Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!
 

Memorable Stuff

- Mildred mouthing "when" behind Steele's back. Wonder if Doris ad libbed that?
- The dead Max sliding into Laura's lap and her checking his pulse and determining that he's dead
- Driving the Auburn with Barney & Herschel hanging on to the sides!
- Laura stripping down to her slip to distract the bad guys
- Laura training Herschel in her apt - especially using the pot holders as targets!
- Steele cuddling & singing to baby Joey
- Laura's brilliant idea of bringing The Hammer's music to the fight & Steele planting a big kiss on her
- Steele & Moody's fight parallelling the fight in the ring
- I love the tag scene where she teases him about his singing to Joey

Character Development

- Another tidbit of Steele's past: the Kilkenny Kid. (Sorry, but I have a hard time buying our Mr. Steele as a boxer.)
- I'm frankly surprised to see Laura cooing over the baby. It's nice to see, it just doesn't seem her style.
- Laura's protectiveness of Steele in Max's apartment
- Steele pretending to dislike kids when anybody with eyes can tell he likes them
- Barney tells about how he created the Kilkenny Kid
 

Favorite lines

Herschel: Haver you ever cornered a fight Miss Holt?
Laura: Hundreds of times!
 

Hair & Clothing

- Steele in a tux. Doesn't get any better.
- Laura's rose outfit is nice.
 

Goofs, Headscratchers & Misc

- Ken Foree played a boxer in another SZ movie, The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story
- Has Laura's loft always had a buzzer-type doorbell?
- When in Max's apartment, Laura refers to Steele as "Herman". Is she getting back at him for "Myrtle Groggins"?
- I had thought the first time we knew Laura's address was in "Lofty Steele". I was surprised to catch a glimpse of her driver's license here and see that it had that address.
- How did Laura not hear the baddies come in to escort Steele from the office? If she was running water at the time, why didn't they hear her?

My favorite scene.

I have to say that I like this episode. I do have to suspend disbelief though to think Steele was a boxer. I could see him more as the promoter though.
 

Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key. 

He's agile, quick and deceptively strong -- all skills that help a fighter. He grew up on the streets and he'd have to be able to take care of himself physically, and I wouldn't doubt there'd have been quite a bit of rage that he could channel into fighting. Daniel told us when he met him as a child that he was filled with rage and we only have to see him in Steele Searching threatening to snap Chalky's neck to know he's not a stranger to violence. The way it was described with the fights around South America and using his looks and leanness to make him a ringer made sense. Of course it all ends in someone using him, abandoning him and screwing him over - which we later see is quite the pattern in his life.

"Mom, usually your hair looks sort of frazzled."

I do have a bit of a hard time buying that Mr. Steele was a fighter, as well. Ace makes some valid points, but not enough to convince me. Though, many boxers of the smaller persuasion are lean, Mr. Steele is too tall and lanky to fit the physical bill, despite all that pent up anger. Perhaps this is one reason as to why our Mr. Steele has an aversion to legwork, eh?

Rocket J Squirrel
"Hokey, smoke ... well, they don't call him Wrongway Peachfuzz for nothing!" 

I like this episode because it's quite simple yet revealing. The story is easy to follow, not too complicated or intense like, say.. love among the steele, where they go back and forth between suspects and investigating the car and what not..

But of course, who wouldn't love the scene when Steele ever so gently sings little Joey to sleep? And at the end when Laura sings it back to Steele to tease him... so cute. And (correct me if I'm wrong) I think it's such a "guy" thing to do - pretend to dislike something, a baby, because it could call into question your masculinity/macho-ness, or whatever you want to call it, yet secretly really enjoy it. When they get found out, they brush it off as if it's nothing, while the female counterpart will reassure him that it's adorable, and makes him seem even more sexy, and that he was foolish for hiding because it does not emasculate him, but in fact makes him seem comfortable with himself. Anyways, I just thought about that when I saw that.

I quite enjoyed watching Steele punch out that annoying son-of-a-gun at the end, and how it went back and forth between the boxing match; good directing.

