The Checklist: 21 Jump Street (S4 Ep10) “Wheels and Deals – Part 2”

Previously on The Checklist… I put a randomly selected episode of the 21 Jump Street spin-off, Booker, to The Checklist test only to find out that it was a two parter AND that the second half of the two parter was NOT on Booker the following week… instead it was a crossover episode the next night on 21 Jump Street. So in this edition of The Checklist I will put “Wheels and Deals – Part 2”, the tenth episode from 21 Jump Street‘s fourth season, to The Checklist test…

#1. Was this the greatest crossover episode since Jessica Fletcher teamed up with Thomas Magnum?

The short answer is no. Richard Grieco’s Dennis Booker is only in a single scene as he meets with Captain Fuller (Steven Williams, L.A. Heat), Harry (Dustin Nguyen, Warrior) and Doug (Peter DeLuise) about the very real possibility that Raymond Crane ordered the murder of Tina Maxwell’s brother. If Richard Grieco barely being in the episode wasn’t bad enough, Vanity (who played Tina Maxwell in Part 1) is not in at all… we just have to assume she is ok, other than the fact that her brother Mickey is now dead.

Mickey worked for Raymond Crane as his personal motorcycle mechanic and it is Crane’s love of motorcycles that plays a major part in “Wheels and Deals – Part 2” with Doug, Harry and Captain Fuller (and later Holly Robinson’s Judy) going undercover in the motorcycle community and getting an invite to Crane’s motorcycle caravan. 0/1

#2. Were there any notable guest stars?

Richard Grieco could definitely qualify as a notable guest star, but he was not the only one… Mickey Jones played Bobo, the biker Doug Penhall buddies up with and the man that Raymond Crane hired to kill. If you wanted a guy who looked like a mean and nasty biker, you could do worse than Mickey Jones. I will always remember Mickey most as Deuce in Drop Zone, but he’s also been in movies like Total Recall, Extreme Prejudice and Savage Dawn. Plus tons of TV guest spots on shows like The A-Team, Baywatch and T.J. Hooker.

Also, I couldn’t help but notice Lochlyn Munro of Freddy vs. Jason and Recoil fame in an uncredited role as one of the motocross dudes that Harry becomes fast friends with. 1/2

#3. Was there some quality action?

One of my biggest gripes with “Wheels and Deals – Part 1” was the lack of action. “Wheels and Deals – Part 2” give us some motorcycle racing action so in comparison it felt like Commando. In fact, Crane throws some money around and we get a one on one race between Dustin Nguyen and Steven Williams’ stunt doubles! 2/3

#4. Was there a montage?

Any show can benefit from the inclusion of a montage and we get one in this episode, a motorcycle riding montage to be exact. Sounds like a perfect spot for Steppenwolf’s “Born To Be Wild” but instead we get Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries” …unless this is another example of the original music being scrapped to make it more affordable for streaming sites!?! 3/4

#5. Did Raymond Crane get his comeuppance in satisfying fashion?

Given the way the Raymond Crane character, played by Ray Baker, was built up on both Booker and 21 Jump Street, I am still flabbergasted that Crane was not a recurring character on both shows prior to this two part crossover event. Crane cost Booker his badge, Crane nearly had Harry killed and caused Tom Hanson (Johnny Depp) to spend some time behind bars… we needed that moment where the whole team had Crane six ways to Sunday and he had to face the music. Instead, we get a shot of a cuffed crane riding in the backseat of a car sitting next to Hanson, who was an after thought in this episode. Hanson then escorts Crane to the holding cell located at the police headquarters on 21 Jump Street… Dennis Booker is not present, Harry Truman Ioki is not present and the episode just ends. Satisfying? I think not! 3/5

• Final Score = 3/5 (60%) Disappointing is how I would sum up the Booker and 21 Jump Street crossover event… it is no surprise to me that Fox pulled the plug on both shows at the end of the season (21 Jump Street would get a stay of execution on first run syndication with one more season, but without Johnny Depp and Dustin Nguyen). If there are any 21 Jump Street diehards out there that can correct me on the Raymond Crane character not being seen before this two part fiasco please let me know in the comments… it is a detail that is going to haunt me.