The Checklist: Renegade (S3 Ep21) “Split Decision”
Physical media collectors may be SOL (shit outta luck for those in the know) trying to obtain the complete series of Renegade on DVD without breaking the bank, but if you want to stream the series the options are aplenty… Peacock, Tubi, IMDb TV and YouTube all have the entire series streaming on their platforms if you happen to be in the mood for the adventures of Reno Raines.
I was recently in the mood for some Renegade and I randomly selected an episode from the third season of the show titled “Split Decision” and decided I would put it to The Checklist test…
- Synopsis: With time not on their side, Bobby (Branscombe Richmond) and Cheyenne (Kathleen Kinmont) go after a notorious arms dealer before Reno (Lorenzo Lamas) can get there. The results are disastrous with the arms dealer getting away and Cheyenne ending up in the hospital. This causes a rift between Bobby and Reno that brings an end to Reno’s time at Sixkiller Enterprises.
#1. Were there any notable guest stars?
Trevor Goddard played Ty Waitly, the aforementioned notorious arms dealer and the man who is directly responsible for putting Cheyenne in the hospital after he uses a grenade to escape capture. Goddard kept busy over the course of his career playing villainous roles in movies like Men of War and Prey of the Jaguar and TV shows like Silk Stalkings.
Also, the 7 time National League MVP, Barry Bonds made his second (and final) appearance on Renegade as Tony King. Tony attempts to replace Reno as a bounty hunter at Sixkiller Enterprises after Bobby and Reno have their blow up. Bonds played King earlier in Season 3 in the the episode titled “Repo Raines” 1/1
#2. Was there a montage?
After visiting Cheyenne in the hospital and saying goodbye, Reno heads up to the mountains to start a new life. A new life will require a new job, so we get a Reno looking for work and being turned down montage. 2/2
#3. Was the “bar fight rule” observed?
Rejection can make a man thirsty, so Reno ends up at a bar following his unsuccessful job hunt… and Reno ends up in a bar fight with the unhinged bartender… Reno kicks the bartender’s ass and the owner, Mattie, turns around and offers the bartender job to Reno, since she’s had enough of the previous bartender’s crap anyway. Bar fight rule observed and employment gained… that’s called a twofer where I come from. 3/3
#4. Was this a Dutch episode?
Stephen J. Cannell didn’t just create Renegade, he also played Donald “Dutch” Dixon, the series’ overarching villain. Dixon has a storied past with Reno (he killed Reno’s wife) and he isstill looking to take Reno down all these years later. Over the course of the series’ 110 episodes, the Dutch character appeared 43 times… including “Split Decision”.
Dutch is all over this episode (which overshadows Trevor Goddard’s appearance IMO). The most dastardly thing Dutch does is visit Cheyenne in the hospital and screw with her morphine drip as an interrogation method. Karma almost comes back to bite Dutch however when he almost ends up in the hospital (or worse) following a grenade thrown in his direction at the end of the episode. 4/4
#5. Did Lorenzo Lamas manage to get his shirt off?
Even Reno couldn’t manage to get his shirt off with everything going on… you had Cheyenne in the ICU, a big argument with Bobby, Dutch hot on his trail… unless Reno applied for a job as a male stripper or a lifeguard, there was really no organic opportunity for him to pop his shirt off in this episode. 4/5
- Final Score = 4/5 (80%) “Split Decision” was some classic television… teasing early on that the show as we know it was going to be over, only for everything to come around and be back to normal before the end credits. The action highlight of the show was the big stunt at the start where Cheyenne is propelled from the blast of the grenade and goes airborne, landing on a car windshield!
