amyk
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Post by amyk on Aug 24, 2018 21:27:51 GMT -5
Watching this one right now...I hate it that we never find out what happens to Nicky, Augie and Marta, do we? In fact, one of my problems with this episode is that to me it is kind of all over the place. The part on the cruise ship doesn't really seem to go with the first part of the episode to me. Actually, the whole "going to Italy" part seems kind of odd after the first part of the episode focused more on Nicky, Augie, and Marta. Then the bad guys switch for the latter part of the episode. I also think that the team would never have been so careless as to lose Augie from the van like that.
I do think that Dirk Benedict performed that stunt of the double backward somersault (during the fight with the bad guys in Italy) or else for once the show actually had good editing of the stuntman.
"I can't believe you came after me." "Yeah, we're pretty amazing." Like Hannibal's comment and especially the dry way he says it.
I do love Johnny Angel. He's funny, being so conceited and thinking he's so hot that all the ladies should be falling at his feet. And how he thinks he's so important with his connections to "Old Blue Eyes," although I sort of doubt that he really has such a connection as he thinks he has!
I don't understand why Scarletti tells his henchmen to find the girl and kill her. If they did that, and if the judge found out, wouldn't he convict Scarlett in an instant? I thought the whole point is for them to use the girl as hostage so that the judge will let Scarlett off.
"That doctor....he gets a-more action!" That is funny.
I never understand the song about the cheese. And I don't really like the way that Murdock is talking when he's in the ghost outfit.
"Man is not long for this world, Hannibal." "I'm not sure he was ever in it!" Like that line.
Wonder where everyone got those masks if they hadn't packed for a costume party?
I think another problem with this episode is that it doesn't seem like BA is really a complete part of the team, especially on the boat, where he primarily just sits around in a wheel chair or stays in the cabin. Didn't Mr. T actually quit the show or something like this during the filming of this episode? And then apparently he changed his mind or was convince to return?
I don't really think this needed to be a 2-part episode. Some parts seem sort of dragged out to me. But then the ending seems so abrupt, with no tag scene, no reunion of the kidnapped girl with her dad, etc. I don't think the final fight with the bad guys needed to go on so long, or that they really needed the chopper chase.
I give this one a 5 on the Sidney scale.
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Post by juniberry on Aug 25, 2018 17:00:52 GMT -5
But Murdock’s tunnel escape is epic. Yes you can tell the writers had to quickly make up the new story after Mr T walked (or flew as the case was) off set. Shame as it could of been brilliant as it obviously has one of the biggest budgets for the episodes
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Aug 25, 2018 20:45:02 GMT -5
I still prefer it when Face has to scam Murdock out of the VA, rather than Murdock getting out on his own. But Face's line about tunneling one's way out going out with HOGAN'S HEROES is funny.
I think this episode tried to be too much. I think they were going for another RANGE RIDER-type of episode. But I don't think it achieved that. Some of that maybe was just because they had used up so many good ideas already during the first three seasons. I just never really feel like this episode flows together well. I don't even feel like what it happening in the second half has much relation to the first half, although I know the bad guys are still trying to get the girl, supposedly so that Joe Scarlett will be released by the judge. I just don't like it that we don't see what really happens with Joe Scarlett, we don't see any reunion between the girl and her father, etc. Nothing is actually wrapped up. Do we even know that Joe got convicted? No!
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Post by Eclipse139 on Oct 4, 2020 16:13:06 GMT -5
I rewatched this one today - the full length version this time, not the two-part version I watched quite recently on TV. I'm sure I don't remember seeing Murdock's tunnel escape in the two-parter, was it cut for timing reasons? (Or do I just have a terrible memory? ) I enjoyed it much more this time round - I think because I wasn't expecting much in terms of the plot making sense and the weird, jarring change of scene/tone between the first and second parts - so I was able to enjoy all the good parts this time. They obviously had a huge budget because there were some spectacular stunts! From Hannibal's parachute jump off the skyscraper, to he and Murdock diving off the ship and then Hannibal jumping from the helicopter onto the speedboat, they were all very exciting to watch - even more so when you remember they were all done for real, by real stunt performers and there was no CGI. It was a lucky coincidence that the baddie in the first half (was that Augie?) looked so much like Hannibal! It would have made more sense if they'd seen a photo of him first and then commented on how much he looked like Hannibal, instead of just assuming Hannibal would be able to disguise himself so perfectly. I loved how quickly Hannibal was able to think on his feet and adapt when he was undercover in the trailer park scenes. As has been said before in this thread, it's a shame we didn't get to tie up what happened to the original kidnappers. I'm surprised Hannibal didn't reprimand BA for destroying the plane when they were ready to leave Italy - he just seemed mildy annoyed. BA got off lightly there! It was a good excuse to get them all onto a cruise ship though and there was a lot of fun on the ship - it would have made a good ep on its own, instead of being the second half of this one. I loved all the 'Dr Face' scenes! If only he wasn't so easily distracted he wouldn't keep getting himself into so much trouble! It was a shame there was no wrap-up or tag scene, it was odd that the ep just suddenly ended with Hannibal on the speedboat. I wonder if they wrote (or even filmed) more originally, but it had to be cut for timing? There were so many loose ends left and it would have made the whole thing much better if we'd seen them all back in LA, with an explanation for what happened to all the baddies, tying everything together. And I didn't realise Mr T had threatened to quit the show at this point! I thought all of that happened in Season 5 (where we see all those scenes he has obviously filmed separately from the others.)
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Oct 4, 2020 21:42:33 GMT -5
Maybe the loose ends have to do with Mr T and the dispute going on with him at that time. Perhaps there really were more scenes that they could have filmed to tie things together, but I just kind of get the idea that they originally planned to end it the exact way they did.
