Charlie's Angels - General Discussion

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched "Angels Go Truckin'" from Season 4 last night. (It was the second episode of the 1979-80 season.)

After the so-so two-hour premiere which was a strange hybrid of a Cheryl Ladd solo episode and a Bert Convy-Bo Hopkins buddy adventure, the series rebounded nicely with this episode as Kris and Tiffany go undercover as truckers and Kelly poses as a waitress at a diner. Cheryl Ladd and Shelley Hack work very well together in this and all concerned appear to be enjoying themselves. (I never noticed it before but the underscoring contains several wonderful treatments of the Charlie's Angels theme.)

It's a pity that there weren't more team stories like this in the first half of the season. But after "Angels Go Truckin'" aired, the series then slipped into the "solo Angels" format with "Avenging Angel" (Kelly) and "Caged Angel" (Kris). Then there were two Farrah "returns" episodes ("Fallen Angel" and "The Prince and the Angel") and a Kelly-centric team episode ("Angels at the Altar"). Only "Angels on the Street" is a true team story. By the time the series got around to featuring Tiffany in "Angels on Campus" and "Angel Hunt," the first half of the season was almost over.

[Egg McMuffin]

They certainly didn’t do Shelley any favors with the lack of team stories in season 4. That said, she was still a weird choice for the role. The other Angels were warm and likable, then there’s Shelley with the cool and aloof personality. Not a good fit.

[Jan Spears]

On 9/20/2022 at 11:35 AM, Egg McMuffin said:

They certainly didn’t do Shelley any favors with the lack of team stories in season 4. That said, she was still a weird choice for the role. The other Angels were warm and likable, then there’s Shelley with the cool and aloof personality. Not a good fit.

I think Aaron Spelling was entranced by the idea of the "Charlie Girl" becoming a "Charlie's Angel" - hence the hiring of Shelley. And it did generate a floodtide of publicity in the short term.

But the problem the production staff ran into once shooting started in 1979 was that no one had any idea who the Tiffany Welles character was supposed to be or how to align that character with what Shelley could - and could not - do at that point. You certainly couldn't have the newest Angel fill the position Sabrina had held as the Angel everyone else looked to for leadership. Naturally, the audience would expect Kelly to assume that position as the Angel with the most seniority.

The introduction of the 'solo Angels' format in Season 4 and the frontloading of the 'Farrah returns' episodes in the first half of the season also meant that precious time was lost developing the Tiffany character. By the time the show got around to writing for Shelley with "Angels on Campus" and "Angel Hunt," the season was almost half over.

I do think the second half of Season 4 was more favorable to Shelley and she did come into her own by the end. Certainly, Shelley (and Tiffany) were the only things that made "One Love . . . Two Angels" tolerable. But, by that point, the show had finished the season at #20. So, it was easier to get rid of Shelley rather than admitting the show had problems that weren't going to be solved by hiring a replacement Angel, which Season 5 amply demonstrated. (I should also note that the show finished Season 3 outside of the Top Ten. So, it was already cooling while Kate Jackson was still there.)

Edited September 24, 2022 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched "Angels at the Altar" tonight. (It was the fourth episode of the 1979-80 season.)

This episode has some amusing moments (Kris to Tiffany: "Have you ever broken up a wedding?") but, basically, it's a mess. "Angels at the Altar" is a Kelly-centric episode which, coming hard on the heels of Jaclyn's 'solo Angels' episode, "Avenging Angel," means that there were two episodes in a row where the team aspect of the show goes by the wayside in favor of one Angel. The Angels and Bosley barely interact with one another and, when they do, they stupidly do it in a way that attracts the attention of the nefarious bridesmaid ("Why would Kelly be speaking to a bartender [Bosley], a maid [Kris] and a violinist [Tiffany]?") [The Angels would do something equally stupid in episode seven, "Angels on the Street".]

There's an unintentionally hilarious fight scene between "Kris" and the "nefarious bridesmaid" due to the bridesmaid clearly being a stunt man in a dress and a wig. Charlie's Angels was notorious for its bad stunt doubles!

Unfortunately, more non-team episodes followed immediately after this one with "Fallen Angel" (Farrah's first return episode of Season 4) and "Caged Angel" (Cheryl's first 'solo Angel' episode). It wasn't until the aforementioned "Angels on the Street" that the audience got another team episode.

