Season 2 Overview

Airdate: 10/02/1985

Directed By: Victor French

After a sublime two-part episode, the second season kicked off quite strong, making it hard to imagine how the next episode could possibly measure up. Yet, somehow, they pulled it off, delivering another exciting adventure.

Complete show available here.

Assignment: Jonathan and Mark are assigned to work as cops for one day.

Right from the start, this assignment feels unusual. Notably, there’s no specific objective or person for them to assist. Instead, their job is simply to be cops. It is quite similar to Hotel Of Dreams and A Song For Jason, where the assignment is not related to any person in particular, but rather to the job. But that’s the first time they are cops, and it won’t be the last one: actually, the job of police officer is the most recurring one they’ll have in the series (likely because procedural shows were very popular at the time, and the series wanted some of that as well).

They shouldn’t be eating while they are driving, and they are supposed to be cops.

That looks like Chips with cars, and French doesn’t have a positive experience in it.

That was him.

And that’s still him (more about it here, but it’s better to leave him like this).

Yet another reason the assignment is particular is that Jonathan doesn’t have the stuff.

The idea of relinquishing the Stuff for a while comes from Mark, when he disputes Jonathan’s ideals that there’s always a different way to handle things.and wishes Jonathan could be a cop.

And Mark is right about that.

Unlike basically almost any episode in the first season where “Jonathan is right, Mark is wrong”, now Jonathan admits that he was overly idealistic on this assignment, and that’s proven when he is held at gunpoint.

Now, it’s quite far-fetched that the burglar would have really shot anybody in the apartment: he likely knew the place was surrounded by the police (otherwise he would have attempted to escape from the window as the other burglar did). Also, Jonathan did surrender to him, so he could have just walked away by the door holding Jonathan still at gunpoint, or alternatively, he could have taken Jonathan as a hostage to get away. So, shooting him would have just alerted all the other cops around, and give away his position there.

However, that is seemingly what was going to happen, and that’s how Jonathan feels about it.

Although that’s unreasonable.

Anyway, it’s definitely unusual: finally Jonathan admits he was being too idealistic believing there’s always a way to talk people out of something.

But, of course, Mark has to learn a couple of lessons too, when he vents about the old woman who made a fuss about her door and insulted him.

And Jonathan reminds him that the old woman got angry because she was scared, and people have feelings.

It’s hard to believe, isn’t it: human beings feel emotions.

It’s probably because of people like her that he got into drinking in the first place.

Anyway, the assignment of patrolling the street just lasts for the first half of the episode. Then, after one morning into this job, they will actually receive an official assignment: helping a man whose son was killed by a cop to process it.

That marks the second time in the series Jonathan officially receives an assignment during the episode, not right at the beginning of it (compare to Plane Death for the first time). But, just like that time, everything they have done up to that moment of the episode is not unrelated to the purpose of the assignment.

• Background

The timespan of the assignment is about two days, which makes it one of the shortest-lasting assignment of the season — and sort of compensates the longer two weeks one.

As of the setting, the assignment takes place around Los Angeles, not Oakland (though Mark will have the chance to come back being a cop there in the future). It’s unclear though how it relates to its preceding episode, as they make no mention about it. However, the assignment concludes with a kid going to school.

So, it has to be at least September, a couple of month after their first assignment this season.

Otherwise, it could be April, as a character mentions it’s April Fool to explain his family’s odd attitude.

However, he’s being quite erratic, so it’s not reliable for the purpose here.

Anyway, if that were the case, and the episode were set in April, it means that it’s 1986 and would set it chronologically at the conclusion of the season.

• Characters

This particular job, in Mark’s case, is especially a familiar yet complicated task, as he was a police officer before. Just a quick summary of his background from the Pilot: Mark actually worked as a cop in Oakland from 1964 to 1979; then, during the last period of his career — after spending all those years allegedly witnessing firsthand what men are capable of — he gradually lost faith in humanity and turned to drinking, leading to his suspension from the police.

Afterward, he moved in with his sister Leslie and lived with her for five years until early 1984, when Jonathan met him in the Pilot, helped him recover and they began their journey across the US (although it’s always California, of course).

As for Jonathan, for the first time in the series, he gives up on the Stuff in the first part of the assignment (getting to know what is like to be a cop), stemming from an argument with Mark over some cops.

So, Mark thinks the kid is at fault here.

Jonathan instead has a different view.

Eventually, by the end of the assignment, Jonathan realizes he was wrong, which marks a turning point for his character. It has already happen that he had made some mistakes in his earlier assignments on the show (as in One Winged Angels) but never to be proven wrong like that.

So, while the assignment has the feel of a typical police or cop story, it avoids most of the common pitfalls of those kinds of shows. The approach is realistic, without painting the world as either black or white—something that’s easy to do in police shows like this, which are often quickly judged as “just another show endorsing police enforcement” or “just another show where cops are the villains and the people are always right.” Instead, here is a complex, realistic situation, without necessarily leaning to one side or the other. And it gives Jonathan (who believes most cops have a “happy trigger”) the chance to realize he wasn’t entirely right, but also shows Mark (who instead thinks people should be more grateful for the job cops serve everyday) how too simplistic his view is of the world.

