Counterfeit Angels

I thought this was a cute ep but definitely not as much as the other reviewers. It seemed to drag a bit for me, but it did have some nice twists and turns.

See other reviews for further details, I just want to give kudos to the person(s) who casted this episode. The counterfeit angels were spot on.

I've always thought Kate Jackson, Jacelyn Smith, and Cheryl Ladd are excellent actresses (and David Doyle an excellent actor), but they're sometimes let down by a bit of a silly plot, or poor acting from some of the guest actors, but that's not the case in this clever episode.

The three counterfeit angels are perfect for their parts - which is just as well as they are the stars of this episode, and we see more of them than the real angels.

Paul Cavonis plays a baddie again, but a different kind of criminal to the murderer he played in Angels of the Night. He is convincing and brings quality to the programme.

My favourite bit in this episode is Kris's (Cheryl Ladd) face and reaction when she's told how much she looks like her counterfeit angel when they're watching her counterfeit appear in a mattress advert. It's so real.

This was one of the better episodes of season 3. The cold open has three fake angels, ringer look-alikes for Kelly, Sabrina, and Kris, showing up at a business claiming they're acting on behalf of the Townsend agency. They just want to look at the safe where the money is held, you know, to check for holes in security.

The cops want to arrest the real Angels and question them. For some strange reason Charlie feels it's best for the Angels to flee the police and investigate the crime themselves. This really makes no sense, I'm sure all three Angels could have produced an alibi, and Charlie would have hired the best defense attorney available.

But why let reality creep in? It's much more fun this way.

The three actresses hired as the fake angels are pretty good, I felt the one playing Sabrina was the best, follow by the one playing Kris, who moonlights doing commercials as a mattress spokeswoman, with the one mimicking Kelly Garrett in distant third, as she never really captured that sultry Jaclyn Smith voice.

There's a pretty good scene where the fake angels do a false security check at a clothing and jewelry store. Their ruse is discovered halfway through and the fake angels are forced to flee, one of them getting hit by a car.

This allows Sabrina to take the place of the woman who is the fake Sabrina. Curiously enough, Kate Jackson resurrects her New York accent from the Angels Ahoy episode. I thought this was an odd choice, because the real Sabrina doesn't talk that way, but it just makes the whole thing funnier.

Mark Lonow plays second-rate stand-up comic Mickey Biggs who has an uncanny ability to mimic the voice of Charles Townsend. It seems he's the one who masterminded and brought the fake angels together, contacting Charlie's former clients and then robbing them. Biggs owes a lot of money to a gangster named Asher, played by Paul Cavonis. Cavonis makes his second CA appearance, his first being second season episode Angels of the Night, where he played the nutty homicidal owner of a restaurant.

Gangster Asher is aided by his intimidating bodyguard Toby, played by Bubba Smith, a former NFL football defensive end.

Actor Sam Punch adds to the overall flavor playing a sleazy acting agent who worked with one of the fake angels getting her those mattress commercials.

As Charlie's Angels episodes go, this one is pretty well thought out (and not written by Ed Lasko) and a fun little 'mission' type plot. Enjoyable.