Say It with Bullets s2ep15

co-starring: Lauren Chase as Corporal Brown, Lance LeGault as Colonel Decker, Carl Franklin as Captain Crane, Monte Markham as Mason Harnett
Written by Richard Christian Matheson, Thomas Szollosi
Directed by Dennis Donnelly

The team are hired by a woman whose brother was killed after becoming involved with a gang selling military arms on the black market.

Another tremendous episode, one that sees writers Matheson and Szollosi move away from their previous, more formulaic episodes (“Bad Time on the Border”, “Labor Pains”) to deliver something much more entertaining. The key to this episode's success is the dual plotting, having the team evading Decker and trying to catch the arms smugglers at the same time. This means there isn't any sense of padding, the switching between plotlines ensuring action at regular intervals.

Indeed, this is probably the most action-packed of any episode with a variety of shootouts and chases along the way. The Team even commandeer a tank in the later stages for a unique set-piece that isn’t even spoiled by recycling jeep flip footage seen only a few episodes before during “In Plane Sight”.

Murdock’s TV fixation provides some good laughs (particularly “Candid Murdock”), though some of the show references will be lost on non-US audiences. The episode works best as a showcase for Peppard though, putting Hannibal centre stage at key moments and giving him some great dialogue to work with (“Lady, you’re lucky I have manners. You wouldn’t like to hear what I say to people who lie to me”).

The episode also contains my all-time favourite A-Team dialogue exchange, one that takes place towards the end, once the arms smugglers have been captured:
Hannibal: “These the only guys in the van, Murdock?”
Murdock : “Yes, sir. I checked for invisibles but they didn’t have any with them”.

This is as incident-packed an episode of the show as you are ever likely to see, a top class blend of plot, action and humour that represents the best of the A-Team. Concluding with a funny Murdock TV gag, this is another one to add to your must-see list. 10/10.

The Battle of Bel Air s2ep14

co-starring: Michael Fairman as Anthony Raymond, Kurtwood Smith as Mr Carson, Lance LeGault as Colonel Decker, Carl Franklin as Captain Crane, Randolph Roberts as Ron Graham
Written by Frank Lupo
Directed by Gilbert Shilton

A reporter finds the team to warn them Decker is in the area, only to be kidnapped by a gang of criminals planning an assassination.

In many ways, the second season of The A-Team can be divided in two. This episode marks the start of what you could call season 2.5 and is one of the most exciting and entertaining ever made. By this time, the series was established as a worldwide hit and Universal were more willing to put money into the show. Prior to this point, some of the episodes were made somewhat on the cheap but now an even greater emphasis on location shooting meant the cheap sets and obvious cost-cutting would be a thing of the past (at least for a while).

The overall effect (one that would last into the next season) was to make the series seem much glossier than before. Adding to the sense of glamour is the introduction of Marla Heasley who would play reporter Tawnia Baker in seven of the next ten episodes. Tawnia is present purely for sex appeal and, unlike Amy, rarely gets her hands dirty as this would chip her nails or mess up her immaculate hairstyle. Many have found her to be a whiny and rather irritating character but that is down to the way the part is written more than Heasley’s performance.

The episode gets off to a quick start, having Decker corner the team in a hardware store as they plan an upcoming vacation. Like the rest of the episode, these opening scenes are successful both as action and comedy plus it gives Decker one of his best ever lines (Hannibal: “Aren't you going to tell me I'm not going to get away with this?”, Decker: “Oh I know you're going to get away with this but there are only just so many times, Smith”).

Everything about this episode is top-quality, the script by co-creator Lupo is excellent and the cast are all on the top of their game. Even the music is noticeably better. There's a great cue as the team escape from the Intermode building and a rare outing for the alternate, extended end theme music. The highlights come thick and fast and Face is memorably thrown out of a 7th story hotel window into a pool (a moment borrowed from the Bond film, “Diamonds are Forever”, right down to the line, “I didn't know there was a pool down there”).

The episode culminates in a dramatic helicopter chase sequence, which is extremely well-shot from within and around the two helicopters. True, the shot of one of them crashing into a cliff is a completely different type and clearly borrowed footage (from “Capricorn One” actually). It’s also ridiculous that the villains emerge safely from the crash, which completely destroyed the front part of the helicopter. There’s also been some rather clumsy post-production dubbing to emphasise the amount of time until the assassination. These, though, are very minor flaws that can’t detract from what is one of the very best A-Team episodes. 10/10.

