The worst professional hit man in the history of television is now my favorite character. First, he lets Maggie much, much too easy. That was the first clue that we weren't dealing with the brightest killer ever. And on that note, how do we know he is an experienced hired gun anyway? He then leaves easy clues for Peggy to figure out that he was in the office. When we see Mannix going to make the drop, you just knew that Fank Connelly was going to botch another step. He did that when he bopped Mannix on the head for no reason. Even Mannix points thst out in the dialogue. So of course that nrings us to...why did he kidnap the trailer park manager and his wife? He could have sat outside the trailer and done that without witnesses. Then he shoots a mirror. And how could this episode have ended any better than it did? Kinda saw this coming from a mile away but I loved it still. Mannix, pure unadulterated 70s television enjoyment.
11 Reviews
Beauty Katherine Justice in her first Mannix appearance.
belanger753 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
She would return in a brilliant ep in a later season ( see my reviews).
This ep has the beauty a former secretary to a late PI. She is being hunted by a sadistic hit man. The opening sequence of her in the cab car is outstanding all due to Miss. Justice's great appealing performance and great beauty. Later she goes into Mannix's protective care and there is a scene where she is in a bathing suit and it's excellent as well. There is a semi-interesting plot outside of her scenes but her beauty is what makes the ep so good.
PS BTW. Nothing a matter with her being shaken up at first by the sadistic hit man and her later having a great time with Mannix at the beach. She relaxed! It happens!
This ep has the beauty a former secretary to a late PI. She is being hunted by a sadistic hit man. The opening sequence of her in the cab car is outstanding all due to Miss. Justice's great appealing performance and great beauty. Later she goes into Mannix's protective care and there is a scene where she is in a bathing suit and it's excellent as well. There is a semi-interesting plot outside of her scenes but her beauty is what makes the ep so good.
PS BTW. Nothing a matter with her being shaken up at first by the sadistic hit man and her later having a great time with Mannix at the beach. She relaxed! It happens!
PRETTY CLIENTS CAN GET YOU KILLED FASTER!
tcchelsey7 March 2023
Lionel Siegel wrote this offbeat episode, best known for his work on PEYTON PLACE, in addition to many other cop shows. The curious drawback here is that he made the lead character, Maggie, played by Katherine Justice, a bit too over the top. Here, she plays a young woman who nearly gets killed by a strange cab driver -- but doesn't really know why anybody would want to kill her in the first place, or the second place? Get it? This gets Joe into scraps with the LAPD and Peggy! Peggy gets a bit irritated because she has to work overtime, or is she getting jealous? Mannix also bumps badges with crusty cop Frank Campanella, making another appearance on the series as Lt. Angstrom. Lots of moving parts here, you have to admit.
Some of the reviewers are fit to be tied with this story, especially in the case of a hitman who clearly is NOT doing his job! Not to defend the writers, but poetic license ran rampant in these stories. Moreover, having grown up on Mannix back in the day... it was not how the case proceeded, rather, just watching Joe punch his way out of everything that was handed him, good, bad or indifferent. Audiences at the time ate this stuff up. In a few years, this would be the same case with CANNON.
This was Katherine Justice's first appearance on the show. She began her career as a model and made history in 1960, being crowed Miss Ohio, but apparently was too young at the time to compete nationally. Guest star Don Francks a few years earlier gained famed in FINIANS RAINBOW (as Woody), later becoming a musician and singer.
Not really a bad episode, if you are a true blue Mannix fan. It could also be all the memories. Directed by Harry Harvey, Jr, son of the famous character actor. SEASON 3 EPISODE 8 remastered CBS dvd box set.
Some of the reviewers are fit to be tied with this story, especially in the case of a hitman who clearly is NOT doing his job! Not to defend the writers, but poetic license ran rampant in these stories. Moreover, having grown up on Mannix back in the day... it was not how the case proceeded, rather, just watching Joe punch his way out of everything that was handed him, good, bad or indifferent. Audiences at the time ate this stuff up. In a few years, this would be the same case with CANNON.
