The Checklist: Pacific Blue (S1 Ep5) “Out of the Past”
If I was tasked with selecting the Greatest Basic Cable Network of All-Time, I would bestow that honor upon the USA Network.
The USA Network has long been a viewing destination of mine dating back to shows like WWF Prime Time Wrestling, USA Up All Night, Silk Stalkings and Weird Science.
One USA Network series that I only watched casually during its five year run was Pacific Blue. The show debuted in March of 1996 and was USA Network’s answer to Baywatch, with a unit of bicycle cops in form fitting uniforms patrolling the beaches of Santa Monica and often getting involved with cases you would not expect bicycle cops to be involved in.
I decided to stroll down USA Network memory lane and put a randomly selected episode from Pacific Blue’s first season to The Checklist test…
#1. Does the show have a quality theme song?
Christopher Franke’s “Just Another Day in L.A.” is the perfect open for Pacific Blue, capturing the SoCal vibe and mixing in a little extreme sports sound to punch it up.
Some of Franke’s other movie and television work include 1992’s Universal Soldier, 1995’s Night of the Running Man and the Babylon 5 series. 1/1
#2. Were there any notable guest stars?
The main story of “Out of the Past” revolves around a serial killer known as The Angel, who is back in Santa Monica and killing again. Years before Anthony Palermo (Rick Rossovich) was the Lieutenant running the Pacific Blue unit, he was a cop with the SMPD who found himself in a standoff with The Angel… it ended with Palermo taking a bullet to the leg, a woman dead and The Angel getting away.
The Angel was played by none other than Tim Thomerson of Iron Eagle and Trancers fame. While I prefer my Thomerson to be a good guy, he pulled off the creepy serial thing quite well in this episode.
William Lucking (Rescue Me) plays Captain Larson, an old friend and superior of Palermo, who tries unsuccessfully to get Palermo to take a vacation and leave The Angel case to the SMPD. 2/2
#3. Do we get an adrenaline pumping bike chase?
What is the point of a show about a unit of police officers who patrol the beaches of Santa Monica on bicycles, if you aren’t going to have at least one bicycle chase per episode?
“Out of the Past” contained a string of lighthearted scenes sprinkled throughout the episode, featuring a mysterious biker that is lightning fast and this challenges the machismo of Pac Bluers, T.C. Callaway (Jim Davidson) and Victor Del Toro (Marcos Ferraez).
The guys never can catch her, but towards the end of the show, Officer Chris Kelly (Darlene Vogel) manages to catch up with the mysterious biker, who is revealed to also be a woman! You got schooled guys. 3/3
#4. Was there sexual tension between any of the characters?
Only 5 episodes into the series and it was clear that there was an effort being made to romantically link T.C. Callaway and Chris Kelly (Darlene Vogel).
The two have some playful banter at the start of the episode, but it is interrupted when they receive word of a robbery at a nearby swanky hotel. It is the latest in a string of robberies at this particular hotel with the burglar sneaking into the rooms of unsuspecting couples who are in the throes of passion and don’t realize they are being robbed until it is too late.
Once it is ascertained that the burglar is using the hotel bar to scope out his victims, T.C. and Chris go undercover as lovers. Being professionals the two engage in some public displays of affection at the bar and even going up to their room, strip down to their undergarments, then hopping in bed and pulling the sheets over them while they gyrate and moan.
The burglar takes the bait and seconds after he attempts to make T.C. and Chris his next victims, he’s running down the hallway and being tackled by T.C. and cuffed by Chris. Mission accomplished! 4/4
#5. Was this a Squiggy episode?
David L. Lander, who is best known for playing Squiggy on Laverne & Shirley, played Elvis Kryzcewski, bike repairman. Elvis is mentioned in this episode, but does not actually appear. Lander already being in “credit only” mode a few episodes into the series’ run was the writing on the wall that the Elvis Kryzcewski character would go from a regular in Season 1, to a guest star in Season 2, to non-existent. 4/5
- Final Score = 4/5 (80%) If there’s one thing I learned from this episode, it is that I should have been watching more Pacific Blue back in the day.
