I started getting into Charlie's Angels during the 2020 Covid lockdown when it was on late at night on a British TV channel called Great TV, which also repeated a lot of other 1970s USA crime/detective programmes, and not long before it showed 'Angels At Sea', I had also seen, on the same channel, Starsky and Hutch's 'Murder At Sea', which was made in 1975, a year or so before 'Angels At Sea', and which is also set on a cruise ship where murders are happening, and ends with Starsky and Hutch having to de-wire a bomb in exactly the same suspense-filled finale as the Angels, including having to run onto the deck and throw the bombs overboard, seconds before they explode in the ocean. So, it's one Spelling-Goldburg production borrowing directly from another.
Until I read the other reviews on here, I hadn't realised that the murderer was played by the actor (Frank Gorshin) who also played The Riddler from Adam West's 1960s Batman, which was a staple of children's TV in the UK when I was a kid in the 1970s. Also, not being familiar with pre-1970s Hollywood actors, it was completely lost on me, until I read the Trivia section on this IMDb page, that Gorshin was actually doing impressions of famous actors during his mad rant - I just thought that was a lengthy over the top bonkers portrayal of a crazy man having a breakdown.
Overall, I have to say this episode isn't as strong as most of the others in the Charlie's Angels first series. Maybe due to the restraints of being completely set on a ship?
The dewiring of the bombs, with the angels receiving instructions from a bomb squad expert, drags on a bit, as does Gorshin's mad impressions scene
We do see the Angels in some stylish night clothes and dressing gowns though, and poor old Bosley ends up completely naked (apart from covering his private parts with a lifebelt) - Kelly and Jill actively giggle at Bosley in this state, which is a bit inconsiderate given he'd just been whacked over the head by the murderer and almost knocked out. Only Sabrina says, 'Don't laugh at him', but she then joins in with the mickey-taking when they're all back in a room, nursing Bosley with an ice-pack on his head and a cup of tea.
It was quite convenient for the plot that the murderer left three bombs in the deep bowels of the ship, one for each Angel to detonate. However, maybe due to the restrictions of being set on a ship, there aren't enough men to go around for all three Angels, and the final scene is perhaps the most suggestive and risque in the whole history of Charlie Angels as they have to share one man. In a reversal of the usual final debrief, when Charlie is normally entertaining a busty female, this time there is one handsome, sun-tanned muscular l man subservantly serving all three Angels cocktails as they lounge on the deck of the ship. Charlie, on the phone, warns the Angels, who have decided to stay on the cruise, that they will get bored on the ship unless they find an activity. "Don't worry about that, Charlie", they say, with knowing grins, and looking admiringly up at the tall hunk, "we have an activity plan, infact it's one of the best-loved by man". Are they suggesting a threesome? "We'll be gentle", says Kelly as it ends.
Until I read the other reviews on here, I hadn't realised that the murderer was played by the actor (Frank Gorshin) who also played The Riddler from Adam West's 1960s Batman, which was a staple of children's TV in the UK when I was a kid in the 1970s. Also, not being familiar with pre-1970s Hollywood actors, it was completely lost on me, until I read the Trivia section on this IMDb page, that Gorshin was actually doing impressions of famous actors during his mad rant - I just thought that was a lengthy over the top bonkers portrayal of a crazy man having a breakdown.
Overall, I have to say this episode isn't as strong as most of the others in the Charlie's Angels first series. Maybe due to the restraints of being completely set on a ship?
The dewiring of the bombs, with the angels receiving instructions from a bomb squad expert, drags on a bit, as does Gorshin's mad impressions scene
We do see the Angels in some stylish night clothes and dressing gowns though, and poor old Bosley ends up completely naked (apart from covering his private parts with a lifebelt) - Kelly and Jill actively giggle at Bosley in this state, which is a bit inconsiderate given he'd just been whacked over the head by the murderer and almost knocked out. Only Sabrina says, 'Don't laugh at him', but she then joins in with the mickey-taking when they're all back in a room, nursing Bosley with an ice-pack on his head and a cup of tea.
It was quite convenient for the plot that the murderer left three bombs in the deep bowels of the ship, one for each Angel to detonate. However, maybe due to the restrictions of being set on a ship, there aren't enough men to go around for all three Angels, and the final scene is perhaps the most suggestive and risque in the whole history of Charlie Angels as they have to share one man. In a reversal of the usual final debrief, when Charlie is normally entertaining a busty female, this time there is one handsome, sun-tanned muscular l man subservantly serving all three Angels cocktails as they lounge on the deck of the ship. Charlie, on the phone, warns the Angels, who have decided to stay on the cruise, that they will get bored on the ship unless they find an activity. "Don't worry about that, Charlie", they say, with knowing grins, and looking admiringly up at the tall hunk, "we have an activity plan, infact it's one of the best-loved by man". Are they suggesting a threesome? "We'll be gentle", says Kelly as it ends.