The Checklist: Air America (S1 Ep3) “Crosshairs”
One of the things that has kept The Checklist chugging along over the years has been friend of the site, Andrew Babcock. Andrew has contributed to numerous posts, but when it comes to The Checklist he has been invaluable. Andrew has reminded me of shows that I had long forgotten or informed me of shows I never knew existed… like Air America.
I was familiar with the 1990 movie starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. but had no idea that Air America was part of the trend in the 90s to turn movies into syndicated television shows.
After sitting in the Bulletproof Action Suggestion Box for quite a while, I finally got around to randomly selecting an episode from Air America‘s one and only season. I landed on Episode 3, titled “Crosshairs”, that originally aired in first run syndication on October 17, 1998.
#1. Does the show have a quality open?
The open for Air America features plenty of plane and chopper footage, a look at the three stars of the show Lorenzo Lamas, Scott Plank and Diana Barton and plenty of explosions! It is all accompanied by some high energy music and they even work in the tagline “Anything. Anywhere. Anytime.” 1/1
#2. Were there any notable guest stars?
Apollonia Kotero (Back to Back and Purple Rain) plays a nightclub singer named Lucy Ortega who needs some help. Lucy’s boss has not been paying her the money she has earned, money she needs to go back home to see her ailing mother in Malverde. Lucy is put in touch with Rio Arnett (Lorenzo Lamas, Final Impact) from Air America by the shady Edward Furman (Gary Wood, CIA II: Target Alexa), who works for the State Department… but later in the episode we find out Furman had ulterior motives.
Fun Fact… Apollonia had a 10 episode arc in Season 5 of Falcon Crest along with Lorenzo Lamas.
Chick Vennera plays Mr. Mesarigos aka Lucy’s boss who is refusing to pay her the money she is owed. I most recently saw Vennera in 1991’s McBain but he also appeared in such action films as Air Rage and Evasive Action. 2/2
#3. Did Lorenzo Lamas manage to get his shirt off?
When Rio received the invitation to see Lucy perform at Mesarigos’ club from Edward Furman, he refuses to go… suspecting no good can come from anything from Edward Furman. But Rio’s Air America partner, Wiley Ferrell (Scott Plank, L.A. Takedown) is a sucker for a pretty face and can’t resist the opportunity to watch the sultry singer perform so he goes in Rio’s stead.
After the show, Wiley and Lucy talk and Wiley admits he is not Rio, but he can take her to him… so they head back to the Air America hangar that Rio and Wiley call home and they arrive just as Rio is coming out of the shower. Now a shirtless and glistening Lamas was not an uncommon sight on Renegade and that show lasted five seasons, so I don’t blame Air America from borrowing from the Renegade formula here. 3/3
#4. Was there any action in the air?
Once Rio puts some clothes on, he does agree to help Lucy. Rio wastes no time paying Mesarigo a visit and collecting the money that Lucy is owed so she can now go home… there’s one problem, shortly after Rio leaves the club, Mesarigo is found dead! Now Rio is the prime suspect almost like that bastard Edward Furman set him up.
It turns out that Furman, wanted Rio and Wiley away from the airstrip so he could help facilitate an arms deal with some nasty individuals. When Furman believes those same nasty individuals are going to be after him after the deal goes south… Rio gets some payback on Furman, when he pushes him out of helicopter and warns him not to open his parachute too soon or it could get caught up in the rotors, which scares the living shit out of Furman. 4/4
#5. Was this a David Worth directed episode?
David Worth directed a total of 8 episodes of Air America, including “Crosshairs”. Worth is probably best known as the director of the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic, Kickboxer. Worth also directed Chain of Command, Lady Dragon and American Tigers. 5/5
- Final Score = 5/5 (100%) A perfect score for the “Crosshairs” episode of Air America. The notable guest stars were a bright spot, I enjoyed the chemistry between Rio and Wiley (Diana Barton’s Alison was almost a non-factor in this episode), it was fun seeing Arthur Roberts from Revenge of the Ninja and Chopping Mall fame as Air America’s contact in Washington DC. I will have to watch more to truly know if Air America deserved additional seasons or if there was a reason it was one and done.