Oh, and watching as Mildred, Steele, Laura drive down the road while Herschel runs to that music (whatever that song is called, I don't remember) :)

Anywaaays.. that was more of a technical review than an episodical review (is that even a word? oh well)
 

"You lived with a man who wears white belts? Am I disappointed"
BoaW 08/07

OK...On to my "critique". As always, I tend to concentrate on Laura and Remington's relationship rather than the mystery at hand. *sigh* Though this was not a "smoochy" episode (my favorite kind), it was nice, nonetheless. I enjoyed how the episode started (after the boxing/Joey scene) -- with Mr. Steele in a tux (hot, Hot, HOT!!!) waiting for Laura to finish primping. (I oftentimes wonder if Mr. Steele doesn't keep Laura waiting. He just looks too damn fine...Especially during the third season when he starts using product in his hair! LOL!) LOVE when Mildred mouths, "When?" when Mr. Steele tells her he's going to take her out for dinner to keep up employee morale! I, too, wonder if Doris ad libbed that. Classic! But, ye gad! That outfit Laura had on was icky! Looked like she bought it from the Dress Barn. (Her subsequent outfits in this episode were much better, though.) Instead of telling her she needed more mascara, he should have told her to change her clothes!

Loved the scene in the gym with a dead-as-a-doornail Max and Laura. (That poor actor, though. I'm sure he got his fair share of bumps and bruises falling over again and again.) Even better was the obvious "test"/"hint" Laura perpetrated on Remington by standing oh-so-very-close to him with little Joey in tow. Pierce's reaction was PERFECT! (I'm specifically referring to Pierce's acting ability here. He looked annoyed but in a rather non-believable way. SO PERFECT AND REMINGTONISH!!!)

Immensely enjoyed the loft scene. Mr. Steele with his hair tousled, his white shirt hanging open revealing his masculine, hairy chest...OMG, OMG, OMG!!! What I wouldn't give to wake up to that sight every morning!!! Good Lord, Laura!!! How could you have held out so long?!?! Question: If Barney and the Hammer slept in Laura's bed and Laura slept on the couch...Where did Remington sleep?! On the couch with Laura perhaps? Oh-ho-ho, yeh-heh-hes! The baby bottle scene was cute. And Mildred's reaction when Mr. Steele answered the door...What a hoot our Doris is!!!

Also enjoyed the scene in Max's apartment. Laura stripping down to her slip to save Remington...GREAT! (The hubby asked if we could rewind that scene.) Also, putting herself in harm's way so Barber's thugs wouldn't punch him again. Go, Laura! In addition, the scene in Remington's office when Laura's taking care of his lip -- SO NICE!!! Loved Mr. Steele's line, "Actually, I don't want to cool off just yet." Me neither!!!

And, OMG!!! The BEST scene in the whole episode...Mr. Steele with Joey in his apartment!!! The look that passes between Remington and Joey when Joey is on the couch with Mildred -- HOW WONDERFUL WAS THAT?!?! The baby even squeals! (That's one smart little baby! Can't say I wouldn't do the same!) Remington's "it's how many times you get back up" speech *insert tears here*...Perfection! And Mr. Steele singing to Joey while Laura looks on...I get verclempt every time I see it!!! You can tell that Laura is really contemplating what it might be like if they were ever to start a family. *sigh*

The end scene on the balcony is also so wonderful. Warm and touching, yet playful and teasing...

L: Funny. I thought our little Caruso may have changed your attitude about that. Who knows? Remington Steele might prove a good father some day.

R: You're dreaming Laura.

L: Am I?

R: Mhm huh. Absolutely.

L: And Hennessy Tennessee tootled the flute and the music is something grand. A credit to old Ireland is McNamara's band. Ba ba bom. Ba ba bom. Ba ba bom.

Other things of note:
* Baby Joey was ADORABLE!!!
* Loved hearing how Remington became the Kilkenny Kid.
* Is there anything more beautiful than seeing Pierce with children?!?! Seriously!
* Stephanie once again got to show us her beautiful singing voice!
* Was The Hammer's preoccupation with what the stars said a subtle slam on Nancy Reagan? This was written in the 80s remember.
* The 1812 Overture was WAY overused. (That is the name of that piece, right?!) Kind of sick of that song now...Although I was thankful when Laura played it during the fight scene.
* Why can't ANY SHOW do a fake baby in a blanket well?!?!
* The montage of Remington gathering information on the streets and Laura training with The Hammer was a nice touch...As was the end fight scene montage.
* While Remington was singing to Joey, I kept hearing "Take A Chance On Me" in my head. (Please let him be able to sing...Please let him be able to sing...)
* Laura is wearing that t-shirt that bugs the living daylights out of me and Isabel. "I'm Safe And Sound"...WHAT IS THAT?!?! A shirt from a charity Steph or Pierce was a part of? A national campaign of sorts? WHAT?!?!
* Love the gun/pacifier scene!
* Love the enthusiastic kiss on the cheek from Remington to Laura when she brings in the boom box during the sixth round.

