Charlie's Angels - General Discussion

[Jan Spears]

Episode 3 - Avenging Angel - 09/26/79

Note: In my review order, I have switched this episode with episode 10, Angels on Campus.

Synopsis: When convict Frank Desmond is paroled from prison, he seeks revenge on Kelly, who he blames for sending him to prison. Desmond and his partner, Eddie, begin visiting Kelly at night and surreptitiously shooting her up with heroin. Meanwhile, heroin traffickers who Desmond cheated out of their heroin target Desmond and Kelly.

Avenging Angel was the first of the "Solo Angel" episodes in Season 4. While there were no doubt good reasons for implementing this format innovation at the time, the "Solo Angel" format cut against the basic grain of the show, which was the interaction of the three Angels and Bosley. Here, Kris and Tiffany have nothing to do except drive around Los Angeles looking concerned when they realize Kelly is in trouble.

As for Jaclyn, the grittier storyline does give her a chance to show how much she had grown as an actress since 1976. Unfortunately, this episode has the whiff of The Afterschool Special episode about it, especially in how ex-con Frank Desmond magically becomes a new man at the end thanks to Kelly. 70s simplistic moralizing at its worst.

The episode is unique in that, like Angel Hunt, it doesn't have the standard set-up of most episodes. Also, all of the Angels look great in the final scene.

Interesting appearances: This episode is a character actor episode bonanza with Cameron Mitchell, Richard Bakalyan and Stephen McNally on hand. Dallas star Steve Kanaly puts in an appearance here which is interesting given that he was appearing on a rival network in 1979. Perhaps he didn't become an actual contract star on Dallas until 1979?

Grade: C (as a Charlie's Angels episode)

Grade: B- (as a Jaclyn "Solo Angel" episode)

[Jan Spears]

Episode 6 - Caged Angel - 10/31/79

Note: In my review order, I have switched this episode with episode 11, Angel Hunt.

Synopsis: When an inmate of a women's prison is killed during a heist while on furlough, Kris goes undercover in the prison to find out what is going on.

As a showcase for Cheryl Ladd, this "Solo Angel" episode is fairly gripping. Kris is up to her neck in trouble and she has no real means of communicating with the outside world other than through a massage therapist who is Charlie's contact in the prison. But what really makes this episode stand apart from Jaclyn's first "Solo Angel" episode is the presence of guest star Shirley Stoler, who is truly menacing as "Big Aggie".

For all that this episode is well-written and acted (by Ladd and Stoler), it feels nothing like a Charlie's Angels episode. Kelly, Tiffany and Bosley have even less screen time in this episode than Kris, Tiffany and Bosley have in Avenging Angel. The only time the episode becomes a true Charlie's Angels episode is when Kelly and Tiffany, wearing traditional nuns habits, pose as Sisters Maria and Theresa in order to get inside the prison and make contact with Kris. Shelley, in particular, looks like she is having a ball during this scene.

Interesting appearances: Louise Sorel, who would go on to play prominent parts on the soap operas Santa Barbara and Days of Our Lives, is on hand for this. Actress Sally Kirkland plays an inmate.

Grade: C- (as a Charlie's Angels episode)

Grade: B+ (as a "Solo Angel" episode)

Grade: A+ (the sister Maria and Sister Theresa scene -- a classic moment in the show's history)

Edited July 24, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 12 - Cruising Angels - 12/12/79

Note: Cruising Angels was the last episode of the season's first half.

Synopsis: Charlie's yacht goes missing for 45 minutes but mysteriously reappears in its original location with a fortune in gold on board. The Angels and Bosley must piece together what happened to the yacht and unravel the mystery of the gold.

Cruising Angels is a hybrid of a team episode and a Bosley-centric episode. Bosley takes center stage with this one and the usual Bosley plot points -- Bos as unlikely action hero, Bos romancing the wrong woman -- are out in full force. Unfortunately, these plot developments were done earlier -- and better -- in prior season episodes like Angels Ahoy!. This leaves the viewer with a distinct feeling of deja vu all over again.

The team aspect is decent enough and it's refreshing to see all three Angels displaying detective skills. That being said, the story itself is rather ho-hum and the episode as a whole is just kind of blah.

There is one exciting part of the episode and that's the reappearance of Sabrina's orange pinto, which Tiffany seems to have inherited!

Interesting appearances: Beverly Garland, who would go on to play Kate Jackson's mother on Scarecrow and Mrs. King, plays Bosley's love interest. Peter Mark Richman, who would play Blake Carrington's lawyer on Dynasty, is one of the villains. (It's interesting to note how many key players in the early seasons of Dynasty show up in Season 4. Not only is there John Forsythe and Richman but also Bo Hopkins [Love Boat Angels] and Lloyd Bochner [Angel Hunt].)

Grade: B- (Passes the time agreeably but no more.)

Edited July 27, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 13 - Of Ghosts and Angels - 01/02/80

Synopsis: Tiffany experiences occult phenomena when she visits a college friend at her creepy old mansion. Is there really a haunting?

This episode is a hybrid Tiffany-centric/team episode that contains elements from Haunted Angels (Season 3), Angels at the Altar (Season 4) and Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. I always want to like this when I rewatch it but I never do. I find that the supernatural element, which is shown to be real in the episode, cuts too far against the grain of what the show is all about. Also, suddenly finding out that Tiffany has latent psychic powers directly contradicts Tiffany's character as it was established in the first 12 episodes.

