1- VIEWERS CHECK THIS OUT..............
*This story ties into everything people who are frustrated with the evolution of society believe. Across the racial and economic spectrum, citizens who go to work and raise families. People who see their neighborhoods riddled with crime and victims of crime. These citizens believe the police forces and security agencies are overworked and overwhelmed. These citizens feel let down by government of all types: federal, state, county and local. The education system in most of the nation is in shambles. The police forces are under attack and officers mostly feel betrayed by the communities they've been hired to protect and to serve. I am concerned as time rambles on there will be more vigilante groups who roam our streets taking the law into their hands, acting as police, judge and jury for the people they target. In a lot of cases we, as citizens who respect law and order, may even actually applaud or at least approve of their actions. But these groups won't be roaming with baseball bats and crow bars such as in this episode. These groups will be well armed and have guns that shoot bullets which don't have a conscience or respect for the innocent.
In this episode Michael Douglas (Steve Keller) does some of the best acting of his character.....thus far. He is passionate, entirely believable and throws himself into his Keller persona with all he's got. His friend from college days, Robert Hooks (played by Joe Joplin, an African American theatre, TV and film actor) whom Keller went to Berkeley with and rode in Freedom Rides with (to draw attention to the civil rights struggle for black men and women) is one of the key suspects in a band of 4 vigilantes - 2 black men and 2 white men - attacking bars known for drug dealing and massage parlors known for prostitution, drug use and selling.
*IGNORE the crowds on the streets and in the subway who are obviously observing a TV show being filmed. There are people gathering with standing room only and it appears the director isn't trying at all to hide or work around the smiling and pointing massive crowds. As the series had grown in popularity so had the massive crowds watching the action. A hilarious moment occurs when Keller, bleeding through his shirt onto his arms which have been cut by the knife-wielding bad guy, throws the bad guy onto the hood of a car and manages to put hand cuffs on him. As he makes the arrest he is approached by a nicely dressed young man who says to Keller, "Need any help?" Keller, breathless and bleeding looks at the young man, and then disgustedly looks away and continues controlling the bad guy. In today's American culture Keller may have been attacked by people as he was making the arrest. I was a little disappointed in Keller's reaction to the young man who offered him help. He certainly didn't need to gush all over the guy but he could've responded somehow.
*IGNORE the "drop the gun cop...." while the bad guy has a knife held to the throat of a lady on an escalator - and Keller complies which leads to..... A-his gun bouncing around on the tile floor of the subway station (who knows where and in whose hands his service weapon will end up?) and....... B- almost to him being killed - 1st by a car in traffic (A VERY close call for Douglas. It doesn't appear a stunt man was used for this scene) and 2nd by the bad guy wielding a knife in a hand-to-knife battle fought moments later. Hopefully the SOSF will be advised by any officers helping out with the show to stop this VERY un-police-like behavior (of dropping the gun as I've detailed three episodes back in a review for "A String Of Puppets") for reasons such as these!
*The way this episode resolves is for you to see without me releasing spoilers to dampen your viewing pleasure! However, I will testify to the fact I enjoyed this episode and thought the resolution was solid and well thought out as well as pretty darn realistic!
Kudos to the writer and director. Kudos to Michael Douglas for reaching inside himself and giving the viewers a performance which was excellent and memorable.
BTW: Karl Malden has stopped calling Michael Douglas "buddy boy". I kind of miss that term of endearment but understand when the evolution of character development happens, certain things change with the growth. Maybe Douglas requested this and it happened?
Final Grade For Episode: A-
