Three episodes prior, Joe had to figure out which among three associates of a crime boss was an informer. Now he has to figure out which of the three cases he is working on causes two guys on motorcycles to chase him round until he falls off a steep embankment. One case involves parents wanted to find their missing daughter; another is trying to locate an embezzler for a fellow detective Dan Brockway (Gene Evans) and the last is finding who made a threatening phone call to husband Tom Stabler (Daniel Travanti) and wife Lisa. As Joe recovers from his tumble down the hillside, he is fired from all three cases. Joe, being Joe, has no intention of letting this slide. Joe follows up on all three cases and seems to solve them. The parents of the missing daughter get her back along with her boyfriend and they seem to work it out. Joe finds out the embezzler doesn't exist but he is really trying to find the lover of the detective's wife. He doesn't do that but the guy and his wife have a serious talk. The last case seems done when Joe catching the semi-pervert Alan Boone (Alan Bergmann) making the calls to the husband and wife and the guy says he is leaving town and won't do it again. All cases done and there is a happy ending? Not really,
During this time, a sniper takes out a couple of Joe's tires and he goes over another embankment in his car and hits a tree. The police are looking for the two guys on the motorcycles and Art Malcolm seems to have caught one but Joe says that he isn't the guy. Here is where this episode goes off the rails. Joe convinces the guy to take him back to his gang and Joe will pay money to learn who hired them to rough Joe up. Joe and his new friend go to the gang's hangout in an alley and, of course, the gang leader wants none of it and is going to beat Joe up. The leader (Jeff Morris of Kelly's Heroes and Blues Brothers) loses the fight and takes a shine to Joe for his great fight moves. He says he will point out to Joe the guy who paid them to go after him. Turns out that guy is the semi pervert phone guy! Joe goes back to the wife and grills her on what was said in the phone call. They deduce the call had the name of a racehorse in it. Joe visits a friend who tells him the horse is running in a big race and is owned by a middle east prince who is coming to watch the race. Joe figures the phone call was actually the orders to the hitman husband Stabler to kill the prince. Joe races to the deserted race track and calls Art to bring cops. Joe gets there, stops the sniper shot but Stabler and Boone chase him around the racetrack until Joe takes them both out, just as the police arrive to arrest everyone.
On the plus side, this is a very physical outing for Joe with lots of action. He goes off two embankments, gets shot at, and some fistfights. Gail Fisher get a few more scenes than she normally does and gets called a fox. Good for the ego. However, there are a few problems with this story. The three cases seem too mundane for Joe to take, with the possible exception of Joe helping his detective buddy. Then it turns into an international incident with the prince angle. That seems out of place in this episode. Not sure why the wife called a PI over a nutty phone call anyway. Seems like a police report would be the extent of it. Joe's car gets some serious damage but he gets it back in a couple of hours! Really? Very fortuitous as Joe needs the car phone to call Peggy to call Art. The gang leader sells out his employer because he likes Joe's moves? Come on. When Joe calls Peggy to get the police, wouldn't the police send the nearest patrol car? That car should probably beat Joe there. Instead, Art leads the charge and shows up too late to be any help. A foreign dignitary is in line to be shot and the help has to came all the way from headquarters and take forever to get there. Good thing the prince wasn't shot. There would have been a serious public relations problem.
The cast is mostly good. The majority are veterans at the guest star roles and they do well. With this busy plot, most of them get two scenes. The one exception is the boyfriend played by Robert Reiser. You won't root for him to win the parents over. He plays it a little too "tough guy" and, with his baby face, it doesn't work.
Joe gets paid three times over. Maybe only two times if the detective friend is a freebie. The prince should throw some money his way when he learns Joe saved him. Over all, a decent episode that could have been better.
During this time, a sniper takes out a couple of Joe's tires and he goes over another embankment in his car and hits a tree. The police are looking for the two guys on the motorcycles and Art Malcolm seems to have caught one but Joe says that he isn't the guy. Here is where this episode goes off the rails. Joe convinces the guy to take him back to his gang and Joe will pay money to learn who hired them to rough Joe up. Joe and his new friend go to the gang's hangout in an alley and, of course, the gang leader wants none of it and is going to beat Joe up. The leader (Jeff Morris of Kelly's Heroes and Blues Brothers) loses the fight and takes a shine to Joe for his great fight moves. He says he will point out to Joe the guy who paid them to go after him. Turns out that guy is the semi pervert phone guy! Joe goes back to the wife and grills her on what was said in the phone call. They deduce the call had the name of a racehorse in it. Joe visits a friend who tells him the horse is running in a big race and is owned by a middle east prince who is coming to watch the race. Joe figures the phone call was actually the orders to the hitman husband Stabler to kill the prince. Joe races to the deserted race track and calls Art to bring cops. Joe gets there, stops the sniper shot but Stabler and Boone chase him around the racetrack until Joe takes them both out, just as the police arrive to arrest everyone.
On the plus side, this is a very physical outing for Joe with lots of action. He goes off two embankments, gets shot at, and some fistfights. Gail Fisher get a few more scenes than she normally does and gets called a fox. Good for the ego. However, there are a few problems with this story. The three cases seem too mundane for Joe to take, with the possible exception of Joe helping his detective buddy. Then it turns into an international incident with the prince angle. That seems out of place in this episode. Not sure why the wife called a PI over a nutty phone call anyway. Seems like a police report would be the extent of it. Joe's car gets some serious damage but he gets it back in a couple of hours! Really? Very fortuitous as Joe needs the car phone to call Peggy to call Art. The gang leader sells out his employer because he likes Joe's moves? Come on. When Joe calls Peggy to get the police, wouldn't the police send the nearest patrol car? That car should probably beat Joe there. Instead, Art leads the charge and shows up too late to be any help. A foreign dignitary is in line to be shot and the help has to came all the way from headquarters and take forever to get there. Good thing the prince wasn't shot. There would have been a serious public relations problem.
The cast is mostly good. The majority are veterans at the guest star roles and they do well. With this busy plot, most of them get two scenes. The one exception is the boyfriend played by Robert Reiser. You won't root for him to win the parents over. He plays it a little too "tough guy" and, with his baby face, it doesn't work.
Joe gets paid three times over. Maybe only two times if the detective friend is a freebie. The prince should throw some money his way when he learns Joe saved him. Over all, a decent episode that could have been better.