The Love Boat (TV Series) The Eyes of Love/Masquerade/Hollywood Royalty/The Caper: Part 1 (1978) User Reviews

Awesome "caper"

[jseay-3 · 28 August 2006]

A great "Love Boat" episode, because the show was still in its first-season, experimental "anything goes" period, and not so formulaic. Michelle Lee and Fernando Lamas are celebrities who board with an exquisitely large diamond. Enter the bumbling crime gang of Harold Gould (the boss), Karen Valentine (the dame), Larry Storch (the hot head) and John Schuck (the dim-witted muscle). They're out to switch the real diamond with a fake made of cut glass. Hi-jinx ensue as our gang tries and fails ... several times ... to swipe the diamond.

Later, the gang witnesses Michelle Lee throwing the diamond overboard in a grand gesture to Fernando Lamas to show him that he means more to her than "a mere object." The frustrated crime gang is foiled, much to their chagrin.

In a twist to the end of the story, as the celebrity couple disembarks at the end of the cruise, Lamas says to Lee something to the effect of, "I can't believe you really threw the diamond overboard." Lee replies something to the effect of, "The real diamond is at home in the safe. I threw the fake overboard!"

As with other first season episodes, this episode features shipboard sequences filmed on the Pacific Princess, which add to the feeling that the episode is more of an "event" with guest stars walking onto what is obviously an actual cruise ship, and not just a studio recreation on a sound stage.

The Caper: Part 1 (Plus a Blind Girl, a Star, and an Affair)

[WalterKafka · 11 February 2024]

Okay. Our first two-parter. (IMDB has this as two episodes, whereas my listings have it as one. Both parts aired on January 21st 1978.) You know, in my mind, The Love Boat works better in short blasts. It's not supposed to be epic. I say that knowing that we have a whole bunch of two part travel episodes coming up. These two part episodes are always extra packed with actors and actresses. Notice even the opening requires an extra long variation of the theme. We're off to a good start with lots of location footage. Ok. There's a lot going on. Storch, Schuck, Gould, and Valentine are on board to steal the diamond from the actress played by Michelle Lee. (This is already the second appearance for Michelle Lee.) Her husband is played by Fernando Lamas. Stephanie Zimbalist plays a blind girl. She's reunited with an old flame played Desi Arnaz, Jr. He used to be blind, but now he's doing better. (Is this the Nepotism Boat?) Dan Rowan has brought his wife (Juliet Mills) on a cruise. Look out though, his mistress (Adrienne Barbeau) is also on board. What a situation! This is the first of many appearances for Juliet Mills. There's an excellent sunset scene shared by Arnaz and Zimbalist. I mean, for The Love Boat, this is ambitious cinemaography. I guess the cruise has a sauna. It's located directly over the vault room. The crooks are going to drill through it in their heist. Better turn the suana off while you work or you'll get too hot! (Or you know strip down to your underwear.) Meanwhile, the moll is giving Gopher a massage in order to distract him. Then there's the Mission Impossible twist. 'I'm the Captain!' This show is often a balancing act of pathos, slapstick, and romance. Here it all comes at you at once. It's messy, man, and you may overpay. If a monkey comes on board the Pacific Princess, you may have your soul mistaken for a banana. This is the Human Condition. This is The Love Boat.