• The “Stuff”

For the first time in the series, Jonathan has to relinquish the Stuff in the first part of the assignment (getting to know what is like to be a cop). That basically means that he’s not able to use the otherworldly strength, move quickly from a place to another and all the power he has with the Stuff. Except that he can’t die, of course. Or, if that happened in some way, he’d likely come back as angel.

Anyway, the purpose is that he has to learn what it’s like to be a cop.

But that also serves the purpose of showing Jonathan everything his friend (a simple man) has been through in the last year with him, like the time he faced two armed dealers in a school with no powers.

Still, it doesn’t last long: as soon as he gets the second assignment (helping the murdered kid’s father), he gets the power back.

Anyway, this won’t be the last time Jonathan is stripped off the power for an assignment.

• Production and Setting

This was the first episode in the second season directed by French (who alternated with Landon between episodes the just like in the first season). The production began on July 31, immediately after completing part two of A song For Jason, and lasted one week, just like most episodes in season 1 (the schedule is basically the same).

As of the settings, of course, it’s around Los Angeles, but it is to point out that they actually went around L.A. for the production, without using fictional set. For instance, it’s the case of the police station where Jonathan and Mark receive order from.

That’s actually the Los Angeles Police Museum (every respectable town has one).

Instead, the final scene with the kid crossing the street is at Windsor Square.

So, a trip around L.A.

Glossary

Bums: they are not specifically part of the assignment, yet they are there.

Cute: at the beginning, when Mark almost gets arrested because of Jonathan’s little trick with the stuff.

Friendly Jonathan: the beginning of the episode, when Jonathan uses the “Stuff” to give Mark the thief’s gun.

And probably Jonathan even used the powers to set the alarm on the shop, and alert the police that is already there by the time Mark runs out.

There was no need for it.

Landon’s sunglasses: it couldn’t possibly be the 80s rookies if cops didn’t wear sunglasses. And Landon has to wear his own.

It’s the third instance in the series, and not the last either.

Deleted scenes: in the DVD version of the episode, there’s an additional scene immediately after Jonathan almost get Mark arrested early on. In the scene, Jonathan and Mark are at some motel where Mark argues with Jonathan over the assignment, explaining that Jonathan has never received the proper training of a cop and his idealism won’t apply for this job. Then, he quizzes Jonathan over the police codes on the radio, and Jonathan reveals he has received a superior knowledge, as he knows all of them. Eventually, Jonathan randomly goes to the bathroom to shave his beard, and Mark asks him why is he doing that, considering that he’s an angel with no need to shave. And Jonathan remains puzzled as well, and realizes he has been turned to a human for the assignment.

This part was also included in the original airing of the episode.

Highway Actors: there’s a comeback here. The elderly woman Davis that was reportedly strangled is played by Margaret Wheeler, the “lady in a limo” from To Touch The Moon one season ago.

And that would be the last role on the series for her. It’s unclear whether the character is supposed to be the same or not (random chatty old lady), but there she is, finally.

Little House Actors: actually Margaret Wheeler also belongs to the Little House Actors, as she has appeared on that series a couple of times (the last time in season nine episode Alden’s Dilemma, playing a pickpocket lady). However, it was only for a scene both times.

The same applies to Ed Crick, who plays Mr. Winnofsky (the guilty cop that shot the kid): he has appeared on the second season of Little House, but just in one scene, as extra. Although it was in the episode of Ebenezer Sprague, directed by French (like this one), so at least they were familiar with each other.

The “Stuff” powers: in the episode, Jonathan is bereft of the “Stuff” for most of the assignment. However, when he’s receives it back, he seemingly doesn’t use it much. For instance, when he’s looking for Mr. Biggs, he has to ask for the address to a random kid there. Or when he abruptly orders Mark to stop the car and let him out before the final confrontation.

That’s weird, because he could have just vanished like he had done multiple times before (one instance here) and he will on other occasion (like the next episode), or he could have just used his power to stop the car alone (like the Joey Chitwood instances). But he doesn’t: instead, he just shouts at his friend to stop it and let him get off. Maybe one morning without power made him forget what it’s like to have them.

The Job: cops. They obtain it through Jonathan’s magical reference. However, during the episode it remains unclear whether Mark is just pretending to be a cop (the same way he obtains all the jobs in the series) or whether he is being the same cop he was between 1964 and 1979 in Oakland. Because he was suspended from the police, so he can’t just put on a rookie uniform and get back to work. Likely, Jonathan gave him some fictional references as well.

Epilogue: that’s a weird one. As they boom up, the episode concludes with Mark reporting the station he’s on his way to hand in his uniform. It’s the first and only time in the whole series that Mark’s voice closes the episode.

It was sure a special assignment for him, back as a cop.

Ratings: 38 million audience, 8th tie TV programs, 2nd TV genre show.

The audience surely loved the two part episodes (if they were there to watch this new episode) and they liked procedural shows too. So, by combining them, on the day October 2, this episode aired and improved again on the ratings of last week’s one (which was the highest up to that point), becoming officially the most-watched episode of both the first and second seasons. It also became the most-watched episode directed by French up to now (although he’s going to outdo that later on). But the success of this season was just beginning, and its popularity is bound to grow more.