Season 2 Overview

Airdate: 11/27/1985

Directed By: William F. Claxton

Here it comes — yet a peculiar episodes. The audience probably missed such peculiar episodes. And this one stands out for several reasons.

Complete show available here.

Assignment: Mark is “assigned” to help his friend’s family who is drifting apart confronting a secret which involves one of them.

So, in the assignment, Mark finds Wes, one of his old colleagues from Oakland (remember that Mark used to be a cop, as described in the Pilot); apparently, they were best friend, and Wes even saved his life back when they worked together. However, the assignment officially begins when they talk about Wes and his wife’s wedding.

But that would be one year before Heather, their daughter, was born — and that’s a secret everybody is keeping from her for some reason.

It’s weird that Mark was trying to convince his friend about the date of the wedding. I mean, as if his friend didn’t know it.

So, either Heather was born after the marriage (and that could have been a dangerous secret in a religious series), or she was adopted, but nobody ever told her. Right now, to avoid putting off the audience, they decided to go for the second one: Wes believes it’s time to inform Heather that she was adopted, and Mark resolves to help her track down her parents. Later, when the audience will be into the episode, they’ll reveal there’s another secret that involves teenage pregnancy (which is also going to be discussed more in details in another episode) and people having children without being married — but that’s well into the episode.

Now, the premise should sound odd. Not much because it’s another family issue assignment (it’s nothing new here) but rather for its characters. That’s because at the beginning of the episode, Jonathan apparently breaks the rule with the “Stuff” by using it against his superior’s will, causing him to be summoned to Heaven and keeping him away from Earth for most of the time.

So, it marks the first episode in the whole series in which Jonathan disappears for much of it, likely one of the episodes in which Jonathan is featured the least of the whole series. It’s unclear whether that was due to Michael Landon’s busy schedule — perhaps he couldn’t make it for this episode — or if it was always written that way in the script. Either way, it means that Mark finally becomes the only central character, and the only protagonist of the show. It’s the first, and one of the very few episodes, where the assignment is entirely carried out by Mark alone.

Finally, after spending over a year hanging around a probationary angel, he gets the chance to put in practice what he has learnt so far in his own assignments.

But there’s something peculiar about that, as the assignment is not really an official one; rather, it’s yet again an improvised one. That’s because it doesn’t stem from their Superior’s order, but from a coincidence: Mark being in the right spot (by the beach with Wes and his family) at the right time, when they decide to tell Heather the “secret” (although it partly stems from Mark, who lets it on to her that her parents got married one year after her birth).

That’s similar to what happened on Season 1 for Plane Death (when they went to visit Mark’s friend and found out he went missing, so they resolved to investigate as a personal assignment). Of course, on that occasion, after sometime into the unofficial assignment, it became an official one.

So, it’s reasonable that something similar happens here as well.

Actually, right at the beginning of the episode, Jonathan and Mark are already heading to Wes and his family, so maybe the assignment was already set to be that (and their superior made them believe they were going having a vacation).

Yet, due to Jonathan’s absence (he’s the one who receives the orders), it remains unclear whether it’s an official assignment (and Jonathan and Mark were actually supposed to be working on it together as usual, before Jonathan was summoned up), or whether it was just a coincidence.

Curiously, it’s the third time in the series Mark or Jonathan personally know the people they are assigned to help (in this case, Mark’s friend). The first time was Plane Death, and the second in A Match Made In Heaven (actually, there would be Going Home, Going Home, but on that occasion Mark was the assignment, sort of). And, just like in Plane Death, it’s about Mark’s colleague. It seems like every time Mark plans to take a break from his job to meet one of is old friend, some bad thing happens and he’s forced back to work. Because, as soon as you start working with an angel, every holiday turns into an assignment too.

• Background

It’s rather unclear: apparently, it’s not set in the summer, as the characters are shown attending school, but there are no details about any date, so it could be anytime between September 1985 and May 1986 (the conclusion of the season). The timespan is likely around a week, although it’s unclear as well: the first part of the episode takes place over the course of three days (Mark getting to the beach, followed by Mark investigating into the girl’s parents and then the secret is revealed). However, the second part of the episode supposedly takes more time, especially because at the conclusion they arrange a meeting with a judge for a divorce, and it’s hard to believe that takes place in a week.

The setting remains Los Angeles, as usual, but they do not even hide it this time: at some point, Wes and Mark discover the girl’s mother used to live in “Stockton Avenue”, which actually exists (in California, too).

Although they say it’s “Woodword”, and that’s fictional instead.

• Characters

At the beginning, Jonathan and Mark seems to be ready for a holiday. And, of course, that won’t happen.

But not a probationary one.

So, that’s the second time in the season Mark talks about taking some holidays (here it’s the first time), and the fourth time in the series. Actually, it has never happened he had a holiday.

But maybe they do now.

