
I've seen these episodes several times and I can still never quite figure out what the bad guys want to accomplish in this, but Rocky explains it rather quickly toward the end.
Most of this is set down by the harbor where big rigs would be transporting materials that have arrived in port. And it also shows that Dennis Becker apparently works in a precinct for the LAPD that spans the entire city.
Goliath: Tongue Tied (2018)
Absolutely pointless
Season 2 just petered out with nothing in it but gratuitous violence. It was a total mess. The final episode really showed nothing except how implausible everything in this season was.
Believing that someone could get as far in politics as Marisol does without anyone knowing her past is entirely unbelievable. She also has a fairly small campaign staff for someone running for mayor of the second largest city in America. Once she got to the City Council, let alone the Mayor's Office, the media would have dissected her past in great detail. There would have been reporters all over Mexico asking about her past because, if it had been true, it would have been a great story.
I have no desire to see this series into Season 3 after this trash in Season 2.
Goliath: Two Cinderellas (2018)
Impossible to believe storyline
1. The judge says there will not be an investigation into Julio's suicide since he obviously admitted his guilt. This is unbelievable. If a juvenile kills himself in prison custody, there is an investigation. Even if it's cursory. It's a suspicious death. And it was someone in a high profile case.
2. The death of a police officer and his family, even if they were hiding out from the Mexican cartel would be an enormous story that couldn't be covered up.
3. Someone running for mayor of Los Angeles just doesn't go off to Mexico a few days before the election. Because Los Angeles is a major city and people actually pay attention to who is running for mayor.
The Rockford Files: The Reincarnation of Angie (1975)
The ad in the phone book pays off again?
Or does it? It doesn't seem that anytime Rockford gets a call from someone who finds his ad in the phone book that it ends up being a paying client.
This episode has Rockford working with the FBI instead of the LAPD and as unhappy as the FBI agent is with Rockford in the beginning, they end up getting along pretty well and far better than they ever would for the rest of the series. By the end of the series, Rockford would really end up in trouble anytime the FBI came by.
Sharon Spelman, who did a great job as a strong independent woman who hires Rockford in "Profit and Loss" is brought back for this episode as a secretary who falls for Rockford's scam and almost tells him everything.
The title character, Angie, played by Elayne Heilveil, just has a face that reads "poor, helpless victim."
The Rockford Files: Pastoria Prime Pick (1975)
Just stay out of small towns Jim
Just five episodes after Jim Rockford runs into trouble in a small town, he does so again. In general, Jim and small towns didn't get along well.
This episode having only two virtuous characters, the judge and the retired sheriff, is somewhat reminiscent of "Bad Day at Black Rock." Except Rockford doesn't have the same air of mystery about him as Spencer Tracy's character did in that film. And it's a bit more light-hearted too.
There are references to the city of Holtville, which is a real city in California, although it is unlikely that is near the fictional town of Pastoria unless a huge mountain range sprung up near the carrot capital of California.
The Bob Newhart Show: Big Brother Is Watching (1974)
Not that out of the blue
The character of Ellen had been introduced in Season Two when Howard met her before she was about to get married to someone else. That was Episode 21 of Season Two and it was called "A Love Story."
The opening title sequence was changed for season three and Bob doesn't come home to Emily, but rather the two arrive home at more or less the same time.
I'm not sure at what point in television, you could have a unmarrried couple cohabitating, although the show had already depicted Jerry and Carol as spending the night with members of the opposite sex.
The "Bob Newhart Show" didn't usually go for big opening and closing episodes.
The Rockford Files: The Dark and Bloody Ground (1974)
The debut of Beth Davenport
Gretchen Corbett, who would play Jim Rockford's attorney, for four seasons, makes her debut in this episode, although she is the one hiring Rockford to work for her instead of vice versa.
Like many of the first season episodes, the story features a very dark and cynical Rockford, who is quite suspicious of whether or not he will ever get paid. Rockford's insolvency is one of the show's recurring themes and probably what set it apart from all other detective shows.
The show was still developing all of its characters and in this episode, Beth Davenport was somewhat naive, Dennis Becker was somewhat hostile, and Rocky was already trying to get his son to switch to truck driving.
The Rockford Files: The Hawaiian Headache (1979)
The end of the line
This was the last "Rockford Files" episode to be shot and it was a chance for all the regulars to make one last appearance and get a trip to Hawaii.
Like many episodes, Rockford is convinced to help out an old friend, in this case his former commander in Korea, in a seemingly simple task that will become far more dangerous as it unfolds.
Rocky gets a chance to complain about his son not appreciating him. Angel shows up briefly just to be his usual sleazy self. And Dennis Becker appears and gets to complain about doing a favor for Rockford.
Like many "Rockford" stories, the reasons for just why everything happened just gets tossed in at the end. The episode is really more about the characters and not the storyline.
The Rockford Files: Just a Coupla Guys (1979)
A Rockford with hardly any Rockford
This episode features none of the supporting characters and Rockford appears in only a few scenes. The episode is mainly a chance for David Chase to write about New Jersey mobsters. Except this episode isn't anything like "The Sopranos". The biggest problem is that the two protagonists (the "Coupla Guys" in the title) aren't very interesting characters. They're just a coupla guys. There's not much too them. They aren't interesting. You can't tell if they are good or bad.