Edited October 8, 2022 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched that little bit of Caged Angels (season 4, episode 6) where Kelly and Tiffany pose as nuns in order to pass a message to Kris, who has gone undercover in a women's prison. Jaclyn and Shelley (especially) look like they're having a ball, and it's one of those iconic moments from the series. Cracks me up every time I see it even though it feels like Jaclyn and Shelley have been spliced into this episode from a different Charlie's Angels episode altogether.

Otherwise, I'm not a fan of Caged Angel. I can appreciate that Caged Angel would have been conceived and written in response to Kate's complaints that the show had evolved too far away from her original conception of it. But any Charlie's Angels episode where one Angel (in this case, Kris) doesn't interact with the other Angels and Bosley for 30+ minutes and the other Angels and Bosley only appear in two brief office scenes during those 30 minutes, isn't my kind of Charlie's Angels episode. 

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Angels on the Street (Season 4, episode 7) this afternoon.

After four consecutive episodes where one Angel predominated (respectively - Kelly, Kelly, Jill, Kris), Angels on the Street is a welcome return to the team format. On the plus side, this episode's treatment of a serious subject matter - street prostitution - was clearly written in response to Kate Jackson's criticisms as to the more lighthearted direction the show had taken in Seasons 2 and 3. If Kate had stayed with the show, I can envision her playing the part that Cheryl ended up playing in this episode.

Another plus is the twist that arrives about halfway through the episode. Not only do the Angels have to contend with the violent world of street prostitution but they also have to reckon with a character who has a serious mental illness.

On the downside, there are moments that feel like they belong in different episodes altogether given the essentially serious tone of the episode. The comedic sequence with Kelly and Tiffany at the barre in the dance studio, and the two of them posing as prostitutes but looking more like they belong in an episode titled Disco Angels really cut against this episode's grain.

There are also some moments that make the Angels and Bosley look incredibly stupid. The four of them (w/ Kelly and Tiffany in full prostitute garb) stupidly meet at the local coffee shop, which immediately arouses the suspicions of the malevolent coffee shop owner/waitress, Georgia (well played by actress Madlyn Rhue). Later, Kris and Bosley don't even notice the pimp and his henchman parked behind them even though the pimp's car is only parked a few feet away. It's bad writing because the only way to make the plot work is to make the Angels and Bosley look as stupid as possible!

Still, this is a decent team episode - not the greatest but a step up from the prior 'Solo Angels' episodes.

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Angels on Skates (Season 4, episode 9).

I don't know that my opinion of this episode has changed much from what I wrote earlier in this thread:

"[T]his episode does have great time capsule charm to it with disco music, roller skating, Venice Beach, women wearing Mork from Ork-style suspenders, etc. The only thing missing is Jack Tripper skating by on roller skates!"

I would only add that there's one other thing missing - Olivia Newton-John striding on-screen singing "Xanadu"!

In a more serious vein, I've noticed that Cheryl was very disconnected from the rest of the cast through the first nine episodes of Season 4. Even in ostensible team episodes like "Love Boat Angels," "Angels on the Street" and "Angels on Skates," Kris goes her ways during the episodes while Kelly, Tiffany and Bosley function (more or less) as the team of old. One wonders what was going on behind the scenes during Season 4. We'll probably never know as all concerned have remained generally tight-lipped about Season 4 (as compared to how chatty everyone is about Seasons 1-3).

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Angels on Campus (Season 4, Episode 10).

This episode was a 'Solo Angels' showcase for Shelley, which followed in the footsteps of the prior 'Solo Angels' episodes ("Avenging Angel" and "Caged Angel"). I'm not as thrilled with this episode as I was when I reviewed it earlier in this thread. On the plus side, it goes a long way toward fleshing out the Tiffany Hill character and actually giving Shelley something to do.

Unfortunately, Angels on Campus also exposes the very real limitations of the 'Solo Angels' format. Except for the opening and closing scenes with the entire team gathered together, the Angels and Bosley hardly interact with one another. Shelley has several scenes with David (as does Jaclyn). Shelley and Jaclyn have limited interaction. Cheryl has no scenes with anyone other than a token one where she is talking to Jaclyn and David via car phone. It's as if three separate shows are occurring with David Doyle acting as a very loose binding element.

