The Island - Episode 44

[amyk]

I'm just now at the end of this one. I never really like this one too well, and I feel like its best parts are probably before the team ever gets to the island. I do like the way that Decker and Crane both look so happy and smug, thinking that they know that the hotel guy is Hannibal. But would the MPs really drag poor Mickey out of that hotel the way that they do, as if he's a criminal?

That gal's loyalty and obvious care for Dr. Fallone are admirable, but she's so whiney that she drives me crazy.

The bad guy is way too over the top cartoonish for my tastes, with his iron arm and all.

To be honest, I had this one playing for much of the episode while I was playing around on the internet. It just does not hold my attention.

But I do love the way Murdock talks about war being hell and how "we" know about war and "we" know about hell. That part is very deep. (I recall that we discussed this previously on this forum, but the newer people probably have not seen that discussion.)

Overall, though, I only give this episode a 3 on the Sidney scale.

[sidney]

I actually like THE ISLAND. I like the tank stuff. It really saves the episode. Oh, it's not highly rated in my opinion, but I enjoy it. The girl is annoying, but most girls are on the show.

I watch Days of our Lives. Days of our Lives hires models, not actors. It gets pretty frustrating that the beautiful people are sooooo beautiful but can't deliver a line well at all. I think A Team did the same thing for most of the women guest stars. They weren't looking for acting chops. They were looking for eye candy.

[amyk]

I actually don't think the lady is such a bad actor, but her whining drives me crazy.

[sidney]

YOU DON'T!?!

Oh, my...

Very few of the lady guest stars were good actresses. Markie Post was talented. Maggie was talented. There was more though... I just can't think of them. You know who was bad? Carla.

[kellie]

This isn't ranked too tight on my list, but it's a good enough one and a bit different, with different scenery. There just doesn't seem to be a hell of a lot happening in it really, compared to most of the other action packed ones. I agree, the girl gets on my nerves a bit too.

I also like the way Murdock talks about war, it does give a bit of depth to their charaxhters, making sure we all know they're not just amateurs, playing at this A-Team malarkey.

[amyk]

I think the war talk by Murdock may be my favorite part of this episode.

[kellie]

Think it's mine too and the crocodile.

[Bert]

Vescari is one of my favorite bad guys because he's so cartoonish and bizarre. It's like the writers tried to create a James Bond villain but threw nuance out the window after strapping it to a chair.

The tank sequence at the end was awesome. And Murdock befriending the baby crocodile was a nice touch. And, of course, Decker's scene was cool. But there's not much to see here other than that.

[robinredoe]

I’ve watched the episode too and enjoyed it once again. It’s been a while since I last saw it.

The scene with Decker was fun, especially when a guy pops-in that could be one of those over-the-top characters Hannibal usually plays, but isn’t. Had a laugh when Hannibal rubbed it in.
What’s less credible is that Murdock (and B.A) openly storm forward to rescue the kid. I thought they wanted to keep Murdock their secret weapon? Now they have the military as an actual witness that he’s part of the team (though Decker, of course, already knows that they spring him out of the V.A. on occasion - though he could never proof it before). He mentions that he knows they spring M out in Curtain Call.
Considering that, they actually have a reason to put him away in jail now. I know there is at least one other episode where Murdock is openly showing he’s there with the team (I think one of them is the one where Tawnia has her first appearance. Not sure).

Oh well... The series didn’t seem very consistent with this detail anyway even though they had a whole episode where Murdock’s secret-weapon-feature was an important item of the storyline (Showdown!).
But the show had different writers all the time, hence it getting quite inconsistent, I guess.


Also not so credible: Everyone has trouble finding the A-team. But this kid who grew up on an island, escapes from said island and somehow finds his way to L.A.
How? He takes a boat into the ocean with all its currents and whatnot? Is the island situated close to the mainland? And then what? Does he have money to travel? Didn’t he need travel documents? And then he also has money to put an ad in the newspaper and immediately finds the team? It’s a miracle! 🤣 That kid needs way more credit for his little adventure!! Haha.


Funny detail: Hannibal says he hates wearing a disguise on hot days. But later on the island, he’s wearing a disguise and it seems a very hot day. Thought it was cool, showing determination to help people.

Yes, that detail with Murdock talking about war with Walli Gator was a nice bit of insight, even though very small.

“War is hell, Wally Gator, isn’t it?
We know about hell, and we know about war, right?
Wally Gator is a swinging alligator in a swamp,
He’s the greatest percolator when he really starts to romp.
See you later Wally gator.”

Fun episode. With a really overdone villain with a VERY heavy arm he has trouble lifting, hehe.
And apparently, next to flying, we can add lizards and alligators/crocodiles to B.A’s ‘Hell-no!-list”.🤣

[amyk]

That's a really neat insight about Hannibal and wearing the disguise on a hot day. I don't think I've ever made any kind of connection between what he told Decker about that and then him later on appearing in disguise in order to help people.

[robinredoe]

Jul 22, 2019 22:15:54 GMT -5 amyk said:

That's a really neat insight about Hannibal and wearing the disguise on a hot day. I don't think I've ever made any kind of connection between what he told Decker about that and then him later on appearing in disguise in order to help people.

Thanks!

[Bert]

Fun fact: Paul Drake, who played Vescari, was also the bad guy in the fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact.

[sprout1883]

"You didn't have no plan"

Just watched. Better than I probably gave it credit for before, but would be better if the cartoon villain was more normal

The story/mission is almost like a prototype Season 5 episode in some ways. You could imagine with a few tweaks, Stockwell sending them to rescue some high profile asset

[amyk]

Yeah, I never quite understand the villain in this one. Would like to know why he has a claw for a hand. Maybe whatever happened to him made him so bitter and evil?

[Bert]

It wasn't a claw, it was a prosthetic arm. I'd like to know why he has it too though, and found it underused. Imagine if he challenged one of the Team to a fistfight at the end with that thing.