Heroin. Cocaine. This is quite a heavy subject for Charlie's Angels.
This series, the 2nd series, began with the two-parter 'Angels In Paradise', which was almost a comedy, it had so many funny moments - not to mention plenty of Hawaiian women, and the Angels themselves, in bikinis.
But 19 episodes on, and the mood in this one couldn't be more removed from 'Angels In Paradise'. This is dark, serious, proper drama, with the murdered Country and Western singer, a drug-addict, painted very much as a victim of the showbiz world she moves in, exploited by male hangers on, pushers, and crooked managers and promotors. Even syndicate violence gets a mention.
I've seen some debate over whether the original Charlie's Angels were feminist or not, given that they often used their beauty and sexuality to get around men in a way that normal, less stunningly attractive, women would not be able to do, but I think the programme is quite feminist, at least in the way it always sympathises, rather than condemns, women who work as prostitutes, a recurring theme in Charlie's Angels, and here Amy, the murdered female drug addict, is viewed very much as a good person who got treated badly by the men around her, beaten up by her guitarist, and ripped off financially by other men.
This episode could perhaps be Kate Jackson finest Charlie's Angels performance. Always considered the real actress among the Angels, the scenes where Sabrina confronts, first Cooperman (played by Steve Gravers), the crooked publisher who bought Amy's songs against her will, and then Doneger (played by Lou Picetti), Amy's manager - Sabrina starts low key, a cooky approach, before turning more aggressive and forceful, putting the allegations to them, almost Columbo-like in her delivery.
"What tangled webs we weave", Sabrina reflects openly, in front of Doneger who she realises played no part in Amy's murder, all eyes and facial expressions.
One can only imagine how much it must have hurt Kate Jackson that the Charlie's Angels producers didn't allow her to play the lead role in Kramer versus Kramer around this time (for which Meryl Streep ended up with the part, and won an Oscar for it!), as Jackson's acting in this episode shows how good she would've been in the role.
The first two Charlie's Angels series were filmed from 1976 to 1978, when flared trousers/jeans and shirt collars were at their largest and widest, but then suddenly went out of fashion overnight, never to return, so, unfortunately for Charlie's Angels, that quirk of fashion history makes some of the clothes they wear in some episodes not just look very dated, but laughable, but here though, throughout the episode, Kate Jackson's quality acting coincides with her wearing a stylish black duffel jacket/cardigan, with white trimming, done up with toggles, and blue jeans, that do pass the test of time and still look stylish today. She looks very cool.
It's a rare episode in that all three Angels wear the same clothes throughout, without one costume change - this is due to the timeline of the whole episode taking place in just one day, another rarity. Kris (Cheryl Ladd) wears a black Country and Western- style outfit, appropriately enough as she is goes undercover as a Country and Western music magazine journalist, but how would she have known to wear that right at the beginning, in the Townsend Agency Office, before Charlie had even told them what the case is about? - anyway, it's not fair to pick holes in Charlie's Angels scripts, as they should not be taken too seriously, so we won't question either how it is thst hardened criminals that tail cars are so unobservant that they fail to notice when they're being followed themselves.
The opening scene with the drug afflicted Amy Waters (played by Bess Gatewood, looking terrible, bruised and drugged) being driven around a taxi, takes place at night, and has a sinister vibe to it, typical of many 1970s USA crime films and TV series - the whole episode does have a slight feel of the classic 1976 movie Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro, with Larry (played by Gary Bisig), the Taxi Driver who drove Amy around shortly before she died, now retracing the route they took, including all the stops they made, with Kris, undercover as the magazine reporter. There's a slow, sombre feel to it. The three Angels and Bosley all work together as a team, each getting equal air time, and in contact with one another via radio and phone calls. And then, of course, comes the big twist in the story, three quarters of the way in, when Kris gets out of the cab to make a phone call to Bosley, and suddenly we realise that the Taxi Driver is part of the gang that murdered Amy.
The obligatory fight at the end, between all three Angels, and the three criminals is a bit silly and not really needed in this episode. Out of place this time infact.
Bill Quinn who plays Ted Waters, Amy's father, is very good. Heartfelt.
Charlie's Angels did return to the serious issue of Heroin in series 4 when Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) is injected with heroin by crooks and becomes addicted - maybe Smith's finest ever acting performance in all five of the Charlie's Angels series she appeared in.
