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1.1/1.2 Mexican Slayride (Written: Frank Lupo and Stephen
J. Cannell; Directed: Rod Holcomb)
My Comments:
Pilot episode. This is a double episode and does well at introducing us
to the members of the A-Team. The A-Team are hired by Amy Allen to find
and rescue a friend and fellow reporter who has been captured by rebels
in Mexico. In this episode Face is played by Tim Dunigan and not Dirk
Benedict. In my opinion he was not as good in the role of Face as Dirk
Benedict. Overall this was not too bad a pilot movie, as it introduced
us to the team and also showed us what future episodes would be like.
My Rating: 7/10
Other Reviews:
"Well, when review episodes, I would think the most logical place
to start would be the first episode, Mexican Slayride. I think it would
be fair of me to say that this was an excellent episode. Despite the absence
of Dirk Benedict as Face, Tim Dunnigan does his best, and probably comes
as close to filling the role specifically tailored for Dirk as anyone
ever could. The scene at the newspaper in the beginning gave great background
for the A-team, and you had to love the Ammonia monologue that Murdock
has when being interrogated by Lynch. I'm not really sure what the "You'll
be a princess in a world of dragons" thing that Hannibal had going
on was really supposed to be, other than a cheesy line. I think the A-team
had it's best resources in the first episode, with the connections Face
had with the movie studio. He was able to get armour plating, a school
bus, a crop duster... all sorts of great stuff. So the A-team ended up
having a bi-plane strafer and a armoured school bus with a cannon on it.
I think that's the most firepower the A-team has ever had. It was great
stuff. Does everyone agree?" - By Brian on the A-Team Forum.
"It was a good episode, I had trouble accepting Tim Dunigan as Face,
but other than that I liked it, Murdock was hilarious when he was trying
to through Lynch off, that whole ammonia thing was great, it did gives
us some of the background for the team. It was weird though when Tim would
have a scene I kept thinking Dirk should be saying that lol." - By
Sarah on the A-Team Forum.
"Yeah it seemed really weird with out Dirk Benedict playing Face.
other then that it was a wonderful episode. I just can't see Tim D. playing
Face... I'm glad they got Dirk to play him! I'm not saying he's a bad
actor or anything, I just am not used to him playing Face." - By
Christy on the A-Team Forum.
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Valdez |
Sergio Calderon |
| Templeton Peck |
Tim Dunigan |
| Colonel Flores |
Enrique Lucero |
| Al Massey |
William Windom |
| Cortez |
Jorge Zepeda |
| Colonel Lynch |
William Luckling |
Pictures:
1.3 Children Of Jamestown (Written:
Stephen J. Cannell; Directed: Christian I. Nyby, Jr.)
My Comments:
A very good episode. The team save a girl from a cult leader who has loads
of young people trapped in his base. The A-Team rescue the girl and are
pursued and captured by the cult. The cult leader sets them off and then
proceeds to chase them and kill them.
My Rating: 8/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Brother Stephen |
John Carter (IV) Gerrit Graham |
| Tim |
Ron Hayes |
| Sheila Rodgers |
Carol Jones (I) |
| Brother John |
Fred Lerner |
| Girl |
Victoria Lucas |
| Martin James |
John Saxon |
| Man In Hard Hat |
Bill Watson |
| |
Dean Wein |
| Carolyn |
Sherilyn Wolter |
1.4 Pros And Cons (Written: Stephen
J. Cannell; Directed: Ron Satlof)
My Comments:
This is only the third A-Team episode and in my opinion it is one of the
best. The A-Team infiltrate a prison where the warden is hosting illegal
fights between the prisoners. The prisoner that wins the fight is then
released free, but they are then hunted and killed by the wardens.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| |
Hugh Gillin |
| Warden Beal |
Clifton James |
| Sneed |
Pau Koslo |
| Jackhammer |
Ken Norton |
| Joey Tataro |
Meeno Peluce |
| |
Elsa Raven |
| Jose Tataro |
William Smith (I) |
| |
Red West |
1.5 A Small And Deadly War (Written:
Frank Lupo; Directed: Ron Satlof)
My Comments:
A swat team have turned bad and are now hitmen for hire. The A-Team try
to put them out of the game. A very good episode from the first season.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Maloney |
Norman Allen |
| |
Carol Baxter |
| |
Ismael 'East' Carlo |
| Shaeffer |
Fil Formicola |
| Stark |
Jack Ging |
| Mickey |
Dave Morick |
| |
Lew Palter |
| |
Rhonda Shear |
| Collins |
Dean Stockwell |
| Steven Meadows |
Al White |
1.6 Bad Day at Black Rock (Written: Patrick
Hasburgh; Directed: Christian I. Nyby, Jr.)
