That’s a simple yet peculiar assignment—though not as peculiar as other episodes, or at least peculiar in a different way. And probably one of the most peculiar feature is the opening of the episode, which is basically an entire different episode of its own.

So, here’s the background: on TV, a program must run either 30 minute (usually sitcoms are like that) or one hour, like Highway. When the program airs in primetime TV on the original network, it can varies: most Highway shows run 46 to 50 minutes, rarely get to 51 minutes. However, when it airs in syndication, rules are stricter, it has to be 44 or 45 minutes, not a single minute more than that. Or less, as in this case.

Every episode of Highway is written in order to fit that timespan, the scripts usually have the same length and the production schedule consider timing beforehand to avoid making an episode longer or shorter than that. But there are a couple of occasions in which the episodes turned out to be shorter than originally anticipated, which makes it impossible to sell it in syndication. So, to solve the problem, Landon improvised a new scene, usually a cold opening, produced and added to the episode at some later point, after the episode had its original airing, and the scene is specifically made in order to sell the episode in syndication when they have to. That occurred certainly for the episode Love And Marriage later this season — and it’s likely it has occurred for this episode as well.

So, considering it’s a cold open that has nothing to do with the actual episode (which is here), and which was probably added at some later point (likely it wasn’t part of the episode when it first aired on October 1986), it basically constitutes a sort of bonus assignment. Of course, Landon decided to do a drug episode, one of his obsession.

Assignment: Jonathan and Mark are “assigned” to work on a drug smuggling operation.

The episode starts off, and something feels immediately off.

And it’s not Landon’s new summer pinky.

There is no introduction.

Of course, there’s still the same opening with the Little House recycle, but that is usually followed by the title of the episode and the guest actor credits — shown while Jonathan and Mark are driving somewhere discussing their next assignment.

Instead, now, the episode begins right away, without displaying any credit, nor showing the title. Actually, they didn’t skip that part: the credits will start once this cold opening concludes and the actual episode begins (the episode For The Love Of Larry, the one that originally aired in the 1980s). Considering that a similar feature (showing the credit ten minutes into the episode) would occur for the cold opening of the episode Love And Marriage (for which it has been confirmed the opening was added later for the syndication version), that might further suggest this cold opening wasn’t originally part of the episode.

Anyway, it opens so abruptly. Jonathan and Mark are not even in their car driving somewhere and discussing the next assignment: instead, they are on foot, discussing the “Stuff” (and not the angelic kind).

It is apparent their “assignment” involves investigating an illegal smuggling operation, which suggests that they do have an assignment after all.

So, Mark basically complains that kids are doozies because they know dope is bad yet continue to buy it all the same.

Then, Jonathan responds that it is important to teach young people about the dangers of drugs.

He’s about to get to the point.

When Mark asks what happens if kids are too stubborn to heed those warnings, Jonathan drops a punchline — that striking punchline—one that Michael Landon had probably been waiting to use since season one, or maybe even before: Jonathan states that history shows all great civilizations were destroyed from within, not by external threats.

And Mark, who is quick on the uptake, asks whether Jonathan is suggesting that the country is headed towards its extinction because of it.

This is a massive claim, and it pushes Landon’s recurring obsession way far. In fact, this is not the first time Jonathan has expressed this idea: in the first season episode Plane Death—when Jonathan and Mark investigate the disappearance of Mark’s friend and discover he was killed by drug smugglers—they attend the funeral, and Mark wonders aloud when the country will finally eliminate drugs. Then, Jonathan replied that if it does not happen soon, there may be no country left at all. So, it seems likely that Landon originally wrote the line for that episode and simply recycled it two seasons later. But it seems bolder now.

What makes this especially strange is that the speech is delivered during a seemingly random prologue in an episode that eventually has nothing to do with drugs or country extinctions (it’s actually about a dog rescuing people). Again, it’s likely because Landon wrote this entire prologue later on and added it in the episode in order to sell it to syndication, and it has nothing to do with the actual assignment of the rest of the episode (which is about dog).

Anyway, as Jonathan and Mark walk along, they notice a group of men sitting in a car.

The men turn toward them, seemingly ready to make a deal, while random bystanders watch and nod from all around.