Charlie's Angels, not just jiggle TV - there was a lot more depth to it than that.
This series, the 2nd series, began with the two-parter 'Angels In Paradise', which was almost a comedy, it had so many funny moments - not to mention plenty of Hawaiian women, and the Angels themselves, in bikinis.
But 19 episodes on, and the mood in this one couldn't be more removed from 'Angels In Paradise'. This is dark, serious, proper drama, with the murdered Country and Western singer, a drug-addict, painted very much as a victim of the showbiz world she moves in, exploited by male hangers on, pushers, and crooked managers and promotors. Even syndicate violence gets a mention.
I've seen some debate over whether the original Charlie's Angels were feminist or not, given that they often used their beauty and sexuality to get around men in a way that normal, less stunningly attractive, women would not be able to do, but I think the programme is quite feminist, at least in the way it always sympathises, rather than condemns, women who work as prostitutes, a recurring theme in Charlie's Angels, and here Amy, the murdered female drug addict, is viewed very much as a good person who got treated badly by the men around her, beaten up by her guitarist, and ripped off financially by other men.
This episode could perhaps be Kate Jackson finest Charlie's Angels performance. Always considered the real actress among the Angels, the scenes where Sabrina confronts, first Cooperman (played by Steve Gravers), the crooked publisher who bought Amy's songs against her will, and then Doneger (played by Lou Picetti), Amy's manager - Sabrina starts low key, a cooky approach, before turning more aggressive and forceful, putting the allegations to them, almost Columbo-like in her delivery.
"What tangled webs we weave", Sabrina reflects openly, in front of Doneger who she realises played no part in Amy's murder, all eyes and facial expressions.
One can only imagine how much it must have hurt Kate Jackson that the Charlie's Angels producers didn't allow her to play the lead role in Kramer versus Kramer around this time (for which Meryl Streep ended up with the part, and won an Oscar for it!), as Jackson's acting in this episode shows how good she would've been in the role.
The first two Charlie's Angels series were filmed from 1976 to 1978, when flared trousers/jeans and shirt collars were at their largest and widest, but then suddenly went out of fashion overnight, never to return, so, unfortunately for Charlie's Angels, that quirk of fashion history makes some of the clothes they wear in some episodes not just look very dated, but laughable, but here though, throughout the episode, Kate Jackson's quality acting coincides with her wearing a stylish black duffel jacket/cardigan, with white trimming, done up with toggles, and blue jeans, that do pass the test of time and still look stylish today. She looks very cool.
It's a rare episode in that all three Angels wear the same clothes throughout, without one costume change - this is due to the timeline of the whole episode taking place in just one day, another rarity. Kris (Cheryl Ladd) wears a black Country and Western- style outfit, appropriately enough as she is goes undercover as a Country and Western music magazine journalist, but how would she have known to wear that right at the beginning, in the Townsend Agency Office, before Charlie had even told them what the case is about? - anyway, it's not fair to pick holes in Charlie's Angels scripts, as they should not be taken too seriously, so we won't question either how it is thst hardened criminals that tail cars are so unobservant that they fail to notice when they're being followed themselves.
The opening scene with the drug afflicted Amy Waters (played by Bess Gatewood, looking terrible, bruised and drugged) being driven around a taxi, takes place at night, and has a sinister vibe to it, typical of many 1970s USA crime films and TV series - the whole episode does have a slight feel of the classic 1976 movie Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro, with Larry (played by Gary Bisig), the Taxi Driver who drove Amy around shortly before she died, now retracing the route they took, including all the stops they made, with Kris, undercover as the magazine reporter. There's a slow, sombre feel to it. The three Angels and Bosley all work together as a team, each getting equal air time, and in contact with one another via radio and phone calls. And then, of course, comes the big twist in the story, three quarters of the way in, when Kris gets out of the cab to make a phone call to Bosley, and suddenly we realise that the Taxi Driver is part of the gang that murdered Amy.
The obligatory fight at the end, between all three Angels, and the three criminals is a bit silly and not really needed in this episode. Out of place this time infact.
Bill Quinn who plays Ted Waters, Amy's father, is very good. Heartfelt.
Charlie's Angels did return to the serious issue of Heroin in series 4 when Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) is injected with heroin by crooks and becomes addicted - maybe Smith's finest ever acting performance in all five of the Charlie's Angels series she appeared in.
Charlie's Angels, not just jiggle TV - there was a lot more depth to it than that.