My Comments:
B.A. is wounded in action so the rest of the team get him some help from
the doctor in a small town. The doctor reports them to the sheriff who
puts Hannibal and Face in jail. When the two are in jail there is a murderer
in the cell next to them. The murderer has a motorcycle gang on their
way to help him escape. Face and Hannibal escape from jail and proceed
to help the town battle against the gang. Superb.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| |
William Frankfather |
| |
Ted Gehring |
| Jenko |
Sid Haig |
| Snake |
John Dennis Johnston |
| Sheriff Thompson |
Ed Lauter |
| Dr. Maggie Sullivan |
Tricia O'Neil |
1.7 The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas (Written: Frank Lupo;
Directed: Bruce Kessler)
My Comment:
A scientist has found out a way how it is possible to always win in a
casino. As a result he is captured by a mob who try to make him teach
them the formulae. The A-Team are hired to rescue this man. I really liked
this episode.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Gianni Christian |
Charles Cioffi |
| Martell |
Richard Romanus |
| Elly Payne |
Tracy Scoggins |
| Warfel |
Terry McGovern |
| Jilly |
Luke Andrews |
1.8 Holiday In The Hills (Written: Babs Greyhosky; Directed:
Arnold Laven)
My Comment:
One of the best episodes. The A-Team were on a mission in Guatemala and
they were returning home when their airplane failed. As a result they
crash landed in thick woodland. They then come across a gang who are burning
a man at the stake. The A-Team save the man but they make enemies with
the hillbillies. The A-Team are low on ammo so they have to improvise.
B.A makes Murdock a microlight aircraft so that they can get the injured
man to hospital.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| |
James Beach |
| |
Mickey Jones (I) |
| Clint |
Bill McKinney |
| Eldridge |
Philip Sterling |
| Barnes |
Edward Winter |
| Louanne |
Denise Galik |
1.9 Out Of Towners (Written: Frank Lupo; Directed: Chuck
Bowman)
My Comment:
This is a brilliant episode and highlights what the A-Team is all about.
The A-Team help a street of shop keepers who are terrorized by a crime
lord who is running a protection racket. This episode is very similar
to "The Taxicab Wars".
My Rating: 10/10
Review By Others:
An action packed episode that typifies the early A-Team storylines. The team come to the aid of New York Shopkeepers being terrorised by a gang of mobsters. It starts comically with B.A. attempting to fly, features face as a 'cabbie, breat-taking stunts and lots of action. In my opinion this is the best A-Team episode!
Rating Out Of Ten - 10
- Review by Warren Allsworth.
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| |
Martin Garner (I) |
| Tracy |
Wendy Hoffman |
| |
Peter Iacangelo |
| Nicky |
Billy Jacobs |
| Charlie |
Yaphet Kotto |
| |
Jack Kruschen |
| |
Priscilla Pointer |
| Digger |
Albert Popwell |
| |
J. Jay Saunders |
| Scully |
Robert Tessier |
| Airport Guard |
Howard Vann |
Pictures:
1.10 West Coast Turnaround (Written: Stephen J. Cannell
and Patrick Hasburgh;
Directed: Guy Magar)
My Comment:
Very similar story-line to "Timber". The A-Team help out a farmer
who has only a few days to get water melons to the market before they
are worth nothing. The A-Team are hired - the cost a 3% cut of the profits.
