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Post by kellie on Oct 12, 2017 14:47:46 GMT -5
Good point, maybe it was written just for this, I never thought of that. It fits perfectly.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Oct 18, 2017 15:11:16 GMT -5
I think we previously had a discussion on this forum about Murdock taking the bullet for Hannibal but not being thanked by Hannibal. My thought on that is that, throughout this episode, Hannibal is never sappy. I think he's a soldier, and he himself would take a bullet for any other soldier. It's just what soldiers do and they don't need to be thanked for it. It's their duty. Do you think the song "They Say that Opposites Attract" (or whatever you want to call it) may have been written specifically for this episode? He mentions that Murdock took a bullet that was meant for him. I think Hannibal saving Murdock was how he thanked him, even to the point of potentially surrendering. As for "Opposites Attract", it was sung by Joey Scarbury. It was not specifically written for this episode. It was written for the episode DIVORCE, VENUSIAN STYLE in the GREATEST AMERICAN HERO series. There is a longer version in that one and this one is cut down and the song recycled.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Oct 18, 2017 22:36:48 GMT -5
Yes, I think too that Hannibal is not so much of a talker but a doer. I guess maybe his "love language" is "acts of service." So I think you are right that his way of thanking Murdock is by saving his life. And yes, even to the point of surrender.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jun 22, 2020 13:48:53 GMT -5
Well having watched this episode last night, the main thing that struck me was that there were some rather shoddy first aid practices going on. That scene in the van when Murdock's just been shot - Face is particularly useless in not putting any pressure on the wound whatsoever. He just sort of 'fidgets' with it. (Although it was gratifying that Murdock let Face do whatever it was he was doing, whereas when Tawnia tried to reach over - maybe to put pressure on the wound? - Murdock swatted her away). At least Hannibal redeemed the situation by correctly recognising that fabric in the wound would cause it to suppurate and get infected, and that they had to remove it. I'm assuming he also gave Murdock some antibiotics and paracetamol at some point from the first aid kit Face lifted. Although it probably didn't do the healing process much good when Murdock was in the straight jacket at the end. If the bullet was lodged in muscle, then I'm guessing it could be quite achy to have your shoulder pulled back like that...(Although perhaps that scene was a while after he got shot...) It's also heartening that first aid got better by the time of Without Reservations, with regards to the whole putting pressure on the wound, elevating the feet, keeping the patient warm. RE Face and the tobacco - yeah, I also thought it was impressive how much he stuffed in his mouth. I had no idea what that stuff was at first, i thought it was chocolate or something. (Actually, I didn't realise it was Face when he fell through the door onto those two nitwits, I thought it was one of the bad guys from the first scene. Then I was like, "Whoa, Face has grown some impressive stubble very quickly!" And then, "Where did he get those dungarees from? Only BA wears dungarees. Is he wearing BA's dungarees??") This episode came into my head earlier for some reason and I always wonder how long it is before Decker comes to the V.A. If it's pretty immediate, then Murdock should be in a lot of pain, although he doesn't look it when dancing around and trying to get B.A. to undo the jacket. I wonder why Decker chose to come this time instead of any other time. Captain Crane was there in RANGE RIDER, but Decker came this time. Was it because they checked a local hospital and saw the work done? Makes you wonder if Face and Murdock have different blood types. Could Decker have seen that and decided to pay Murdock a visit? And do you think the straight jacket was Murdock's idea? Or was he in it because he had gotten out again and the VA wanted to keep him around? I think the former because he asks to get out of it, but it makes you wonder sometimes about the VA and what they do with him when they get him back. (I'm thinking BAD ROCK especially since he purposely escaped).
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Jun 22, 2020 21:34:47 GMT -5
Presumably also the guy who Face punched out to take the uniform eventually awoke. So I guess Decker knew that Face had stolen an MP's uniform. And he would have then figured out that it wasn't Face who was injured, right? So did he then figure out that it was actually Murdock?
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Jun 23, 2020 8:23:25 GMT -5
Presumably also the guy who Face punched out to take the uniform eventually awoke. So I guess Decker knew that Face had stolen an MP's uniform. And he would have then figured out that it wasn't Face who was injured, right? So did he then figure out that it was actually Murdock? It would definitely help determine why Decker finally came to see Murdock himself. Plus, he has probably heard from the bad guys that there are four guys running around helping people, not just three. I think Decker knew it was likely, but couldn't be sure so he went to the VA. Had Murdock not been in the straight jacket, he might have even checked him for the wound. I forgot about the MP waking up at some point. I doubt Face could hit so hard that the guy is still sleeping.
