Season 1 Overview

Airdate: 01/30/1985

Directed By: Victor French

The streak of Highway‘s successes that began a few episodes ago with the second half of the season continues here. Before getting into it, one thing: this episode deals with drugs, but it was not written by Michael Landon himself. So, that’s one significant exception.

Trademark Feature

• Assignment

This episode has a lot going on: the assignment is about helping struggling athlete who is prevented from playing basket find a new purpose in life. In order to do that, Jonathan and Mark inspire him to clean up his neighborhood from local drugs dealer, and to find love too. So, the premise are all there for a sport assignment, like the Deke’s one whose dream of becoming a baseball player were cut short by an accident, and he later became a pommel horse athlete (the episode in two parts featuring Scotty). However, on that episode they wanted to show the life of people with physical impairment, while on this episode the sport background is just a way to lead to one of the three Michael Landon’s obsession: dope.

So, the most important feature is that this episode deals with drugs, and belongs to the “Bums, Bins, Drugs” ones. However, it will be doing that differently than the other episode in this long category: that time it was rather bleak, yet now this will be unflinchingly gritty. I mean, they show a kid getting dope, later trying to quit and finally getting murdered by the conclusion; and they even show people handling illegal stuff. Like, when was the last time a Christian TV show got that far, or any TV show in the 1980s for that matter.

Then the other part of this episode is a love assignment. It’s not a traditional one, because Jonathan and Mark are not directly instructed to make two people fall in love — but that will happen the same.

Anyway, one curious thing to notice: most of the time, in order to get to the person they’ve got to help for the assignment, Jonathan and Mark have to get a specific job each time, and it’s usually the same for both. Instead, on this episode they have to work two different jobs: Mark as a janitor in the literate school and Jonathan as a basketball coach for kids. This marks the second time in the series they have two jobs, the first time was in “A Divine Madness“; however, on that occasion they began working both as handymen and later Jonathan becomes attorney too, while on this episode the already start with two different tasks.

• Background

This episode it’s set in L.A. (though they never say that), but at least they won’t be trying to disguise it as a different place either. One important feature: this episode is the first one of the series to feature a random skyscraper, used to indicate the place where Brian looks for a job.

It seems like a random place, but it will be recycled in a future season.

Instead, they never reveal neither date nor time-span: possibly, this episode takes place sometime in January 1985 (after the previous two assignments), and likely it’s been some days after the previous assignment. At least, Jonathan and Mark need to have the time to go from Oklahoma to California, even though it’s unclear if they came back to California right after that assignment, or if they stopped by somewhere else for a different assignment that was not featured in the series (more details at the entry “Highway Of Mysteries” of that episode). It is also possible this episode takes place even much earlier in the season, and just aired later (as the case of some future assignment)

The time span of the assignment is unclear as well: the general rule of the 10 days to two weeks could be applied here, but this episode likely resists that. I mean, they show just a couple of nights, yet there’s a guy that has to learn how to read, and you can’t do that over a single day. Also, there’s a time-compressing scene with David Rose’s cheerful score, which complicates matters further. It’s plausible to consider the events of this episode as taking place at the same time as the future episode of A Match Made In Heaven, supposedly.

If that were the case, at least it would be possible to justify some aspects that remain unclear in this episode, such as where Jonathan and Mark are staying for this assignment, or how to collocate this assignment if it spans longer than a month — similarly to A Match Made In Heaven, supposedly (again). But they never confirm that, so it currently remains unclear. Though, actually, there are not that many episodes where they reveal a specific date, with the exception of the Holiday Special ones.

• Characters

Two new features of the characters, and one is about Mark: at the beginning of this episode, Mark tells Jonathan he’d like to have an assignment in Hawaii, adding it’s like Heaven there. That seemingly implies that Mark has been to Hawaii at some point in his life, otherwise, he wouldn’t know that “They are like Heaven” in the first place. Or maybe he’s never been there and he’s just reporting what everyone thinks of Hawaii, supposedly.

Also, it won’t be the last time that Mark says Jonathan that: actually, an episode in the fourth season begins in a very similar way, Mark telling he wants to go there. And, on that occasion, the assignment will also be somehow related to that place.

However, the most remarkable thing of this episode is about Jonathan, who uses his oversized glasses when he arrests the criminals. And not some normal sunglasses: these are the flashiest, most 1980s Malibu-based actor kind of sunglasses you could ever picture.

Those are definitely Landon’s own.

It’s unclear what they need for: I mean, if he wanted to conceal his identity, that’s just as efficient as Superman did; but most likely they belong to Landon, and maybe he wanted to show them off. Still, he’s only going to be wearing them again very soon in this season.

