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| Production 41233 Original Airdate: January 17, 1975 | |||
 Steve and Barbara frolic.
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| Produced by Lionel E. Siegel and Joe L. Cramer | |||
| Teleplay by Richard Carr | |||
| Story by Mel & Tom Levy | |||
| Directed by Arnold Laven | |||
| Guest Cast | |||
| Guest Star(s) Linda Marsh as Barbara Thatcher Jeff Corey as Orin Thatcher | |||
| Co-starring Joseph Ruskin as Markos Than Wyenn as Prof. Kosoyin Wesley Wau as Emil | |||
| Broadcast Order | |||
| Season 2 | |||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||
| "The Cross-Country Kidnap" | "The Last Kamikaze" | ||
Summary[]
Steve runs into Barbara Thatcher, a woman with whom he was once seriously involved. Their relationship ended seven years ago and she ultimately married another man. But Steve learns that her scientist husband, Orin Thatcher, was recently killed in a plane crash en route to Lisbon.
Steve and Barbara's romance begins anew and fortunately he's on hand to thwart a kidnap attempt on Barbara by unknown assailants. Then comes a telephone call from her supposedly dead husband, pleading that she join him in Libson at the Bagarian Embassy. Barbara decides to go and give Orin a chance to explain himself. Steve goes with her — but not before an attempt is made by the same assailants to run him down.
Steve and Barbara fly to Lisbon and confront Orin. They discover that he's actually pretending to defect in order to develop a purifying gas formula to be used in the event of a biological warfare attack. They also learn that Orin's Bagarian hosts are behind the attempts made on them. Steve must now help the Thatchers escape and risk losing Barbara forever.
Memorable Quotes[]
Steve: You know, Oscar, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you. Do you ever have a leisurely meal?
Oscar: Only on weekends, pal, and sometimes not even then.
Steve: (coercing Marcos) Do exactly as I say, or I'll break your neck.
Barbara: Oh Steve, you have a wonderful way of making things easier... and harder at the same time.
Trivia[]
Characters[]
- The name Orin Thatcher may be a reference to Torin Thatcher, a longtime character actor.
- We get a rare glimpse of Steve in a full suit and tie in a casual (non-military) situation.
Story[]
- This episode has a few parallels to "The Bionic Woman" two-parter that aired only a few months later, including a montage of Steve and Barbara/Jaime enjoying a range of activities. The downbeat ending is also similar in tone to the ending of "The Return of the Bionic Woman."
- Steve doesn't get romantically involved with another woman until "Taneha" a number of weeks later.
- Steve enrolled in astronaut training approximately seven years before this episode took place.
Locations[]
- The geography of the "Bionic Universe" expands once again with this episode. Orin Thatcher has been in hiding in Lisbon at the Bagarian Embassy.
- Since Oscar and Steve assume that Thatcher defected, Bagaria is aligned against the United States in the Cold War and may be part of the Eastern Bloc nations. It may be a fictional stand-in for Bulgaria.
- When Steve and Barbara arrive at the Bagarian Embassy there are two flags hanging over the entrance. The flag on the left might be the Portuguese flag. The colors and pattern seem correct. The flag on the right is unknown. It has three horizontal stripes: orange, dark blue, and olive drab. Perhaps this is meant to be the Bagarian flag.
Gaffes[]
- When Steve arrives at the airport in Lisbon he phones Oscar from a telephone booth. The sign on the booth reads "Telefono," which is Spanish. Portuguese for telephone is "telefone."
Nitpicks[]
- When Steve jumps over the car, wires can be seen hoisting the stuntman.
- The crack in the wooden beam caused by Steve breaking free is visible when he's first chained to it.
Gallery[]
