David Milch penned Stan the Man, which had an original airdate of 4 November, 1982. Joyce (Veronica Hamel) is assaulted at the precinct by a perp who gets away from his arresting officer, landing her in the hospital after Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) takes the suspect down. And that is just the tip of the…
Tag: vietnam vet
Rambo: Last Blood (2019) – Adrian Grunberg
Sylvester Stallone is back for one last go-round as John Rambo. It has to be, it’s right there in the title! Once again Stallone involves himself in the film’s script, crafting a story that shows that Rambo, no matter the age, is still the same man he has always been, but he’s just better at…
Rambo (2008) – Sylvester Stallone
Stallone not only returns in one of his most iconic roles, but he also settles into the director’s chair to bring the grittiest incarnation of Vietnam vet to the screen. Continuity is key, and Rambo (Stallone) is still in the Far East, attempting to live a quiet life as best as he can, when, like…
Rambo III (1988) – Peter MacDonald
Sylvester Stallone’s third outing as Vietnam vet John Rambo came racing on the heels of the second film. Watching it now, it’s interesting to see how the political times have changed, as Rambo’s adventure takes him to Afghanistan this time. Living in the Far East, Rambo is found by his old CO, Trautman (Richard Crenna)…
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – George P. Cosmatos
It had been a while since I settled in for any of the Rambo films and thought it would be fun to take a look at the sequels. So I was excited to settle in for Rambo: First Blood Part II, the first of four sequels to 1982’s First Blood. The second film eschews some…
Mission: Impossible (1970) – The Innocent, and Homecoming
This week, we have a pair of episodes that feature a couple of recognizable guest stars, who went on to become series regulars on M*A*S*H, and The Innocent features a cool new title music arrangement, and it took me a moment to recognize him, but Sam Elliott as IMF agent Doug. Written by Marc Norman…
Miami Vice (1985) – Golden Triangle: Part 2, and Smuggler’s Blues
This week we dive further into Castillo’s (Edward James Olmos) with the second part of the Golden Triangle. Written by Maurice Hurley and Micheal Mann the episode debuted on 18 January, 1985. Castillo works to protect his wife, May Ying (Joan Chen) from General Lao Li (Keye Luke) and his family that run the human…
Quantum Leap (1993) – The Beast Within and The Leap Between the States
Sam (Scott Bakula) finds himself in rural Washington state on 6 November, 1972. Despite the fact that he is mistaken for bigfoot in the episode’s opener, we soon learn he’s a Vietnam vet, named Henry, who has been living in the woods. The Beast Within was written by John D’Aquino, who previously played Frank in…
Magnum, P.I. (1981) – Tropical Madness & Wave Goodbye
Robert Hamilton writes an episode this week, well, originally aired 12 November, 1981, that causes some great strain on Thomas’ (Tom Selleck) and Higgins’ (John Hillerman) relationship in Tropical Madness. When a young English woman, Jennifer Chapman (Devon Ericson), seems to prefer Higgins to Magnum, Thomas is a little suspicious, but Higgins, flattered by…
Airwolf (1984) – The Shadow of the Hawke (Parts 1 & 2)
Bellisario’s next series focuses on the supercopter Airwolf, its pilot Stringfellow (what a terrible name) Hawke (Jan-Micheal Vincent), his mechanic and co-pilot, Dominic (Ernest Borgnine). The two-hour pilot, released overseas as a theatrical film aired 22 January, 1984. Bellisario wrote and directed the pilot movie that introduces the top-secret organization known as The Firm,…
The Mind Reels 