SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 49 Min.
Televised on NBC on November 15, 1983, this Ron Satlof-directed episode has the A-Team on the run from Col. Decker, as they must hide out in secluded Lobster Bay. Upon getting B.A.’s injured foot examined at a local hospital, they by chance meet the Mayer family, whose fishing boat is threatened by vile extortionist Garber. The A-Team must further thwart Garber’s local resources, as his crooked tentacles seemingly extend everywhere. Despite Decker making an unexpected move to ensure the team’s imminent capture, the A-Team goes on a ‘fishing expedition’ to bust Garber’s thugs.
Col. John “Hannibal” Smith: George Peppard
Sgt. B.A. Baracus: Mr. T
Captain H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock: Dwight Schultz
Lt. Templeton “Face” Peck: Dirk Benedict
Amy Allen: Melinda Culea
Capt. Crane: Carl Franklin
Col. Decker: Lance LeGault
Shana Mayer: Tracy Scoggins
Garber: John Quade
Doug Mayer: Robin Strand
Betty: Rebecca Stanley
Cal Mayer: Len Wayland
Lennox: Dick Durock
Sheriff Newman: Gerald Newman
Front Desk Nurse: Daphne Maxwell-Reid
Surgeon: Ross Elliott
Hagopian: Gene Dynarski
Thug: Jophery C. Brown
Opening Credits Voice-Over: John Ashley (uncredited)
REVIEW:
Despite an unoriginal baddie (even by loose A-Team standards) hampering this episode, the presence of Lance LeGault’s hard-nosed ‘Col. Decker’ makes up much of the difference. Guest players Robin Strand, Tracy Scoggins, Carl Franklin, Len Wayland, and Dick Durock (in his skirmishes with Mr. T) also contribute solid performances. While John Quade’s scuzzy ‘Garber’ is a walking cliché, his character’s deviousness makes it fun to see the A-Team push back against him.
Including a hobbled B.A. compensating during the obligatory fistfights, this likable storyline makes a commendable effort to give the A-Team an more complex challenge. For instance, the uneasy triple-threat friction between the A-Team, Garber’s goons, and Decker’s squad is fun to watch play out. By plausibly playing up the A-Team’s fugitive status, not to mention Decker’s indifference to Garber’s blatant malevolence, “There’s Always A Catch” offers some reliable entertainment.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6½ Stars
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