One of the best Airwolf episodes! What works: There is intrigue. Archangel has a former K G B lover on a kill list and gets captured trying to rescue her. Airwolf come to the rescue. Is there a trap? Character development, there is an East German Scientist and K G B handler with this double female agents, which the viewer hates and distrusts the evil characters. A cool factor here: The back ground for Fallen Angel has a cool video game heavily arm castle mix with a police state background. A great story: A plot twist if what has happen to Arch Angel with those experiments? The only down side is Fallen Angel should been a two part episode. Must see 8 stars.
5 Reviews
Fallen Angel
Prismark1013 May 2021
The episode was written by Deborah Pratt who also appears as Marella. She was also married to producer Donald P. Bellisario.
In some ways Pratt channeled John Le Carre as it is chock full of espionage with triple crosses.
After getting injured in a vintage plane stunt for a movie. The director being played by Andy Kaufman collaborator Bob Zmuda.
Marella visits Dom and Hawke in hospital and tells them Archangel has been captured by the East Germans.
Archangel went in to rescue an old lady friend. Now Hawke needs to launch a rescue mission without any help from the firm or the CIA.
Caitlin is brought in as part of the Airwolf crew but she doesn't know how to control the helicopter. So Dom needs to be sprung from his traction in hospital.
When they arrive in East Germany. Hawke finds the rescue mission just a bit too easy. The East Germans and the Russians have another agenda and it involves Archangel.
A strong story but unfortunately a bit too much rampant sexism depicting Caitlin's character.
In some ways Pratt channeled John Le Carre as it is chock full of espionage with triple crosses.
After getting injured in a vintage plane stunt for a movie. The director being played by Andy Kaufman collaborator Bob Zmuda.
Marella visits Dom and Hawke in hospital and tells them Archangel has been captured by the East Germans.
Archangel went in to rescue an old lady friend. Now Hawke needs to launch a rescue mission without any help from the firm or the CIA.
Caitlin is brought in as part of the Airwolf crew but she doesn't know how to control the helicopter. So Dom needs to be sprung from his traction in hospital.
When they arrive in East Germany. Hawke finds the rescue mission just a bit too easy. The East Germans and the Russians have another agenda and it involves Archangel.
A strong story but unfortunately a bit too much rampant sexism depicting Caitlin's character.
My favorite Airwolf Episode
captgage-128 April 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I've never forgotten this episode! The supersonic jaunts to East Germany provide both a fast pace and some of the series' best Cold-War intrigue. Double-crossing and brainwashing are afoot when String, Caitlin and Dom jet off behind the Iron Curtain to find Archangel's whereabouts. "Fallen Angel" has its share of contrived moments, of course, but Airwolf is an hour-long series after all. Humorous bits keep things from getting too heavy, especially between Dom and Caitlin.
This episode is one of the reasons why Airwolf is still one of my favorite '80s memories. I was a bit, but only a bit, disappointed with CBS's decision to lean more towards domestic human interest episodes. Yet there was still plenty of adventure and intrigue to look forward to, until the show's untimely cancellation in 1986. Even in 2015, some of us can still watch the show and think, I gotta get me one of those!
This episode is one of the reasons why Airwolf is still one of my favorite '80s memories. I was a bit, but only a bit, disappointed with CBS's decision to lean more towards domestic human interest episodes. Yet there was still plenty of adventure and intrigue to look forward to, until the show's untimely cancellation in 1986. Even in 2015, some of us can still watch the show and think, I gotta get me one of those!
Airwolf - Fallen Angel
Scarecrow-8811 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
ArchAngel goes behind enemy lines in East Germany when he gets word that a former love, Maria, has made it to a KGB White List, essentially marking her for death. What he doesn't realize is that he's a pawn involving a serum that will brainwash him into killing the head of The Firm, Zeus. String and Santini's stunt collision with a barn that goes awry has them injured and in need of Caitlin's assistance. She's gung-ho but in need of training in order to help pilot Airwolf. Marella (Pratt, getting to write the episode!) asks for String's help as The Firm has abandoned him, basically disregarding his very existence! Anytime the show has Airwolf combatting soldiers in a castle, this go-around in East Germany as KGB covertly plot against The Firm using ArchAngel's loyalties to Maria as bait, her lover involved with Russian intelligence, I'm an excited viewer. The stunt dogfight at the beginning, real Airwolf dogfight with East German fighter planes at the end, Airwolf and castle combat towards the end, String supposedly enlisting the aid of Maria to rescue ArchAngel only to realize it was all too easy, The Firm not too pleased with Marella and practically at odds with ArchAngel's rescue period, and String and ArchAngel infiltrating the castle during daylight with the unfortunate task of killing the likes of Maria and Kruger (two once friendly with ArchAngel, now enemies voluntarily using methods to brainwash and force him into killing superiors, only halted by String when he puts blanks in ArchAngel's gun) are a host of great highlights in this exhilarating if far-fetched episode. Able to enter and exit illegal territory so easily asks us to suspend our disbelief but Airwolf has long been established as capable of such feats. Caitlin has finally secured the trust of her guys, and Alex Cord gets to be more involved in the action, perhaps the best use of his ArchAngel up to this point.
Cloak and Dumber
Fluke_Skywalker28 June 2023
The basic plot of "Fallen Angel"--a sort of Cold War, Cloak and Dagger style affair--would've fit in well with the (relatively) more serious tone of Season one, but it clashes wildly with the Caitlin-fueled shenanigans here. Jean Bruce Scott is a cute, spunky and likable actress, but she goes with this series about as well as a pair of sneakers with a tuxedo.
When you re-watch Airwolf, you never know what Jan Michael Vincent you're going to get. The actor's struggles with alcohol are evident throughout the series. Sometimes he's dull and disheveled, and at others he's sharp and on point. Here he's the latter, and teamed with the always dependable Ernest Borgnine, they do their best to lift the sub-par material.
But of course even the worst episodes of Airwolf can be saved by a good final dogfight, but even that is a total flat-line here, as we get a 30 second "showdown" against some comically outdated Mig fighter footage.
When you re-watch Airwolf, you never know what Jan Michael Vincent you're going to get. The actor's struggles with alcohol are evident throughout the series. Sometimes he's dull and disheveled, and at others he's sharp and on point. Here he's the latter, and teamed with the always dependable Ernest Borgnine, they do their best to lift the sub-par material.
But of course even the worst episodes of Airwolf can be saved by a good final dogfight, but even that is a total flat-line here, as we get a 30 second "showdown" against some comically outdated Mig fighter footage.
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