There are some creepy moments in this, especially when Tiffany sees the creepy groundskeeper staring back at her through a window. But, too often, the Angels stand around asking, "What's happening?" or wandering around secret corridors.

The best part of the episode is the costume party at the house, which allows Jaclyn, Cheryl and Shelley to wear costumes. Jaclyn looks ravishing in a Scarlett O'Hara-style dress and Cheryl looks great in her pirate costume replete with gold hot pants.

Interesting appearances: Paul Burke, who played Lyon Burke in Valley of the Dolls, plays Clifford Burke in this. Robin Mattson, who would go on to play memorable characters on Santa Barbara and General Hospital, plays Tiffany's friend. Veteran character actor R.G. Armstrong is on hand as well as the groundskeeper.

Grade: C+ (An "A" for effort in trying to vary the formula but this episode is too far out of bounds for Charlie's Angels.)

[Jan Spears]

Episode 14 - Angel's Child - 01/09/90

Synopsis: Kelly discovers that the police detective she is working with is abusing his young son and sues for custody. Meanwhile, the crooks who Kelly and the detective have been pursuing make their own moves against Kelly and the young boy.

This is the second of Jaclyn's "Solo Angel" episodes in Season 4. Given that the subject matter of this episode is child abuse, the tone is very serious. Jaclyn gives one of her strongest performances in the series in this and she is matched all the way by guest star Simon Oakland, who plays the detective.

All that being said, I'm not a fan of this episode. I'm always wary of "social issue" episodes on television because I don't think you can solve complex issues like child abuse within the context of a 48 minute television program. The ending, in particular, grates because the show tries to put a pretty bow on a very downbeat situation so that the audience leaves the episode on a "feel good" note. It just feels like a cheat.

My other problem with this episode is that it's hardly a Charlie's Angels episode at all. Kris, Tiffany and Bosley barely appear in it. As a one-off, Angel's Child would have been OK. But coming hard on the heels of Avenging Angel, Caged Angel and the two "Farrah Returns" episodes, the feeling left is of another show entirely replacing Charlie's Angels.

Grade: A (for the performances of Jaclyn and Simon Oakland)

Grade: D (as a Charlie's Angels episode)

[Jan Spears]

Episode 15 - One of Our Angels Is Missing - 01/16/80

Synopsis: The Angels are hired to return a jewel thief who has jumped bond. Kris follows the thief to Arizona but doesn't know that he is also a killer and rapist.

This episode is the second of Cheryl's Season 4 "Solo Angel" episodes. As a solo episode, it's not nearly as compelling as Cheryl prior outing, Caged Angel, but it is an improvement on Jaclyn's "Solo Angel" episodes; mostly because it doesn't have that 'Very Special Episode of . . . ' feel to it.

The story itself is OK but it feels like a pale imitation of Love Boat Angels. There are a lot of dull conversations between Kris and the thief that are derivative of the conversations Kris had with Burt Convy's character in the season opener. Also, Kris comes across as completely irresponsible. When she learns the thief is a killer and rapist, she defies orders and sticks by the thief's side. That would have made for a good episode in Season 2, when Kris was new and inexperienced, but here she is reckless to the point of stupidity.

As a Charlie's Angels episode, the same old problem that plagues all of the "Solo Angel" episodes raises its head. Jaclyn, Shelley and David perform a little con on the thief's partner but, otherwise, stand around doing nothing and worrying about Kris.

Grade: B- (as a Kris "Solo Angel" episode)

Grade: D+ (as a Charlie's Angels episode)

Edited August 7, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 16 - Catch a Falling Angel - 01/23/80

Synopsis: When a young man looking for his girlfriend disappears, the Angels and Bosley investigate. They discover that the girlfriend is working in the adult film industry. Kris goes undercover as a would-be "actress".

What a relief -- a team episode after so many Solo Angel/Angel-centric/Farrah Returns episodes! It's too bad that the episode isn't one of the better Season 4 team episodes. Catch a Falling Angel certainly pales in comparison to the similarly-themed Angels on the Street from earlier in the season. Probably the biggest differing factor between the two episodes is the lead guest. In Angels on the Street, the guest lead who is involved in the world of prostitution is compelling and there is a nice twist involving her character. In Catch a Falling Angel, the character the Angels are trying to help is so clueless and irresponsible that she gets her innocent boyfriend from back home killed. The episode tries to put a nice bow on things at the end but it's hard to care for such a witless character.

That being said, there is a nice car chase/crash sequence involving Kelly and Tiffany and it's fun to watch Cheryl running through the Los Angeles countryside in pink spandex pants and porn star hair.

Grade: B- (Nice to have a team episode but the lead guest character really works against this one.)

Edited August 8, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 17 - Homes $weet Homes - 01/30/80

Synopsis: When priceless jewelry is stolen from an expensive Beverly Hills home that is for sale, the Angels and Bosley deduce that the real estate agency trying to sell the house is involved. Kelly does double duty as a Beverly Hills socialite and Bosley's significant other, Kris goes undercover at the agency, Tiffany pretends to be a wealthy owner of valuable letters and Bosley poses as a collector of rare -- and stolen -- letters.