• Production And Setting

There are some important features of the production this time: so, this episode was helmed by French, who has now directed two “Bums, Bins, Drugs” episodes in a row (Plane Death was the latest), while the script was written on December 1984 (because writers never take holidays, just like Jonathan and Mark). However, it’s important to notice that it was written by Parke Perine, the highwayman who would become more familiar in the later season.

That’s an exception, considering this assignment is a “Bums, Bins, Drugs” one, and most of them are written by Landon (like the last instance). That doesn’t make Landon any less obsessed over this problem (remember, he had a direct experience in his family); it is possible that he chose this screenplay as an episode of Highway right because it touched a topic he was already familiar with. Or maybe he just thought it was good.

Actually, this wasn’t even the first collaboration between Perine and French, who had already worked together in the third season of the series Fame in one episode (which aired in 1983, the year between the conclusion of Little House and the beginning of Highway), where French was director and Perine writer. And the series aired on NBC (actually, that season was directly sold in syndication, but whatever). Of course, as Perine was only the writer for that one episode, it’s unclear how involved he was in the actual production, and whether he and French got the chance to know each other, yet now they are back. Maybe, Perine was hired as writer for NBC working in all their TV series, and Highway was one of them. That’s another explanation why they got his script for the episode.

Curiously, that episode of Fame has a very similar premise to this assignment: it involves (at least partially) a cop who investigates undercover on drug dealing at the Fame school. And, again, French dirceted that one. It can’t be a coincidence.

Instead, the setting of this episode is Los Angeles, in particular, the happy neighborhood of Boyle Heights, whose residents must be so glad they were chosen as the backdrop of such unflinching drug story, isn’t it. They’ll use it again in a third season episode, too.

Anyway, part of the assignment takes place in the “Candle Literacy school”, a fictional place.

That’s actually St. Mary’s Catholic School, which has closed down by now.

Instead, the episode was written on December, but production took place starting from January 2nd 1985 over one week. It was the first episode they produced in the new year, after taking a two weeks break for the Christmas Holiday (the previous episodes were produced on December before Christmas) and maybe that’s why they set the story in L.A. — I mean, that’s because the production wanted to stay close to their family for Christmas, so they didn’t go all the way to Copperopolis or LaGrange pretending to be Carl’s ranch in Oklahoma.

Also, this episode aired on January 30th, just three weeks after production wrapped up. It feels quite hectic, but it will be an exception: for the second season, Landon and the production will be more organized and they won’t have to be in such a hurry again.

Glossary

Blooper: this episode has a blooper in the part when a dealer approaches Brian and offers him an illegal job, Brian rejects him and the dealer gets mad.

So, when he turns around to drive off, for a moment a mysterious figure with a cap appears in the reflection of the left window of the car.

It’s very hard to determine who he is, but he doesn’t look like French, this time. Actually, there’s going to be one episode directed by French on the second season with a similar blooper: somebody spotted through a glass, only that time it will likely be French in there.

Sports and Drugs: it’s the two combined features of the assignment.

Little House Actor: in the episode, actor Bernard Beherens makes an appearance as the doctor who forbids Brian from playing again.

He had already appeared in 1978 on an episode in the fourth season of Little House, where he played an ill farmer whose son is secretly stealing from other townsfolks.

He’s actually a minor character (on this Highway, he appears only at the beginning, gives the news to Brian and then he’s gone for the rest of the episode); actually, he doesn’t even get a chance to act with the two protagonists, but at least he had worked with Landon on Little House, and he will be directed by French now.

L.A. Downtown: in this episode there are going to be two parts from L.A. downtown that will be recycled in the future. The first one is at the beginning, when Brian takes Julie to a restaurant. It may looks a normal one, but it’s the same they will be using for an episode in the fifth season.

Then, there’s the tall building downtown of L.A. where Brian looks for a job.

New “Stuff” Power: in this episode, Jonathan has two new powers with the “Stuff”; first, at the beginning, he remains stuck on an elevator with Brian, and punches its walls to get it back working.

That’s basically the way people repair stuff all the time.

Then, by the conclusion of this episode, Jonathan and Mark needs to enter a locked door.

And Jonathan uses his power to open it.

There’s also another power, when he shoots pool on his back.

And he wins, of course.

Actually there would be another power, when Jonathan materialize a stash of money which will turn to drugs as soon as the police find it — but that can fall into the category of just creating stuff out of nowhere.

Punchline: there is one punchline to point out here; it’s when Mark tells Jonathan he feels sorry for Brian’s condition, and Jonathan reminds him of their assignment.

