A trademark of many Stephen J. Canell shows, is likable main characters who weekly interact with one of the seven deadly sins. Just like with The Rockford Files, the clients of the Riptide agency are often caricatures of themselves. Most of the time, it makes for a funny and engaging adventure. This episode however, it doesn't.
One of Murray's female friends is responsible for bringing in Hawaiian singer Frankie Kahana as an act for a lounge, and her job is on the line when we learn he is in big trouble. So the Riptide Agency has to help this bumbling idiot escape his crooked former employee.
Frankie Kahana is this weeks' episode goof ball and he is so out of this world, so crazy, that it becomes more annoying than funny. I know Riptide is never meant to be taken that seriously, but this ''Lump of Lava'' is just so stupid and ignorant that even our main characters constantly insult him. Every time he is on screen, you wish he wasn't. He gets old so fast, that the First fifteen minutes feel like ages. He luckily disappears in the middle of the episode, finally giving you some peace and quiet. But when he re-enters the episode towards the end, the agony of the viewer continues.
All in all, this is a really shallow episode. They just roll into trouble, do some Rockford-like wisecracking, en BOOM! Episode over. You still have a cool car chase and our well written trio. The tag made me smile, and recognizing Branscombe Richmond, who would later co-star in Canells' Renegade was nice. But these small moments can't save it from being the worst episode of Season 3.