Angels on Campus also highlights once again just how disconnected Cheryl Ladd had become from the rest of the cast in Season Four. Whether it's a 'Solo Angels' episode or a true team episode, Kris remains separate and apart throughout most episodes. I had never noticed this before I started a rewatch of Season 4 but, having noticed it, I'm hard-pressed to unnotice it.

The situation with Cheryl/Kris reminds me a lot of the situation with Kate/Sabrina in Season 2. It's tempting to say that odd blood between Cheryl and Shelley resulted in them not being featured together. But then the interactions between Cheryl on the one hand and Jaclyn and David on the other aren't any better. It really makes me wonder just what was going on with the production in the fall of 1979.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Angel Hunt (Season 4, Episode 11)

I don't have much new to add about this episode. After producing and airing a mishmash of 10 mostly Angel-centric and solo episodes, the show came up with this great team episode, which I would rate as the best episode of Season 4 and one of the best episodes of the series.

For the first time since episode 2 (Angels Go Truckin'), the old team camaraderie is there. Then there's the added bonus of the Tiffany Welles character getting more character development in these 48 minutes than in the prior 10 episodes combined.

Something I never noticed before: There are only 8 speaking characters (the Angels, Bosley, Charlie, the lead villain and his two henchmen) in this entire episode!

Edited December 19, 2022 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Cruising Angels and Of Ghosts and Angels (Season 4, Episodes 12 and 13)

Cruising Angels is the standard Bosley-centric episode that was written and filmed every season. Nothing new under the sun here but the Angels have plenty to do even though the spotlight is on Bosley. Everyone actually looks like they're enjoying themselves, especially Cheryl, who was strangely distant through most of the first half of the season. Kris is also better integrated into the action than she had been in most previous Season 4 episodes (with the exceptions of Angels Go Truckin' and Angel Hunt).

Of Ghosts and Angels is a split decision for me. To the extent that the Season 4 writers made a concerted effort to respond to Kate Jackson's criticisms regarding formulaic scripts, this episode definitely breaks with the formula. But it goes so far in the other direction that it is way off model for a Charlie's Angels episode.

In prior season episodes with a supernatural theme (i.e. Season 3's Haunted Angels), the "haunting" is proven to be a con although psychic abilities are shown to be objectively real. But in Of Ghosts and Angels, the haunting is real. Moreover, Tiffany is shown as being "sensitive" to various paranormal phenomena. This makes for one strange Charlie's Angels episode and not necessarily for the better. (There's also a certain deja vu feeling at work given that the basic set-up for Of Ghosts and Angels bears a strong resemblance to the earlier Season 4 episode, Angels at the Altar).

Edited December 30, 2022 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I "rewatched" (more like fast forwarded my way through) Angels Child and One of Our Angels Is Missing (Season 4, Episodes 14 and 15)

After three team episodes (of varying quality) in a row, the show takes two steps backwards with these Solo Angels episodes. Angels Child is a Jaclyn showcase which suffers from its downbeat social issue theme and tone, and the glaring absence of the other Angels and Bosley until the very end.

One of Our Angels Is Missing is a Cheryl-centered episode which is better in terms of showing the rest of the team. But Kris comes across as being completely irresponsible in this episode - she only survives due to luck. The idea of an Angel acting foolishly would have worked better with Kris in Season 2 or with Tiffany in Season 4, when both characters were new and inexperienced. But, with nearly three years of experience under her belt at this point, it is out-of-character for Kris to behave so foolishly. At the end, when Charlie suggests that he should reprimand Kris, I found myself thinking, "No - you should fire her!!!"

Edited January 15, 2023 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Catch a Falling Angel, Home $weet Homes and Dancin' Angels (Season 4, episodes 16, 17 and 18).

How refreshing it is to watch three team-oriented episodes in a row! That being said, my opinions of these episodes haven't changed much. Since I reviewed each episode earlier in this thread, I won't bother reviewing them again.

I would rank them as follows, though:

1  Home $weet Homes

2 Dancin' Angels (Guest star Cesar Romero really adds a lot to this episode as a man who has never adjusted to the passage of time, and Shelley and David are very funny together as contestants in a dance contest.)

3 Catch a Falling Angel

I noticed a gaffe in Catch a Falling Angel I had never noticed before: The lead villain's henchmen force Kelly and Tiffany over a ravine (in Sabrina's orange Pinto!) The Pinto is more or less totaled. Then, in the next scene, we see the standard shot of the Angels' cars parked in front of the agency. The Pinto is there and it's in pristine shape!

