The Six Million Dollar Man: Vulture of the Andes
episode number: season 4, episode 9 (1976)
viewing setting: home DVD, 7/8/12
episode synopsis: Steve works to stop a terrorist who's blackmailing the government.
impressions: This one was kind of dumb. The bad guy was bluffing the government into thinking he had powerful missiles, when in fact all he really had was old weak ones and some planted transmitters to guide them to their target. Heck, this guy walked into Oscar's office and made demands. You'd think Oscar would have a red button that would send in guards to arrest people like this! Also of note, Steve damages his bionic arm saving a stupid kid who wanders into the rope loop tying a glider to the tow plane. I mean this kid walks RIGHT INTO the coiled rope and then stops, just standing in it as the plane begins to taxi and the loop of rope begins to play out. That, folks, is the world's dumbest kid. And this may be one of the dumbest episodes.
notable guest stars: Veteran television actor Bernie Kopell plays an OSI agent. Singer and television actress Barbara Luna plays an unwitting (and at times clueless) pawn of the bad guys.
significant bionic antics: Steve lifts a van, holds a rope connecting a glider with its plane, spots a homing device hidden in the desert, does some cliff-jumping, rips a steel grate open, snaps ropes binding him, sprints through the desert, and last but not least, hurls a rather large missile like a javelin.
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