This was Katherine Justice's first appearance on the show. She began her career as a model and made history in 1960, being crowed Miss Ohio, but apparently was too young at the time to compete nationally. Guest star Don Francks a few years earlier gained famed in FINIANS RAINBOW (as Woody), later becoming a musician and singer.
Not really a bad episode, if you are a true blue Mannix fan. It could also be all the memories. Directed by Harry Harvey, Jr, son of the famous character actor. SEASON 3 EPISODE 8 remastered CBS dvd box set.
Katherine Justice IS the reason to watch despite a weak plot
george_cherucheril6 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Katherine Justice aka Maggie Wells makes this episode fun and worth watching. Justice evokes a sunny beauty similar to Dawn Wells, Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island. It is a funny coincidence that Justice plays a woman with the last name of Wells. I love watching tv shows from the late 1960s and early 1970s.
From the dates mentioned in the episode, it is clear this was filmed in mid August 1969. At that time I was just over two months old. There is a sweetness for me in seeing the world as it was when I was born. I love that Mannix is in color. Los Angeles was a beautiful place back then. I love to see the neatly kept streets. The cars are bold and loud, and fun to see. I love the décor of Mannix's office and apartment and the way people groomed themselves. Haircuts were clean and neat. Suits and ties were narrow and looked sharp.
One of my acid tests for an actress from that time period is whether she is compelling enough for me to wish that I could travel back in time to meet her. Katherine Justice captured my heart. She is stunning and makes me wish I could have met her back then. Katherine Justice makes this episode work. Yes, she is eye candy but she is memorable. She was a truly beautiful woman. Wearing a bikini, Ms. Justice compels my eyes to look in wonder. The scene after the beach is in the trailer. Ms. Justice tantalized me by taking her time to put on her robe and we see her naked back in all its glory.
Without a doubt the plot is confusing and as other reviews noted the hit man, Frank Connelly as played by Thomas Geas is incompetent. A good hit man would have hit Maggie Wells when he shot at her during the opening sequence. A good hit man would have killed Mannix when he had the chance instead of just leaving him knocked out. When Connelly shoots at the trailer and Mannix jumps out the door to confront him, there is no way Mannix would avoid being hit with gun fire. A good hit man having such an advantage would have a clear shot at Mannix. Finally, Connelly had an unencumbered shot at Maggie when she stood by the window with her back turned towards him. There is no way a professional hit man would miss that shot and hit the mirror.
When Connelly ambushes Mannix at his office at night and shoots his gun several times there is no way that he would miss Mannix. Guess what, he misses him! Those shots would have caused a lot of damage to the office but yet there is no evidence of any damage. There are no holes in the wall, broken windows or damaged furniture. None of the neighbors around Mannix seem to notice the loud gun shots and call the police.
Mannix should have had the sense to turn his head and look behind when he went to deliver the money. He knew it was a shady situation and there is no way he should have been knocked out. I get frustrated by the number of times Mannix gets hit in the head or takes a severe beating because he was not smart enough to be on guard and look all around him. Realistically, Mannix would suffer from brain damage because he is hit in the head almost every episode!
If I wrote this episode, I would have left Peggy out of it. I wanted to see the Mannix and Maggie relationship without the distraction of Peggy. Peggy seemed out of place in this episode. She is ok without any notice staying overnight at the office with Maggie and finding a babysitter for her son? This makes no sense to me. As another reviewer stated, Peggy is more worried about mundane things than the real danger of killers coming to the office and firing a gun at her. I wish the episode ended with Mannix giving Maggie a big old hug and kiss instead of Mannix and Peggy bantering about. This episode was not about logic or a good plot. This episode was fun for me because of my joy watching Katherine Justice and my appreciation of a time when I was just born into this world.
From the dates mentioned in the episode, it is clear this was filmed in mid August 1969. At that time I was just over two months old. There is a sweetness for me in seeing the world as it was when I was born. I love that Mannix is in color. Los Angeles was a beautiful place back then. I love to see the neatly kept streets. The cars are bold and loud, and fun to see. I love the décor of Mannix's office and apartment and the way people groomed themselves. Haircuts were clean and neat. Suits and ties were narrow and looked sharp.