In Plane Sight s2ep13

co-starring: Anthony Charnota as Wilson Corless, Judy Strangis as Judy Rogers, Lance Henriksen as Mack Dalton, Carmen Argenziano as Colonel Sanchez, Rod Colbin as Jes Hicks
Written by Babs Greyhosky
Directed by Tony Mordente

The team are hired by a family to help clear their son, who was arrested after unknowingly smuggling drugs, by exposing the real smugglers.

A very entertaining episode, best remembered for the scenes involving hypnotising BA to get him aboard the plane without the need for injections, spiked milk, drugged hamburgers or planks of wood. It's a source of great comedy, having BA pass out every time anyone says “eclipse” and meaning the Team are forced to take Judy along for the ride (meaning Amy is not missed).

This was the last episode written by Greyhosky, an excellent writer who had a knack for delivering strong scripts such as Till Death Us Do Part and Holiday in the Hills (from which this borrows its opening aerial footage). Her episodes were distinguished by an ear for sharp comic dialogue and the ability to capture the essence of each character. A clever move here is to have Murdock play his scenes straight early on, the repression of his normal mania being funny in itself (particularly in his scene with Hannibal in the cockpit after take-off).

The main action set-piece here has the plane taxiing through the jungle, pursued by two jeeps. It's a unique chase by A-Team standards, although the episode is better in its dialogue scenes than its action. Murdock has to feign madness (not exactly difficult) and Face has to pose as his doctor to lead the smugglers to an ambush at the plane.

It’s very much a comedy-driven episode from BA's smile when handed soup by Judy’s mom to Hannibal's duck call and Murdock sneezing into the cocaine. Not one for action fans perhaps but if you like a good dose of comedy with your episodes, this could well turn out to be one of your favourites. 9/10.

The Maltese Cow s2ep12

co-starring: James Hong as Wan Chu, Paul Mantee as Chris Thomas, John Milford as Detective, Peter Kwong as Tommy Chen, Keye Luke as Sam Yeng
Written by Thomas Szollosi, Richard Christian Matheson
Directed by Dennis Donnelly

The team fight Chinese gangsters who have wrecked a restaurant of which they are part-owners.

A strong episode from a strong season, this enjoyable tale gets a lot of mileage from the clash of styles between the more rigid approach of the Chinese bad guys and the more fly-by-night A-Team. The story is fairly standard but the script is peppered with dialogue that bristles with snappy remarks and sharp comebacks. Referring early on to the men who wrecked the restaurant, Hannibal states in grizzled tones, “If they walk on two legs and breathe air, they can eat dirt and do the chicken like everyone else”.

All A-Team episodes were shot in and around LA and here that is an advantage as it is also the setting, allowing for plenty of location filming which gives the story a real sense of place. There’s a classic A-Team infiltration as they bluff their way into the dragon’s lair (so to speak) and come face-to-face with Hong, who makes an excellent villain.

The various fights play up on the difference between A-Team fists and Chinese karate, notably sending BA flying through the air for a change. There’s also a great Raiders-style gag in which BA is confronted by a sword-wielding henchman and just knocks him out (“Ai-ya that, sucker!”)

Murdock is on a Philip Marlowe kick in this one, something which memorably pays off in the final scene when BA gets in on the act. Good fun. 8/10

The White Ballot s2ep11

co-starring: Clifton James as Sheriff Dawson, Andrew Robinson as Deputy Rance, Joshua Bryant as Baker, Lance LeGault as Colonel Decker, Carl Franklin as Captain Crane
Written by Jeff Ray
Directed by Dennis Donnelly

The team travel to a small town run by a corrupt sheriff and put Face up against him in the upcoming election.

This is one of the best season two episodes, one which starts quickly and maintains a real sense of fun throughout. The pattern is established early on in a restaurant scene in which a nervous waiter asks “Would anyone like some coffee? How would you like it?”, only for BA to reply, “In a cup, fool!”. The tone is kept light and entertaining for what is a very brisk 45 minutes, making this one of the most consistently funny episodes.

