A very good episode in which Officers Malloy and Reed are pushed to extremes. They're shoved out of their comfort zone by a couple of creeps who trail them throughout the episode. A freelance journalist and a photographer, these guy's proclaim to be on the side of the citizens and of justice. Actually, they're just out to force their own warped, twisted viewpoint of Police and Police tactics, on an unsuspecting public. If they have to drag the names of honest, decent Police Officers through their false, manufactured muck to do it, then so be it.
Malloy is able to handle dealing with these jerks. However, Malloy also has to deal with Reed who, still being new to the job and what it can unfortunately entail, lets the actions and words of the idiots get to him.
There's a very thoughtful yet difficult segment which sees Malloy and Reed having to tell a young wife that her husband has died while he was out of town. Martin Milner and Kent McCord are terrific here, as is the actress portraying the young wife. The heartbreak of the scene is plowed down when the creepy journalist and the photographer show up outside the woman's home. They see the young widow crying as M & R depart the house and decide to assume that the Policemen have done something awful to cause the woman's tears.
The episode continues on like this with the creeps purposely targeting Adam-12 via their own police scanner. Malloy ends up warning them off but they continue to dog the Officers, looking for an opportunity to declare Police Brutality on our heroes. They get their chance, causing Reed to nearly blow his top. However, Malloy and Reed do get their pictures in the paper! The episode concludes with the two creepy idiots ending up victims of their own prejudice. With an innocent bystander also their victim, but in a much more severe way.
Yes, a very good episode. Yet there's one more major plus here. The two jerks who follow Malloy and Reed around Los Angeles, do so in an incredible 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback. A red one. An absolute classic. A question though - if these two creeps are freelancers, how can they (or more likely the journalist alone) afford this fantastic piece of artistic machinery? This was a top of the line Mustang. Brand new as well. Quite expensive. How could these guys afford that?
Malloy is able to handle dealing with these jerks. However, Malloy also has to deal with Reed who, still being new to the job and what it can unfortunately entail, lets the actions and words of the idiots get to him.
There's a very thoughtful yet difficult segment which sees Malloy and Reed having to tell a young wife that her husband has died while he was out of town. Martin Milner and Kent McCord are terrific here, as is the actress portraying the young wife. The heartbreak of the scene is plowed down when the creepy journalist and the photographer show up outside the woman's home. They see the young widow crying as M & R depart the house and decide to assume that the Policemen have done something awful to cause the woman's tears.
The episode continues on like this with the creeps purposely targeting Adam-12 via their own police scanner. Malloy ends up warning them off but they continue to dog the Officers, looking for an opportunity to declare Police Brutality on our heroes. They get their chance, causing Reed to nearly blow his top. However, Malloy and Reed do get their pictures in the paper! The episode concludes with the two creepy idiots ending up victims of their own prejudice. With an innocent bystander also their victim, but in a much more severe way.
Yes, a very good episode. Yet there's one more major plus here. The two jerks who follow Malloy and Reed around Los Angeles, do so in an incredible 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback. A red one. An absolute classic. A question though - if these two creeps are freelancers, how can they (or more likely the journalist alone) afford this fantastic piece of artistic machinery? This was a top of the line Mustang. Brand new as well. Quite expensive. How could these guys afford that?