One of my acid tests for an actress from that time period is whether she is compelling enough for me to wish that I could travel back in time to meet her. Katherine Justice captured my heart. She is stunning and makes me wish I could have met her back then. Katherine Justice makes this episode work. Yes, she is eye candy but she is memorable. She was a truly beautiful woman. Wearing a bikini, Ms. Justice compels my eyes to look in wonder. The scene after the beach is in the trailer. Ms. Justice tantalized me by taking her time to put on her robe and we see her naked back in all its glory.
Without a doubt the plot is confusing and as other reviews noted the hit man, Frank Connelly as played by Thomas Geas is incompetent. A good hit man would have hit Maggie Wells when he shot at her during the opening sequence. A good hit man would have killed Mannix when he had the chance instead of just leaving him knocked out. When Connelly shoots at the trailer and Mannix jumps out the door to confront him, there is no way Mannix would avoid being hit with gun fire. A good hit man having such an advantage would have a clear shot at Mannix. Finally, Connelly had an unencumbered shot at Maggie when she stood by the window with her back turned towards him. There is no way a professional hit man would miss that shot and hit the mirror.
When Connelly ambushes Mannix at his office at night and shoots his gun several times there is no way that he would miss Mannix. Guess what, he misses him! Those shots would have caused a lot of damage to the office but yet there is no evidence of any damage. There are no holes in the wall, broken windows or damaged furniture. None of the neighbors around Mannix seem to notice the loud gun shots and call the police.
Mannix should have had the sense to turn his head and look behind when he went to deliver the money. He knew it was a shady situation and there is no way he should have been knocked out. I get frustrated by the number of times Mannix gets hit in the head or takes a severe beating because he was not smart enough to be on guard and look all around him. Realistically, Mannix would suffer from brain damage because he is hit in the head almost every episode!
If I wrote this episode, I would have left Peggy out of it. I wanted to see the Mannix and Maggie relationship without the distraction of Peggy. Peggy seemed out of place in this episode. She is ok without any notice staying overnight at the office with Maggie and finding a babysitter for her son? This makes no sense to me. As another reviewer stated, Peggy is more worried about mundane things than the real danger of killers coming to the office and firing a gun at her. I wish the episode ended with Mannix giving Maggie a big old hug and kiss instead of Mannix and Peggy bantering about. This episode was not about logic or a good plot. This episode was fun for me because of my joy watching Katherine Justice and my appreciation of a time when I was just born into this world.
Decent story but a frustrating client
planktonrules3 November 2013
Maggie Wells is on her way to see Joe Mannix when she hails a cab. The driver drives like a maniac and has a gun--just like a typical New York cabbie. But unlike most New York cab drivers, he actually tries to kill her but she is able to escape and makes her way to Mannix's office. Why is someone trying to kill her and how can Mannix help her? Maggie (Katherine Justice) is not a particularly good character. While she's quite beautiful and they feature her in a lot of nice outfits, her character is frustratingly dense. Her cluelessness makes her a less than admirable character amidst an otherwise decent episode. Not great but watchable if you can look past this poorly written character. Plus, it gives you a nice chance to see Mannix in his most embarrassing outfit ever--and seeing him in western wear is pretty funny.
A good episode that is dragged down by Peggy's appalling stupidity and bad attitude
pkfloydmh18 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This one is about another private detective's secretary who thinks someone is trying to kill her.
This one has a good story, some nice action sequences and fight scenes, and good performances by Don Francks and Thomas Geas as the villains. Both of them are really good villains and two of the best I've seen on this show. I also really liked the performance by Madison Arnold as Towbridge, even though he's only in one scene and is only onscreen for a couple of minutes. It's a funny scene.
