PROS AND CONS is a prison-themed episode of THE A-TEAM, just the third of the long-running series. The story is about a corrupt warden who has been arranging brutal fights within the prison followed by some MOST DANGEROUS GAME-style shenanigans. Inevitably our team ends up going undercover inside said prison to sort things out. This has the usual mixture of comedic antics and action, with the change of setting allowing for plenty of freshness in the story. The most welcome guest stars are former biker movie stalwart William Smith as a typical tough guy and Clifton James (LIVE AND LET DIE) as the goofy warden.
6 Reviews
Pros and Cons
Prismark1024 November 2019
BA comes to the aid of an old neighbourhood friend Jase Tataro who has escaped from a Florida prison.
Jase has been made to take part in fights to the death by the prison warden. Jase's brother is worried that he will be killed after Jase has been recaptured in LA.
The A Team has to get themselves arrested and into the prison. Once there, they need to come up with an escape plan.
BA acts like a tough deaf mute who the warden just knows can look after himself.
A good cast in this episode. Clifton James, William Smith and ex Heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton. The plot is daft but suitably enjoyable.
Jase has been made to take part in fights to the death by the prison warden. Jase's brother is worried that he will be killed after Jase has been recaptured in LA.
The A Team has to get themselves arrested and into the prison. Once there, they need to come up with an escape plan.
BA acts like a tough deaf mute who the warden just knows can look after himself.
A good cast in this episode. Clifton James, William Smith and ex Heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton. The plot is daft but suitably enjoyable.
Trash bags!
philostein4 January 2014
It's disappointing that Hannibal Smith neglects to say 'I love it when a plan comes together' – because this episode's plan puts Escape from Alcatraz to shame.
A prison warden is running 'fights to the death' with inmates as contestants. If the losers fail to die, the warden finishes them off himself. The 'winners' are allowed to escape, giving the authorities the perfect excuse to hunt down and kill inconvenient witnesses.
However, one inmate (who happens to be an old friend of B.A.'s) does manage to escape and contact his kid brother. The kid (who happens to be in B.A.'s ashtray making class(!?) starts acting screwy, so B.A. follows him – only to see the escapee taken away by the warden's deputies. B.A. 'persuades' the A-Team to help his friend escape from prison. But how to do it?
**Spoilers**
B.A. is a big guy, so the A-Team figure on getting him into prison to fight in the warden's death matches.
But how to get into prison? Drive a car through the sheriff's window.
How can Hannibal stay with B.A.? Pretend B.A. is a deaf mute, and Hannibal is his signer.
How to escape from prison? Construct *hot air balloons* out of everyday materials and float over the wall.
Where to get the balloons? Have Murdoch 'fail' a Rorschach ink blot test, get committed, howl for "trash bags!" until the warders cave in through lack of sleep and provide enough of them to carry the weight of 3 or 4 men.
But what about the chairs, hot air, and other balloon-making equipment? Have Hannibal pretend to be a hairdresser to gain access to hairdressing chairs for the baskets, and *hairdryers* to inflate the trash bag balloons with hot air.
What if there isn't any hairdressing equipment in the prison? Have Face pose as an author of a book on prison reform and con the warden into setting up a prison hairdressing salon under the threat of an unfavourable report on the prison's practices. And hope the supplies arrive *before* the big fight.
But Murdoch and the trash bags will be in the psychiatric ward! Tell Hannibal to trick the doctor into allowing him in to give Murdoch a haircut, and overpower the doctor – facilitating Murdoch's escape.
Why does B.A. have to be chosen to fight, if the escape's going to happen before then? Might his presence cause the next fight to be brought forward, giving you less time to prepare the escape anyway? Er don't worry about that.
But what if the fight's outside the prison and not in the prison gym as planned for, throwing the whole plan into disarray? Hope that Amy (who'd support Face) has the foresight to follow the warden and his cronies to the fight arena and alert the others to its location, make the hot air balloons as originally planned, float over the walls in them, wait for the warders to helpfully shoot the balloons allowing a gentle descent to Face's getaway car, and hightail it to the fight to threaten everyone involved with a big machine gun. Get B.A. to punch the warden. The end.
Genius. Pure genius! :D
A prison warden is running 'fights to the death' with inmates as contestants. If the losers fail to die, the warden finishes them off himself. The 'winners' are allowed to escape, giving the authorities the perfect excuse to hunt down and kill inconvenient witnesses.