OK, I'm done now. Thanks for reading!
 

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!

Hahaha!! Too funny... I laughed all throughout your post, as usual.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, I believe that Sam sings "knowing me knowing you" and that "take a chance on me" is sung by Rosie to Bill. Just a little tidbit of information for the upcoming production. Ah, ABBA,  y-guilty-music-pleasure-that-doesn't-fit-with-my-regular-musical-interests-like-
PinkFloyd-TheWho-EltonJohn-Queen-Supertramp-Beatles-and-etc-although-I-admittedly-love-TheBeachBoys

I'm pretty excited for the Mamma Mia movie (and really, who isn't?!?!), I went to see it with my mom soo we'll probably go watch the movie together too :)

Go Pierce Go!! Aaah, I hope he sings his little heart out.

"You lived with a man who wears white belts? Am I disappointed"
BoaW 08/07

* Laura is wearing that t-shirt that bugs the living daylights out of me and Isabel. "I'm Safe And Sound"...WHAT IS THAT?!?! A shirt from a charity Steph or Pierce was a part of? A national campaign of sorts? WHAT?!?! 

If I remember correctly what Judy told us, it was a sort of public service deal. The "I'm Safe and Sound" campaign was part of the child protection (like fingerprinting maybe?) of children. This was all just after the whole Adam Walsh ordeal.

Debra
 

Mick...Are you POSITIVE about the PSA? I could be wrong, but I thought Judith said she wasn't sure.
 

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!

Rocket J Squirrel
"Hokey, smoke ... well, they don't call him Wrongway Peachfuzz for nothing!" 

No, I'm not positive, but have asked Judy to review my answer and correct me if necessary.

Jen...The reason it bugs me is not because Steph was wearing casual, work-out clothes. Far from it. She looked adorable in that outfit. The reason it bugs me is because RS wasn't a "trendy/advertisey" type of show. They tried very hard (if you remember from the commentaries) to keep the look of the show timeless. Of course, they didn't do that completely...That's an impossible task, IMHO. BUT, they weren't like a Miami Vice type of show in which they wore hip-and-trendy, "now" type clothes. Do you know what I mean? By having Steph wear something with advertisement on it piqued my interest. Just what in the heck is "I'm Safe and Sound"?! It probably shouldn't bug me so much, but I'm curious.
 

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!

Another rousing segment is the montage of Remington on the streets 'undercover' getting the phone number and Laura helping the Hammer with his workout.

Learning more about R's mysterious past is also a highlight. I love how Laura, who's always thirsting for info on his past, tells him to forget his past and concentrate on his present. (Now if she could just take her own advice!)

Love Laura's rose colored outfit, but I always wondered about them changing into evening clothes at the office. Wouldn't it have been simpler for R to just pick L up at the loft? Maybe there's a story there just waiting to be told.

Laura's "Safe and Sound" tee shirt doesn't bother me at all - I think it's cute. I think it's typical Laura Holt, with her whole "I can take care of myself and I don't need your help" attitude. It's totally in character and I don't see it as trendy or as advertising.

This episode is a joy from beginning to end. It's in my top 20. If I'm in the mood for an energetic, fun episode, this is one I'll grab.

Debra

So true! I just saw a movie last night with the same thing. I found myself watching the actors handle "the baby" rather than playing attention to the story. It was rather funny---there were so many blankets around the "kid" it would have suffocated if it were real. You'd think someone would design a baby prop that works more realistically. jeepers

There were several different programs around the country called "Safe and Sound". I don't believe any were connected nationally. Some still exist I think. Perhaps it was a regional thing Stephanie or someone else wanted to highlight. Interesting tie in when the show is about a baby in danger.

I don't know if back in the 1980's if I would have paid any attention to the t-shirt but nowadays with so many crime shows it seems as if everything in a show means something.

Being the obsessed person, that I am, I had the computer tech at our work place
take the episode home and he did everything he could to read the front of the t-shirt. We know that it is not related to child safety or domestic issues, in
fact, his best guess was that it may be a home alarm company.

However, unlike Xenos, I no longer have to know. Sometimes in life, you need
to know when it is time to let go and this is certainly one of them.

Isabel

Xenos

Mamma Mia!!! Pierce Brosnan...Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy