Gift of the Wheelman

Episode aired Dec 15, 1994
TV-PG

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

173

YOUR RATING

Paul Gross and David Marciano in Due South (1994)

Adventure Comedy Crime Drama

A gang of bank-robbing Santas are double-crossed by their own getaway driver, who plans to give the ultimate gift to his son. Meanwhile, amid lineups of countless department store Santas at ... Read allA gang of bank-robbing Santas are double-crossed by their own getaway driver, who plans to give the ultimate gift to his son. Meanwhile, amid lineups of countless department store Santas at the station, Fraser receives help from an unexpected source.A gang of bank-robbing Santas are double-crossed by their own getaway driver, who plans to give the ultimate gift to his son. Meanwhile, amid lineups of countless department store Santas at the station, Fraser receives help from an unexpected source.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

173

YOUR RATING

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos5

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
At the beginning of the episode, Del is shopping in a gift shop called "O. Henry". O. Henry is the pen name of short-story author William Sydney Porter, after whom James Purcell's character is named. The episode's title refers to the O. Henry story "The Gift of the Magi".

Goofs
William Porter drives a 1972 Chevy Impala in the car chase. At the beginning of the chase scene, the bottom of the car's grille is straight, but for the rest of the sequence it alternates between straight and warped from shot to shot.

Quotes
William Porter: All I wanted was three dollars. Three dollars for the whole year and I'da made it. I was standing there at the counter with his gift in my hand. The girl says to me you're three dollars short. I started laughing. I laughed so hard, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack right there in that department store! I suddenly realized that if I died right then and there, I'da left my son sixty-two dollars, some lousy manuscripts and a lot of excuses and that's not good enough! That's... that's not enough to leave your son!
Constable Benton Fraser: You know, William, I think there is only one thing a father needs to leave his son, and that's a good example of how a man should live his life. Anything else, the son can learn for himself. The greatest gift my father ever gave me was the courage to trust my own abilities. And I learned that through his example. You know, you can give your son anything you want. But if you don't leave him a good example of how to be a man, you leave him nothing. That's what you'll leave Del. Nothing.

Soundtracks
Steaming
Written by Sarah McLachlan & Darren Phillips
Performed by Sarah McLachlan
Published by Nettoverboard/Darren Phillips
Courtesy of Nettwerk Productions & Darren Phillips

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

7/10

Gift of the Wheelman

A memorable festive episode as it had some heart and soul as well as some funny bits.

Ray and Benton go after some bank robbing Santas. One Santa is chased by Benton but he gets away, not before bumping into a youth who walked out of a shop carrying a special Christmas gift for his dad.

It is just that the youth Del recognises the robber dressed as Santa. It's his dad and he has double crossed a crime family and others involved in the robbery by running away with the loot.

Ray and Benton have a theory that the Wheelman became the Bagman but what is his ultimate plan?

There is a lot of humour as cops arrest all the Santa Clauses at Christmas Eve. There are also a lot of Elvis lookalikes bought in as someone misheard Elves.

Benton hears his dad who tries to guide him through the case. Even the ghost of Ray's dad shows up at once scene.

It really is about the Wheelman trying to go straight for years on a minimum wage job and writing stories. He realises that it is all for nothing as he had just a few dollars to his name to show for it.

He just wanted to leave something for his son Del. His son wanted nothing to do with the stolen loot he just wanted his dad.

It has an early role for Ryan Phillippe who plays Del.