And there are bins everywhere: just another of Landon’s obsession.

But it is entirely unclear what is happening: whether these men are undercover cops, criminals, or something else entirely—and even what Jonathan and Mark’s role is supposed to be. Are they meant to bust drug dealers? If so, why not leave that to the police? Their assignments are usually about helping people, not playing vigilante. Unless this is one of the rare cases where they are working as cops—as happened in a season two episode—but then why involve Mark, who has no powers, in what appears to be a dangerous operation.

Mark is like: “Do I have to go too?”.

Eventually, they approach the thugs and ask to see “the Stuff”.

But the thug demands to see the money.

It feels like a throwback to As Difficult As ABC in season one.

Anyway, Mark reaches into his coat, and the thugs immediately stop him. But the odd part is that Mark reassures the thugs by explaining that he doesn’t have a gun.

Sure.

It’s probably a lie to reassure the thug, because if he really doesn’t have one, he’s a fool. There’s no other way to put it, trying to deal dope with thugs and not having a gun there.

Because, of course, they have it.

Of course.

Anyway, the thugs take the money from Mark’s pocket, but suddenly a group of cops shows behind Jonathan and Mark and holds everyone at gunpoint.

And one of the thugs jumps on Mark and grabs as a hostage.

Now, what exactly is going on here? If this was supposed to be some kind of police secret operation, then these are the worst cops imaginable. It was obvious the thugs were armed, and it was equally obvious that they would take either Mark or Jonathan hostage the moment something went wrong. So why jump out of nowhere and yell at them the moment Jonathan and Mark were handing an envelope to the thugs instead of waiting for Jonathan and Mark to move away first? Unless, of course, Jonathan and Mark were not actually working with the cops, but were on a mission of their own and the police just happened to be there. But in that case, they would be fools to deal with dangerous criminals without involving the actual cops.

There’s also the question of why Mark was the one carrying the money: Jonathan is an angel—he can’t die (or at least he can come back to life, apparently)—so it would have been much safer if Jonathan had handed over the money, while Mark stayed a step behind.

Or maybe Jonathan is really trying hard to get his friend killed someday, and have him come back as angel. This cold open is like a long Friendly Jonathan instance.

Anyway, things quickly get increasingly ridiculous: as the cops move closer, Jonathan suddenly and agitatedly orders them to stop and do as the thugs say.

But, hold on there: why is Jonathan so worried? He has the Stuff, he could easily use his powers to jam the thug’s gun and give everyone time to escape (which is precisely what would happen in the fifth season, for that matter). Or he could temporarily give Mark the Stuff and make him bullet-proof (the way Jonathan was on multiple occasions in season one, like Catch A Falling Star and Plane Death too). But none of it happens.

Maybe he assumes the thug is a fool and, after backing up a little, he’ll just clumsily throw Mark over some trash bins and run off. Yet it would be so unexpectedly foolish: you have a hostage, the cops are closing in, that hostage is the only reason the police are holding their fire— if you throw the hostage away, the cops should absolutely shoot you.

That’s ridiculous.

The thug throws Mark away, runs in an open street, and the cops just start chasing him. They don’t even attempt to fire, even though the criminal is running down the middle of an empty street.

As if the situation weren’t implausibly surreal enough already, Mark decides to chase the criminal too. What on earth is he doing? That man is armed, and Mark has no protection—not even a bulletproof vest.

He has forgotten every lesson he ever learned as cop.

And, of course, the thug is tucked behind some bins, and shoots Mark.

However, Mark appears immune to bullets.

So, Mark assumes he must have the Stuff. Maybe Jonathan doesn’t really want to see his friend die — yet.

Also, about that: what’s Jonathan doing in the meantime? He could use the Stuff to disappear and catch the criminal instantly (he has already used the power of vanishing and appearing somewhere else). Instead, he seems to wait for Mark to handle this, and supposedly gave him the Stuff for it. Supposedly, because seeing how recklessly Mark is unarmedly chasing that thug, it’s entirely plausible that Mark is under the effect of the Stuff — just not the angelic one.

The angelic one or the thugs’ one?

Anyway, Mark corners the thug.

It’s either the second Stuff, or French was drunk here.

And tries to cook him on a barbecue.

