The Checklist: Acapulco H.E.A.T. (S1 Ep20) “Code Name: Stalemate – Part 2”
The first season of Acapulco H.E.A.T. had a much different vibe than the second season. The adventures the team went on were a little larger in scope as the team was positioned more as international men (and women) of mystery. There was also a clear pecking order with the team being led by former MI6 agent Ashley Hunter-Coddington (Catherine Oxenberg) and former CIA agent Mike Savage (Brendan Kelly) who in turn received their assignments from Mr. Smith (John Vernon).
In this edition of The Checklist I will analyze the second half of a special two part episode that originally aired on May 7, 1994 titled “Code Name: Stalemate – Part 2”.
- Synopsis: After the Acapulco H.E.A.T. team successfully prevents an assassination attempt on former KGB agent Andre Sokol by their old rival Strake (James Healey), Strake kidnaps members of the H.E.A.T. team to force Ashley and Mike to trade Sokol for their teammates.
1. Was this a Fabio episode?
Another interesting note about the first season of Acapulco H.E.A.T. was that it featured Fabio. Yes, the same Fabio who graced the cover of many a romance novel. Fabio was enjoying his fifteen minutes of fame when he was tapped to play the role of Claudio, head of security at the hotel that houses the H.E.A.T. team’s secret headquarters in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Despite the fact that much of “Code Name” Stalemate – Part 2″ took place at the very hotel that Claudio was working at he did not actually appear in the show. This would be one of the six episodes where Fabio would receive “credit only” and not actually appear on the episode. 0/1
2. Were there any notable guest stars?
Former KGB agent Andre Sokol was played by James Booth. Action fans will recognize Booth from his roles in Pray for Death, Avenging Force and American Ninja 4: The Annihilation. Booth also wrote all three of the movies I just mentioned.
Booth was really great here, playing the old war horse who loved his vodka (or wodka if you will) and was itching to go on one last mission. It is an itch Sokol gets to scratch all while helping the people who helped him. 1/2
3. Did the Acapulco H.E.A.T. theme play during the actual show?
I believe that Pepper Mashay’s “Feel the Heat” is one of the most underrated TV theme songs in television history. The song was so catchy rumor has it that members of the cast could not stop singing it between takes.
From time to time, the producers would work the song into an actual episode and not just feature it in the traditional opening credits spot. In “Code Name: Stalemate – Part 2” the song kicks in as Mike gives chase to Strake first on foot and then by speedboat ending when a beach brawl breaks out between Mike Savage and Strake! I would like to note that the Strake character was established in the first two episodes of the series and would appear in a total of five episodes in Season One.
As a musical bonus, we get a romantic montage music video focusing on the relationship between H.E.A.T. members, Marcos (Randy Vasquez) and Krissie (Holly Floria). 2/3
4. Did Michael Worth get to show off some of his martial arts skills?
The creators of Acapulco H.E.A.T. were determined to have a martial arts expert on the team. Keith Cooke (The King of the Kickboxers) was originally cast in the role of Tommy, but for whatever reason that did not happen. So the search continued… Vince Murdocco (L.A. Wars) auditioned for the role and even practiced his lines with the man who would ultimately become Tommy, Michael Worth (Fists of Iron)!
Michael Worth had established his action credibility by displaying his martial arts skills in some direct to video action movies for PM Entertainment prior to getting the role of Tommy on Acapulco H.E.A.T. But did he get to show off his martial arts abilities in this episode?
The answer to this is thankfully YES! (Why cast a martial arts guy if you weren’t going to have him kick somebody!?!?) Tommy (rocking his Otomix tank) springs into some kung fu action while rescuing his captive comrades. 3/4
5. Could Mike Savage be brought up on sexual harassment charges?
It seems that Mike never misses an opportunity to hit on his co-worker Ashley. Some could categorize this as the show trying to create sexual tension between the two stars of the show, others may categorize it as work place sexual harassment.
Mike was relatively tame in this episode but during the light hearted end of the show when Ashley offered to teach Mike how to play chess, he could not help himself and told her he’d rather play spin the bottle with her. Somebody call HR. 4/5
- Final Score = 4/5 (80%) “Code Name: Stalemate – Part 2” was a damn near perfect episode of Acapulco H.E.A.T. There was a great villain, a great guest star and we got to hear the theme song twice. But it was also evidence why the show went in a different direction with the second season as there were just too many cast members to properly feature them all every week.
