Generally a good episode as it depicts 1970 very well as I remember it, although I was only 8 or 9 years old when it aired. As a previous reviewer stated, drugs were a fairly new thing and pushers were everywhere, preying on young teens. My parents were also worried about the drug situation at this time and warned me of the dangers of drugs and the seedy characters that inhabit the drug scene. David Cassidy appears as Jim Reed's neighbor who is trying to escape a drug pusher intent on killing him. Luckily, Jim and his pretty wife, Jean, played by the cute and perky Nikki Jamison were intent on setting up unsuspecting bachelor Pete Malloy with one of her friends on a pretext for just having him over for "dinner at the Reed's". Pete is taken by surprise by this blind date and both Jim and Pete are a bit distracted as well because the night before, 2 LAPD policemen in their division were critically injured in a car accident during a police pursuit. When Pete first arrives, he innocuously asks whether Jim had heard anything new (Pete had visited the injured officers before coming to the Reed's home), and Jim answers that he hadn't heard anything new since he had recently called to inquire. Right off the bat, Jean curtly piped in, "OK, We've settled that!" I thought that she came across rather poorly here and lacking in empathy. Her main concern was her little get together and trying to get poor Pete hitched. Well, David Cassidy's character, strung out on seconal, comes over, trying to escape this pusher intent on killing him. Reed and Malloy get him in the house and catch and subdue the pusher in Reed's garage. They bring in the dad of Cassidy's character, who wants to take care of the pusher personally but is dissuaded by the officers. The pusher is later taken into custody. Later in the evening, the two couples are relaxing in Reed's livingroom, Jean enjoying her little party with Reed while a distant Pete and Jean's friend, who earlier referred to herself as a predatory animal, are sitting on the couch when they get the word that one of the officers in the hospital has died. Reed's wife somewhat redeems herself by offering to go to the hospital to console the now widow of the officer that died. Jean's friend offers to watch Jean's and Jim's baby. That's where it ends. All in all, a sad episode, with Jean's frustration in getting Pete hooked because bachelors infuriate her. Jean's friend, who wanted to become a married woman doesn't succeed in becoming a twosome as Pete wants to just be left to having a the life of a carefree bachelor. Pete, Jim are called back into work. The two men, sworn to uphold the law having to bury another friend who swore to do likewise.
4 Reviews
historical
blandiovision-432-27194221 August 2016
This episode introduces David Cassidy only a few months before the world knew him as "Kieth Partridge". He does fairly well as a drugged up teen, until he starts talking too straight. But, a cool episode showcasing probably the biggest problem of those days- -drugs everywhere! Yes, it is still a problem, but not as rampant as it was such a new phenomenon back then. Drug pushers were all over the place looking for teenagers and young hippie types to prey on. Especially as it was, in the late nineteen sixties and early nineteen seventies such a fashionable and trendy thing to experiment with. It is like how online gaming such as Pokemon and social media is fashionable now (how dull and nerdy are we as a general generation; I guess we have evolved to a degree, lol). Good looking wives or dates also for the policemen. Again, a historical episode as David Cassidy became such an important aspect for 1970s pop culture.
Trespassing & Assault
StrictlyConfidential12 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
(*Officer Malloy quote*) - "Yeah. What's your record, Frankie?"
Skat has been dealing drugs to high school students.
Tim Richmond is very stoned and he's unable to give Officers Reed and Malloy the information that they need to arrest the dealer.
In the meantime, 2 policemen are critically injured following a serious vehicle accident on the busy roadway.
Skat has been dealing drugs to high school students.
Tim Richmond is very stoned and he's unable to give Officers Reed and Malloy the information that they need to arrest the dealer.
In the meantime, 2 policemen are critically injured following a serious vehicle accident on the busy roadway.
A Rare, Cheaply Made Episode Of Adam-12
chashans15 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
An episode that starts off fair enough and continues along like that for a bit. Eventually though, it veers off in quite a contrived and convienently coincidental direction. All the while, this is a very cheap production.