But then the cops finally arrive and arrest the criminal.

That looks familiar.

That’s Junkie from Catch A Falling Star after trying to rob Mark and experiencing an angel playing tricks on him.

Anyway, Jonathan is there too, and scolds Mark for his recklessness, but Mark laughs it off, convinced he has the Stuff.

At this point, Jonathan makes a revelation that just goes to show how friendly he is — and further confirms Mark was using a different Stuff than the angelic one.

He’d better not tell him.

This revelation simply doesn’t work. Unless Jonathan secretly wanted to see his friend killed so Mark would become an angel and they’d stop worrying about dangerous assignments (like As Difficult As ABC, again). Or maybe Jonathan deliberately withheld the Stuff because he knew the gun was loaded with blanks. Either way, it’s impossible that Mark didn’t have any power, because that guy was actually shooting him. So, again, maybe Jonathan knew the thugs was so foolish Mark was never in any real danger, or maybe he knew the gun wasn’t loaded. But it feels random all the same.

Anyway, Mark realizes he got the wrong stuff, and starts feeling unwell.

That’s a side effect.

Next, they arrive at a hospital.

And here’s something very peculiar: Mark puts a suitcase in the back of the car.

It’s not just any suitcase—it’s the bag: the same bag from One Winged Angels on season one, the bag Jonathan was packing before leaving the motel at the conclusion of that episode (more details about it at the “Highway Of Mysteries” entry of that episode).

It was also the same bag Mark had in the episode The Monster and Keep Smiling on season two

At this point, it’s possible that when Jonathan was shown packing in One Winged Angels, he was actually packing Mark’s bag.

Eventually, Mark says that after this assignment he wants to take some time off, and Jonathan replies that they don’t have any assignments.

Don’t trust him.

When Jonathan tells Mark they can take some time off, they always get caught up in something (like that time in One Winged Angels or The Secret or Heaven On Earth, just a few), but Mark still believes in Jonathan’s lie.

After three seasons, he believes they can finally have some holiday (of course they won’t).

But with that intention, they drive away, as Mark shows off his singing skill, like he did in season one, and sings Ridin’ Down The Canyon, a 1935 ol’ goody. It’s probably the same station of the 1922 tune from the season one To Touch the Moon episode. Because Mark likes old station, and the producers like to have old songs they don’t have to pay the rights for.

And French is such a good actor he can convincingly sing badly.

Then, ten minutes into the episode, the title appears and the opening credits finally roll—leading into the actual assignment.

This was random for countless reasons; most importantly: everything that happens in this prologue is completely unrelated to the rest of the episode. The most likely explanation is that the episode was originally too short: without this prologue, it would run only about 39 minutes instead of the usual 45 minutes. Realizing this, Landon may have written a random introduction to pad the runtime—and, of course, he decided to make it about drugs, one of his three obsessions. Another explanation is that the prologue could be a recycled idea from an abandoned episode: perhaps Landon initially planned to make a drug-related story, realized it wasn’t working, and abruptly changed course.

But again, the most likely possibility is syndication. It’s common for syndicated episodes to differ from their original broadcast versions. If a show is supposed to be 45 minutes, it must be exactly that length, and if it’s too long, it has to be cut or divided in two parts. On Highway, that occurred a couple of times: once had already happened with the Pilot, for instance (it originally aired as a single 90 minutes episode but in syndication it was divided in two part, which is the reason season one has one extra episode in DVD), but it will happen again in the fifth season. In this case, however, they had a different problem: the episode was too short. So when it was sold into syndication, they needed extra material to fill the time slot and hastily produced this entire prologue—possibly in a single day. That theory gains weight because something very similar happens in another episode later this season, which also features a random, unrelated prologue and delays the opening credits until nearly twenty minutes in.

So, what it all boils down to is that it was a random cold opening which likely wasn’t part of the original episode when in first aired on October 1986, and it teaches impressionable kids in the audience that dope is bad — as if it weren’t obvious to the Highway audience already. Or maybe it actually aired with the original episode, but in that case, it was likely added later upon realizing the episode was too short. Either way, the prologue is over, and Jonathan and Mark can go to the mountains, and work on the actual assignment of the episode.