A-Team Blog!
In 2019, a crack blogger took to his computer to write about a show, to which the entirety he did commit. This blogger promptly escaped reality to watch each episode and post his thoughts on the Internet underground. Today, still loved by its fans decades after it first aired, the show survives to our good fortune. If you love the A-Team, if nothing else can help, and if you can find it …maybe you can read: this blog.
Buckle up, grab an automatic weapon (but don’t expect to hit anyone), and enjoy the ride, ’cause a plan is coming together! But first, some notes. The A-Team has many common themes that you’ll find in almost every episode. Along with my thoughts, I’ll be cataloging the following:
Tank
Often, the team finds themselves in possession of some spare time, a vehicle, and a well-appointed machine shop. It’s amazing how often this happens, actually… But when it does, they will invariably (and usually in the form of a montage) build themselves a tank. They’re usually armored, sometimes armed, and always unorthodox–the truck-mounted cabbage canon being a personal favorite.
Disguise
Hannibal will quite often be in disguise, usually when screening potential clients. Disguises range from a simple hat and mustache (and usually a voice to go with it) to elaborate costumes, my favorite of which was a bronze statue of a horse-mounted cavalry soldier.
Scam
Face is usually tasked with “acquiring” necessary equipment. The Faceman was doing social engineering long before that term was ever invented. Occasionally another team member will pull the scam, but whatever item is scammed, I’ll highlight it here.
Flight
B.A. hates flying, especially with Murdock at the stick. And yet he’s flown countless times (usually after being sedated), sometimes even twice in one episode. One wonders how long the team will be able to get away with it before the Bad Attitude catches up with them… Anyway, if B.A. flies, I’ll note it.
Fixation
Murdock has a “crazy schtick of the week” for most episodes. It could be a sock puppet, a trigger word, or anything really. Sometimes it ties into the plot, and sometimes it doesn’t. But regardless, Dwight Shultz’s portrayal is always laugh-out-loud funny, and it’s made all the better played against Mr. T’s constant having-none-of-it scowl and his suspicion that it’s all an act. Whether he does it because he can or whether he really is crazy, who can say…
Quote
The A-Team has a number of catch phrases, but really the whole show is quite quotable. I’ll try to limit myself to a favorite one-liner per ep, though I may have trouble holding to that limit occasionally.
Flips
There are some simple rules with the A-Team. Rule #1: If there’s a car chase, then at least one car will end up flipped over on its roof. Rule #2: Said car ends up this way by having one side of the car go off a ramp (where a “ramp” can be an actual ramp, a wall, a curb, another car, or anything really, so long as only one side of the car hits it) and proceed to barrel-roll through the air, landing on its roof. Rule #3: any participants in the flip will always emerge unharmed through the windows. Our heroes are never responsible for any deaths. Any proper episode should have at least one flip.
Fee
What fee, if any, the team receives for their services. Putting the Fortune in “Soldiers of Fortune.” I’ll note that when there is no actual client, the fee will be NA. When there is a client but they’re doing the job for free, it’ll be $0.00.
Who is that???
Oh, hey!–that guy! I totally recognize him but can’t remember from where! Yeah, him, who is that??? That’s who I’m highlighting in this section. I can’t always find one (maybe you can?) but when I do, they’re here, with a hint to where you might know them from.