Writer Ray has a real knack for advancing the plot while delivering great dialogue at the same time. A great example of this is the scene in the van in which Hannibal sets up the plan. Halfway through the discussion, Face and Murdock suddenly appear and the discussion then continues, all pure exposition but it works superbly.

James, who had previously appeared as the warden in “Pros & Cons”, is a worthy adversary. The ways in which the team get under his skin (such as the key-to-the-city presentation) are good fun because the sheriff is such a great character. The additional threat of Decker adds to the sense of urgency as the comedy-driven first half giving way to a plot-driven second half.

There's an enjoyable section in which the team break out of a locked room, giving an opportunity for Murdock to sing “Ceilings” (as opposed to “Feelings”). From start to finish, everything about this episode is a cut above (even the usual construction montage), providing great entertainment, pure and simple. 10/10.

This was to be Melinda Culea's last episode. There is no acknowledgement of this and it is not mentioned until “The Battle of Bel Air” when she is said to have taken a foreign correspondent's post with her paper. The reasons for her departure have never been fully established but are most likely to be a combination of factors: Culea's increasing unhappiness at the limited nature of her role; the producers becoming irritated with her demands for a more substantial part; Peppard’s dismissive attitude towards having a female member of the team.

Steel s2ep10

co-starring: Mary-Margaret Humes as Randy Stern, Ray Girardin as Carl Denham, Tim Rossovich as Boyle, Michael Baseleon as Tommy T, Norman Alden as Mickey Stern, Carol Baxter as Nurse Billings
Written by Frank Lupo
Directed by Gilbert Shilton

The team are hired by a construction company being threatened by a local rival.

One of the many high points of season two, this episode is enjoyably lightweight in its early stages due to the meet-the-client scene taking place on the Universal Studios tour (with Hannibal in full aquamaniac costume). This excellent opening is also the source of the classic moment featured in the later opening credits in which Dirk Benedict reacts to a Cylon from “Battlestar Galactica” walking past him (Benedict played Starbuck in that series). This initially high level of comedy is maintained throughout, mainly through Murdock's antics as he pretends to be a dog.

The episode is well-directed by Shilton whose three A-Team episodes were among the best ever made (the other two being “The Taxicab Wars” and “The Battle of Bel Air”). The action highlights include a chase sequence in which even the standard car flip seems more spectacular than usual and a fist fight during which Murdock looks up to see one of the bad guys flying over him (presumably BA's doing).

Baseleon as gangster Tommy T is a much stronger character than the usual rent-a-villain and the scene in which he threatens Face in the restaurant has a real sense of menace. As the owner of construction company, Alden becomes the first actor to hire the A-Team for the second time. He previously hired them to root out crooked cops in season one’s “A Small and Deadly War”. Note that Melinda Culea does not appear in this episode and Amy is not even mentioned in the script. 10/10.

Incidentally, writer Lupo is clearly a fan of the Bond movie, “Diamonds are Forever”. The sherry dialogue spoken by Face in the limousine is a direct lift from the film. Another Lupo-penned episode, “The Battle of Bel Air”, also includes a homage to "Diamonds are Forever".

Water, Water Everywhere s2ep9

co-starring: Alan Fudge as Frank Gaines, Robin Riker as Amanda, Jim Knaub as Jamie, Michael Rider as Harry
Written by Sidney Ellis, Jo Swerling Jr
Directed by Arnold Laven

The team help some war veterans whose property is under threat by a landowner trying to obtain the water which is available there.

A reasonable but patchy episode, not terrible by any means but suffering from a structure that consists of more padding than plot. There’s a good moment during the requisite bar brawl in which the team discuss fight types in code (“I was thinking of a 38 or a 32”, “There's nothing like a good old 22”). Perhaps the best moment is when two of Murdock's smart comments lead to parts of the A-Team van being shot out by Gaines. Before he can get a third comment out, an aggravated BA shouts, “Shut up, Murdock, shut up!”.

Too much of the second half is taken up with montages, either drilling for water or preparing for the final battle as Gaines and his cronies close in. Face and Amanda have a good scene during a break in one of the montages but the episode just seems to meander along with familiar and uninspired situations, not helped by a bland stock villain. A good final fight (inevitably with water as the main weapon) helps matters somewhat but as a whole, the episode is just too dry. 6/10.