The weak spot, to say the least, is Peggy, who spends the whole episode talking back to Joe and complaining about EVERYTHING - making the coffee, doing research on Martel and his cronies, going to the library, having to work on her day off, etc., etc., etc. It just goes ON and ON. It NEVER ENDS. It's just unbearable and nauseating. I mean, if you don't like your job, then QUIT. That's the way it works - it's a free country. No one is forcing her to work there, so don't sit around whining and complaining and talking back to your boss - just LEAVE. She even threatens Joe that she's going to charge him triple time for having to work on her day off and also charge him for babysitting. Unbelievable. Joe should have fired her on the spot for this or for numerous other actions, because it gets even worse. On two separate occasions, Joe told her NOT to leave where she was staying with the client and both times she LEFT, and on the second occasion, she just simply laughed it off as if she did nothing wrong and then complained again about having to work on her day off. Absolutely appalling. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, she decides on her own to act as a private detective and go to Martel's place and then follow him. What on earth is she doing??? Since when is she a private detective??? She doesn't even have a license!! I wish Martel had caught her following him, because who knows what he would have done with her, but I can only dream. I mean, if she wants to be a private detective so bad, Joe should have sent HER to meet the blackmailer instead of him so SHE could've gotten knocked out instead of him. Oh, what a glorious sight that would have been - Peggy out cold on the ground. It would have spared us from all the whining, complaining and stupidity. And what's with that stupid outfit she's wearing? It's hideous. She looks like a hotel maid.
And since when does Joe eat Lt. Angstrom's food? I mean, he just decides to dip into his chili with the lieutenant standing right there. Gross! He also messes up Angstrom's name at one point and calls him Hangstrom. All those blows to the head are really coming back to haunt him.
So I'm giving this one a six strictly because of Peggy, but if you take out her scenes, or if she had been taken out by one of the villains, this one would have been great.
This one has a good story, some nice action sequences and fight scenes, and good performances by Don Francks and Thomas Geas as the villains. Both of them are really good villains and two of the best I've seen on this show. I also really liked the performance by Madison Arnold as Towbridge, even though he's only in one scene and is only onscreen for a couple of minutes. It's a funny scene.
The weak spot, to say the least, is Peggy, who spends the whole episode talking back to Joe and complaining about EVERYTHING - making the coffee, doing research on Martel and his cronies, going to the library, having to work on her day off, etc., etc., etc. It just goes ON and ON. It NEVER ENDS. It's just unbearable and nauseating. I mean, if you don't like your job, then QUIT. That's the way it works - it's a free country. No one is forcing her to work there, so don't sit around whining and complaining and talking back to your boss - just LEAVE. She even threatens Joe that she's going to charge him triple time for having to work on her day off and also charge him for babysitting. Unbelievable. Joe should have fired her on the spot for this or for numerous other actions, because it gets even worse. On two separate occasions, Joe told her NOT to leave where she was staying with the client and both times she LEFT, and on the second occasion, she just simply laughed it off as if she did nothing wrong and then complained again about having to work on her day off. Absolutely appalling. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, she decides on her own to act as a private detective and go to Martel's place and then follow him. What on earth is she doing??? Since when is she a private detective??? She doesn't even have a license!! I wish Martel had caught her following him, because who knows what he would have done with her, but I can only dream. I mean, if she wants to be a private detective so bad, Joe should have sent HER to meet the blackmailer instead of him so SHE could've gotten knocked out instead of him. Oh, what a glorious sight that would have been - Peggy out cold on the ground. It would have spared us from all the whining, complaining and stupidity. And what's with that stupid outfit she's wearing? It's hideous. She looks like a hotel maid.
And since when does Joe eat Lt. Angstrom's food? I mean, he just decides to dip into his chili with the lieutenant standing right there. Gross! He also messes up Angstrom's name at one point and calls him Hangstrom. All those blows to the head are really coming back to haunt him.
So I'm giving this one a six strictly because of Peggy, but if you take out her scenes, or if she had been taken out by one of the villains, this one would have been great.
Undone by the nutty "dream logic" of the story
filmklassik20 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
What hit man is going to risk drawing attention to himself by speeding through LA just for the sake of SCARING his prospective victim in the back seat? He then fails in his attempt to shoot this woman a few minutes later -- in front of witnesses, no less!
He also fails in his attempt to shoot Mannix that night... then inexplicably NEGLECTS to shoot Mannix when given an opportunity later on (when Mannix is lying unconscious)... and finally shoots at and MISSES the frightened woman yet again, near the end of the episode.
So we're talking about possibly the worst hit man of all time.