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Post by Eclipse139 on Jul 25, 2020 9:45:03 GMT -5
Rewatched this one yesterday. It's such a good episode! A lot of shows have the obligatory, budget-saving clip show episode and I'm not usually a fan, but this one is brilliant. The flashbacks are all really poignant for the other members of the team, although I could probably have done without Decker having one. They chose a really nice selection of clips (let's face it, there are plenty to choose from!) It made me laugh that BA managed to have a flashback to times he was either unconscious, or in a catatonic state! Murdock's act of selflessness, taking a bullet for Hannibal, was wonderful of course. I think any member of the team would have done the same, not just for Hannibal, but for any one of the others. You had a discussion on here before about whether Hannibal should have specifically thanked him, but I agree that it probably wasn't necessary - I suspect it wasn't the first time something like that had happened, when you consider what they all went through during the war. There was certainly a distinct lack of first aid attempted immediately after Murdock was shot (like you've already mentioned in this thread), but I think they made up for it by the end of the ep - I love the idea that Hannibal has experience and knowledge of field surgery. It does make you wonder what else he had to do in Vietnam, considering the horrors that soldiers go through on the battlefield... plenty of fan fiction ideas to be had from this scenario. There were so many great character moments. I loved Face's conversation with Tawnia when he went to get the first aid kit about how people never see what's right under their noses - you could see he was putting on a brave face and he wasn't at all sure his plan would work, but he was prepared to take the huge risk anyway for Murdock. Also the moment when BA is begging Murdock not to die - Mr T played that scene so well (occasionally he gets some real emotional moments and it always surprises me just how good his acting can be!) and I love how Hannibal has to reassure him quite firmly because BA is really close to losing it at that moment. I really love that Hannibal was prepared to give up his (and the team's) freedom to save Murdock if necessary. BA didn't hesitate to agree with his suggestion that he might have to bring back Decker back to the mine and I'm sure Face would have agreed too if he'd been there. Of course in the end they found a suitably brazen way to escape from right under Decker's nose! I'm not sure Tawnia needed to be in this ep at all. I think if Amy had still been around she would have been as worried about Murdock as the rest of the team and had a flashback because she and Murdock seemed to have a real emotional connection, but Tawnia just seemed to spend the episode getting in the way! Murdock didn't want her fussing over the wound in the van, she went with Face to scam the first aid kit from the Ranger station, but didn't do anything to help when they were there and then she just held the lamp in the mine. She didn't even hold Murdock's hand while Hannibal was removing the bullet and he was in so much pain! It seems to be popular with other fans, but I didn't enjoy the musical montage at the end. It reminded me of a fan video! Not that I have anything against fan vids - I admire the skill that goes into finding and editing suitable clips to appropriate music - but for me it was an odd way to end the episode. As much as I love Murdock's friendship with BA it felt wrong to focus solely on the two of them at the end, considering everything that had happened in the episode. A montage showcasing the frienships of all four members of the team would have been better. This ep is definitely a great way to end season 2. It's a really strong season with so much to love.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Jul 25, 2020 21:20:06 GMT -5
While I like the song and the video clips, you are right that it is kind of strange for it to focus solely on Murdock and BA.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Nov 23, 2020 10:14:19 GMT -5
So we watched this last night. My wife doesn't care for the episode overall, so she wasn't looking forward to it. We had spent the day cleaning out the basement and my youngest was playing with some toys we found. My middle son refused to watch it. Since he says he is Murdock, he did not want to see himself get shot and stayed out of the room. Although after the episode, he asked if we could watch one tomorrow. My oldest didn't want to see Murdock shot, but wanted to see Decker, so he would randomly run in and out of the room to watch. This was interesting because we get to see the team ending a case. However, once again, we don't see them build anything. They are just beating up the bad guys. I'm kind of surprised they just stood there to talk after. Generally they tie them up or hand the guns off or whatnot, but no client or cop was here in this episode. Also, I am surprised that it hasn't happened before now that someone tried to shoot one of them. Although in the back is not kosher. I think any team member would have done it, but Murdock was in the position to see it, so he acted first. Hannibal didn't say thank you, but he did everything he could to let Murdock know he was going to be there for him and help him. The flashback episodes were much more important back in the day because it allowed a chance for newer viewers to get involved and allowed actors a break in the filming of episodes. Plus, we didn't get to watch them as much as we do now so our memories might have been worse then. Overall, I thought this one pretty well done. And outside of BAD ROCK, I didn't really notice Amy, although, they did keep her face out of it in BAD ROCK too. I laughed when I read the fact that B.A. knows what happens when catatonic or knocked out, but Decker knows what Hannibal is saying even when he is not in the van with them. That's always the downside of clip shows. The story was good and I like the way Decker framed it. I'm sure many fans wondered if the team could function with one of them hurt. They managed it in BAD ROCK, but this time was worse because Decker was there already! I love Bearclaw. The chew is disgusting, but funny as he keeps spitting. Even though the situation is dire, Hannibal and Face even have a brief moment of arguing about Face being slow. Decker was smart in this one with the tracking unit. And he learned not to be nice to Hannibal, even when a member faces death, because it bit him in the butt. I wonder what the Army man said after getting thrown out. Did the team free him or did Face? The tag scene was fine, but never does much for me. I like Decker finally showing up to see Murdock, especially since we know he had a team on the hospital. But the song scene was eh. Since I know it wasn't made for this episode, it doesn't really do much for me. Overall, an episode I like with strong character moments by all four guys.