I don't really care that much about the spectacular stunts. To me, those just sort of take time away from the characters and they didn't really add much, if anything, to this episode for me. Just my opinion.
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Post by Eclipse139 on Oct 5, 2020 10:58:13 GMT -5
I definitely wouldn't have wanted to see stunts of that nature in every episode - that's not what The A-Team is about - but you can see why they put them into this feature length season opener. I actually think they do add a little something to the characters. We know Hannibal is brave and an action man, but the parachute stunt is outrageous and a step up from anything we've seen him do before and he does it right under Decker's nose - I don't think Decker can believe his eyes when Hannibal jumps. It's the ultimate act of defiance. Also maybe it demonstrates that Hannibal's either braver, or crazier, than we thought - maybe both? Also, when Hannibal and Murdock are about to dive off the ship they look at each other as if to say - 'Are we really going to do this? This is totally crazy' - 'I know, let's do it anyway'. (You can attribute the lines either way round). I think that's a nice, small-scale, character moment, just before a huge, spectacular stunt.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Oct 5, 2020 14:50:55 GMT -5
I agree on the stunts, Eclipse. Usually I tend to prefer the van jumps, explosions, and car crashes, but this one gave us more and it felt natural to the situation. As for the syndicated versions, yes, they almost always cut out Murdock's tunneling.
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Post by Eclipse139 on Oct 5, 2020 15:19:51 GMT -5
As for the syndicated versions, yes, they almost always cut out Murdock's tunneling. Thanks, Derek. I didn't think I could have missed that scene, it's so funny - if totally unrealistic! I love that Murdock has used piles of books to support his tunnel.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Oct 5, 2020 22:33:16 GMT -5
I definitely wouldn't have wanted to see stunts of that nature in every episode - that's not what The A-Team is about - but you can see why they put them into this feature length season opener. I actually think they do add a little something to the characters. We know Hannibal is brave and an action man, but the parachute stunt is outrageous and a step up from anything we've seen him do before and he does it right under Decker's nose - I don't think Decker can believe his eyes when Hannibal jumps. It's the ultimate act of defiance. Also maybe it demonstrates that Hannibal's either braver, or crazier, than we thought - maybe both? Also, when Hannibal and Murdock are about to dive off the ship they look at each other as if to say - 'Are we really going to do this? This is totally crazy' - 'I know, let's do it anyway'. (You can attribute the lines either way round). I think that's a nice, small-scale, character moment, just before a huge, spectacular stunt. Yeah, Murdock and Hannibal are kind of cute the way that they look at each other there, so I concur that you can call that a character-building moment. They may have also been trying to attract new viewers and perhaps thought that having some more spectacular stunts could do that.
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Bert
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Post by Bert on Mar 14, 2022 1:00:02 GMT -5
I gave this one a rewatch tonight. I must've been the right kind of tipsy, because the second half didn't bore me to tears for a change. That being said, the second half isn't good, and I place the blame for that squarely on Carnival Cruise Line, who were involved with the episode. It's especially bad because the first ten minutes of part two are as awesome as part one, with the raid on the villa, BA's fight with that big dude, and the car chase afterward painting a pretty picture of things to come. Then they get on the boat and it's just a complete slog where nothing happens for half a damned hour, although we get a reasonably decent climax. Decent, not great, but it was more interesting than a lot of the crap that had come before it. Then the episode just stops and nothing's actually resolved, but Hannibal punched the bad guy into the water so yay, the day is saved I guess.
The first half is slam-bang awesome with one of my favourite stunts in the series: Hannibal's parachute jump. It's great, if totally implausible, a total middle finger to Decker. I also like the swinging-through-the-windows scene in part 2, although Die Hard did it better.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Mar 14, 2022 18:18:34 GMT -5
I love when Hannibal jumps off the building.
And Decker's reaction is so perfect: "I don't believe this!"
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Mar 14, 2022 19:21:42 GMT -5
Maybe my biggest issue with this episode is that lack of resolution which Bert mentioned and which I think I've complained about before. They have two full hours and they can't take the time to include some kind of tag scene which would tell us what happened to everyone and to give us the payoff of the judge being reunited with his daughter.....and the payoff of him pronouncing judgment upon Joe Scarlett? I would have liked to see the judge get the upper hand over that guy!
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Mar 15, 2022 9:33:43 GMT -5
Maybe my biggest issue with this episode is that lack of resolution which Bert mentioned and which I think I've complained about before. They have two full hours and they can't take the time to include some kind of tag scene which would tell us what happened to everyone and to give us the payoff of the judge being reunited with his daughter.....and the payoff of him pronouncing judgment upon Joe Scarlett? I would have liked to see the judge get the upper hand over that guy! Maybe people would get it confused with the DOUBLE HEAT episode since it's a very similar episode overall.
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amyk
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Post by amyk on Mar 15, 2022 19:01:36 GMT -5
But with this one being two hours, and with it having the courtroom drama at the beginning when the judge gets the message about his daughter being kidnapped, I really think it should have gone full circle and come back to the courtroom at the end with us getting to see the judge either pronouncing Joe Scarlett guilty or sentencing him to prison.
Also I think we should find out what happened to Marta, Augie, etc.
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Bert
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Post by Bert on Mar 16, 2022 3:27:43 GMT -5
Part 2 really is just a long ad for Carnival Cruise Lines. I don't know what the producers/NBC got out of the agreement they made with them, but it wasn't worth it considering they sacrificed what should've been a much more interesting and engaging storyline just to feature the boat as much as possible. Even the action on it is pitifully subdued up until the finale, and even then, it's still lacking in excitement.
Maybe we should rewrite part 2 so it doesn't suck.
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