Hill Street Blues (1985) – Washington Deceased, and Passage to Libya

It’s Belker’s (Bruce Weitz) thirty-seventh birthday (and gets a nice surprise by episode’s end), the police bowling league is playing, and some new directives from headquarters about officers being responsible for reimbursing phonecalls and vehicle conditions stir up a hornets’ nest in Washington Deceased. Written by Frank South, this episode was first broadcast on 7…

Hill Street Blues (1985) – Dr. Hoof and Mouth, and Davenport in a Storm

Mayo (Mimi Kuzyk) continues her undercover work to bust Dr. Rose (Sandy McPeak) for his sexual assault of his patients while they are under anesthesia. She’s less than thrilled to discover what LaRue (Kiel Martin) is doing with the videotape evidence. Every time his character redeems himself a little, he does a jackass thing like…

Hill Street Blues (1985) – Intestinale Fortitude, and Of Human Garbage

Elia Katz and David Stenn pen Intestinale Fortitude from a story by Steven Bochco, Jeffrey Lewis, and David Milch. It first aired on 10 January, 1985. LaRue (Kiel Martin) is less than thrilled to find that he and his partner, Washington (Taurean Blacque) have been assigned undercover work with Belker (Bruce Weitz) as garbage collectors….

Rocky IV (1985) – Sylvester Stallone

There are some flaws in the fourth entry in the Rocky series (I’m looking at that ridiculous robot) and I’m not sure the themes of East vs. West, hubris, and capitalism carry through all the way, because, despite all of the things Rocky (Sylvester Stallone who also wrote and directed) gives up during the course…

The Equalizer (1985/1986) – Back Home, and Out of the Past

It’s Christmas in New York, but that doesn’t mean Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) is expecting a silent night. Back Home was written by Joel Surnow and Maurice Hurley from a story by Neil Cohen, and it first aired on 18 December, 1985. His son, Scott (William Zabka) is still in Paris, and trying to organize…

The Equalizer (1985) – Desperately, and Reign of Terror

Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) is feeling a little under the weather, but there’s always someone who needs help, desperately. Written by Charles Grant Craig, this episode first debuted on 4 December, 1985. A bored and neglected housewife, Alison Webster (Blanche Baker) heads into the city one day to spend it with her friend, Samantha (Tovah…

The Equalizer (1985) – Mama’s Boy, and Bump and Run

Christine Baranski is denied a chance to shine in Mama’s Boy when the narrative shifts to include her ex-husband, Gilbert (Jim Dale) as Victoria (Baranski) turns to Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) for help when her son is on the verge of becoming a drug dealer. And hey look! There’s Alex Winter in a bit part…

The Equalizer (1985) – The Children’s Song, and The Distant Fire

William Zabka is back as Robert McCall’s (Edward Woodward) son, Scott, and there’s a television debut for Bradley Whitford, Ed O’Neill shows up as a local doctor, and Dana Barron from National Lampoon’s Vacation is this week’s person in need of help from McCall’s Equalizer. The Children’s Song was written by Howard Chesley, Joel Surnow…

The Equalizer (1985) – Lady Cop, and The Confirmation Day

Lady Cop, the fifth episode in The Equalizer’s first series boasts some pretty big and interesting names. It was written by Maurice Hurley and Joel Surnow from a story created by Hurley, Surnow and Kathryn Bigelow(!). It first aired on 16 October, 1985 and sees Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) continuing to wrestle with his inner…

The Equalizer (1985) – The Defector, and The Lock Box

Very quickly The Equalizer has shown that its willing to go dark and gritty, and while there are some dark moments in The Defector, The Lock Box is even darker. The Defector was written by Heywood Gould and first debuted on 2 October, 1985. An old friend, and former agent of the USSR, Felix (Joe…