Rockford shows up at the Newark Airport and gets his car stolen, his luggage stolen, his watch stolen, and later his wallet and plane ticket home stolen. This kept James Garner in one set of clothes which likely made it easier on his work schedule.
I've often wondered if this was a failed pilot. If so, I am glad it was. There is no way an interesting series could have come out of this clunker of an episode.
The Rockford Files: Backlash of the Hunter (1974)
Rockford starts out very cynical
This two hour show was the pilot for "The Rockford Files". There is a different Rocky in the show as Robert Donley would make his only appearance as the character. Noah Beery, Jr. would take over the role for the rest of the series, which turned out to be a great idea. Donley's Rocky isn't nearly as much fun as Beery's and he seemed to be more interested in shaking down his own son for money than anything else.
Rockford is not a particularly easy-going guy in this episode as he seems very concerned about whether or not his client can pay him. We see Rockford asking for a credit check, something he should have done in the future.
Two other supporting characters do show up: Joe Santos as Dennis Becker, Rockford's weary friend on the police force, and Stuart Margolin as Angel Martin, Rockford's shady, but sometimes helpful (not often enough) friend from prison.
There is an emphasis in this show that Rockford only handles cases that the police are no longer investigating. This would be de-emphasized in later shows, although Rockford never gets along well with the police during the show.
Like many stories in the series, the plot gets wrapped up in a hurry at the end and the first 90 minutes of this episode have a lot of atmosphere and opportunities for Rockford to be Rockford.
The Rockford Files: A Material Difference (1979)
Try hard to keep track of who's who
Although Stuart Margolin is excellent as usual as Angel Martin, this episode can be hard to follow as it seems that none of the characters are telling the whole truth about what is going on.
Angel is pretending to be a hit man and he's working for someone, but it is difficult to tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in this script.
It's also another in a long line of episodes where Rockford tells Angel that he's through with him. Of course, he isn't. Angel was too interesting a character to get rid of that easily. Although I do wonder how Angel always managed to avoid being charged with parole violations.
The Rockford Files: Never Send a Boy King to Do a Man's Job (1979)
Rockford meets "The Sting"
An homage to "The Sting" as Rockford's protégé, Richie Brockelman, returns to ask for help with a con that would help Richie get his father's printing plant (or at least full value for it) back from a devious sports promoter, played by Robert Webber.
The episode has many elements from "The Sting" including an audition for con artists to play various roles in an elaborate long con. The episode (a 2-parter) also has a femme fatale and some elaborately faked deaths in order to catch the villain.
Harold Gould, who plays Richie Brockleman's father, was in "The Sting" as well.
The Rockford Files: Only Rock 'n Roll Will Never Die: Part 1 (1979)
Another episode of "Rockford" that presages "The Sopranos"
David Chase shows in this episode some of the themes that he would use in "The Sopranos". In particular in this episode, Rocky is addicted to watching TV news that continually shows bad news, not unlike Livia Soprano.
The episode also brings back George Loros (who also appeared in "The Sopranos") who had been in two earlier episodes as a New Jersey hit man. This time, he plays a good guy, one of Rockford's seemingly endless group of friends who were in San Quentin with him.
The mob plays a role in this two-parter, although just tangentially and the mobster is supposedly a Jewish man involved in the record business, not unlike Hesh (Jerry Adler) from "The Sopranos".
Then Came You (2000)
Ahh! This show!
It took me a while to remember what this show was about. I never could quite grasp its concept. Or why it was considered funny. It just seemed so utterly implausible.
The romantic relationship between the two main characters was not plausible.
And the "older" woman was not that old, she was only in her early 30s. Someone in their early 30s dating someone in their 20s is not exactly unusual.
Carol for Another Christmas (1964)
A Christmas Carol that may not translate to the 21st Century
The Museum of Television and Radio owns a copy of this film written by Rod Serling and only shown once on television. Part of its financing came from the United Nations and the theme of the film is more about international cooperation than simply being anti-war.
Sterling Hayden portrays a wealthy man who served in the Navy during World War II and is now a lonely bitter man upset over his son's death in a war he described as needless, presumably in Korea. Hayden is now an isolationist.
The three ghosts think their job is to make Hayden's character more of an internationalist and more willing to accept U.S. involvement in organizations like the United Nations. Coming right before the U.S. racheted up its involvement in Vietnam, it is easy to understand why this film didn't get shown again.
The visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future (Robert Shaw) is the most frightening part of the film. He shows Hayden a post nuclear apoclaypse world run by a weird character called the Imperial Me (Peter Sellers). Sellers is quite effective.
It's an interesting film, but you have to take it in its context. If you are a big Rod Serling fan, it is worth seeing. If you are not, you might find the themes in the film delivered in a rather heavy-handed manner.
Babe (1995)
The Best Film of 1995
Years from now, film critics will wonder why this film didn't win the Best Picture Award for 1995 (instead of the violent epic "Braveheart"). The movie had everything. It had a wonderful story, great acting, both by the humans and the animals, and some of the most visually stunning effects ever seen on screen.
And we didn't have to see anyone chopped to pieces, we just had to see animals. getting threatened with being chopped to pieces.