The A-Team: It's a Desert Out There
episode number: season 2, episode 17 (1984)
viewing setting: home DVD, 7/13/05
episode synopsis: The team goes up against a band of highway robbers near a casino, but that's only the tip of the iceberg.
impressions: This one was decent; it had an almost paramilitary group of bad guys and a plot within a plot. There were plenty of gunfights and chases. As I've noted before, though, sometimes the team takes the roundabout way to solving a problem (I can't explain how this applies to this episode without spoiling it.) Also, there was a heavy Tawnia annoyance factor this time.
notable guest star: The number-two bad guy is played by Tony Burton, who's most famous as Apollo's trainer Duke in the Rocky movies. The number-one bad guy is played by Anthony James, a tall, skinny actor who may be best-remembered as the tall, skinny outlaw from High Plains Drifter.
what the team builds in this episode: This is one of the outlandish times: they find an old tour bus and some metal parts and put it all together to create a perfect replica of a U.S. Marshals' prisoner transport bus. Yeahhhhhhh...right. Oh, I might have forgotten to mention that they also install hidden, swing-down armor plating while they're at it.
Hannibal wisecrack highlight: Plays it cool in both the casino (gambling and winning) and the desert (confronting the armed robbers.)
B.A. toughness highlight: Punches out three bad guys in a row during one fight.
Murdock insanity highlight: As with the last episode, it's no single thing this time - he just acts crazy for the entire episode.
Face scam highlight: Has to flirt with the pit boss in order to gather information.
Tawnia usefulness highlight: AAARGH. She goes against Hannibal's plan and stows away, coming very close to ruining the entire plan. What a useless character.
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