Log 94: Vengeance (Episode 19, Season 2)

Episode 45

Up until a few months ago, I thought of this episode as "the other episode featuring Freddy Rivers and Rivers' gym". Then, someone in an Adam-12 group on Facebook pointed out that Reed's name badge keeps disappearing during this episode. Now, I think of this episode as "the one with the glaring mistake that somehow made it past everyone involved with the production of the show". 

Or maybe it didn't. Maybe they shot all of the scenes where he does have his name badge first. Then it somehow got lost and they found it would take several days to get a new one made. So, rather than hold up filming and get off schedule, they just decided to shoot the remaining scenes without the name badge. Who knows? Whatever happened happened and now we can all have fun spotting the scenes where the name badge is missing. Let's get to it!

Synopsis:

A con who threatened Malloy's life has just been released from jail.

The Story:

Just to change things up this time, Reed and Malloy are leaving the station by way of the front door instead of the back parking lot. As they are leaving, they meet up with Carl Owens. He was just released from prison and has waited a long time to see Malloy again.

Reed doesn't say a word during this opening scene because he's desperately trying to remember where he left his name badge.

Malloy offers to let Owens know if he hears of any jobs the ex-con might be suited for. Owens tells him not to bother.

When they are on the other side of the station door, Reed finally speaks and asks Malloy if that was Carl Owens, the ex-heavyweight boxer. Malloy confirms that the man they just ran into was indeed Carl Owens, the ex-heavyweight boxer who also killed a man in a bar and had to be brought down by four cops. One of whom was Malloy. 

"At the trial, did he promised to even with you or something?"

"Yeah, as soon as he got out of prison."

In the patrol car Reed states that he would be worried if a tough-looking guy like Owens wanted to get even with him. Malloy, however doesn't seem worried at all. The radio dispatcher sends the calm Malloy and his partner to 253 South Dobson to see a woman about some unknown trouble.

The woman in apartment 2 at 253 South Dobson Street heard a lot of banging and hammering coming out of the garage beneath her window last night. The noise stopped around midnight, but she just knows something funny is going on over there. Before they leave her apartment Reed tells her that they may need to talk to her after they check out the garage. She hopes they do talk to her after they investigate; she'll die of female curiosity if they don't! 

At the garage they first try knocking on the door, but they don't receive a response. When they hear moaning coming from inside, Reed kicks the door.

In the garage they find this man pinned under a car. They quickly get to work rescuing him. While Malloy jacks the car, Reed puts blocks under it. The man knows he's dying and readily admits that he and a partner or partners stole the two cars in the garage. 

While they are jacking up the car we can see that Reed has found his name badge somewhere between the station and this call. Maybe it was in car's glove compartment.

They finally pull the man from under the car and see that his chest his badly crushed.

"It's a good thing that old lady opened her window," says Jim hopefully.

"Too bad she didn't open it a little sooner," observes Pete after he fails to find the man's pulse.

Soon after they pull the man from beneath the car, Detective Forest arrives with a coroner's assistant. While the doctor examines the body, Forest discusses the case with Reed and Malloy. The detective theorizes that the dead man's partner or partners panicked and took off when the car slipped off the jack. Malloy thinks he wanted revenge on those who left him, that's why he was so eager to admit the cars were stolen. The doctor lets them know that he hasn't found any ID on the man, but he has found a receipt for a locker rental at Rivers' Gym.

Detective Forest (yes, that Detective Forest from the other episode featuring Rivers' Gym) asks Malloy to go talk to Freddy Rivers since he won't talk to anyone else.

They show up at Rivers' Gym and find Freddy working out with Carl Owens. 

Oh no, Reed has lost his name badge again!

Malloy takes this opportunity to introduce Owens and Reed.

"Picked yourself a great sidekick," Owens says sarcastically to Reed.
(Was a collared shirt under a sweatshirt considered appropriate workout attire in 1970?)

"Well, I got lucky," answers Reed.
["I wish my name badge were as reliable as my partner", he thinks.]

Owens thinks Malloy is there looking to accuse him of a purse snatching or some other random crime. Malloy assures the ex-con that they are not looking him.

Malloy will only come looking for Owens if he gets himself "dirty".

The officers and Rivers move into Freddy's office to talk about the dead car thief in privacy.

Freddy checks the receipt they found against his ledger and comes up with the name of Kenny Ryan, a light heavyweight boxer. Freddy doesn't know, or isn't willing to give them, Ryan's address or who he hangs out with. 

