User Reviews

Season 3 of Adam-12, the "Season of the Child", concludes with an extended storyline featuring two children. They've been orphaned when their parents were killed back in Iowa. Now they're in the charge of one Johnny Delaney. He's an ex-con who has had time in prison for safe cracking.

This is a bit of an odd episode, moving rather slowly as partners Malloy & Reed first deal with a burglary at a Record Store. It's money safe, which strangely sits right out in the open on the store's sales floor, has been cracked open and robbed. The partners, along with detectives, realize the type of safe cracked and the method of the cracking would seem to indicate the MO of good old Johnny Delaney.

The episode slows down even more when M & R go to have a talk with Johnny. The actor playing the part speaks slowly and assuredly. He plays the part like a harmless old has-been who nowadays wouldn't and couldn't hurt a flea. The production goes along with the performance. Then Johnny introduces the partners and viewers to his niece and nephew. He also introduces the fact that he spotted another one of those easy to crack safes down at the local Seamstress business he recently visited. While this throws red flags up all over the place for viewers, Malloy and Reed don't seem to latch on - at first.

There is another storyline, also a bit involved, regarding a Vietnam veteran who has had a Saint Christopher's Medal stolen from him by a young woman who he had - uh... been with, so-to-say. "This" leads to "that" and soon M & R are reuniting a Mother with her baby found napping in a dresser drawer. Viewers might recognize the bad guy in this scenario as being played by an actor who usually played mean, surly police lieutenants on other TV shows. "Rockford Files", for one.

The episode winds up back dealing with Johnny Delaney who apparently prefers life behind bars. That's a nice place, void of nieces and nephews to take care of. The production plays this with a hint of comedy and lightheartedness. As if hoodwinking innocent children into committing high-crimes is simply a silly, nutty little thing to do.

So a bit of a lazy episode with which to conclude the third season of Adam-12 and the Season of the Child. Of course Martin Milner and Kent McCord give it their all, but the production just isn't up to it's usual standards.