A Televisual Feast

A lovely guest spot from Susan Strasberg can’t hide this episode’s severe deficiencies. The most visible problem is the confused plot–Rockford’s first helping out blackmailed Strasberg, then trying to get himself out from under a murder rap. While the two parts are naturally connected, they aren’t particularly interesting together. It’s like there wasn’t enough story for either and so they got thrown together.

Unfortunately, while Strasberg is great… Art Lund is terrible and he (and the writing of his character) throws the episode into a tailspin just when it needed to be landing softly. Even Tom Atkins as a police department nemesis for Rockford is underwhelming. Atkins is playing a thoughtless jackass, very different from the roles he’s so good in. Joe Santos doesn’t know what to do in the second half–Rockford on the lamb–and his actions lack continuity not just from the character relationship with Rockford, but scene to scene.

There’s brief James Cromwell cameo (Space Cowboys: The Prequel?), but if the car chase isn’t even any good… it’s just a drag of an episode. And Beth’s in it way too little.

2