Of course not.

Anyway, in the episode, Mark introduces Wes, a friend from his cop years, who also saved Mark’s life (first time Mark mentions something like it).

And Mark was really some reckless cop, because it’s not going to be the last time in the series he mentions that one of his colleague saved his life. Also, he must have had many colleagues, because on those future instances it’s not going to be Wes (he’s not mentioned again after this episode). Really, how many closed calls he must have had.

But Mark has more than a friend up on his sleeve: during the investigation, Wes reveals that he was helped to track down Heather’s parents by some Mark’s friend who works for the county and who is about to retire. They never show him, nor mention this friend again. Actually, they do not even tell his name. But apparently, Mark has more friends than it seemed: even without Jonathan, he has connections around.

Yet they must not be very good though, otherwise they would have done something with his drinking. I mean, he had to wait to find an angel in the Pilot for that. Think about it: everybody is aware of this problem; it’s even brought up in a speech by Wes, to dismiss Mark’s warning he’s drinking too much.

And you didn’t help him.

But it seems that everyone shy away from it. Like at the beginning, when Carol scolds Mark for staying away so long.

You know, he had some very personal issues to take care of.

Mark certainly has many friends around, but Jonathan is the only real one.

There’s one curious thing to point out is at the conclusion, when Mark tells his superior no angel tries as hard as Jonathan.

That implies Mark knows many angels—even though so far, the only one they have met is Petros Hadiar, and it’s even unclear if Mark knew that (because Petros only revealed his identity to Jonathan). It seems like Mark knows more friends and angels than what it seems in the first place.

But Mark concludes by quitting his job.

Mark should have thought about it in Season 1.

• Production And Settings

As of the production, there’s something very particular to point out: this marks the first episode of the entire series not directed by either Landon or Victor French, who had directed every episode since Season 1. Instead, the job was handed over to William Francis Claxton. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s no stranger — he’s been a longtime collaborator with Landon since Bonanza, and after the conclusion of that series, he followed Landon and directed over fifty episodes of Little House from 1974 (the first season). Then, in 1980, he abandoned Little House to make Father Murphy, the second TV series created by Landon (but nobody watched it). In 1984, after the conclusion of both Father Murphy and Little House (they were cancelled the same year), he directed one episode of Fame, the third season finale, which also had French in a guest appearance — the last role of his career outside Highway: after that episode (produced at the same time as the Pilot), he only worked on Highway as both actor and director, and then he didn’t have time to do anything else, his career was cut short in 1989 by his death. So, that role was an important one, as it reveals what he had been up to after the conclusion of Little House and the beginning of this new series.

On this season of Fame, he also directed one episode written by Perine (who would become a screenwriter for Highway too), before that one.

Anyway, following the Fame episode, French went to Highway, while Claxton wasn’t involved in its first season, but here he is now, directing this unusual episode.

Now, it won’t be the last time in the series: he directed another episode in the series, which will air later this season (episode The Good Doctor), and stopped after it. The unusual part is that this episode was produced by the end of August over the course of three days, and didn’t take a whole week or ten days as the usual schedule. So, considering it’s one of the very few episodes where Jonathan basically never appears, and considering that it wasn’t directed by Landon either, it could be reasonable to assume that it was kind of an improvised episode. Maybe, it was originally supposed to be directed by Landon, but he really got caught up with some schedule conflicts and he contacted his old collaborator and friend Claxton to help him. And then Claxton made a second episode a couple of weeks later.

Or maybe he was already supposed to take one episode in the second season (like The Good Doctor), and then Landon got caught up with some schedule conflict and Claxton took this episode too. Of course, in that case French might have directed it has well, but maybe they just wanted to give it to Claxton, who still hadn’t worked with him after Little House, while French could have directed any episode. Or maybe it’s just that Mark’s role is much prominent here and French wasn’t confident being actor and director at the same time.

Or maybe Landon didn’t have any schedule conflicts, but he just needed some holiday. I mean, after working as director and writer and executive producer for almost any episode so far, perhaps he really needed to take some time off. Even Mark implies that, at the beginning of the episode, while talking about what they are going to do later.

What he really means is that Landon hasn’t worked hard enough to deserve it.

It really seems like Mark is talking about Landon, and as soon as he says that an angel deserves a vacation, Jonathan struggles to hold a laugh, seemingly.

He’s been involved in every episode so far, he wants to take a break.

Also, that’s plausible an inside reference, because the episode was produced in August, so maybe Landon actually went to hit the beach with his family.

But he chose a short episode for a vacation. I mean, most episodes take around one week or ten days, and this episode was produced just on three days. Maybe he did that on purpose: he chose an episode that was quick to be produced because he didn’t want to stay away from the series that long.

