A very good episode that begins with actor Martin Milner behind the wheel of the Adam-12 squad car. Milner gets to perform a stunt that has the car screeching sideways to a halt just in time to not hit a woman running wildly across the street. Obviously this was a stunt woman, trained to react to a car careening towards her. Still, this stunt woman trusted her life to Martin Milner being able to drive and aim the squad correctly. Cool stuff. (Yes, it's obviously Martin Milner at the wheel.)
There's loads of action in this one. A sniper is atop a movie theater, doing his best to shoot up the area and those within it. Bullets fly all over the place. Civilians go down. An oblivious motorcycle cop takes a bullet. This shooter even takes a shot at a dog. Ruthless. In the moment with the cycle cop, we're presented with a brave civilian risking his own life to aid the fallen Officer. Nice touch from the scriptwriter and the show's production. We also get to cheer on our hero, Officer Peter J. Malloy as he risks his own life to save that adorable little dog. Oh, there's a snot-nosed kid there too.
It is rather odd that when the SWAT team is called into action, it's Malloy and Reed who put on all the SWAT gear and head up the side of the theater. And they don't do it "Batman" style. Martin Milner and Kent McCord have to really put some muscle into their acting and ascend a climbing rope on the side of the theater. Oh, okay. So at that point, they're on an indoor film set. They still had to do the climbing. Meanwhile, all the specifically-trained-for-SWAT-duty SWAT team members find other things to do. Well, of course this show is about Malloy & Reed. It wouldn't do to have them standing in the background twiddling their thumbs while other never-before-seen characters save the day.
The script throws in a journalist to ask questions on behalf of the viewing audience. Such as, what do the letters of SWAT mean? Is it the job of the SWAT team to aim to kill? Sergeant MacDonald answers the questions saying basically that ultimately, if the SWAT team does need to aim to kill, it will be because the sniper made that decision for them.
In the concluding moments, the journalist asks Reed why he didn't just shoot and kill the sniper since it would have been easier. Reed's answer, that killing the guy wasn't necessary, seems to surprise the reporter. Perhaps this came as a surprise to the viewing audience of the time as well. Another learning experience for everyone from Adam-12.
There's loads of action in this one. A sniper is atop a movie theater, doing his best to shoot up the area and those within it. Bullets fly all over the place. Civilians go down. An oblivious motorcycle cop takes a bullet. This shooter even takes a shot at a dog. Ruthless. In the moment with the cycle cop, we're presented with a brave civilian risking his own life to aid the fallen Officer. Nice touch from the scriptwriter and the show's production. We also get to cheer on our hero, Officer Peter J. Malloy as he risks his own life to save that adorable little dog. Oh, there's a snot-nosed kid there too.
It is rather odd that when the SWAT team is called into action, it's Malloy and Reed who put on all the SWAT gear and head up the side of the theater. And they don't do it "Batman" style. Martin Milner and Kent McCord have to really put some muscle into their acting and ascend a climbing rope on the side of the theater. Oh, okay. So at that point, they're on an indoor film set. They still had to do the climbing. Meanwhile, all the specifically-trained-for-SWAT-duty SWAT team members find other things to do. Well, of course this show is about Malloy & Reed. It wouldn't do to have them standing in the background twiddling their thumbs while other never-before-seen characters save the day.
The script throws in a journalist to ask questions on behalf of the viewing audience. Such as, what do the letters of SWAT mean? Is it the job of the SWAT team to aim to kill? Sergeant MacDonald answers the questions saying basically that ultimately, if the SWAT team does need to aim to kill, it will be because the sniper made that decision for them.
In the concluding moments, the journalist asks Reed why he didn't just shoot and kill the sniper since it would have been easier. Reed's answer, that killing the guy wasn't necessary, seems to surprise the reporter. Perhaps this came as a surprise to the viewing audience of the time as well. Another learning experience for everyone from Adam-12.