This is a nicely done episode where every single member of the team contributes something to the overall effort, including Kris who takes one for the team by slipping into her swimsuit for the climactic fight scene with the lead villain in and around his hot tub (!)  Shelly has a lot to do in this and it's wonderful to finally see her display her wry sense of humor. I don't if this all came from her or the director encouraged her or the writers started writing to this aspect of her personality. Regardless, it's welcome to see.

The other significant aspect of this episode is that everyone appears to be enjoying themselves. After the first half of the season, where a serious, even humorless mood prevailed (Cheryl being particularly somber), the old sense of fun is back in this episode.

Interesting appearances: Dick Gauthier, who was all over TV during this era, plays the lead villain. Character actor Vito Scotti, whose name you may not know but whose face you absolutely would, is on hand.

Grade: B+ (Not a classic but fun nonetheless.)

Edited August 14, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 18 - Dancin' Angels - 02/06/80

Synopsis: When a contestant in a 1940s-style dance contest disappears, the Angels and Bosley investigate. Tiffany and Bosley pose as contestants.

Another week, another team episode! Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this episode is the script, which features characters in various stages of self-delusion. There is the aged band leader (very well-played by guest Cesar Romero) who wants life to return to the world he used to know in the 40s. There's also the shady club operator who talks like Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney in a 40s gangster movie. Ultimately, these characters come across as sad and delusional because they cannot accept that the world they long for is gone forever (or was never really real to begin with.)

As for the Angels themselves, they all look splendid in Nolan Miller's 40s-inspired gowns. Shelley, in particular, looks ravishing. She and David are also great fun as contestants in the dance contest.

Interesting appearances: In addition to Cesar Romero, actors Norman Alden and Lee Delano, who already had appeared in Seasons 2 and 3, appear again here. Actor Brad Maule, who would go on to play Dr. Tony Jones on General Hospital for many years, has a small part.

Grade: B (Decent meat-and-potatoes episode thanks to Cesar Romero and Shelley and David's dancefloor antics.)

Edited August 14, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 19 - Harrigan's Angels - 02/20/80

Synopsis: When an electronics firm is robbed for a second time, the owner hires the Angels to investigate. They are paired with the bumbling, alcoholic private detective who was hired to investigate the first heist.

Harrigan's Angels is part team episode and part Kris team-up with the detective (played by guest Howard Duff.)  At first, the episode promises to be as annoying as the Season 2 episode, Angels on Ice, due to the way the script treats the alcoholic detective as an object of humor (much like the earlier episode did with the alcoholic character in that episode.) But as the episode progresses, the detective character becomes more poignant and less a focus of lowbrow humor. Also, there isn't a miracle cure for the detective's alcoholism at the end of the episode the way there was for some of the maladies found in Jaclyn's 'Solo Angel' episodes.

The team-up between Cheryl and Howard Duff is an effective one and they really do appear to be enjoying working together. Kris is more mature-acting than she would have been just two years prior which shows that the characters could and did evolve over time.

As for the rest of the episode, there are two car chase scenes -- the first with Kris and the detective; the second with Kelly and Tiffany. They are reasonably well done but, at this point in the show's history, car chases were becoming less and less effective. Shelley has the clunkiest dialogue in the episode but Jaclyn's facial expressions when hearing this dialogue are funny.

Interesting appearances: In addition to Howard Duff, former Peyton Place and future Capitol star Ed Nelson appears as the owner of the electronics firm. Robert Englund, 4 1/2 years away from his signature role as Freddie Kreuger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series, plays one of the supporting villains.

Grade: B (as a team episode)

Grade: A- (Ladd/Duff chemistry)

[Jan Spears]

Episode 20 - An Angel's Trail - 02/27/80

Note: This is Farrah's last episode of the series.

Synopsis: Jill stumbles upon a robbery in a remote part of California and is taken hostage by a father (who is an escapee from prison) and his two sons, one of whom is developmentally disabled.

As a 'Farrah Returns' episode, this episode is a compelling adventure with plenty of action (i.e. Jill suspended over a snake pit). The story is helped by regular Charlie's Angels guest L.Q. Jones, who had already appeared in Season 2's Angels in the Backfield and Season 4's Angel Hunt and who appears here as the father.

My problem with this episode is that it barely qualifies as an episode of Charlie's Angels. The Angels don't have much of anything to do -- Kris cries about Jill, Kelly consoles Kris and Tiffany does research about the remote area where the criminal family have Jill. Even worse, there are no almost no scenes between Farrah and the rest of the cast. Farrah and Cheryl have a brief scene together (which reveals that the chemistry between the Munroe sisters is still intact) and Farrah and David both appear in the concluding scene. That Farrah has no scenes with Shelley is no great problem but there's no excuse for Farrah and Jaclyn not having a scene together.

There is a funny aspect to this show in that Jaclyn has one hair style in the office and then has a completely different one when she arrives in the remote area (supposedly having come directly from the office.)

Grade: B+ (if this was an episode of a Farrah spinoff show)

Grade: C+ (as an episode of Charlie's Angels, The show could have eliminated Jaclyn, Shelley and David from this episode and it wouldn't have made any difference.)

[Jan Spears]

Episode 21 - Nips and Tucks - 03/05/80

Synopsis: The Angels and Bosley investigate an exclusive plastic surgery clinic where the surgeon may be altering the looks of criminals. Tiffany goes undercover at the clinic as a nurse, Kris pretends to be Bosley's obnoxious wife who wants him to have plastic surgery, and Kelly investigates the surgeon.