Now, that subtly implies that playing basketball is not important. I mean, I think everyone acknowledges that, but saying it out loud is bold.

Also, it is important to keep in mind as Jonathan will be recycling this punchline for a future episodes in the fifth season.

Assignment: Jonathan and Mark are assigned to help a recent dropout athlete with a serous heart condition find a new purpose in his life and clean up his neighborhood.

There’s a high school basketball training scene, and a stick-thin guy, Brian, just collapses on the court. He’s taken to the doctor, who tells him he has a problem with his heart that will prevent him from ever playing basketball again.

Then, Jonathan and Mark arrive to a school.

So, they meet with a teacher, Julie, who tells them the school needs someone to fix the broken windows that drug dealers in the area smashed because, you know, they are just ignorant and against any kind of education. Julie goes on with this whole conversation, only to reveal she’s not the one doing the hiring.

In the meantime, Brian informs his mom he plans to drop his scholarship as he won’t be able to play anymore. When his mother learns about this, she encourages him to focus on his studies instead. So he makes her an incredible revelation.

Alright, I know the literacy rate was in the 1980s was not as high as now, but this goes just beyond any reason. I mean, you never learned to read—not even in elementary school? Come on, nobody’s buying that.

Apparently, even the actor isn’t buying it, as he breaks down crying glue.

Later, while walking, Brian notices Jonathan standing up to some thugs hitting on Julie outside school.

Just a curious thing: the thug that remains slightly behind the two is played by Ving Rhames in a very early role. The other two actors playing the thugs have retired from acting instead.

Anyway, Brian helps Jonathan send them away. Julie thanks both and arranges a dinner with Brian for later at some restaurant in Downtown L.A.

But during the dinner, as the piano plays a mellow version of Highway’s main theme (again, confirming the idea that the series exists within the show), Brian is embarrassed since he doesn’t know how to read what to order in front of her.

The next day, Brian applies for a management position and is told in the interview that he has a solid chance.

Now, two things are odd here: one, specifically how did Brian learn about the job in the first place. I mean, they probably put some kind of advertisement on the newspaper (that’s the way I think it worked in the 1980s, isn’t it), but remember that he can’t read, so how did he know they were looking for somebody.

Also, they seem ready to hire Brian right there, just like that.

I mean, this place must follow Jonathan’s idealism from the Pilot about not checking references, only attitude.

But such idea turns out to be wrong because, you know, Brian can’t read. Which is just a huge problem for basically any job. So, maybe it should be the case to look at references sometimes.

Anyway, when the employer mentions an aptitude test, Brian just runs away and gets stuck on an elevator with Jonathan, who basically mocks him.

I know you just want to have Brian admit he can’t read out loud, but that sounds like scorning him.

So, just two random scenes showing how hard life is for an illiterate.

Then, Brian goes to Julie’s school and confesses he can’t read, worried that she’ll dislike him now. However, she stays calm and offers to teach him.

This feels a bit odd—he acts like he really thought she was going to laugh at him, but she remains very professional. That is actually believable, considering he’s never attended any classes and doesn’t know how to interact with a teacher. Of course, you have to believe that he never went to school in the first place, and that’s a little harder to swallow.

Meanwhile, outside of school, Mark is doing his job fixing windows when a kid randomly throws a rock right in front of everyone. That’s just one of the things that people have to go through daily in America. Eventually, Mark and Jonathan chase him down and discover he’s under the effects of something illegal. That’s pretty raw, especially for a family-friendly show

Later, Brian opens up to Jonathan and Mark, revealing that he’s particularly susceptible to the problem of drugs in the neighborhood because of the death of his best friend.

So, he’s afraid that kids will meet the same fate if nobody intervenes. Jonathan suggests that sports might be a way to help them, and encourages Brian to start a basketball team — with a punchline.

Eventually, Brian follows Jonathan’s advice and holds his first practice as the coach of a group of kids. When it’s done, he begins a motivational speech, telling the kids that the only requirement to play on his team is to be “clean”, and leading to one of the most hilarious scenes in the whole series: as soon as he says the word “clean,” all the kids raise their arms and start smelling their own underarms.

It’s ridiculous. Just plain ridiculous. I can imagine what the French had in mind for the scene, but it ends up being so unintentionally comical, in the wrong way.

Afterward, as the kids leave, Brian spots the kid who threw the rock at the window earlier and invites him to join the team—on the condition that he stops using drugs, and the boy agrees to that.

What follows is the classic “training session with music” part, where the kids are having fun and Brian is teaching them, all while Julie watches from the school.

Why that, David Rose, why.