And there are more implications: if Landon really had some schedule conflicts about it (or if it was just a holiday, the question is the same), then it’s unclear whether they had to change the episode and have his character away with a excuse, or if the episode was already written to be like that, with Landon’s character off. Maybe they specifically wrote the episode keeping Jonathan away to give Landon a holiday.

Anyway, Claxton is not the only Little House old timer to be involved in the production of this episode: it was written by Paul W. Cooper, who is one of the few Little House writers to be part of Highway too (actually, the only one, alongside Vince Gutierrez who joined this series a couple episodes ago).

Instead, as for the setting, it’s around California, like the beach at the beginning Mark calls “Windward” it’s actually “Westward” (they couldn’t hide it from a Los Angeles audience, so they figured it was useless to alter the name that much).

And this same beach will be recycled on some future episodes. And, just like in those occasions, it continues the beach curse of the series.

• The “Stuff”

There’s something important to point out here. At the beginning, when they stop at a diner to ask for directions, and while Mark is distracted, Jonathan witnesses a group of bullies rob a man of his dinner. So, he approaches one and politely asks him to return the food, but he’s brushed off. Then, Jonathan briefly looks up to the sky and talks to his superior.

And he goes mad.

So, he approaches the bullies and uses his otherworldly strength to confront them and knock them down.

Eventually, he gets the food back.

However, Jonathan used the “Stuff” against his superior’s will — and must face the consequences for it.

When Mark returns, Jonathan explains that he broke one of the rules by using the “Stuff” without permission, so he has to go back to Heaven and see what it will be of him.

Now, hold on, there’s so much going on here. So, one thing to notice: that’s not the first time Jonathan thinks his superior is wrong, as it also occurred in the season one finale, when he gave up on the assignment, Mark told him that wasn’t right, and Jonathan talked back to his superior.

Also, on that occasion he eventually used the Stuff in a church — which was the reason behind his hopelessness (he thought his power were limited there).

That goes to show that Jonathan has a precedent in going against the rule or having argument with the superior. Yet, when he used the Stuff on that episode, he wasn’t then summoned back to Heaven as he is now (which means he wasn’t breaking any rule with the Stuff nor going against his superior’s will, and that argument with Mark over the assignment on that episode was just random).

But, there’s also another issue here: in one of the first season’s episodes (here), Jonathan was in a similar situation — he had to face some bullies teased by Mark — yet on that occasion he was actually beaten up by them and later explained Mark he wasn’t allowed to use the “Stuff” against his superior’s will. So, that established it as a general rule: it seemed that Jonathan had to ask for permission to use the Stuff, and if he didn’t have it, the consequence was that he’d be prevented from using his powers. That explained why Jonathan can’t just use the Stuff to solve all his assignments. Yet, now, it seems he still has access to the “Stuff” anytime, but if he breaks the rules, he must face the consequences (more details about the possible features and rules of the “Stuff” at the guidelines and map , at “The Stuff Powers” entry).

Now, there are some ways to justify it: maybe, in Season 1, the “Stuff” worked differently — perhaps Jonathan was still on probation, and only allowed to use his powers when given permission. Now, it seems he’s no longer on probation and can use the “Stuff” freely, though still within certain boundaries. That’s possible because in one episode earlier this season, Jonathan died while dealing with a personal matter, but later came back to life. So, maybe in his rebirth he somehow advanced in his probation, and he’s now allowed to use the Stuff in any situation, without asking for his superior’s permission.

Or maybe, Jonathan has always been allowed to use the “Stuff” as he wanted to, but he refrained from it on some occasions because he knew there are some rules to follow, and if he used it against them he would have had to face up the consequences as he does here. For instance, in the first season episode in which Jonathan got beaten up by some thugs, he could have used the “Stuff” to defend himself but deliberately avoided to because he knew that, if he had used it, he would have been summoned back to Heaven with the risk of losing his chance to become an angel.

That doesn’t explain why he’s bleeding, though.

In this light, it would be possible to explain some prior events in a different way: for instance, in one episode this season Mark got angry because Jonathan wouldn’t fix his radio, and blamed the superior for it.

Maybe Jonathan couldn’t use his power (his superior directly prevented hm from it), or maybe he could have used it, but then he would have had to face he consequences.

Either way, whether Jonathan always had the chance to deploy the “Stuff” but willingly refrained from it or if he got that chance only later in the season, what it all boils down to is that right now Jonathan can actually use the Stuff without asking for anybody’s permission. Of course, it’s possible that Jonathan would still have to operate under certain rules. I mean, if Jonathan were allowed to use the Stuff freely — knowing he’d face consequences if he broke the rules, but still letting it up to him to decide whether to use it or not — that raises a whole other issue, because it gives him an incredible amount of power over people. For instance, what if he went crazy for some reason and decided to wipe out half the world; I mean, it’s hard to believe he could do that and just “face the consequences” afterward, like it’s happening here.

