The Checklist: The A-Team (S2 Ep11) “Steel”
Welcome to a brand new feature here on Bulletproof Action, The Checklist.
The Checklist will spotlight some of the greatest action packed television shows in entertainment history. And I could not think of a better show to kick off this new feature than one of the most beloved action shows of all-time, The A-Team.
It was on January 23rd, 1983 that The A-Team first aired on NBC. A week later it would get the coveted time slot following Super Bowl XVII. But in this edition of The Checklist, I’m going to take a look at “Steel” the 11th episode from Season 2.
- SYNOPSIS: Mickey Stern and his niece Randy hire The A-Team after Mickey’s construction site is targeted by a competitor in the construction game, Carl Denham, who is backed up by a mobster (affectionately known as Crazy Tommy T). The A-Team discover that Tommy T had the body of his former partner buried on the site, which is why he wants to guarantee that nobody uncovers the evidence.
But just how A-Team is this episode of The A-Team? Thanks to The Checklist we will now do some quality control on Steel (S2, Ep 11).
1. Was Hannibal in disguise?
Not only was John “Hannibal” Smith (George Peppard) in disguise, he was in one of his most famous disguises as The Aquamaniac. The Sterns come to meet Hannibal at his legit job working at Universal Studios… as a bonus, Hannibal poses as a construction worker at one of Denham’s work sites. And along with B.A. and Murdoch poses as a window washer. 1/1
2. Did they have to knock out B.A. to get him to fly?
This story took place in the Los Angeles area, home base for The A-Team, so there was no need to drug or knock out B.A. Baracus (Mr. T), who has a fear of flying. 1/2
3. Did they have to spring Murdoch from the VA Psychiatric Hospital?
Face (Dirk Bennedict) posed as a Director of Animal Health & Welfare in order to check Murdoch (who spends a portion of this episode acting like a dog) out of the hospital. 2/3
4. Was there a montage?
There’s no better way for The A-Team to prepare for a battle than through the magic of a montage. This time around, they turned a bulldozer into some sort of armored war machine. 3/4
5. Was the casualty count zero?
Despite having a full scale fire fight with the mob, nobody actually takes a bullet and nobody ends up dead… unless you count Tommy T’s partner, but that actually happened before the episode, so I wouldn’t count it. I would like to point out that with all the gun fire taking place within the city limits, that no police showed up on the scene. 4/5
- FINAL SCORE = 4/5 (80%)
