This was a gorgeously shot two-part episode on location in Hawaii. The first part is superior to the second, where the plot stagnates waiting for the big set piece on a boat at the end. It's the official introduction of curvy Cheryl Ladd to the show and she breaks out the bikini bod in celebration. Jaclyn Smith joins her in one of her own, and the pair of them are breathtaking in their wet skivvies.
The locations are stunningly beautiful and need to be watched on DVD or Blu-ray and not on COZI TV repeats to fully appreciate the scenery. There are some standout guest stars, Don Ho among them. Anytime a 70's TV show shot in Hawaii, Don Ho made an appearance, leading me to believe it was written in the state constitution.
Making a much bigger impression was French actress Frances Nuyen. Known to Star Trek fans for the episode Elaan of Troyius, she looked every bit as good in her bikini as Cheryl and Jaclyn looked in theirs. And she played a fairly deep character (for 70's tv), a tough lady that was both bad and good, doing what she needed to do in order to save her husband from harm.
Other guest stars of note are Norman Fell, from Three's Company, playing a nudist preaching about the evils of skin cancer, and Ron Soble (another Star Trek guest star in the episode Spectre of the Gun), playing a bad guy who didn't seem particularly good at his job.
A trope from this episode seen in many 70's detective shows, and in particular Charlie's Angels, is the man with a sniper rifle shooting at someone in a very public place and then slipping away unnoticed. Here, a surfer is shot (she's the sister of Nuyen's husband) in order to send a message, only instead of using a sniper the bad guy uses a regular pistol, firing from out behind a palm tree while she's surfing in the ocean, in front of a beach full of people. An absolute laugh out loud and ridiculous moment, though pretty standard for CA.
Without getting into the plot, let's just say that Charlie himself gets kidnapped and the Angels have to rescue him. There's much talk of finally having the chance to see Charlie in person but of course Charlie would never allow that, going so far as to swim in the ocean to avoid the Angels getting a glimpse of him.
This was easily the biggest budget C. A. episode to date and it shows, with beautiful landscapes and locations, and lots of interesting guest turns. The plot was a little convoluted (when is it not?), but it was still a lot of fun and a good intro for the Kris Munroe character. Was Farrah forgotten? No, but they needed something big to start season 2 and this was the episode to do it.
The locations are stunningly beautiful and need to be watched on DVD or Blu-ray and not on COZI TV repeats to fully appreciate the scenery. There are some standout guest stars, Don Ho among them. Anytime a 70's TV show shot in Hawaii, Don Ho made an appearance, leading me to believe it was written in the state constitution.
Making a much bigger impression was French actress Frances Nuyen. Known to Star Trek fans for the episode Elaan of Troyius, she looked every bit as good in her bikini as Cheryl and Jaclyn looked in theirs. And she played a fairly deep character (for 70's tv), a tough lady that was both bad and good, doing what she needed to do in order to save her husband from harm.
Other guest stars of note are Norman Fell, from Three's Company, playing a nudist preaching about the evils of skin cancer, and Ron Soble (another Star Trek guest star in the episode Spectre of the Gun), playing a bad guy who didn't seem particularly good at his job.
A trope from this episode seen in many 70's detective shows, and in particular Charlie's Angels, is the man with a sniper rifle shooting at someone in a very public place and then slipping away unnoticed. Here, a surfer is shot (she's the sister of Nuyen's husband) in order to send a message, only instead of using a sniper the bad guy uses a regular pistol, firing from out behind a palm tree while she's surfing in the ocean, in front of a beach full of people. An absolute laugh out loud and ridiculous moment, though pretty standard for CA.
Without getting into the plot, let's just say that Charlie himself gets kidnapped and the Angels have to rescue him. There's much talk of finally having the chance to see Charlie in person but of course Charlie would never allow that, going so far as to swim in the ocean to avoid the Angels getting a glimpse of him.
This was easily the biggest budget C. A. episode to date and it shows, with beautiful landscapes and locations, and lots of interesting guest turns. The plot was a little convoluted (when is it not?), but it was still a lot of fun and a good intro for the Kris Munroe character. Was Farrah forgotten? No, but they needed something big to start season 2 and this was the episode to do it.