Steve Austin(Lee Majors) is contacted by an old friend who was involved in the original test flight of the HL-10, the experimental aircraft that Steve was piloting when he had his fateful crash two years prior that led to his bionic operation. Seems that the plane has been redesigned and rebuilt, and he wants Steve to try again to get it right this time. He agrees, but Oscar(Richard Anderson) is reluctant to let him, since he suspected sabotage was responsible for the crash, but both decide that the only way to be sure is to fly it again, and let the saboteur make another attempt...which of course he does. Intriguing episode re-examines the events of the pilot film from a new perspective, though without bringing back any old characters from it!
3 Reviews
What Are You, Some Kind of Doomsday Machine, Boy?
boscofl7 March 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"The Deadly Replay" is one of the better episodes of the second season. While it is short on bionics (although that does come into play at the climax) this edition of SMDM focuses on the human side of Steve Austin. He is recruited to test fly the very same HL-10 aircraft that nearly killed him in the pilot. Oscar has long suspected sabotage and, after poo-pooing that idea initially, Steve comes to agree with him.
This entry is superb in showing Steve as a man with the same anxieties and doubts as the rest of us. While he is worried flying this machine may kill him he knows he must do it to prove to himself he can. Further complications set in when it becomes obvious someone wants the test to fail and there is probably a traitor in their midst. Steve must fly the plane, find the traitor, and survive the flight.
The supporting cast is stellar. The standout is Clifton James, probably best known as "Sheriff J. Dubyuh Peppah" in two James Bond adventures. He's a lot more useful to the hero in this show. The episode also features the umpteenth example of Oscar Goldman nervously hanging around in some sort of a command center while Steve's life is in peril.
This entry is superb in showing Steve as a man with the same anxieties and doubts as the rest of us. While he is worried flying this machine may kill him he knows he must do it to prove to himself he can. Further complications set in when it becomes obvious someone wants the test to fail and there is probably a traitor in their midst. Steve must fly the plane, find the traitor, and survive the flight.
The supporting cast is stellar. The standout is Clifton James, probably best known as "Sheriff J. Dubyuh Peppah" in two James Bond adventures. He's a lot more useful to the hero in this show. The episode also features the umpteenth example of Oscar Goldman nervously hanging around in some sort of a command center while Steve's life is in peril.
The Deadly replay
coltras3513 September 2023
Steve attempts to re-test the experimental plane - the HL-10 has been rebuilt and Steve is asked to have fly it by his old friend Jay Rogers- that caused his near-fatal accident. When suspicious things begin to happen, Oscar reveals to Steve that his first crash might not have been an accident. Steve chooses to proceed with the experiments, hoping to lure the saboteurs into the open.
The aspect of Steve returning to the very aircraft that changed his life significantly and the fact that the crash could be an act of sabotage is an intriguing one, and there's some good moments such as the finale where Steve uses his bionic powers to take control over the flight control. However, it's largely rather dull and talky, though there's some good performances- it's refreshing to see Clifton James not acting like a red neck slob with a gobsmacker in his mouth.
The aspect of Steve returning to the very aircraft that changed his life significantly and the fact that the crash could be an act of sabotage is an intriguing one, and there's some good moments such as the finale where Steve uses his bionic powers to take control over the flight control. However, it's largely rather dull and talky, though there's some good performances- it's refreshing to see Clifton James not acting like a red neck slob with a gobsmacker in his mouth.
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