Things begin with Malloy and Reed hauling in a serial purse snatcher. This guy's happy that he's been arrested just in time for jailhouse supper. Okay so far. We are then treated to a group of Officers in the Station, gathered around a radio, listening to an in-progress police chase. Oddly, a radio in the Station transmitting police calls/action is not something that has been heard in the Station prior to this episode. That heard - but not seen - police chase ends with two Officers badly injured.
The majority of the episode takes place at Jean and Jim Reed's house. They've invited Pete Malloy over for steaks on the grill. While Pete said he'd bring the steaks, Jim didn't tell him about a fourth guest because that fourth guest is basically a blind date for the unaware Pete. That was mean of Jim in more ways than one and not just to Pete. Pete only knew of three attendees of the get together, so he only brought three steaks. The blind date will have to settle for sharing with Jean who thinks that's just fine. Actually, it's pretty rude. Frankly, it's rude of the episode's author to have made Jim and his wife behave so rudely.
Weird stuff starts happening because the script says so. Jim shows Pete the old beater 1940's truck he's rebuilding. This is news to Pete. So Jim never mentioned this hobby while partnered with Pete in the squad car for hours upon hours every work day? The two know enough about one another that Jim makes Pete the Godfather of his recently born son. There's then an unnecessary moment with the Mother of a teenage boy who has been helping Jim with the truck project.
Next, David Cassidy shows up as that teenage kid, Tim. He's stoned and worried about somebody who wants to kill him. If the remainder of the episode merely dealt with Jim and Pete helping Tim and alerting Tim's father, that would have been just fine and understandable. Instead, the story brings in the drug-dealing hippie who Tim is afraid of.
The drug-dealer, Skat, is found in Jim Reed's garage. That's strange enough. Then we find out that the reason Skat wants to kill Tim is because Skat found out that Tim is friends with Jim and Jim is a cop. Skat believes Tim will rat him out to Jim the cop. So instead of hightailing it out of the area, Skat goes directly to a Police Officer's house and hides out in that Police Officer's garage. Skat is then caught by that Police Officer and his buddy, another Police Officer.
And then Police Officer Jim brings Skat, the drug-dealing, would-be-killer hippie... into the living room of his house! And that's where the still-supposedly-stoned, teenage would-be-murder victim is getting a talking to by his ticked-off father. This is all just so incredibly far-fetched.
Really, the reason Jim brings Skat into his living room is because this episode suffers from a very cheap production. The house interior, garage interior and the backyard are all on a studio soundstage. If some money had been spent, we would have seen the outside front of the house (a real house) and Reed and Malloy would have done the talking with Skat out there. As it is actually presented here, it's all very silly.
All the actors involved do the best they can under the conditions of the production. The very young David Cassidy is very good as the drugged-out Tim, although he seems to straighten out rather quickly.
It's unfortunate that the producer decided this episode could be done on the cheap. We've certainly seen plenty of real outdoor backyard locations in other episodes of the show. Plenty of real garages and front yards of houses as well.
Besides all that, the inclusion of the storyline of the other two Officers involved in the car chase and crash is all rather incidental. While Malloy and Reed do speak of those Officers during the get-together, the conclusion of that storyline comes across as simply an, "Oh, by the way..."
This one is not Adam-12 at it's best. No where near it.
On an aside; the DVD for this episode features Commentary from Sergeant Frank Mika and Officer Rob Nobile. Upon seeing that a commentary was available for this particular episode, I thought to myself, what's the point? The episode isn't the usual Police on patrol. This one is about Reed having Malloy over for a steak off the grill. I'm very glad that I went ahead and did listen to this commentary. It is just as informative - and entertaining! - as the other commentaries these two Men of the Law provide on the other select episodes on these DVDs. I'm also happy to say that they are both just as surprised as I was when, in this episode, Reed brings the criminal into his home. If you get the opportunity, by all means, listen to these commentaries from these two professionals.
