The Big Squeeze - Episode 51

[amyk]

Watched this one tonight...I give it a 9 on the Sidney scale. It is excellent, but I don't rank it up there with my absolute favorites this time around. That scene where the lady has flat hair outside the restaurant and big hair inside the restaurant is an example of either poor editing or poor continuity or something, but I suspect they didn't want to go to the expense to re-shoot something. I wonder, though, why her hair was made up differently for the two different locations (outside vs. inside).

I do love the funeral scene so much...who else but Murdock would ask if people are friends of the bride or the groom at a funeral?

I do sort of wonder though why all these people borrowed money from Jack Lane??

[hasford1978]

I watched this one tonight and i just love this episode, one of my all time favourite stories.

Just after the team defeated the bad guys, they all quickly jump back into the van but as we see them all climb back into the van, well the guy pretending to be Face is definitely not Dirk obviously a stand in for like 2 seconds but i often wonder why have a stand in for something as simple as stepping into a vehicle?
Anyway i do like the goofs which are quite apprant throughout the series.

Also in this one we see Face for the first time playing piano, now does someone here know if Dirk can play the piano in real life?

[amyk]

Maybe they have a stand-in for a scene like that because something happened that they had to film it or re-film it at a time when Dirk for some reason was not available? It's like that scene in A NICE PLACE TO VISIT where inexplicably there is a double for Face when the guys have been left on the road and then get into the car that they take from the older couple. Face is not Dirk in that scene, but I don't know why. Maybe Dirk wasn't willing to work overtime??

[HoudiniDerek]

Face plays the piano again in THE GREY TEAM I believe. Even if Dirk doesn't have the skill, it definitely seems like one Face would have.


As for stand-ins, that's usually done in areas where the focus is on someone else or where a direct facial shot is not needed. Most of the stand-ins were to check for lighting and such and to get all of the spots marked. When short on time, I can see them not redoing the shot to get someone else in.

[hasford1978]

I haven't watched the Grey team episode for such a long while so i don't recall Face playing the piano again? It's a very weak episode but most season 5 stuff i avoid because i think Frankie is so annoying but i suppose I'll watch some more soon while on lockdown

[amyk]

Face plays the piano to drown out a conversation in case there are any bugs, if I remember correctly.

[HoudiniDerek]

Apr 28, 2020 21:40:32 GMT -5 amyk said:

Face plays the piano to drown out a conversation in case there are any bugs, if I remember correctly.

You are correct.

[superfandomqueen]

I really enjoyed The Big Squeeze. I don't remember Face playing the piano in it (but I also watched it in February). I watched The Grey Team much more recent (for the "final episode" it was decent, like the ending was a good send off in that way, but Frankie just grated on my nerves the entire season).

[amyk]

Face only very briefly plays the piano in THE BIG SQUEEZE, and it is during the montage scene when they are setting up their fake restaurant. (He plays the piano that they are bringing into the restaurant as they are actually moving it in.)

I'm usually the only forum member that seems to actually like THE GREY TEAM, so maybe I now have an ally in this....but yes, I could have lived without Frankie being in the show. I'm glad they got rid of him for the final scene to just focus on the four guys.

[superfandomqueen]

These are the reasons as to why I should do a full rewatch of A-Team, beginning to end. And maybe either do bracelets or do more analyzing of the show. (Oooohhhh, I didn't remember that!!)

I found THE GREY TEAM rather funny (between the old people being badass and that ending scene). Yeah, you have an ally. For what was supposed to be the final episode it really does feel like a good ending, with the joke of them chasing hoodlums through the park, because really? What skills do they have for a different job? (Point as to why I'm trying to plot out an alternate fic where they aren't wanted criminals but still become soldiers of fortune and helping out people.) I would do a hard pass on Frankie. Frankie just grates on my nerves and I just... I can't stand him.

[amyk]

You may want to check out this thread, which I haven't read through for quite some time, but I seem to recall it being a pretty fun thread: theateamforum.proboards.com/thread/357/frankie-get-love

[sprout1883]

Up to this on the rewatch. A fantastic episode for me.

Love the idea of Hannibal getting a set he worked on to use it for his plan. Love Face playing the piano in the montage

B.A in the all black suit is cool

Love Travis the interplay between Vincent, Lane and Travis. Adds some depth to the bad guys than the usual

Association of Angry Mud Suckers, we dont file grievances, we file death reports

So much about this one I love

[amyk]

You're right about the Travis/Lane conflict adding some depth. And also Nathan Vincent is not the usual cookie-cutter type of bad guy, either. He is more of shrewd bad-guy businessman. Lane is more of the usual thug bad guy. I like how we see him get in trouble with his own bad-guy boss.

[Eclipse139]

I rewatched this one yesterday. It was enjoyable (it's The A-Team, after all! ), but there was something odd about the way it flowed, or the pacing, or something - I can't quite explain it.

It's one of those eps where we're thrown straight into the story without an establishing scene and/or seeing the client hiring the team. Although there are a few eps that do something similar, I struggled to work out who was who and what was going on to start with - maybe that's just me, though?

I was a bit confused by the client telling Hannibal he didn't want the team's help anymore, but then the next thing he's at their fake restaurant and seemingly happy to be involved in the new plan? Also, the montage scene of the team constructing the film set was played almost like slapstick comedy which felt out of place to me (although I love that Face can play the piano! )

There were lots of great moments, of course. I love that Hannibal stays in disguise/in character for most of the episode (although his Irish accent was awful! ) and I loved Murdock in the funeral scene (and BA in a suit - just about!). As has already been said in this thread, it was interesting that the baddie was working for someone else and was in trouble with his boss because it gave the character more depth, whereas often the baddies can be a bit one dimensional.

[amyk]

I think the client maybe really did want Hannibal's help and when he said that about not wanting it anymore, it was just because he was afraid. But maybe he regained some courage, especially when he saw his fellow restaurant-owners also on board with Hannibal's plan and when he realized that the team was sticking around to see this one through.