A very out of the norm episode. Malloy and Reed ditch the squad car and head skyward in a Police helicopter. Though there are loads of great views of the Los Angeles area from way above, the episode features very little of M & R. They're there along for the ride, but they're relegated to the back seat in more ways than one.
The first segment has the helicopter zipping around two identical skyscrapers in downtown L. A.. The four Officers aboard play hide and seek with a male/female duo inside one of the buildings. They're suspected of robbery. Reed spots them through a window on the 26th floor. Huh?? How would they know what floor their looking at other than to start at the bottom of the tower and count upward. Of the countless numbers of windows, how could Reed possibly look into the exact correct window at which the suspects are standing, motionless? This entire segment plays as incredibly unlikely.
The next segment has the helicopter in pursuit of a yellow AMC Javelin. It's driver is suspected of homicide. There's some great camera work here as we see a car chase from above. After this, Malloy wants to have lunch. This is one of the few things actor Martin Milner gets to say in the entire episode. Kent McCord doesn't fare much better.
Malloy doesn't get his lunch as it's right back up into the sky to chase a stolen airplane. M & R are then split between two copters. Reed asks, "What do we do if we spot him?" (The stolen plane.) "Make sure he stays away from populated areas." This entire scenario is just odd. We're even told that the Burbank Airport has the stolen plane on radar. So why are these two helicopters needed?
So this is a strange episode, certainly. It probably sounded like a great idea to put Malloy and Reed up in the air. With them having little to do and the story segments seeming a bit forced, this just isn't Adam-12 at it's best. Unfortunately, this is the first of a two-parter.
Most incredible of all though, the overhead camera shots of the massive tangle of Los Angeles area freeways reveals... no traffic whatsoever. Wow.
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