TWE: The Yankee Clipper

[owlcroft]

The Yankee Clipper

Airdate: Oct. 7, 1985
When Bill Bauer is declared dead after being MIA from the Marines for 10 years, Mark, the soldier's former best friend, is asked to handle the funeral arrangements. The funeral does have one positive result for it reunites Mark with old friends Patrick Burke, Jeff Steffan and Peter Trigg. To Mark's surprise, shortly after the funeral, Bauer turns up very much alive. Upon being confronted by his angered friend, Bauer explains that he had been in charge of destroying cash when the United States pulled out of Vietnam in 1975. Instead of following orders, however, he had waited for an opportunity to smuggle the money into the country. Continuing, Bauer relays how he used "his" casket as a way of transporting the cash. Bauer realizes that his plan is falling apart when someone tries to kill him. Seeing no alternative, Bauer decides to go after the men chasing him. Following Bauer, Hardcastle and McCormick discover that Peter Trigg, secretly the leader of a group of terrorists, is trying to get a hold of Bauer's money in order to buy weapons. Although Trigg temporarily manages to capture Hardcastle and McCormick, the two men are able to turn the tables thanks to Bauer's intervention. Later, the police are all set to take Bauer into custody when the ex-soldier decides to disappear again.
Guest Cast
Charles Rocket as Bill Bauer, Richard Herd (V) as Colonel Joe Bartz, Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown) as Peter Trigg, David Paymer (The Commish) as Patrick Burke, Vincent Guastaferro as Jack Steffan

Writer
Patrick Hasburgh

Director
Sigmund Neufeld

[Deleted]

Not a fave of mine, sorry. There's nothing really wrong with the episode, but Bauer kind of annoys me. If I can't warm up to a character with so much screen time, my enjoyment of the ep suffers.

[Coyote X]

I didn't like this episode at all. The introductory setup was way too long, and none of the guest characters was very likable. I liked the mobster Joe Cadillac better than these guys!

Barbara

[krokkie]

Nope, this was also one of the less enjoyable eps for me. Bauer's scams were just way over the top. I didn't care much for his "death defying" scams. He didn't spare the feelings of the only real friends he had. And the coffin all but bursting open from that truck-load of cash? Eish.

[owlcroft]

This one looks like a script from another show, with all MccCormick's friends from high school (when he was back in New Jersey, presumably). Bill Bauer was probably supposed to come across as a charming rascal, but he's unappealing and weasely instead. And then there's cab explosion, which was never explained. We saw the grenade, so how did he get out without being seen and what about the poor cab driver?

Not a good episode, and all the musical interludes went on far too long, meaning a script written and produced in a hurry. We know there were problems with getting good scripts in third season and sometimes it shows.

[Deleted]

Know what is my favourite part? When Mark puts on his military act to serve Milt lemonade. He's at his wise-guy best. And then Bartz suggesting he be shipped out like a naughty boy sent to military school.