The plot: Joe's hired by the former secretary of a murdered PI to figure out who's been trying to kill her too -- and why. You'd think she'd be shaken up by all the attempts on her life, but within hours of hiring our hero she and Joe are laughing and frolicking in the Malibu surf.
And Joe's method of solving the case is to get her talking at length about her murdered boss's quirks and foibles, even though it's obvious that the case hinges on a client of the dead PI who's being targeted by a blackmailer.
I give this one a "B" for pacing and excitement, and a "D-minus" for lazy (and often nonsensical) plotting.
Score it a low "C" overall.
He also fails in his attempt to shoot Mannix that night... then inexplicably NEGLECTS to shoot Mannix when given an opportunity later on (when Mannix is lying unconscious)... and finally shoots at and MISSES the frightened woman yet again, near the end of the episode.
So we're talking about possibly the worst hit man of all time.
The plot: Joe's hired by the former secretary of a murdered PI to figure out who's been trying to kill her too -- and why. You'd think she'd be shaken up by all the attempts on her life, but within hours of hiring our hero she and Joe are laughing and frolicking in the Malibu surf.
And Joe's method of solving the case is to get her talking at length about her murdered boss's quirks and foibles, even though it's obvious that the case hinges on a client of the dead PI who's being targeted by a blackmailer.
I give this one a "B" for pacing and excitement, and a "D-minus" for lazy (and often nonsensical) plotting.
Score it a low "C" overall.
Brain: Zero
glitterrose25 September 2021
No typo with that subject. I HATE episodes like this. And I realize that's pretty silly because a person comes in contact with all sorts of people in their lives. You're gonna have people that are level headed, got it together and then you're gonna have the ditzes (whether they be female or male). I mention female first since the guest star of tonight is a female. I can't hate on the guest star. You get handed a script and you do it. This lady got handed a script and she did it the way it was written. So my slams toward this episode aren't towards the actress, it's towards the irritating writing of ditzy characters.
As for Peggy's attitude: I get it. Overall Peggy is portrayed as being a level headed person but you can tell she gets a bit of green eyed jealousy any time Joe's got an attractive client and Joe's attracted to the client. I'm not usually a shipper of characters but I kinda read between the lines of Peggy being attracted to Joe. We're in a different time period and I realize there was no way they were going to have Peggy and Joe dating or even getting married. Not then. I wasn't born when Mannix was first airing so I'm not sure if anybody from the show (writers or stars) made a comment about wishing the series could've shown an interracial relationship, wanted to give it a try but got shot down.
I also get it from the point of view involving job stress. Joe Mannix doesn't seem like a hard boss or man to get along with. But I I get the stress of having that "uh oh" feeling if Joe's attracted to a lady and you're worried that you're about to be jobless because he wants his new "ocean spray" to be his secretary. If you're a Mannix fan, I hope you get that reference. This happened in another episode: Joe was about to have a date over to his place and Peggy had everything set up for him and his date. Peggy asks if this girl has a name and Joe mentions ocean spray. I practically fell off the bed laughing at Joe and his horndog tendencies. I wonder how many Mannix fans take notice of anytime Joe's flipping through his mail and he sniffs an envelope and tucks it off to the side or smiles at it?
I'll also politely disagree with another reviewer about looks. There was nothing wrong with how the lady looked in this episode. And she certainly gave certain viewers eye candy to look at. But I'm a woman that wanted to see other kinds of eye candy. Mike Connors was a very attractive man and it would've been nice to see him with this shirt off. Watching through the series, I kinda get the feeling there was something else going on. Either Mike Connors had confidence issues or he wanted to play it without some sort of beefcake thing going on. Something like: You want to see an older man taking his shirt off? Flip over to Little House on the Prairie and Michael Landon will take care of that need for you. I don't want to be taking my shirt off whether there's a reason* or not.
*I think of any episode that has Mannix walking through a desert. I remember one episode that had Victor French in it and it also had the blonde lady from M*A*S*H in the episode. You'd realistically think all the characters would be dripping with sweat, men would be taking their shirts off, etc. Shirts stayed on. And I always laugh at how there's very little to no sweat. Forgive me, I love to snark on some of the shows I enjoy. :D.