However, one inmate (who happens to be an old friend of B.A.'s) does manage to escape and contact his kid brother. The kid (who happens to be in B.A.'s ashtray making class(!?) starts acting screwy, so B.A. follows him – only to see the escapee taken away by the warden's deputies. B.A. 'persuades' the A-Team to help his friend escape from prison. But how to do it?
**Spoilers**
B.A. is a big guy, so the A-Team figure on getting him into prison to fight in the warden's death matches.
But how to get into prison? Drive a car through the sheriff's window.
How can Hannibal stay with B.A.? Pretend B.A. is a deaf mute, and Hannibal is his signer.
How to escape from prison? Construct *hot air balloons* out of everyday materials and float over the wall.
Where to get the balloons? Have Murdoch 'fail' a Rorschach ink blot test, get committed, howl for "trash bags!" until the warders cave in through lack of sleep and provide enough of them to carry the weight of 3 or 4 men.
But what about the chairs, hot air, and other balloon-making equipment? Have Hannibal pretend to be a hairdresser to gain access to hairdressing chairs for the baskets, and *hairdryers* to inflate the trash bag balloons with hot air.
What if there isn't any hairdressing equipment in the prison? Have Face pose as an author of a book on prison reform and con the warden into setting up a prison hairdressing salon under the threat of an unfavourable report on the prison's practices. And hope the supplies arrive *before* the big fight.
But Murdoch and the trash bags will be in the psychiatric ward! Tell Hannibal to trick the doctor into allowing him in to give Murdoch a haircut, and overpower the doctor – facilitating Murdoch's escape.
Why does B.A. have to be chosen to fight, if the escape's going to happen before then? Might his presence cause the next fight to be brought forward, giving you less time to prepare the escape anyway? Er don't worry about that.
But what if the fight's outside the prison and not in the prison gym as planned for, throwing the whole plan into disarray? Hope that Amy (who'd support Face) has the foresight to follow the warden and his cronies to the fight arena and alert the others to its location, make the hot air balloons as originally planned, float over the walls in them, wait for the warders to helpfully shoot the balloons allowing a gentle descent to Face's getaway car, and hightail it to the fight to threaten everyone involved with a big machine gun. Get B.A. to punch the warden. The end.
Genius. Pure genius! :D
Trash bags!!!!
coltras3520 November 2021
When a friend of B. A.'s ends up in a prison in Strykersville, FL, the team goes in with an elaborate plan to rescue him. The warden has developed a fight program and he forces prisoners to fight ...
Classic Episode which works on all levels, has a great idea, a clever prison break-boxing plot, but most of all it features a classic Murdoch moment - here he has a trash bag fetish, and that scene never fails to make me laugh. Trash bags!!!
Classic Episode which works on all levels, has a great idea, a clever prison break-boxing plot, but most of all it features a classic Murdoch moment - here he has a trash bag fetish, and that scene never fails to make me laugh. Trash bags!!!
Love and miss the A Team
cfischer930 July 2022
Most of A Team episodes are great. My only comment from a girls point of view is they didn't need any girls on the A Team. Let the show be with the team being guys only. The girls really had no purpose in the stories. And they were taken off for being to violent. No-one every dies on the show and no language. They were great!
I want a trash bag!
Krimar31617 September 2023
One of the A-Teams greatest episodes that truly set the pace for what was to come.
Pros And Cons sets the team on a mission to rescue an old friend on B. A's who's being used as a combatant in a prison warden's illegal no holds barred fights to the death. Everything about this episode is what made the show great from stunts, comedy and action it's all here. If i was to recommend an episode to anyone who wanted to give the show a try it would definitely be this one. B. A is a force to be reckoned with while Face and Hannibal do what they do best planning and Murdock provides some fantastic comedy moments. All in all it shouldn't be missed by anyone looking for a great 1980's TV show to either rewatch or get into now.
Pros And Cons sets the team on a mission to rescue an old friend on B. A's who's being used as a combatant in a prison warden's illegal no holds barred fights to the death. Everything about this episode is what made the show great from stunts, comedy and action it's all here. If i was to recommend an episode to anyone who wanted to give the show a try it would definitely be this one. B. A is a force to be reckoned with while Face and Hannibal do what they do best planning and Murdock provides some fantastic comedy moments. All in all it shouldn't be missed by anyone looking for a great 1980's TV show to either rewatch or get into now.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
