"The Professionals" The Acorn Syndrome (TV Episode 1980) Poster

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9/10
The best-laid plans...
canndyman12 December 2020
Bodie and Doyle inadvertently get caught up on the tail of East German terrorists, leading to a hostage situation on a housing estate.

From there, they get a valuable lead on the terrorists being involved in the stealing of top secret plans of a new high-tech tank - and a kidnapping that hinges on these plans being handed over to the enemy in exchange for the schoolgirl daughter of a trusted employee of the weapons company.

This has always been one of my favourite episodes - and, in a way, is the archetypal Professionals story.

We get action, intrigue, suspense, car chases, shoot-outs and a good dollop of humour into the mix. The opening scenes of the boys collecting Cowley's valuable antique desk from a restoration company (and strapping it atop their car) can only end in tears - and their confrontation with the disgruntled Cow is a joy to behold.

Bodie and Doyle's detective work is good too, and there's an amusing scene where they visit a private girls' school - and meet their match in one of the pupils.

The climax builds nicely in the final act, as they close in on the kidnappers - being not unlike the New Avengers episode 'Hostage' from a few years earlier.

This is a well-paced and action-packed story that showcases The Professionals at their best.
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6/10
The Acorn Syndrome
Prismark1029 March 2019
Bodie & Doyle are just going about doing their daily business such as buying a new desk for Cowley.

Luck would have it that they end up chasing two bad guys that escalate into a hostage situation. Worse, they have to tell Cowley that they smashed his desk lost his drawers during the chase.

The hostage scenario is resolved but the two bad guys were killed by two suspicious men driving away in a BMW. They surely must be East Germans.

What Bodie & Doyle discover than an employee from an arms factory is forced to hand over plans for a new project as his daughter has been kidnapped.

A rather violent but exciting opener to the fourth series. The episodes directed by Martin Campbell always seemed to have an extra oomph. The banter between the two leads is as efficient as German engineering.

If the ultimate bad guys were East Germans they would be driving a Trabant!
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6/10
Brisk and efficient
Leofwine_draca18 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
THE ACORN SYNDROME is a quite typical episode for the show, the series four opener helmed by future Bond director Martin Campbell. It starts off with some lengthy comic hijinks involving the boys moving an antique desk before moving into a more typical plot about kidnapping and a hostage drama. It's a brisk and efficient one.
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