As for Peggy's attitude: I get it. Overall Peggy is portrayed as being a level headed person but you can tell she gets a bit of green eyed jealousy any time Joe's got an attractive client and Joe's attracted to the client. I'm not usually a shipper of characters but I kinda read between the lines of Peggy being attracted to Joe. We're in a different time period and I realize there was no way they were going to have Peggy and Joe dating or even getting married. Not then. I wasn't born when Mannix was first airing so I'm not sure if anybody from the show (writers or stars) made a comment about wishing the series could've shown an interracial relationship, wanted to give it a try but got shot down.
I also get it from the point of view involving job stress. Joe Mannix doesn't seem like a hard boss or man to get along with. But I I get the stress of having that "uh oh" feeling if Joe's attracted to a lady and you're worried that you're about to be jobless because he wants his new "ocean spray" to be his secretary. If you're a Mannix fan, I hope you get that reference. This happened in another episode: Joe was about to have a date over to his place and Peggy had everything set up for him and his date. Peggy asks if this girl has a name and Joe mentions ocean spray. I practically fell off the bed laughing at Joe and his horndog tendencies. I wonder how many Mannix fans take notice of anytime Joe's flipping through his mail and he sniffs an envelope and tucks it off to the side or smiles at it?
I'll also politely disagree with another reviewer about looks. There was nothing wrong with how the lady looked in this episode. And she certainly gave certain viewers eye candy to look at. But I'm a woman that wanted to see other kinds of eye candy. Mike Connors was a very attractive man and it would've been nice to see him with this shirt off. Watching through the series, I kinda get the feeling there was something else going on. Either Mike Connors had confidence issues or he wanted to play it without some sort of beefcake thing going on. Something like: You want to see an older man taking his shirt off? Flip over to Little House on the Prairie and Michael Landon will take care of that need for you. I don't want to be taking my shirt off whether there's a reason* or not.
*I think of any episode that has Mannix walking through a desert. I remember one episode that had Victor French in it and it also had the blonde lady from M*A*S*H in the episode. You'd realistically think all the characters would be dripping with sweat, men would be taking their shirts off, etc. Shirts stayed on. And I always laugh at how there's very little to no sweat. Forgive me, I love to snark on some of the shows I enjoy. :D.
I thought Charles Picerni was the worse Mannix hitman but...noooo
Guad4210 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Charles Picerni did 15 Mannix episodes and usually played the thug/hitman/muscle that Joe always beats up and/or kills during the course of the show. Charlie's characters were not the best at their jobs. The hitman in this episode, Frank Connelly played by Tom Geas, is worse. He has about five different opportunities to do his job and fails each time. He is semi-crazy but that's no excuse. Fortunately, he gets his before the final credits.
The plot has been covered by others so I won't go into it. This is one of those outings where it is best not to get into the logic of various character's actions. Why didn't Connelly just kill Maggie Wells (Kathy Justice)in the taxi at the start of the show? Why doesn't Maggie go to the cops? Why does Joe take Maggie to the beach in a trailer instead of to the police? Why does Joe quiz Maggie about her boss instead of about clients and cases? Why does Joe eat off another man's plate? (What was that about??) Why does Joe dress up like a cowboy from a Roy Rogers movie? How did Peggy get information on a five year old parking ticket on a Saturday? Why does Lt Angstrom (Frank Campanella) put up with Mannix's BS? Lots of 'whys' in this case. Too many for my taste. The bad guys usually overthink their plans on most PI shows and it is true here.
I will say the story moves along. Peggy is a little more feisty than usual. This may be the only episode where she and Joe tangle quite a bit. She seems to take working on her day off much more seriously than being threatened, kidnapped, or shot at. Her initiative does help Joe out at the end. This is another Mannix show where the client is also the bad guy. That happens to Joe a lot.
The cast is not the familiar names usually seen guesting on Mannix but they get the job done. The beautiful Kathy Justice is making the first of three appearances. It is clear they use the beach scene just to have an excuse to put her in a bathing suit. They do the same with Jessica Walter in another episode. Can't say I blame anyone for that.