[Egg McMuffin]

3 hours ago, Jan Spears said:

I noticed a gaffe in Catch a Falling Angel I had never noticed before: The lead villain's henchmen force Kelly and Tiffany over a ravine (in Sabrina's orange Pinto!) The Pinto is more or less totaled. Then, in the next scene, we see the standard shot of the Angels' cars parked in front of the agency. The Pinto is there and it's in pristine shape!

It was magic!

[Maverick]

 Charlie undoubtedly had an inventory of these in reserve for just such an occasion.  Or more likely the Ford dealer was an old friend and dropped off a new one as needed. 

[Jan Spears]

19 hours ago, Maverick said:

Or more likely the Ford dealer was an old friend and dropped off a new one as needed. 

Haha - that's the best answer! Charlie had friends in every profession!!

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Harrigan's Angels and An Angel's Trail (Season 4, episodes 19 and 20).

Again, I have mixed feelings about these episodes. If ABC had been airing a rotating anthology series about detectives (similar to the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries that aired during the late-1970s), these episodes would have fit comfortably within the anthology format. (In Harrigan's Angels, Kris teams up with guest star Howard Duff. An Angel's Trail is the sixth and final 'Farrah Returns' episode.)

The problem with these two episodes, though, is that they barely qualify as Charlie's Angels episodes due to the heavy focus on Kris (Harrigan's Angels) and Jill (An Angel's Trail). An Angel's Trail, in particular, is all-Farrah - it's as if the 1980 team members are guest stars on their own show!

That being said, I do like the chemistry between Cheryl and Howard Duff in Harrigan's Angels. I always get a little lump in my throat when Harrigan confesses to Kris that both his wife and baby died during childbirth. Not the kind of poignant moment you ordinarily see in a Charlie's Angels episode and certainly not in one penned by Ed Lasko.

Edited March 11, 2023 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

I rewatched Nips and Tucks, Three for the Money and Toni's Boys (Season 4, episodes 20, 21 and 22).

Along with Home $weet Homes, Nips and Tucks and Three for the Money are some of the best team episodes in the second half of Season 4. Everyone is interacting with everyone else and they actually look like they are enjoying themselves. There's also a lot of humor, which was badly needed after so many episodes where a strange funk appeared to be hovering over the entire production. Of course, just when the show had righted the ship, the powers-to-be decided to release Shelley and hire a new Angel!

Toni's Boys isn't a great Charlie's Angels episode and it isn't even that great of a backdoor pilot. (Toni, played Barbara Stanwyck, and the three "boys" don't exactly come across as competent until the very end.) Still, this is a guilty pleasure episode for me. Stanwyck plays her part with gusto and three guys have decent enough chemistry with each other. It would have been interesting to see if the show worked as a series. (I do wonder, though, how long a spinoff would have been able to keep up Stephen Shortridge's cowboy persona as 'Cotton'. That seems like a limited gimmick compared to what the other two brought to the team as, respectively, a master of disguise and an Olympic-level athlete.)

Fun car fact from Toni's Boys: Kelly's Ford is blown up at the beginning of the episode. She is then seen driving a different make of car, which she uses to meet the other Angels at the agency. We then see an establishing shot of Kris's Cobra, Tiffany's Pinto (which she inherited from Sabrina) and . . . Kelly's Ford in front of the agency!!! I guess this is another case of Charlie magically delivering a replacement car in record time!II

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Jan Spears

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 3/4/2022 at 7:49 PM, Bastet said:

Kate Jackson is solid in it, gets some chances to be funny, has a dramatic moment where she really shines with just facial expression and tone of voice, and an episode where she plays essentially three roles - there's a woman pretending to be Amanda, so we see Amanda, the imposter as herself, and the imposter when she's pretending to be Amanda, and Kate does an impressive job with the subtle differences between Amanda and the imposter when she's pretending to be Amanda (and clearly has fun with the imposter as herself, since she's diabolical and Amanda is so not)

I have to also chime in and agree here. Also, hideous hair cut/style aside, “Odds on a Dead Pigeon” is one of the best and one of my favorite episodes from season two. Kate does an amazing job shifting from a naive Amanda to cold-blooded-killer Karen. She really didn’t get enough credit.