Nips and Tucks is a fantastic team episode where everyone gets to do something. In particular, this is a great episode for Shelley, who is capable and resilient throughout this adventure. When the writers actually gave her something to do, Shelley rose to the occasion.

Cheryl and David reprise their married couple routine from seasons past and prove that the old comic magic is still there. The only odd element in this is Jaclyn's reactions in certain scenes. She appears unusually subdued and not really responding to what's happening with her demeanor and facial expressions.

Interesting appearances: The guest cast in this is very strong with 50s movie stars Louis Jourdan and Tab Hunter on hand, respectively, as the surgeon and the criminal who wants his appearance altered. Joanna Pettet is memorable as the female villain.

Grade: A (One of Shelley's best episodes.)

Edited August 27, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

Episode 22 - Three for the Money - 03/12/80

Note: It was at this juncture, with three episodes left to film, that Aaron Spelling Productions notified Jaclyn, Cheryl and David they would be back for a fifth season. If the stories are true, Shelley found out she wouldn't be back from a reporter.

Synopsis: A con man cheats a widow, a college professor and a mechanic out of sizeable amounts of money. The Angels and Bosley swing into action by performing three counter-cons designed to get back all of the lost money. Jaclyn pretends to be a rough-around-the-edges crook, Kris poses as a wealthy woman attending her high school reunion, Shelley does double duty as a politician's aide and a garage mechanic, and Bosley also does double duty as a an appraiser of fine art and a waiter.

In a season where the scripts were hit-and-miss in terms of shaking up the formula that prevailed in the first three seasons, Three for the Money can be counted as a "hit". All concerned appear to be enjoying themselves as they implement the three separate -- but related -- cons. The best bit is when all three Angels wind up in the con artist's home at the same time and each acts aggrieved that the con artist has been two-timing them. And Shelley looks ravishing in red.

The ending is too jokey by far as the script treats the con artist's fate, which could very well be his death, as a joke. Otherwise, this is a highly entertaining team episode that, like Nips and Tucks, finds everyone contributing.

Interesting appearances: Vincent Baggetta who specialized in playing morally dubious characters plays the con artists. Carol Bruce, so memorable as Mother Carlson on WKRP in Cincinnati around this time, plays one of the victims.

Grade: A- (Fun episode that breaks from the standard formula.)

Edited August 28, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Beamish]

Regarding Angels On The Street: This episode grates every time I see it for one reason: 'lets sit at an open table at a diner and casually discuss the case and hand over 'services rendered payment' to Kelly and Tiffany' for all to see. Sloppy, sloppy detective work. Now, I realize this wasn't the first time the Angels and Bosley participated in sloppy detective work. Way back in Season 2: Angels On Horseback at the Dude Ranch: everyone at the Dude Ranch seemed to guess the Angels and Bosley knew each other because they were always together, chumming it up. Sloppy. Same with Season 4 Angels At The Altar when a bartender, maid, violinist and maid-of-honor openly talk and are suspected by the bad guys. It just makes our happy little team look less intelligent about their jobs, which irritates me. No wonder Kate hated the scripts.

[Maverick]

 Oh good grief, they were always doing that.  Bad enough 3/4 strangers show up shortly after some nefarious crime has been committed, but then those supposed strangers just hanging out together, in public, they might just as well be wearing neon jumpsuits with 'cop' scrawled on them.  This was even more annoying than them always using their real names.  I know it was the pre-Google era (yes, it's true!  There was a time with no Google..or even Internet!) but it was still easier enough to check someone out/track them down if they aroused someone's suspicion (which, apparently they were trying do).

[Jan Spears]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 9:07 AM, Beamish said:

Regarding Angels On The Street: This episode grates every time I see it for one reason: 'lets sit at an open table at a diner and casually discuss the case and hand over 'services rendered payment' to Kelly and Tiffany' for all to see. Sloppy, sloppy detective work. Now, I realize this wasn't the first time the Angels and Bosley participated in sloppy detective work. Way back in Season 2: Angels On Horseback at the Dude Ranch: everyone at the Dude Ranch seemed to guess the Angels and Bosley knew each other because they were always together, chumming it up. Sloppy. Same with Season 4 Angels At The Altar when a bartender, maid, violinist and maid-of-honor openly talk and are suspected by the bad guys. It just makes our happy little team look less intelligent about their jobs, which irritates me. No wonder Kate hated the scripts.

Angels on the Street is definitely the worst in that regard. I like the episode but them sitting together in the diner makes them all look so incompetent. I almost find myself admiring the sinister waitress for catching on right away and causing trouble. Angels at the Altar doesn't bother me as much because they could at least pretend like they all just happened to get a refreshment at the same time (maybe not so much for Kris, who was supposed to be a maid.) And, it does lead to Kris duking it out with the evil bridesmaid inside the house, which is one of the best parts of the episode.

[Jan Spears]

Episode 23 - Toni's Boys - 04/02/80

Note: Toni's Boys was a back-door pilot for a potential Charlie's Angels spin-off series.

Synopsis: When the Angels barely escape being blown to bits by a vengeful mobster who the Angels had testified against, Charlie engages the services of his friend Antonia Blake (the 'Toni' of the episode title) and the three male detectives who work for her to help with the case.

