A-Team Episode 3×04
(and by “caught fire” I mean “got exploded by the A-Team.”)
“Fire”
- Location: Haleyville, California
- Tank: No
- Disguises: Headless Wax Figure, Safe Installer
- Scam: Admittance to bad guy lair via Fire Inspection
- Flight: No
- Fixation: Fireman Fred (and his little buddy)
- Flips: 1
- Fee: Unknown, non-zero
- Quote: “You wave that flag any harder, you’re gonna break the pole” – Hannibal, shuttin’ down some feminism
- Who is that?? Stepfanie Kramer, Fire Chief Annie Sanders. Hint: she plays a no-nonsense, renegade cop in another 80’s show (I know, that doesn’t really narrow it down much, does it).
- Bonus Who is that?? Charles Napier, Col. Briggs. Hint: Mr. Good-ol’-boys himself is back!
The meeting of the client goes well and was particularly fun as it took place in a wax museum. Hannibal keeps his head while narrowly avoiding being caught by our latest MP nemesis. I had just gotten done saying Decker had grown soft and begun to admire the Team not a few episodes ago, and sure enough, he’s out and we have a new Colonel filling the shoes of Lynch and Decker (or maybe this is just a special guest nemesis, I don’t remember).
Our bad guys have been impeding a local fire station from responding to fires in an attempt to run them out of business. Naturally, the opening play is to respond to a fire–but this time bringing some of our own with us. And bullets–lots of bullets. For some reason, this scene gave me a distinct “You’re all clear, kid, now let’s blow this thing and go home!” vibe. Something about how the truck never left its path while The Van swooped in and dispatched the bad guys trying to stop the trench run.
The bad guys lay another trap, our heroes spring another counter (this time via remotely-blowing up the bad guy lair), we get another installment of Face Teaches the Art of Safe-cracking, and then Face gets captured so the bad guys can have a convenient conversation in front of him.
I have to give the writers a special call-out: the references to the Rubinstein and Ashkenazy performances of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 are both real things. I think I’m with Murdock on this one, by the way, Ashkenazy for the win.
I can’t help but laugh at the sexist attitudes of the bad guys. I mean sure, sexist bad guy, that’s a pretty standard cliché, even in the 80s. But you’d think he’d have grown some respect after watching this woman hire the A-Team and then proceed to wield them against him and kick some serious tail. Ah well, at least we know she’s a strong, independent, capable woman.
Oh yeah, and Hannibal gets the girl. The end!