However, the joyful vibe is suddenly shattered when a kid steps out of the yard and is stopped by Stick, the man he used to work for. Of course, Stick is furious that the kid stopped selling his stuff, so he kidnaps him.

And they only leave a basket ball on the street.

Eventually, the police finds the kid’s body on the street, dead from a drug overdose, and dismisses the case as just another drug related accident.

Of course, Brian knows there’s Stick behind this, and plans something reckless, but Jonathan calms him down.

I never noticed Landon is so short compared to a basket player.

Anyway, Jonathan immediately contradicts himself when Mark asks him what are they going to do for the kid, and Jonathan reveals he has a plan to have Stick arrested for it —but to do so, he needs a wardrobe change.

The only reasonable explanation is that Jonathan wanted to conceal his identity (he had already met those thugs when they were harassing Julie earlier), but, again, if that was his intention, it feels just like a Superman idea. Though it succeeded, just like in that case, as the thugs doesn’t recognize him.

Then, Jonathan turns to Mark, who opens a suitcase full of money.

Now, hold on—where did the money come from? I assume Jonathan used the “Stuff” to make it appear, but if that’s the case, why didn’t he just use it earlier to solve their problems? I mean, remember that in the Pilot, they had to gamble to win money, which was a bit iffy from a moral standpoint. Why didn’t they use the “Stuff” to get the money then? Maybe the writers hadn’t fully realized the extent of Jonathan’s powers yet.

Anyway, the henchmen informs Stick about the deal, and they agree to meet them at the school. But, of course, Stick plans to fool them by giving them an empty suitcase.

Once in the school, they exchange the suitcases, and Jonathan’s still full of money.

While Stick’s empty.

And he walks away, just like that.

Now, that’s quite problematic: why is Stick letting them go? He’s trying to double-cross two mysterious men (one wearing oversized sunglasses, no less) by stealing their money. For all he knows, they could be powerful criminals who will hunt him down for the rest of his life. Or they might be undercover agents with bugs, gathering evidence to bust him. Actually, this exact scenario is what eventually plays out in a future episode in the fourth season. But either way, it is just unreasonable to let them walk away.

Then, just outside the school Julie realizes she forgot some tests inside.

And you have to grade them this late at night.

So, just when things seem to be over, Brian and Julie walk up at the school, unaware of what’s been happening. Stick holds them at gunpoint. Then, as Stick is heading out of the school, he spots a police car waiting for him outside, presumably alerted by Jonathan and Mark earlier.

Now, why have the police wait outside instead of inside the school? I mean, sure, not for Jonathan who is an angel, but for Mark — he’s still a human, unarmed, and standing face-to-face with armed thugs. The producers must have realized they put the character’s safe at stake too much, and they’ll addressed this on an episode in the second season.

Anyway, Stick and the henchmen rush back into the school, while Brian chases after them.

Maybe he forgot they had a gun and he didn’t, and they could take him as their hostage to get away.

But, it doesn’t happen. Instead, Brian gets to Stick and beats him until the police intervene to separate them.

Now, Stick gasps that he’s just a businessman with a suitcase filled with money, and that Brian was just trying to steal it. Panicking moments. Stick is trying to turn the tables. The police are left to decide who they should believe. But, eventually, the good guys win: when Stick opens the suitcase, it’s not filled with money.

Right, so that explains why Jonathan received the money with the “Stuff” earlier—it wasn’t real money, but a front. This ties back to the Pilot, and explains why he couldn’t materialize the money: that’s because maybe he’s not allowed to create such money, maybe just small sums and that’s it. Or maybe they didn’t really think about it back then.

In the end, everyone celebrates, Stick is arrested and Brian is hailed as the savior of the neighborhood.

Then, Brian’s mother arrive at Julie’s school and admits that she, too, doesn’t know how to read.

So, Julie offers to teach her as well, and they enter the class with a sign to briefly sum up the whole assignment.

One curious thig: apparently, in the origianl story the sign was just “Don’t be dope”, without the second line. They probably realized it’s a school for kids, and the first line alone was just too much.

So, this was not the first time dealing with drugs in the series, and though last time too it was helmed by French, it’s definitely not that way: the previous drug-related episode was bleak, this one feels gritty. One of the most unflinching episode of Highway, definitely.

And people must like it this way: the episode improved on the previous one and got over 20 points of ratings, at the same level of the Pilot, which makes them both the most watched episodes of the first season of Highway; also, it ranked among the ten most watched program of the week it aired. People liked dramatic episode, or maybe they were fooled by the advertisement this episode was going to be a police story one. Because, mind, in that period crime and investigative shows were the most popular.