Let's get the bad out of the way first. In a season where the Angels and Bosley were often by-standers in their own series, Toni's Boys is yet another episode where the full team only has a supporting role. And the role they play is by no means flattering. Tiffany stupidly goes to a modeling agency that is one of the mobster's front organizations and promptly gets recognized and taken hostage. Later in the episode, Kelly and Kris stupidly let themselves get taken prisoner at a wine show. Not the Townsend Agency's finest moment, to be sure.

That being said -- I love this episode. Introducing a reverse-Townsend Agency with a female boss and three good-looking male detectives is a fun idea and it makes for an entertaining episode. Barbara Stanwyck plays Toni and she is perfectly cast in this. The three guys are Stephen Shortridge as cowboy Cotton Harper, Bruce Bauer as master-of-disguise Matt Parrish and U.S. Olympic gold medalist Bob Seagren as Olympic athlete Bob Sorensen. The guys work well with each other, Stanwyck and the Angels and it's tempting to speculate what the spin-off show would have been like if it had been picked up for the 1980-81 season. (It couldn't have been any worse than Season 5 of Charlie's Angels.) We'll never know now although, based on this episode, my guess would be that there would be many more fight scenes involving all three guys (and even Stanwyck, who looks like she's having a ball mixing it up in this episode's big fight scene.)

In any event, this was probably a case of Spelling Productions trying to launch a spin-off at least one year too late. The show had already started to cool in Season 3 and was cooling further in Season 4. ABC no doubt concluded that the premise -- in either iteration -- was wearing thin at this point.

On a different episode, kudos to Jaclyn, Cheryl and, especially, Shelley for getting through what must have been a difficult shoot without letting it affect the on-screen work. I guess that's why they call it acting.

Interesting appearances: Veteran character actor Robert Loggia plays the mobster. Roz Kelly appears for the second time this season as the proprietor of a male strip club.

Grade: C (as a Charlie's Angels episode)

Grade: A (as a potential spin-off. Ah, what might have been!)

[Beamish]

Just watched Season 3's Angels On Vacation - Angels and Bosley go to Arizona for some R&R with Kris' aunt and uncle and get mixed up in a hostage situation. Pretty tense episode, well-written and well-acted by Cheryl. However, Kate seems totally over it and whoever cast Jaclyn's stunt double should have been fired. I'd be insulted if I were her.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Beamish

[GHScorpiosRule]

31 minutes ago, Beamish said:

Just watched Season 3's Angels On Vacation - Angels and Bosley go to Arizona for some R&R with Kris' aunt and uncle and get mixed up in a hostage situation. Pretty tense episode, well-written and well-acted by Cheryl. However, Kate seems totally over it and whoever cast Jaclyn's stunt double should have been fired. I'd be insulted if I were her.

What bugged me about this episode was the OBVIOUS lack of mentioning Jill. You would think Kris was an only child.

 

Same with the episode where she lost her memory-the show made a point about how close they were and having a younger sister myself, we always played/fought together at that age. Not to mention my friends who also had sisters or brothers.

It irked because Jill wasn't forgotten after Farrah left-she returned in five or six episodes. I think her last one didn't even feature the other women. She'd been kidnapped and only Bosley showed up at the end, I think? Where Jill made a chocolate cake for the guy whose IQ was that of a child and didn't want to be part of kidnapping Jill. 

Or maybe the other Angels were shown when Jill didn't show up? My mind is fuzzy on that.

Edited September 4, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Jan Spears]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I think her last one didn't even feature the other women. She'd been kidnapped and only Bosley showed up at the end, I think? Where Jill made a chocolate cake for the guy whose IQ was that of a child and didn't want to be part of kidnapping Jill. 

Or maybe the other Angels were shown when Jill didn't show up? My mind is fuzzy on that.

The other Angels do appear but just barely. Jaclyn and Shelley have no scenes with Farrah. Cheryl has a brief scene with Farrah in the second-to-last scene and David shares the concluding scene with Farrah.

[Jan Spears]

Episode 24 - One Love . . . Two Angels (Part 1) - 04/30/80

Synopsis: A lawyer contacts Kelly and suggests that she may be the long-lost daughter of a wealthy man. Prior to his murder, the man embraces Kelly as his daughter Margaret but Kelly engages the Angels and Bosley to find out the truth.

For all intents and purposes, this is another Kelly solo episode. With the exception of a brief team scene at the beginning of the episode, Kris, Tiffany and Bosley don't reappear until the 37 minute mark. The three of them have a team scene together and then Shelley has a scene with Jaclyn and Cheryl has a scene with guest star Patrick Duffy (as the lawyer.) While delving into Kelly's background as an orphan is interesting, this episode might as well be from a Kelly spin-off series.

One super irritating thing about this episode is when Kelly says that Kris, Tiffany, Bosley and Charlie are the only family she has. I'm sure Sabrina and Jill would love to have heard that!

It's weird to think that guest star Patrick Duffy was filming on an ABC show when the 'Who Shot JR?' episode on Dallas was aired right around this time.

Interesting appearances: In addition to Duffy, veteran film star Ray Milland plays Kelly's potential father. Robert Reed, fresh off the legendarily bad Brady Bunch variety show, appears as a villain.

Grade: B+ (as a Kelly origin story)

Grade: C (as a Charlie's Angels episode. The rest of the team is even less useful in this than they were in An Angel's Trail.)