They are soon up against the odds because the melons are starting to go
bad and the team are under intense pressure from the baddies.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Whitaker |
Michael Alldredge |
| |
Jim Boeke |
| Ellen |
Devon Ericson |
| |
Tom McFadden |
| Joe Penhall |
Robert Sampson |
| |
Caskey Swaim |
| Easterland |
Stuart Whitman |
1.11 One More Time (Written: Frank Lupo and Patrick Hasburg,
from a story by Babs Grehosky; Directed: Arnold Laven)
My Comment:
The team are eventually caught by Lynch. Lynch has the A-Team caught,
but people higher up the chain of command have other ideas for the team.
A general - who nose B.A. broke in Nam - and his daughter are caught by
rebels in Borneo. For the A-Team to be free again they have to accept
the mission and complete it. Not a bad episode.
My Rating: 8/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Guard |
Patrick Cameron |
| Burrows |
Rick Fitts |
| Parry |
Alan Fudge |
| |
Ed Grover |
| |
Dennis Haysbert |
| |
Barbara Horan |
| General Ludlam |
Warren J. Kemmerling |
| |
Casey King |
| Sergeant At Arms |
Robb Madrid |
| Rashaad |
Nico Minardos |
| Guerrilla |
Judd Omen |
| Kathy Ludlam |
Amy Steel |
| |
Danny Wells |
1.12 Till Death Do Us Part (Written: Babs Greyhosky; Directed:
Guy Magar)
My Comment:
An excellent episode. The team come up against a man who wants to force
a woman who has inherited a lot of money to marry him. He killed her father
so that she would inherit the money. Face marries the woman so that if
anything happened to her then Face would inherit the lot. This episode
contains a lot of humour especially Murdock in a wedding dress as well
as eating some of the fake cake's cream which was shaving foam.
My Rating: 9/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Sheriff |
Jim Antonio |
| Calvin Cutter |
John Ericson |
| Tekan |
Jack Garner |
| Jackie Taylor |
Janice Heiden |
| Gas Station Attendant |
Gordon Hurst |
| |
Sy Kramer |
| |
Jenny Neumann |
| Justice Of The Peace |
Tom Pletts |
| |
Kenneth White (I) |
| |
Noble Willingham |
| |
Lesley Woods |
Pictures:
1.13 The Beast From The Belly Of A Boeing (Written: Patrick Hasburgh; Directed: Ron Satlof)
My Comment:
I love this episode. A plane is hijacked and the plane company hire the
A-Team as they have warned not to get the FBI or police brought in. The
A-Team try to retake the plane. Again another funny episode with B.A.
actually having to accept he is on a plane, but at least Murdock is not
flying!
My Rating: 10/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Orderly |
Melvin F. Allen |
| |
Xander Berkeley |
| Marty |
Tony Brubaker |
| Price |
Steven Chambers |
| Phillips |
Jesse D. Goins |
| |
Milt Kogan |
| |
Scott Lincoln |
| |
Mary Kate McGeehan |
| Hertzog |
Jim McKrell |
| Jackson |
Andrew Robinson |
| Thomas |
Alan Stock |
| Guard |
Wayne Storm |
| Trigg |
Michael Swan |
Pictures:
1.14 A Nice Place To Visit (Written: Frank Lupo; Directed:
Bernard McEveety)
My Comment:
The A-Team go to the funeral of an ex-Nam colleague. They are warned away
from the funeral by a group of brothers who are controlling the town and
threatening the people, as a result the A-Team take it upon themselves
to teach the suckers a lesson. Very good.
My Rating: 10/10
Cast:
| CHARACTER: |
PLAYED BY: |
| Arnold |
Johnny Crear |
| Minister |
Bill Dyer (V) |
| Curly |
Tony Epper |
| |
M.C. Gainey |
| Sheriff |
Burton Gilliam |
| Trish Brenner |
Joanna Kerns |
| Harold |
Robert F. Lyons |
| Logan Georgie Paul |
Ted Markland |
| Deke |
Don Stroud (I) |
| |
Sandy Ward |
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