abriefingwithmichael

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Colin from Accounts” s2e4 (2024)

Hilarious.

The masturbation storyline was strong and funny, and felt like the show doing credible relationship stuff. Sure, we've seen it before but it was funny.

The buy-out-offer storyline was surprisingly gripping. Will we see this play out in future episodes? I hope so. Will Gordon lose Echo Park?

The show saved the best until last. They have a great track record of creating horrible characters, and Rumi is one of the best/worst. Virginia Gay should win awards for this.

10/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Doctor Simon Locke” s1e24 (1972)

Best episode I've seen.

Both the a-story and b-story are very strong. Lt. Palmer flies Dr. Locke to a remote farmhouse to tend to a sick man, then takes off after a spree killer who has left 3 victims in his wake. Simon's patient has a heart attack (while arguing with his wife) and Simon now needs Dan back for an airlift, but Dan has located the killer and been shot by him! He manages to get the helicopter back to the farmhouse but he's in bad shape. As Simon tries to save Dan's life, the killer and his shotgun are getting closer!

Holy crap! I thought this was going to be a sedate medical show about a nice country doctor. This was a thriller from start to finish, and Simon is nice to nobody. Ever.

Simon and Dan have a great dynamic.

9/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Texas Wheelers” 10 (1974)

Another mildly-amusing tale with a feel-good factor.

The b-story finds the family working together under pressure to make moonshine to earn some extra money for schoolbooks and so forth.

The a-story finds the father (Jack Elam) unexpectedly jealous to learn that another man has been putting flowers on his late wife's grave. Every day. In the end, he learns a lesson about friendship.

The show is nice but completely forgettable, except for the presence of stars like Mark Hamill and Gary Busey.

6/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“BJ and the Bear” s1e4 (1979)

Mary Louise Weller.

You can't fault this show for invention. This script written by Michael Sloan finds a way to get BJ involved with a deadly biological agent that, if released from a cannister, could kill everyone in the state!

It still manages to be light-hearted and fun. The stunt driving late in the episode, with scores of police cars in a mad chase, is impressive.

The large number of well-known songs on the soundtrack is remarkable. Probably one reason that the show never received an official DVD release.

7/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“240-Robert” s1e2 (1979)

Car crash; bear attack; underwater rescue.

This first regular episode has many strong parallels with the movie-length pilot. There's another lengthy underwater sequence. I was surprised at that. This one is better than last week's. Much more tense.

Once again, Trap (John Bennett Perry) spends the episode aggressively bantering with Morgan (Joanna Cassidy). Actually, he's being a dick. Again. And it's not funny. Again. He gets comeuppance in various ways. Again. I was kinda hoping they'd drop this element after the pilot, not lean into it. Cassidy is great but her character seemingly exists to annoy Trap.

Thib (Mark Harmon) is the best thing about the show. He's the most mature of the bunch, the most caring, the most level-headed. He's the hero of the show. And, just like in the pilot, he's the one that members of the public reach out to. In the pilot movie, it was an old lady and in this episode it is an old lady again. Sometimes it feels like they just filmed the pilot script twice with minor cuts and name changes.

All of the stunt work is very, very impressive. They jump a van off a cliff with cameras capturing exciting angles, even inside the vehicle! And the visuals with the rescue helicopter skimming the surface of the water look amazing. Dangerous, too.

This hour flew by. Much more than the longer pilot. And there always seemed to be something new and exciting happening. The humourous character scenes are the weakness.

Fall 1979: ABC aired 240-Robert in the first hour of Monday prime time. Against it, CBS had The White Shadow while NBC aired Little House on the Prairie.

7/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Murderbot” s1e7 (2025)

Really enjoyed the focus on David Dastmalchian as Gurathin. He's great.

Loved the FX and action stuff. Impeccable.

Wish the crew would hurry up and move past their fear of SecUnit. At this stage in the story Mensah shouldn't still be the only one.

9/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Resident Alien” s4e5 (2025)

One reason that I love this show—and there are many reasons—is that the individual episodes are very different from one another. This one (mostly) avoids the big storylines. Instead, the focus falls on Harry and D'Arcy, who are both feeling alone and lonely and craving connection. It's a really beautiful episode. Despite the silliness and the laughs, at the core it is driven by truth.

10/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Married… with Children” s1e2 (1987)

The final scene here is actually very sweet. Well, sweet in the context of the Bundy marriage. Peg and Al have been arguing over the new diet she's put them on. Really, she's just looking for affection in the bedroom. In the end, Al assures her he loves her. In his own style. It's very funny -- as is the episode -- and it's curiously heartfelt and sincere.

