User Reviews

Another cool episode. HX-1 has a cool professional chopper heist. The professional done heist involving arm dealers gets Hawk's attention. The middle part of HX-1 is character development of Hawk. Hawk believes the heist could of only been done by Hawk's brother or brother's best friend. Hawk get's deep into the mercenary underground to find out. The viewer sees why Hawk is a personal man escaping to the cabin away from the world of strife. The ending explains more of Hawks past. We have an ending of HX-1 show down vs Airwolf, while Hawk wants to find out about brother Singin. A memorable episode. 7 stars.

Another strong episode in the wildly uneven second season has String potentially on the cusp of locating his brother (although spelled St. John, it always pronounced "Sin Jin") when soldiers from his Nam past (and an unapologetic arms dealer who is totally okay with how he makes a living) decide to join forces, steal planes (including an experimental craft named HX-1, which ArchAngel considers possibly as good if not better than Airwolf) and weaponry, with black market arms dealing with the highest bidder their focus and concern. A return to his past in Nam leaves String emotionally wrung, including his visit to the parents of a good friend of his (and St. John's), Mace (Sam Melville). Because he had no choice but leave St. John and Mace behind (actually returning but still unable to pick them up due to enemy fire), it continues to haunt String, reminded of this by Mace's unforgiving father. Say what you want about Jan-Michael Vincent, but his acting in that scene is really good...he's always been somewhat stiff and understated, laconic and limited in when he talks and what he says, but his eyes alone when confronted with returning from Nam while others weren't so lucky speaks volumes. This is an all-around good episode for the development of String, further detailing his back story. Carpenter/Halloween fans will get a kick out of this episode as two performers from that movie appear in this episode: PJ Soles as St. John's former love (and a come-between of St. John and Mace) in Nam and Charles Cyphers as one of Mace's mercernary/dealers gang. Soles has two key scenes, younger photographer in Nam where she considers a family "back home" with St. John (Christopher Connelly) while Mace flirts with her and in present day when String comes to visit her at her home with a child (married to an accountant in a loving, seemingly comfortable suburban environment). Soles has a warm presence, with a smile that certainly reminds us of why she has remained so cherished by fans of hers...contemplating her involvement in the breakup with St. John over a minor fling with Mace, trying to help String move on with his life as well. String's chopper pilot Nam experience gets some good flashback as does the unfortunate circumstances that prevented him from rescuing his brother and friend. I think the episode's title is actually a detriment even if the Airwolf (and String's piloting of it) and the HX-1 (piloted by Mace) have a good combat in the sky, because the real story about finding St. John could be undermined by it..."HX-1" is more or less a MacGuffin while the pursuit of St. John's whereabouts (and locating Mace who is indeed alive but dedicated to a life of crime, including drug smuggling and selling) is the real meat and potatoes of the episode. String having to kill Mace, giving every chance to him to stop his attack, the efforts disregarded as the HX-1 continues to follow behind Airwolf, opening fire, is heartbreaking...how this is presented, including String's tears, truly convey the disappointment where St. John's fate is concerned. Mace's allowing his parents to continue believing he's dead and his flippant behavior towards String who has a right to know where his brother is continues the mystery involving St. John and provides a tragic conclusion (Mace perishing instead of making things right with those who cared about him). The mano-e-mano dual of supercopters does conclude the episode with some good aerial action, once again placing String in a position to use his skills and flying expertise in order to avoid another onslaught meant to blow him out of the sky...Mace simply will not give up St. John no matter how important it was to String. Santini and Caitlin trying to console String at the end is precious. String proclaims he will not give up on his brother. Interestingly, Mace does have a chance to "finish String off" but recalls being rescued by String once, abandoning that opportunity, instead opting to leave him in the desert.

HX-1 is an experimental chopper that might be better than Airwolf.

Briggs wants it back. Hawke thinks only a few people in the world could had carried that kind of heist to steal that aircraft.

One of them is his brother St John but he is dead or MIA in Vietnam.

Could he still be alive and in the USA?

With flashbacks to Vietnam. You see how Hawke had to leave his brother St John and his best friend Mace behind. He was under enemy fire and there was no space in the helicopter for any more people.

Hawke returned but he could not find them.

Now years later there are people unjustifiably blaming Hawke for leaving these two people behind. Some of them are his old comrades. I wondered if they mentioned it at the time.

Mace is alive and working with an arms dealer but he will not tell Hawke the whereabouts of his brother.

Jan-Michael Vincent looks sloshed in parts of this episode. I cannot blame him with the quality of the script.

If the producers wanted him to stay sober. They should had given him better material. Even for episodic television this was too silly.