There is a sense of been-there-done-that with this season premiere. It lacks the exotic locale change-of-scenery we were used to with previous season-openers and instead we are stuck in boring old LA for a standard caper set in the modelling industry. By this point, the Angels had gone undercover as models several times already so their "covers' here are old-hat and dull.
The impressive guest-star roster doesn't impress when alot of the actors are just phoning it in. Compare this with Season 2's ANGELS IN PARADISE where every guest character had charisma and the dialogue was snappy and witty throughout. I did enjoy Don Stroud as the slimy Jimmy Joy though.
Tanya Roberts' debut is impressive--especially compared to Shelley Hack's dismal first-outing in Season 4. So I think this episode is alot better than LOVE BOAT ANGELS. It's fun having Kelly trying to "read" Julie upon their first meeting where Julie is thought to be a criminal. And of course, Julie's toughness is a breath of fresh air compared to the haughtiness of Tiffany Welles. When she tells Bosley, Kelly and Kris to "back off" at Harry's funeral, she means business!
The best part of the episode IMO doesn't even include any of the Angels or big guest stars. It's the beach scene where former model Jody Mills staggers along the sand into the ocean to meet her demise after realizing she's fallen too far to crawl back out of the gutter. It's beautifully shot and has a VALLEY OF THE DOLLS vibe including quick flashbacks of what led her to decide suicide is the only way out. Such scenes were quite rare on CHARLIE'S ANGELS and this one has an almost cinematic quality.
Slim pickings in Season 5 for great episodes, and this one only has merit because it introduced us to the final Angel. Too bad the story and setting could not have been more original and fresh.
The impressive guest-star roster doesn't impress when alot of the actors are just phoning it in. Compare this with Season 2's ANGELS IN PARADISE where every guest character had charisma and the dialogue was snappy and witty throughout. I did enjoy Don Stroud as the slimy Jimmy Joy though.
Tanya Roberts' debut is impressive--especially compared to Shelley Hack's dismal first-outing in Season 4. So I think this episode is alot better than LOVE BOAT ANGELS. It's fun having Kelly trying to "read" Julie upon their first meeting where Julie is thought to be a criminal. And of course, Julie's toughness is a breath of fresh air compared to the haughtiness of Tiffany Welles. When she tells Bosley, Kelly and Kris to "back off" at Harry's funeral, she means business!
The best part of the episode IMO doesn't even include any of the Angels or big guest stars. It's the beach scene where former model Jody Mills staggers along the sand into the ocean to meet her demise after realizing she's fallen too far to crawl back out of the gutter. It's beautifully shot and has a VALLEY OF THE DOLLS vibe including quick flashbacks of what led her to decide suicide is the only way out. Such scenes were quite rare on CHARLIE'S ANGELS and this one has an almost cinematic quality.
Slim pickings in Season 5 for great episodes, and this one only has merit because it introduced us to the final Angel. Too bad the story and setting could not have been more original and fresh.