It's already obvious that the show doesn't need both Steve and Luke. Al needs one confidant. And it makes sense that it be someone who is the opposite of him, not someone who is sleazier than him. Al should be the degenerate one in this sidebars, otherwise what is the point?

8/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Wonder Woman” 41 (1978)

Leif Garrett.

Written by Anne Collins, this is a simple kidnapping story, but it is really well told with smart details and interesting characters. Dawn Lyn is particularly good. The stunts are impressive. First, WW climbing a building and later WW on a motorcycle.

Fall 1978: CBS aired Wonder Woman in the first hour of Friday prime time before The Incredible Hulk. Against it, ABC had Donny & Marie while NBC scheduled The Waverly Wonders for 3 weeks (before replacing it with Diff'rent Strokes) and Who’s Watching the Kids?

8/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Colin from Accounts” s2e3 (2024)

They use a familiar sitcom trope to good effect here. Gordon's brother shows up and causes trouble by telling Ashley things about Gordon's past. It's as simple as that, but there are laughs. It also helps that we are all invested in the Gordon-Ashley relationship.

7/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“240-Robert” s1e1 (1979)

Pamelyn Ferdin.

This is average stuff. The action and stuntwork are impressive -- particularly the big cliff rescue at the end -- but the comedic character stuff falls flat. There's lots of good underwater filming, too.

Fall 1979: ABC aired 240-Robert in the first hour of Monday prime time. Against it, CBS had The White Shadow while NBC aired Little House on the Prairie.

6/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Bakersfield P.D.” 06 (1993)

This is almost as funny as the pilot. I laughed so much and so hard. Paul joins the guys at poker. He clobbers them. They are pissed. So far, nothing special. But later Boyer begins to take it real bad. He talks of hurting Paul, even watching him die. Then of quitting the force. Chris Mulkey and Giancarlo Esposito are excellent in these scenes.

There's a wonderful b-story about an ice cream vendor who gets beaten up and then goes on a power trip with a line-up of suspects. So funny.

9/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Murderbot” s1e6 (2025)

The episodes are short but a heck of a lot happens in them.

Love the relationship between Mensah (Noma Dumezweni) and SecUnit. The scene where he deescalated her anxiety was gold.

Great FX. Apple spend money on their shows.

Disappointed to see a certain character killed off, but it was expected.

10/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Resident Alien” s4e4 (2025)

The storylines are bonkers but I love the way the show tells them. In this episode, several characters either state that they will not tell the truth or are told by someone not to tell it. This happens to Harry, Ben, Mike, and -- especially -- D'arcy. Harry, Ben and Mike eventually drop the pretence but -- in the most heartbreaking scene - D'arcy doesn't.

It's a funny show but it's sometimes a very sad show, too. Remarkable.

10/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The New WKRP in Cincinnati” s2e1 (1992)

French Stewart joins the show as the new morning DJ. Written by Bill Dial, it's an average script. Not many laughs. It's revealed that the new guy lied on his resume -- he never worked in radio before! Problem is, the story doesn't really go anywhere. Everyone stands around and argues, that's it.

6/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“Wonder Woman” 40 (1978)

Lance LeGault.

It's a bland story -- about a car theft ring -- but it's really well told. There are clever touches and a terrific guest cast. I mean, with LeGault as your main villain how can you go wrong?

This week's guest protagonist is Inspector Bolt played by Peter Brown. With Diana off-screen a lot, he carries most of the action/episode and is very good. As is John Durren as the villain's enforcer. He really brings a lot to the role and has several very funny moments.

There's a lot of action and impressive stuntwork in this episode. Most of it without Wonder Woman.

This is a well-made instalment. Consequently, it raises the story up and makes it very entertaining.

Fall 1978: CBS aired Wonder Woman in the first hour of Friday prime time before The Incredible Hulk. Against it, ABC had Donny & Marie while NBC scheduled The Waverly Wonders for 3 weeks (before replacing it with Diff'rent Strokes) and Who’s Watching the Kids?

7/10

[abriefingwithmichael]

“The Texas Wheelers” 12 (1974)

Noble Willingham, John Carter.

This show feels like an attempt to do a modern day version of The Waltons set in rural Texas. In this story, the 12-year-old daughter tries to save a cow -- her best friend! -- from slaughter and it ends up falling down a well. It then has to be rescued. Karen Obediear brings a lot of emotion to the role of Boo Wheeler.

Focus is mostly on Gary Busey as the responsible eldest son and Jack Elam as the irresponsible conman father of the family. Not much for Mark Hamill to do in this episode. Elam gets a few laughs with his antics.

Fall 1974: ABC aired The Texas Wheelers in the middle hour of Friday prime time after The Six Million Dollar Man and before Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Against, it NBC had The Rockford Files while CBS aired The CBS Friday Night Movie.

6/10