That remains unclear, but what’s important is that something in his relationship with the “Stuff” is different. Or maybe Jonathan still doesn’t fully understand how the “Stuff” work. Or maybe the writers themselves didn’t fully know how the “Stuff” was supposed to work — or just hadn’t figured it out back in the first season. Or maybe Landon really had some schedule conflicts, and they needed an excuse to get him away for an episode, so they just came up with this.

Also, there’s another peculiar thing to point out: when Jonathan is called back to Heaven, in order to get there he just walks in the street.

And then he’s gone.

So, that’s important because it’s the first time in the whole series Jonathan is shown going to Heaven — and it seems that one way to enter there is by walking on a street.

It’s actually unclear whether Jonathan can come back to Heaven any moment he wants to (and now he’s just using the Stuff to go there, disappearing in a similar way to the Christmas Special of season 1), or if he has to be summoned by his superior to go to there. Maybe this episode shows that Heaven is actually on Earth, just invisible to people.

Either way, it’s also unclear why he’s walking towards something. Especially because, in the fourth season, there’s going to be an episode in which Jonathan will have to go to Heaven — but, on that occasion, he’ll just evaporate without moving around. Maybe the writers still hadn’t figured out a way for Jonathan to send him there.

Glossary

Blooper: there are two bloopers here, and they are both about the same matter. The first time is at the beginning of the episode: when Mark is walking towards Jonathan, there’s something appearing between them, left of the car.

There’s a mic, sticking out between them. And the guy holding it must have realized it was too dangerously close, because he immediately pulls it back.

But Claxton probably had some problems with it, or the guy holding the mic was too tired on this episode, because something similar happens later: when Shelley goes to her sister’s room, there seems to be nothing wrong around her.

However, later, the shadow of a mic drops on the left, above the character.

Maybe the guy who usually holds it had a vacation like Landon, and they replaced him with another one without much experience. Or maybe that guy was the same, and was too tired. Perhaps he really needed a vacation.

Car: at the conclusion of the episode, Mark’s beloved car breaks down.

It’s the first time in the season.

Little House Actor: the actress playing Shelley (youngest daughter of Wes) is Shannen Doherty, a familiar face to Landon and French, but also Claxton (directing this episode) and to the whole Little House audience.

So, she began her career in 1981, and her first role was as a guest character in one episode of Father Murphy (that other TV series created by Landon, but nobody watched it). Although Landon didn’t appear there, it was directed by Claxton, who had left Little House to exclusively work on Father Murphy.

But the role on Father Murphy was just in one episode (an important one though, considering it’s her first TV appearance ever).

Then, she played the recurring character of Jenny (fictional Laura’s niece) in the ninth season of Little House from 1982 to 1983, where she appeared on some twenty episodes (basically the entire season), including the three final special movies. So, not a guest star, but a regular character (although just for one season). And, during that experience on Little House, she acted with and was directed by French on several occasions (he was protagonist of the season) and sometimes Landon too (he appeared on three episodes and directed two too).

And she even appeared in all the three final special movies.

Now, two years after the conclusion of Little House, they called her back. And, just like in the prior occasions, they got her for one of the episode where Landon appears the least: she appeared in all of his three TV series, yet she never much worked with him. But she got French, just like on Little House.

Recycle: there’s one instance. At the beginning of the episode, after revealing Heather was adopted, she walks by the shore with her father, and suddenly, there’s some random seagull flying somewhere.

This entire seagull part is a recycle from Help Wanted: Angel (the part when Stella and Mark spend the night talking by the beach), just in a shorter version and with a different score now.

Actually, the score from the Help Wanted: Angel scene was already recycled on another episode back in season 1. And now, they even recycled the entire seagull flight as well.

They must have liked this scene so much, because they will recycle it again on another episode in a future season.

Landon the Mechanic: when Mark’s car breaks down at the conclusion and Jonathan fixes it.

Horselaugh: one instance at the conclusion, when Mark almost swears after seeing Jonathan back.

It’s a long one.

Real long one.

At some point they’ll run out of breath.

That was one of the longest horselaugh of the series. And an improvised one: in the original script of the episode, it concluded with the car breaking down and Jonathan and Mark left stranded there. However, while making the scene, French started laughing after his “Sorry” line, and Landon followed him. And they kept on going for thirty seconds straight. But that’s the good thing about having two best friends on Highway.

Fishing: at the beginning of the episode, Mark mentions how good of a spot the beach is for that.

That’s the second time in the series Mark talks about such activity (the first time was in One Winged Angels). But he won’t go fishing here.

Ratings: 35 million audience, 14th weekly TV programs, 3rd TV genre show.

The episode aired on November 27, right one week after the Bonanza comeback, and it enjoyed similar success in ratings, much better the the first season episodes airing on November one year earlier. And that great success is even bound to grow more in the upcoming weeks. Now, the series is ready for a two part show.