Things begin with Malloy and Reed hauling in a serial purse snatcher. This guy's happy that he's been arrested just in time for jailhouse supper. Okay so far. We are then treated to a group of Officers in the Station, gathered around a radio, listening to an in-progress police chase. Oddly, a radio in the Station transmitting police calls/action is not something that has been heard in the Station prior to this episode. That heard - but not seen - police chase ends with two Officers badly injured.
The majority of the episode takes place at Jean and Jim Reed's house. They've invited Pete Malloy over for steaks on the grill. While Pete said he'd bring the steaks, Jim didn't tell him about a fourth guest because that fourth guest is basically a blind date for the unaware Pete. That was mean of Jim in more ways than one and not just to Pete. Pete only knew of three attendees of the get together, so he only brought three steaks. The blind date will have to settle for sharing with Jean who thinks that's just fine. Actually, it's pretty rude. Frankly, it's rude of the episode's author to have made Jim and his wife behave so rudely.
Weird stuff starts happening because the script says so. Jim shows Pete the old beater 1940's truck he's rebuilding. This is news to Pete. So Jim never mentioned this hobby while partnered with Pete in the squad car for hours upon hours every work day? The two know enough about one another that Jim makes Pete the Godfather of his recently born son. There's then an unnecessary moment with the Mother of a teenage boy who has been helping Jim with the truck project.
Next, David Cassidy shows up as that teenage kid, Tim. He's stoned and worried about somebody who wants to kill him. If the remainder of the episode merely dealt with Jim and Pete helping Tim and alerting Tim's father, that would have been just fine and understandable. Instead, the story brings in the drug-dealing hippie who Tim is afraid of.
The drug-dealer, Skat, is found in Jim Reed's garage. That's strange enough. Then we find out that the reason Skat wants to kill Tim is because Skat found out that Tim is friends with Jim and Jim is a cop. Skat believes Tim will rat him out to Jim the cop. So instead of hightailing it out of the area, Skat goes directly to a Police Officer's house and hides out in that Police Officer's garage. Skat is then caught by that Police Officer and his buddy, another Police Officer.
And then Police Officer Jim brings Skat, the drug-dealing, would-be-killer hippie... into the living room of his house! And that's where the still-supposedly-stoned, teenage would-be-murder victim is getting a talking to by his ticked-off father. This is all just so incredibly far-fetched.
Really, the reason Jim brings Skat into his living room is because this episode suffers from a very cheap production. The house interior, garage interior and the backyard are all on a studio soundstage. If some money had been spent, we would have seen the outside front of the house (a real house) and Reed and Malloy would have done the talking with Skat out there. As it is actually presented here, it's all very silly.
All the actors involved do the best they can under the conditions of the production. The very young David Cassidy is very good as the drugged-out Tim, although he seems to straighten out rather quickly.
It's unfortunate that the producer decided this episode could be done on the cheap. We've certainly seen plenty of real outdoor backyard locations in other episodes of the show. Plenty of real garages and front yards of houses as well.
Besides all that, the inclusion of the storyline of the other two Officers involved in the car chase and crash is all rather incidental. While Malloy and Reed do speak of those Officers during the get-together, the conclusion of that storyline comes across as simply an, "Oh, by the way..."
This one is not Adam-12 at it's best. No where near it.
On an aside; the DVD for this episode features Commentary from Sergeant Frank Mika and Officer Rob Nobile. Upon seeing that a commentary was available for this particular episode, I thought to myself, what's the point? The episode isn't the usual Police on patrol. This one is about Reed having Malloy over for a steak off the grill. I'm very glad that I went ahead and did listen to this commentary. It is just as informative - and entertaining! - as the other commentaries these two Men of the Law provide on the other select episodes on these DVDs. I'm also happy to say that they are both just as surprised as I was when, in this episode, Reed brings the criminal into his home. If you get the opportunity, by all means, listen to these commentaries from these two professionals.
See also
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