Reed has found his name badge again! He wonders why he even needs a name badge, they made it through an entire season without them.

Before they leave Freddy warns Malloy that Owens is a "pretty mean cat".

"Is that so?"

Reed has somehow managed to lose his name badge between the water cooler and the office door.

Back in the car Reed is frustrated with Freddy's lack of cooperation. Malloy, however, is not worried. He knows that detectives will be able to get Ryan's address from the boxing commission.

As they drive past Pop Daly's liquor store, Malloy notices something amiss. There's someone other than Pop behind the counter.  He circles the block and comes back to the store.

[Malloy, if I find my name badge can I get a Dilly Bar?]

As they exit the car Reed wonders if Pop has just taken the day off. Malloy informs him that Pop hasn't taken a day off in ten years.

Reed's name badge, however, has taken off again.

They reach the store and stop the mystery man as he is leaving the store. At first he's cooperative.

Then he takes a swing at Reed.

The suspect tells "Muscles" (that's Reed) that he's going to "whip" him when the cuffs come off.  

Inside the store Pop Daly shouts for help from a locked storage room. The suspect has the keys inside his coat pocket. Reed finds the keys and tosses them to Malloy.

Reed's name badge must have been in there, too.

Back at the station Reed and Malloy take the suspect to the jail. 

They managed to get the suspect back to the station. Reed's name badge is a different story, though.

[You've lost that thing again? How does this keep happening?]

As he's being locked up the guy threatens Reed, telling him that he would kill the officer if he didn't have that gun.

"Yeah, I know," replies an unmoved Reed.

They then check in with Detective Forest who informs them that their armed robbery suspect is John Sims, who just happens to be out on bail for the same offense. Forest also lets them know that they got Ryan's address and busted his two accomplices.

[Oh, and Reed, your name badge is missing. I didn't have to use any of my detective skills to figure that out.]

When they go back to the jail to book Sims, he threatens Reed again. Sims says he'll get even with the dark-haired officer if it's the last thing he ever does.

"Welcome to the club."

While they unlock their guns Malloy asks Reed if he is worried since he is now a dues paying member of the "I've Been Threatened with Dire Consequences Society". He's no more worried about Sims than Malloy is of Owens.

[But, I am kinda worried about my name badge. Have you seen that thing around?]

Our boys have worked up a quite an appetite looking around for Reed's name badge, they decide to go to Duke's for 7. 

Uh oh, Malloy must have run over Reed's name badge!

Yep, it's missing, it must be in the tire.

Malloy wants to just change the tire so they can be on their way. Reed wants to call the shop, probably because he knows who will be doing most of the work if they do it on their own. As they start changing the tire another black and white drives up and parks behind them. 

It's Tex, a clueless traffic officer who's all talk. He talks and talks, telling his stories when nobody wants to hear them. If you need his help, he will give you advice; but no assistance.

Tex sees Pete and Jim changing the tire and states the obvious, "little ol' flat tire, huh?".

"No, we're changing the oil," Jim shoots back.

Tex sits on the hood of his car and observes Pete and Jim while giving expert advice. But, he doesn't want to actually help them, he's on his way to lunch and just washed his hands. "How 'bout you boys, you been to lunch?" he asks Pete and Jim.

"We're trying to lose weight."

Tex then launches into a story about the time he was a deputy sheriff in West Texas. Pete and Jim already know how the story ends.

"We heard this story before."

Oh well, Tex has another story to tell them. Tex gives them the option of not hearing the story, "Now if you don't want to hear it, you just say so". 

Without missing a beat Reed tells Tex, "We don't wanna hear it".

Tex, oblivious to Reed's statement, begins telling the story anyway.

No thanks to Tex, Reed and Malloy finish changing the tire and make their way to Duke's, along with Tex. Although their lunch companion was highly critical of Duke's chili, Tex ending up eating about a half gallon of it. With their appetites now sated, they are called to 40211 Walden Street about a missing juvenile.

Pete and Jim meet up with Mrs. Park in front of her apartment door. Her four-year-old son, Billy, is missing.

Pete will talk with  Mrs. Park inside the apartment.

Jim, complete with name badge, will search for Billy with the apartment manager. But first he wipes some of Duke's chili off his chin.

Jim asks the manager if there are any empty units in the building. He takes Jim to apartment number five and is surprised to find the door unlocked. Jim immediately heads towards the closed refrigerator in the kitchen. His instinct proves right, they find an unconscious Billy inside the airtight appliance.