Edited September 5, 2016 by Jan Spears

[GHScorpiosRule]

There is a LOT of continuity gaffes with this episode. There's Kelly's friend who grew up with her in the orphanage---they even did an episode about it in a previous season-Don Galloway played the man trying to kill Kelly, because she put him away, and he was her friend's fiance.  And of course not mentioning Jill or Sabrina. 

I hated the whole 'two loves' aspect of this and pitting Kelly against Kris. It was the only time I think this actually did something like this. The friends fighting over a man. And just to show my 10-year old self, Kelly met him first! But my adult self realizes this is all on Patrick Duffy's character--I would like to think had he not been murdered, that Kelly and Kris would have turned against him. But, it's all moot.

[Jan Spears]

Episode 25 - One Love . . . Two Angels (Part 2) - 05/07/80

Note: This episode picks up exactly where the first part left off.

Synopsis: Kelly survives a murder attempt but she and Kris discover they have both fallen for the same man (Patrick Duffy). Meanwhile, Tiffany and Bosley are forced to solve the case and keep the team from fracturing completely.

I hate this episode with an absolute passion and I hate it because the core story -- two Angels fighting over some guy like they are in junior high school -- directly contradicts the show's central premise as established over four seasons. That premise depicts three articulate, capable female professionals working together to achieve a common purpose, and doing so as friends whose friendships with one another trump everything else in their lives. By having Kelly and Kris fighting over some guy they have only known for no more than a few weeks (based on the progression of the story), they come across as juvenile idiots. When Bosley lays into the Patrick Duffy character for breaking up the team and destroying a friendship, I can't help but think that he should be saying this to Kelly and Kris. Infuriating!

I also hate how Robert Reed's character murders Patrick Duffy's character during the episode. It's a cheat because it helps Kelly and Kris avoid having to choose between their friendship and this guy. (That Duffy's character comes across as an emotional five-year-old only contributes to the head scratching notion of why Kelly and Kris would have fallen in love with him in the first place.)

The person who really comes across well in this episode is Tiffany, who actually remembers that she is a professionally working detective. She is the one who does the legwork on this case and figures out that the whole thing has been a con all along. Ironic that Shelley was let go prior to the filming of this episode and yet this is one of Shelley's (and Tiffany's) best episodes in Season 4. Aaron Spelling and company treated Shelley very poorly with her dismissal but at least she went out on a high note.

The only other mitigating factor in this episode is Robert Reed's performance. We're so used to seeing him as Mike Brady that it's jarring to see him as such a cold-blooded villain.

Grade: F (as a Charlie's Angels episode. If you ask me what the "Jump the Shark" moment was for this show, I would say this episode -- and not 'Exit Stage Left . . . Kate Jackson' or Shelley and Tanya Roberts joining.)

Grade: A (as Tiffany's farewell episode)

Grade: A (for Robert Reed's performance. He was so much more than Mike Brady.)

Edited September 5, 2016 by Jan Spears

[Maverick]

 COZI is showing Chorus Line Angels.  Good grief, I'd forgotten this episode and how bad it is.  A boring, uninspired plot that plods along for what seems like two hours.  That is until the plot is resolved 40 minutes into the episode with the Angels acting like the Scooby gang and unmasking the criminal.   The remaining 20 minutes entails the Angels giving the crestfallen chorus line cast a Brady Bunch-style pep talk ("if you believe in yourself, you're halfway there!" Julie chirps) and watching and overly choreographed show tune.  Oh, and if you missed any of said overly choreographed show tune?  Don't worry, because they play it again 2 seconds later.  Literally.  Not another run through, but a replay of the exact same damn scene.  This episode had more padding than an entire season of RuPaul's Drag Race.  Oh, and the male dancers in the chorus line?  All have pornstaches.  Seriously, This was the last season..it was the 80s.  No pornstaches.

[Beamish]

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2016 at 6:59 PM, Maverick said:

 COZI is showing Chorus Line Angels.  Good grief, I'd forgotten this episode and how bad it is.  A boring, uninspired plot that plods along for what seems like two hours.  That is until the plot is resolved 40 minutes into the episode with the Angels acting like the Scooby gang and unmasking the criminal.   The remaining 20 minutes entails the Angels giving the crestfallen chorus line cast a Brady Bunch-style pep talk ("if you believe in yourself, you're halfway there!" Julie chirps) and watching and overly choreographed show tune.  Oh, and if you missed any of said overly choreographed show tune?  Don't worry, because they play it again 2 seconds later.  Literally.  Not another run through, but a replay of the exact same damn scene.  This episode had more padding than an entire season of RuPaul's Drag Race.  Oh, and the male dancers in the chorus line?  All have pornstaches.  Seriously, This was the last season..it was the 80s.  No pornstaches.

One of my guilty pleasure episodes - so bad I just can't stop watching.

1) Everybody is phoning it in.

2) Jaclyn, the 'dancer', only doing the easiest of steps. Maybe she pulled another hamstring like she did during 'Pretty Angels All In A Row' which prevented her from doing a much harder routine, as she claimed.

3) Jaclyn's friend, Nancy Fox, is back again. As is Too Tall Paula Lee Travers. Both doing the simplest of choreography.

4) Once again, the Angels, who are supposed to be detectives, sit around and discuss the case in front of just about everybody, blowing their covers for the villain.