Joe gets knocked out and shot at. Not sure he gets paid. Maggie would owe him but she has no money. That happens to Joe a lot too. This isn't a horrible episode if you can overlook the logic flaws but there are better outings.
The plot has been covered by others so I won't go into it. This is one of those outings where it is best not to get into the logic of various character's actions. Why didn't Connelly just kill Maggie Wells (Kathy Justice)in the taxi at the start of the show? Why doesn't Maggie go to the cops? Why does Joe take Maggie to the beach in a trailer instead of to the police? Why does Joe quiz Maggie about her boss instead of about clients and cases? Why does Joe eat off another man's plate? (What was that about??) Why does Joe dress up like a cowboy from a Roy Rogers movie? How did Peggy get information on a five year old parking ticket on a Saturday? Why does Lt Angstrom (Frank Campanella) put up with Mannix's BS? Lots of 'whys' in this case. Too many for my taste. The bad guys usually overthink their plans on most PI shows and it is true here.
I will say the story moves along. Peggy is a little more feisty than usual. This may be the only episode where she and Joe tangle quite a bit. She seems to take working on her day off much more seriously than being threatened, kidnapped, or shot at. Her initiative does help Joe out at the end. This is another Mannix show where the client is also the bad guy. That happens to Joe a lot.
The cast is not the familiar names usually seen guesting on Mannix but they get the job done. The beautiful Kathy Justice is making the first of three appearances. It is clear they use the beach scene just to have an excuse to put her in a bathing suit. They do the same with Jessica Walter in another episode. Can't say I blame anyone for that.
Joe gets knocked out and shot at. Not sure he gets paid. Maggie would owe him but she has no money. That happens to Joe a lot too. This isn't a horrible episode if you can overlook the logic flaws but there are better outings.
Who's blackmailing who....
calvinboldjm30 September 2023
Lousy confusing plot. Martel tells Mannix he hired Benson to find out who was blackmailing him, but later we find out Benson was the blackmailer, after he found out about a citation Martel had Benson's secretary pay that would have foiled his alibi. So why did Martel really hire Benson, and why did he send Mannix with a blackmail drop later on? Maybe the latter was a ruse to get him to the drop location so Connelly could tail him to later find Maggie, but not clear, even though the characters spend a lot of the show discussing who was blackmailing who. Oh, and two goofs pointed out on the imdb site are wrong - Mannix calls Peggy "Peggy" twice, not Maggie, that's what I heard, and he's holding his gun, not the murder weapon, at the end, he used it to knock Martel's gun away from him. Martel's gun is on the floor somewhere. They all ignore it.
Double chin for Katharine Justice & Mannix furry legs make the pair!
imdb-252889 September 2021
Boring title. Katharine Justice is annoying. She's been in every show this past few weeks (Columbo, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, Adam-12 etc etc.) but here she looks her worst. She's rail thin with a major double chin. What was that about??
Did anyone notice Mannix how they filmed Mannix in swimsuit so as to avoid filming his beyond hairy, furry legs? Long curly black hairs all over his thighs! Someone mentioned his cowboy outfit was bad (yet have to see that) but it cannot be more embarassing than him in swimming shorts! Keep your clothes on, Joe! No wonder he didn't do much of anything after this show, unlike Cannon.
I have no idea what's going on here because, as you can see, I'm distracted by all the above. Some guy just called Mannix "cute". That was cute. This show has a good look, it's much better than Columbo, which is unwatchable, but for the most part I find it boring AF. At least, I really like his office. Who did the decor?
Did anyone notice Mannix how they filmed Mannix in swimsuit so as to avoid filming his beyond hairy, furry legs? Long curly black hairs all over his thighs! Someone mentioned his cowboy outfit was bad (yet have to see that) but it cannot be more embarassing than him in swimming shorts! Keep your clothes on, Joe! No wonder he didn't do much of anything after this show, unlike Cannon.
I have no idea what's going on here because, as you can see, I'm distracted by all the above. Some guy just called Mannix "cute". That was cute. This show has a good look, it's much better than Columbo, which is unwatchable, but for the most part I find it boring AF. At least, I really like his office. Who did the decor?
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