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Post by Eclipse139 on Nov 23, 2020 15:36:51 GMT -5
I completely understand why your children didn't want to see Murdock getting hurt. I don't want to see him getting hurt either! I don't know the story behind the montage scene with the song at the end, I had no idea it wasn't originally made for this episode. I'm curious now, though - what was it made for? And do you know why it was eventually used at the end of this ep instead?
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Nov 23, 2020 16:43:32 GMT -5
I completely understand why your children didn't want to see Murdock getting hurt. I don't want to see him getting hurt either! I don't know the story behind the montage scene with the song at the end, I had no idea it wasn't originally made for this episode. I'm curious now, though - what was it made for? And do you know why it was eventually used at the end of this ep instead? It was written and originally played on another SJC show, THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO. The song is longer there and deals with two partners who are opposites and are having trouble working together. A much better fit there, just like EVE OF DESTRUCTION is a much better fit here. I think they probably did it for a few reasons: 1. Another couple of minutes to a short episode. Plus, since SJC had the rights to the song, why not? 2. It was already a clip show, so let's get a few more clips in. 3. I think that the show's popularity was focused on the Murdock/B.A. relationship, so they started building that up and ended the season with it.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Nov 23, 2020 23:09:55 GMT -5
I think the song is kind of cute, but since the show to me is about far more than just the BA/Murdock relationship, and since this episode seemed to focus fairly evenly on Murdock's relationships with all the team members, I do think it was sort of out of place at the end of this episode. I would have preferred a song that would have been about all four team members in some way, or just a song about friendship in general, I think, while they could show some more clips of Murdock interacting with individual team members or with the whole team all together.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Nov 24, 2020 8:53:02 GMT -5
I think the song is kind of cute, but since the show to me is about far more than just the BA/Murdock relationship, and since this episode seemed to focus fairly evenly on Murdock's relationships with all the team members, I do think it was sort of out of place at the end of this episode. I would have preferred a song that would have been about all four team members in some way, or just a song about friendship in general, I think, while they could show some more clips of Murdock interacting with individual team members or with the whole team all together. I agree. With clips involving all of the team members, the song might have fit better, but I still think a different song altogether would have been better. Probably just because of I disagreeociation with its original intent.
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Post by Eclipse139 on Nov 24, 2020 17:25:28 GMT -5
I completely understand why your children didn't want to see Murdock getting hurt. I don't want to see him getting hurt either! I don't know the story behind the montage scene with the song at the end, I had no idea it wasn't originally made for this episode. I'm curious now, though - what was it made for? And do you know why it was eventually used at the end of this ep instead? It was written and originally played on another SJC show, THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO. The song is longer there and deals with two partners who are opposites and are having trouble working together. A much better fit there, just like EVE OF DESTRUCTION is a much better fit here. I think they probably did it for a few reasons: 1. Another couple of minutes to a short episode. Plus, since SJC had the rights to the song, why not? 2. It was already a clip show, so let's get a few more clips in. 3. I think that the show's popularity was focused on the Murdock/B.A. relationship, so they started building that up and ended the season with it. Thank you for the info. I think I misunderstood what you said originally, I thought you meant the whole scene was going to be used in a different ep of The A-Team. It does sound like the song made much more sense in the other show though.
I agree they probably could have got away with using the song here if they'd just chosen a selection of clips that highlighted Murdock's friendships with everyone in the team, not just with BA. It kind of lets down an otherwise fantastic episode. The clips they use for all the flashback scenes in the ep all work well and really do show how much they all care equally about Murdock.
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Post by cartoonlover on Nov 27, 2020 11:20:12 GMT -5
One of the best season two episodes easily for me. Murdock is very good here. The flashbacks to the previous episodes suit this. Decker makes a good presence here also.
Rating: 8/10-8.5/10
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