Review of 5105 "A Long Way From L.A."

"A Long Way From L.A." A-

SPARKLING. This episode, particularly the first half, is very funny. Hunter & McCall have been sent to Texas to pick up a prisoner. Lupo skillfully instills each and every scene with hearty chuckles. Dryer and Kramer are on top of their game, and the whole episode is a bit of a showcase for Kramer and what she can do (deliver one-liners and create fake characters).

Story-wise the identity of the attacker/killer is hinted at, but never confirmed. I genuinely thought it was a bluff and the killer would turn out to be somebody else. So I was well pleased with the way the episode ended.

Guest-star wise Bo Svenson as the Sheriff was good (his final short scene with his step-father was rivetting), as was Paul Eiding as the prisoner, and Bill Quinn as the diner owner. Morgan Woodward, one of the best character-actors out there, and one of my favourites, is curiously under used.

Tone-wise, the episode establishes a likable character and then kills them off. A lot of TV shows never do this. Nice people, that the audience has spend some time with, are never killed off and the heroes of the show in question become omnipotent characters who never, ever, let anybody die. Other shows (Mike Hammer, Guardian, Pretender) set a different tone, by killing off characters mid-way though the episode. It makes for better story-telling. This episode of Hunter kills off a character that the audience have grown to like. This plot, on another show, would definitely have allowed him to live, and ride off into the sunset with the heroes. Not Hunter. Makes for better story-telling.

This episode is reminiscent of other Cannell shows. First off, the story structure is a direct parallel with about a third of The A-Team stories: our heroes arrive in a small town under the thumb of a corrupt "somebody" and after a bit of losing battles they eventually come out on top and win the war.

But, even more than that, it's plays like an episode of The Rockford Files. The scenes were the duo are roughed up and thrown off the back of the pick-up, and the part where Hunter & McCall run to someone they think will help them and it turns out they are knee-deep in enemy territory, are like direct homages to Rockford Files scenarios. Jim Rockford spent most of his time adventuring in LA, but even there he was always the "unwanted intruder" being roughed up and sent packing by some nefarious character. Jim usually overcame his lack of physical presence by donning a disguise or two and pulling a con of some type.

And what does Dee Dee McCall do in this episode?

Why, she runs a couple of minor cons, even donning a terrific nurse disguise at one point and feigning an accent.

So, an atypical episode of Hunter?

I'm not sure. I haven't seen that many. So, I can't really say.

What I can say is, it's a funny, entertaining un-predictable story acted out by a talented and compelling cast.

The only weak points were a fudged bit towards the end where Hunter & McCall stole the suspected murder weapon, fired it into a barrel and did a microscope analysis of the bullets, all in the space of, oh, eleven seconds with a bad over-dub to explain what they were doing. As if the scenes were added in afterwards, or something. Very jarring.

Secondly, mid-way through the episode, with a man-hunt going on through the wilderness around the town, I was somewhat incredulous when Hunter & McCall managed to find the suspect and his would-be executioners with no apparent problem.

But, everything else (humour, chemistry, unpredictability) means you've still got a good episode, just with weak elements.

One final comment. The pace. The early scenes are brief, funny and terrific. Each moves the story on with a leap, establishes the characters and gives a chuckle. You could probably use the opening ten minutes to teach good TV writing.

Can't say better than that.

3-12-03