McMillan & Wife (TV Series) Aftershock (1975) User Reviews

The Earthquake Unearths

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 9 March 2015]

This all begins with a two bit sneak thief breaking into the McMillan home and stealing a silver bowl. But then all kinds of people take an interest in where Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James dwell. There's a good reason for it when during a party at the McMillan home an earthquake makes part of the wall tumble and bricked up is a skeleton.

The McMillans lived there for about 10 years so first suspicion falls on the people who owned it before, antique dealer Dennis Patrick and his wife Barbara Barrie. But more people start showing interest, a Greek caterer who puts the moves on Nancy Walker played by Robert Loggia. An Italian movie star played by Julie Newmar who wants to buy the house money no object. Two insurance investigators Dabney Coleman and Richard Dawson.

What its all about is a stolen emerald necklace part of the crown jewels back when Greece was a monarchy. Quite a few people aren't what they seem and in addition to the gentleman who reposed in the McMillan wall two other murders and two attempts happen during the course of the program.

Commissioner McMillan always is taking a hand in the work of the San Francisco PD. But as this story originated in his own home who could blame him?

Baby troubles

[gjenevieve · 8/10 · 24 July 2015]

This was a pretty interesting episode with several plot twists.

I was also quite amazed at how many fairly well known actors and actresses were in this episode.

Mac and Sally are thinking of selling the house. It also happens to be Mac's birthday. Sally throws a surprise party for him and during the party, there is an earthquake that opens up a large hole around their fireplace and a body falls out.

I would have rated the episode a 9 but there was one thing that really bothered me. At the end of the previous season, they had a baby and any time they left the house without the baby they mentioned having a babysitter. You never see the baby, but there are several different conversations that mention the baby. Now this season starts and not one mention of a baby. So, the part that bothers me about this episode is that if there really had been an earthquake like that, they most certainly should have been foremost concerned about the baby and its safety, even with a dead body falling from behind the fireplace wall.

I realize that their focus is really on Mac and Sally, but I thought the way they handled everything with the baby at the end of last season was a very effective way of maintaining the focus on Mac and Sally while still acknowledging that they had a baby. I think they could have done that for the rest of the series and this episode would have been one that should have definitely taken advantage of that.

Regular ep but with alot of familiar faces

[MiketheWhistle · 8/10 · 15 June 2019]

The ep is inline with the typical plots, which probably made him the busiest police commissioner around. What makes the ep great is there are a ton of familiar faces from the 60-80s including the wonderful Julie Newmar who gives Mac a big ole kiss.

Average

[xbatgirl-30029 · 6/10 · 3 September 2022]

The guest cast of this episode is incredible: Julie Newmar! Richard Dawson! Barbara Barrie! Dabney Coleman! Robert Logia! It's a parade of familiar seventies faces. So it's disappointing this episode is a little flat. It was a bit past it's prime by this time. There's just a little something missing. Maybe the humor or warmth between the main cast. Also maybe it's lacking in action.

The case should be interesting. A body is found inside the wall of their house. Then it turns out there may also be hidden treasure! But there's never much excitement once the earthquake is over and the climax comes and goes with a whimper. There are only a few comic scenes mainly involving Nancy Walker, who was always a pro, plus the scene where Mac tries yoga.

I had a hard time with the storyline that the McMillans have lived in their house for years, since we know they moved at least once early on. Plus the set changed too much over time to believe they just redecorated. What made so many people leave the house untouched for years with the emeralds in it, but then they all only coincidentally show up when it goes up for sale. But, as another reviewer pointed out, the show made 2 babies (and Sally) disappear, so this plot hole would be nothing to the writers. I'd rate this episode as just ok. Probably bottom third of the series.

Lots of stars of the day

[VetteRanger · 6/10 · 3 January 2023]

The episode has a great cast, if only a so-so mystery. The writers for Season Five really weren't very clever. Once again they start with a dynamite premise ... an earthquake exposes a mummified body in Mac and Sally's new house, but they do very little with it. Instead, they add another murder and a couple of near misses and spend the entire time hunting for stolen emeralds.

They parade their guest stars as suspects but give them very little meat to work with, acting wise. Again, the baby born in Season Four is missing, although Mac has one line about "moving my family to a hotel". Did they mean "family" to include the baby? We'll never know.

Once again, they throw around meaningless red herrings that don't add real mystery, just take up space. More lazy writing.