Jim pulls the boy out and begins CPR.

After watching this I wondered if this is how my parents and teachers knew to warn us children of the 1970's not to climb into refrigerators. Did I feel the influence of Adam-12 before I even knew what it was?

An ambulance arrives and rushes Billy to the hospital. Mrs. Park arrives at the hospital and is sure that her son is dead until Reed comes out of the Emergency Room to tell her Billy is alive. The manager still feels awful about what has happened.

He thinks he should be horsewhipped. 

"Ah, we all make mistakes," reassures Malloy.

"Yeah, and who suffers for it? Our children," replies the manager.

"Yeah, especially Billy," adds Reed.
Malloy and the manager both study him with puzzled looks.

Reed explains that Duke's chili was loaded with onions. The other two men still don't find his joke funny.

Oh, Reed, take some advice from someone who has had years of experience making inappropriate jokes. It is never appropriate for a grown man to joke about putting his mouth on a young boy's mouth, even if it is during the administration of CPR.

After they leave the hospital Reed and Malloy are back in the black and white. While stopped at a light, they see a man in a beige car drop a small bag from his window.

Pete slows the car as they drive through the intersection. Jim opens his door and collects the bag from the street.

 It's filled with a variety of pills.

Pete then turns on the red lights while Jim radios for backup. They follow the beige car into a filling station. When Pete stops the patrol car, they find the occupants of the beige car ready and waiting to be searched.

This doesn't look right to Reed. Malloy agrees, it's going down too easily.

At this point Carl Owens comes walking up the street and sees what is happening. He approaches Malloy and tells him that he "picked up a rumble from a couple of guys" he knows from the joint, this is an ambush. 

He's warning them because "planned murder" is not his "bag", his killing was accidental.

Reed must have lost his name badge when he leaned out of the car to retrieve the bag of pills.

Owens goes on to tell them there is a carload of men armed with shotguns and rifles in a nearby alley. Reed gets on the radio and calls in a Code 6 Adam (officer may need assistance in conducting an investigation). As soon as he finishes his dispatch the other car comes speeding through the lot and with guns blazing!

Pete fires back at them from behind the patrol car.

After it cruises through the filling station lot, the blue car is quickly stopped by two backup units.

 Reed and Malloy take care of the men from the beige car.

A few days later, Pete and Jim show up at Rivers' gym to see Carl Owens. He takes a break from jumping rope to speak with the officers.

Pete has checked out Carl's package (the one back at the station, not the one in his boxing trunks). It said Carl is pretty good with cars. Pete knows of a place that needs a mechanic and has told them about Carl.

Carl expresses his gratitude by twitching his pectoral muscles.

Reed flexed his pecs and his name badge popped off.

Pete and Jim will take Carl to the auto shop after their shift ends. But, first Carl asks that they time him on the bag for thirty seconds.

Jim holds the bag while Pete keeps time with the stopwatch.

As Carl punches away the credits begin to roll.

The End

My Evaluation:

To me, there's not enough vengeance in this tale of vengeance. So, Carl Owens vowed to get even with the cops who brought him down at his trial several years ago and now he's out of jail and everyone thinks that Owens is one tough cat. But, Malloy is not worried and I don't blame him. Carl Owens isn't a psychopath with no conscience, he's a strong guy who probably let his anger get out of control one night. Owens also doesn't make any attempts at violence towards Malloy during the course of the story. Maybe if he had been more threatening at some point there would have been more tension in the story. But, as it is, the whole vengeance angle just seems underplayed.

When Reed gets threatened, he mimics his partner's underwhelmed reaction. It's easy to see why, the career armed robber just seems sad and pathetic. It doesn't seem like the young officer will face any danger from this loser.

The third, and most substantial, threat of violence against our beloved officers takes place during the ambush. The scene starts out with an uneasy feeling because you don't really know what is going on when they pull into the filling station. But then the blue car comes around the corner and the whole thing is over so quickly that it just seems anticlimactic.

The vengeance parts didn't really thrill me, but Tex certainly did. The scene with Tex and the boys might be one of the funniest of the entire series. Everyone's comedic timing is, as the kids say, on fleek (that means it's perfect). I only wish we could see more of Tex as the series goes on. If it weren't for Reed's constantly disappearing name tag, Tex would be the only thing I like about this episode.

Since there was one scripted part of this that I liked and the rest left me flat, "Log 94: Vengeance" earns my rating of:

Do you agree? Let me know what you think about this one in the comments. See you next time! KMA-367