The Checklist: Knight Rider (S1 Ep22) “Short Notice”
In this edition of The Checklist, I’ll do a quality check on the season one finale of another iconic 80’s action TV show, Knight Rider starring David Hasselhoff. The episode entitled, “Short Notice”, would wrap up a very successful first season for Knight Rider.
- Synopsis: Michael Knight picks up a hitchhiker Nicole Turner and agrees to take her to Los Angeles. When the two stop at a motel for the night, they are awakened by two members of a biker gang. Michael gets in a scuffle with one of the guys, who ends up getting shot in the process. Michael is arrested on manslaughter charges, but the only one who can clear his name, Nicole, snuck out the bathroom window during all the excitement. Can Michael, who is out on bail thanks to Devon Miles, find her before the biker gang does?
But how Knight Rider was this particular episode of Knight Rider? The Checklist will tell us…
1. Were there any notable guest stars?
If William Smith isn’t a notable guest star I’m not sure who is. Smith plays Harold T. Turner, leader of the biker gang and Nancy the hitchhiker’s husband. Smith’s action resume is most impressive. He’s been in movies like Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Eye of the Tiger, Platoon Leader and Bulletproof just to name a few. An honorable mention can go to Dennis Burkley who plays Tiny in this episode. You may remember him as Oatmeal in the Charlie Sheen flick, Beyond the Law. 1/1
2. Did Michael Knight communicate with K.I.T.T. via his watch phone?
Long before the hipsters were talking into their watch phones Michael Knight was doing it as his line of communication with his high tech talking Trans Am, K.I.T.T. Of course he stole the idea from Dick Tracy but that is neither here nor there. Michael definitely uses this technology in this episode. 2/2
3. Did Michael Knight mack on the woman he was helping?
The answer is no. The fact that Nancy is married took her out of the running quick. And if that didn’t do it, the fact that she had a kid certainly would. Michael Knight doesn’t have time for the instant family. He’s a crime fighter for goodness sake. But he really did learn the hard way why you shouldn’t pick up hitchhikers. 2/3
4. Was K.I.T.T.’s Ejection Seat button used?
The answer is yes. But I think they are lucky that Harold Turner didn’t select Tiny to take the ride with Michael, I’m not sure the ejection seat would have worked on a man of such ample girth. 3/4
5. Was K.I.T.T.’s Turbo Boost button used?
Now K.I.T.T. could already reach some pretty impressive speeds, but sometimes even he needed an extra boost… a TURBO BOOST! And the turbo boost is used not once but twice in this episode. If I was going to give out extra credit this would be the time to do it, but I’m not. 4/5
- Final Score = 4/5 (80%)