5) The guy who sings 'Dancing Lady' with Jaclyn - where is he the rest of the episode? And if the villain is getting rid of all the 'good talent', why is he still there? Dude can sing!

6) I've always wanted the sheet music to 'Pals, Buddies and Friends'.

7) The repeat ending: I bet they did that because this episode must have cost a fortune with the costumes, choreographer, dancers, recorded music, etc. and they probably spent too much money in Hawaii and all the oil needed for the Mr. Galaxy episode.

[SPLAIN]

I was a huge fan of this show when it originally aired.

There was an episode, that happened to air last night, about Jill and the autistic boy. That episode was the exact same episode of another drama show. I think it was Mod Squad. Julie had befriended a boy and she was later shot by a gun he had found. Anyone know the episode?

[Bastet]

Quote

There was an episode, that happened to air last night, about Jill and the autistic boy. That episode was the exact same episode of another drama show. I think it was Mod Squad. Julie had befriended a boy and she was later shot by a gun he had found. Anyone know the episode?

Yep, Mod Squad.  The episode was Cricket.

[Meedis]

On 8/7/2016 at 7:27 PM, Jan Spears said:

Episode 16 - Catch a Falling Angel - 01/23/80

That being said, there is a nice car chase/crash sequence involving Kelly and Tiffany and it's fun to watch Cheryl running through the Los Angeles countryside in pink spandex pants and porn star hair.

Grade: B- (Nice to have a team episode but the lead guest character really works against this one.)

 

I loved the car chase/crash sequence.   I got a good laugh at Shelley's line when she looks at Kelly in astonishment as she phones Bosley and remarks 'That phone still works.'    But yeah not one of their best episodes.

[ByaNose]

Season 4 is sooooooo painful. Shelly Hack was awful. She could barely walk from the chair to the bar in Charlie's office without looking awkward. Season 1 was the best written season with great chemistry. Season 2 & 3 were action packed and well acted. Of course, it was obvious that Kate Jackson was working alone with Jaclyn & Cheryl always bring paired up but they were fun seasons. Season 4.....enough said about that & Season 5 was DOA. IMO!!!

[trainyourdog]

On 9/4/2016 at 4:18 PM, Jan Spears said:

The other Angels do appear but just barely. Jaclyn and Shelley have no scenes with Farrah. Cheryl has a brief scene with Farrah in the second-to-last scene and David shares the concluding scene with Farrah.

[ByaNose]

On 10/21/2016 at 10:31 PM, Bastet said:

Yep, Mod Squad.  The episode was Cricket.

It's funny to watch Mod Squad, The Rookies & Charlies Angels in reruns. There are A LOT of reuse of scripts. Also, the fact that there are 3 detectives & one boss (Greer, Ryker & Bosley/Charlie) makes it even more obvious that Aaron Spelling certainly had a formula that he used over & over again.

[trainyourdog]

Season 5 was the worst for me. In many episodes my favorite Angel, Kris, looked like something the cat dragged in.  Not a big Julie fan, either.

[trainyourdog]

Is this site essentially dead?

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 3/27/2017 at 6:46 AM, trainyourdog said:

Is this site essentially dead?

I think you mean this forum? Because the site, PTV, is still very much active.

I usually come in and post after I've done a marathon viewing.

A lot of old shows don't get much traffic. I've seen forums created within the past few weeks for old shows, yet no one has posted in them. Makes me wonder why request it if you're not going to start a conversation.

{shrugs}

[trainyourdog]

Yeah, I meant the Charlie's Angels forum.  I thought I'd ask first since the last post on it before mine was back in October. 

[trainyourdog]

Why did the bad guys who killed the woman in UNIDENTIFIED FLYING ANGELS  bury her only one inch of dirt?

[ByaNose]

Seasons 1-3 are the only ones worthy of talking about. The scripts are better and the ladies were actually acting. Season 4 is awful. Yes, I'm looking at you Shelly Hack. That said, the writers did her no favors. She wasn't even in her own series premiere. I don't think Tanya Roberts was that bad. It's a shame that she wasn't  hired for Season 4. I think it would have worked better if Julie had been a cop. The model part was stupid and the opening credits for Tanya is so dumb. Although, she was smoking hot on the treadmill. The show was DOA by Seasons 4 first episode. Farrah was my favorite angel. She funny, cute, had a great smile & with amazing hair. There were times when I think it was Farrah laughing and not Jill. Almost like it wasn't scripted. She was a true angel. IMO!

[Asp Burger]

Re: Kate Jackson's widely reported dislike of Cheryl Ladd. Yes, some of it was probably KJ getting jaded with the direction of a show she had played a part in developing, and anyone new not being one of "her girls" like Jaclyn Smith and Farrah Fawcett were, but don't overlook the political angle. Jackson was a feminist and a proud liberal; Ladd was (and remains) a conservative Christian and Republican who did not identify at all with '70s woman-power stuff. Maybe some would say Jackson shouldn't have held that against Ladd, and we should try to get along with people who disagree with us (Jaclyn Smith, I believe, was also much more conservative than Jackson, if not so much as Ladd). But you know how that can be, even now.  

