"Petrocelli" was in trouble during season two. "Starsky and Hutch" repeatedly killed it in the ratings and the new show, "The Blue Knight" also was whipping "Petrocelli" in the ratings. So, in an attempt to avoid being canceled, the later episodes were often very different--much more action-packed and occasionally not even involving a courtroom at all, which is odd for a lawyer show!
In some ways, this episode seems like merging "The Maltese Falcon" with "Petrocelli" as the episode is all about two sides looking for a hidden treasure and the innocent Petrocellis caught in the middle. It all begins with a man running into Petrocelli's office late one evening. Petrocelli isn't there, but his wife is. During this time, the man (Phillip Pine) leaves a message for her to give her husband and he leaves....and is promptly grabbed by thugs.
Soon, a nasty Sidney Greenstreet-like guy arrives and demands Petrocelli gives him whatever the man left him the night before. Try as he might, Anthony Petrocelli cannot convince the guy he has no idea what he's talking about but gives him the message since, by now, the man has been found murdered and Petrocelli doesn't want to be next. Soon after, a woman (Joan Van Ark) arrives claiming to be the dead man's daughter...but she's a liar and spends most of the episode lying and acting weasel-like. What's to come of all this?
This is a rather poor episode because it's too big a departure for the show AND Petrocelli seems unusually stupid when it comes to dealing with Van Ark's character. See the show...you'll likely see what I mean. Overall, a watchable mistake.
