Hill Street Blues (1982) – Rain of Terror, and Officer of the Year

It’s Renko’s (Charles Haid) birthday, and his friends at the precinct go all out to make sure he has a good time though it partly backfires, in Rain of Terror. The present is a call girl, something Renko doesn’t realize at first and then is angry about before reaching a slightly amicable ending. Written by…

Hill Street Blues (1981) – Fecund Hand Rose, and Rites of Spring

Alan Rachins wrote Fecund Hand Rose which first aired on 25 March, 1981. The creepy Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) storyline about dating a newly turned eighteen-year-old gets pulled a little into the light. It doesn’t get treated for what it is, he’s been grooming her through high school. They were dating before he turned eighteen! They…

Hill Street Blues (1981) – Double Jeopardy, and Film at Eleven

Double Jeopardy, known in some markets as Dressed to Kill first aired on 31 January, 1981. Written by series creators Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, the episode puts Operation Duckling into action. It seems the serial rapist they’ve been trying to apprehend since the beginning of the series is still out there, and the precinct…

The X-Files (1996) – Talitha Cumi, and Herrenvolk

The third season of The X-Files comes to an end with Talitha Cumi which unearths some Mulder family secrets while advancing the series’ mythology arc. The episode was written by series creator Chris Carter from a story he developed with David Duchovny. It first aired on 17 May, 1996. When a shooting at a fast…

Star Trek: Voyager (1997) – Worst Case Scenario, and Scorpion

Captain’s log: stardate 50953.4 Kenneth Biller pens this episode that first debuted on 14 May, 1997, and gives the Voyager crew and the audience a “what if” scenario. A holo-program depicting a Maquis mutiny aboard the Voyager is discovered, and it seems everyone is playing it. It also leads to a really nice teaser when…

Miami Vice (1987) – The Big Thaw, and Child’s Play

All series have their handful of weaker episodes, but most Miami Vice has been solid storytelling, but of course they are going to stumble on occasion. And this, The Big Thaw,  is definitely one of those. Written by Joseph DiBlasi (Michael Duggan), it aired on 23 October, 1987. Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson), Ricardo Tubbs (Philip…

Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Blu-Ray Review

Hitting blu-ray and DVD today from Disney is the latest instalment in the Skywalker Saga, The Last Jedi, director/writer Rian Johnson’s follow-up to 2015’s The Force Awakens. Johnson delivers a strong film that has proven divisive with some fans, but for yours truly, it’s up there with The Empire Strikes Back, it sends characters in…