I think the most interesting thing about Charlie's Angels was that it was a mix of two different shows, and maybe it only could have existed in a particular time. It was the show Kate Jackson wanted to be in (tough, capable women who had camaraderie with each other, and were even more self-reliant than Angie Dickinson's Police Woman and other predecessors) and it was also the show that Aaron and the other good ol' boys could sell to a largely male audience in the '70s (bikinis, wet T-shirts, women's-prison scenarios, a paternalistic voice narrating about "three little girls," unseen Charlie living his Hugh Hefner life with bimbos galore swimming around him).  

Both of those shows got on the air, and it was a phenomenon. It wouldn't have been such a phenomenon if it had been one show or the other. Sadly, the longer it went on, the more the Kate Jackson show started disappearing, even while she was still there. When she was gone....nothing against Shelley or Tanya, really. They did the best they could. But if the heart wasn't gone, the brain was.  

[BBHN]

The first 2 seasons were definitely the best.

[Jan Spears]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 10:01 PM, ByaNose said:

I don't think Tanya Roberts was that bad. It's a shame that she wasn't  hired for Season 4. I think it would have worked better if Julie had been a cop. The model part was stupid and the opening credits for Tanya is so dumb. Although, she was smoking hot on the treadmill. The show was DOA by Seasons 4 first episode.

Julie could have worked as a character if the producers/writers had explored the potential inherent in having someone on the team who was neither a trained police officer nor a detective. There were plenty of story ideas that could have come from the other Angels and Bosley having to deal with someone who was essentially untrained. Also, Julie's hard edges and mild abrasiveness could have introduced a new dramatic element into the show (or, to put it another way, taken the show back to Kate Jackson's initial vision for it.) But this was the road not taken.

In any event, I'm not sure that anything could have saved the show in Season 5. Jaclyn and Cheryl had already started to look like they were ready to move on in Season 4 and things only got worse in Season 5. Even if the show had continued into a Season 6, Jaclyn would have been done with her contract and there was no way she would have stayed. (I'm not sure if Cheryl was signed for four or five seasons.) At a minimum, the show would have had to cast yet another Angel for a Season 6.

Edited November 24, 2017 by Jan Spears

[Meedis]

I'm just rewatching Season 1's Angels In Chains and noticed a big blooper.   After the Angels get arrested and go through the shower scene, their hair is all drenched up and flattened.   The next day they all have their regular permed styles back.   I doubt a prison would have their hair product needs....LOL.

[GHScorpiosRule]

MeTV is airing the show for the summer, starting on Monday.

[ByaNose]

Season 1 is currently airing. I watched it when it orignally aired. I was 11 when the pilot aired on March 21, 1976. There was no one more beautiful that Farrah. She just lights up the screen. The storylines were so much better in Season 1, too.

[GHScorpiosRule]

31 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

Season 1 is currently airing. I watched it when it orignally aired. I was 11 when the pilot aired on March 21, 1976. There was no one more beautiful that Farrah. She just lights up the screen. The storylines were so much better in Season 1, too.

2

Yes, I posted above that MeTV would be airing this show for the summer.

I think you mean, than? While I don't disagree that Farrah was beautiful, I find Jaclyn Smith more. But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[HadleyFields]

I've kept Angels in Chains on my dvr until I could sit down and watch it.  It's such a great episode! I was 9 years old when the first episode aired, my sister's were 12 and 14. My oldest sister immediately cried out, "I'm Jill!" My other sister quickly snapped, " I'm Kelly!" I was left with Sabrina, a beautiful woman and the biggest star of the show at the beginning, but there was no competition, looks-wise, with Farrah and Jaclyn in the room.  I was immediately smitten with Farrah, and the show.  Kelly's wearing the cutest sailor's halter top at the end of this episode!

Edited June 14, 2018 by HadleyFields

[Tenarife60]

I've been watching this on ME.tv and I forgot how bad it was.  I'm now a little surprised that I thought it was so great back in the '70s when it originally aired.

[smiley13]

My favorites are Seasons 2 and 3.  I found Farrah to be gratingly irritating, but loved Cheryl!   I have trouble watching Farrah and not thinking about what a screw up she became.

[ByaNose]

Farrah was super cute and the typical (beautiful) California girl. Farrah, Jaclyn & Kate were a perfrect trio. Cheryl was a good replacement but she was no Farrah. I watched the show when it originally aired and Farrah was it and everything. Also, the Season 1 writing was so much better then 2 & 3. You could also tell that the oringal 3 were close friends off set, too. If you ever google pictures from Season 1 they are always together and laughing in between shots before filming.

Edited June 27, 2018 by ByaNose

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

You could also tell that the oringal 3 were close friends off set, too.

That really did add something.  It's not necessary, but it's a bonus.  I love that they only worked together for a season, yet became friends for life (well, I assume Kate and Jaclyn are still friends; I know all three were still friends at the time of Farrah's death).

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That really did add something.  It's not necessary, but it's a bonus.  I love that they only worked together for a season, yet became friends for life (well, I assume Kate and Jaclyn are still friends; I know all three were still friends at the time of Farrah's death).

It really did. And that’s also why Cheryl and Kate didn’t hit it off initially-but kudos to all that I couldn’t and still can’t see any friction.

And yes, Kate and Jaclyn are still friends-Kate guest starred on that hilariously cheesy “Shear Genius reality show about hair dressers on Bravo that Jaclyn hosted for the first two seasons, I think. And yup, it was an episode for them to do a current take on the original Angels’ hairstyle. And they ALL BOMBED. Which was sad because they had “KELLY” with how she was wearing her hair now!??????