DIGG THIS --> Knight Rider: Knight Of The Hunter Reviewed

Could it be? The producers and writers read our blogs and heard our pleas for a change? While I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen, I think Knight Rider is showing signs of promise. The episode "Knight Of The Hunter" is reminiscent of the original show, Michael and KITT are the ultimate crime fighting team. And it would not be complete without a damsel in distress. Our man Hoff, the original Michael Knight, must have studied at the James T. Kirk school of "How to win in no-win situations." That formula always included a beautiful woman; Michael Traceur is a chip off that block for sure.

Episode Highlights and Leave comments at NBC.com

So Michael and KITT find themselves infiltrating a para-military camp run by some former disgruntled government contractors who's shady dealings got them kicked out of Iraq. After Michael gets the snot beat out of him during an interrogation by our mystery woman, Michael is confronted by her when snooping around the compound. She reveals her name is Cassandra and she is with MI-6, so they team up. The camp leader is watching all this and is in pursuit to kill them. Michael and Cassandra meet up with KITT and off they go.

KITT is configured as the F-150, they are being chased down a bumpy dirt road that is mined. KITT says "transformation would improve my mobility", and Michael gives him the approval. KITT hits a mine during transformation, flips end over end several times, and is wrecked off in the ditch.

This part makes no sense to me. How could a Mustang Cobra that sits low to the ground, with street racing tires provide more mobility on a mined, bumpy dirt road, than a decked out F-150 made for off-road? At night too. Do the writers have to incapacitate KITT in every episode? We know that during transformation KITT is vulnerable. Can we get just ONE episode where KITT is NOT out-manned, out-gunned, out-maneuvered, or incapacitated? PLEASE??

So Michael and Cassandra run away, and eventually find shelter in a cave. While Michael and Casandra dance around a romantic encounter, it takes well into daylight hours for KITT repairs itself. He rescues them, so they are off to catch the bad guys.

The plot ending is where the writers got it right.We find out the reason the bad guys stopped chasing them is because the bad guys were making their move. At Michael they thought they would blowup the FDR Memorial Dam. But after they follow a truck they are sure is carrying a bomb, when it doesn't explode they realize they've been on the wrong trail. The real crime was the heist of $250Million gold from the Phoenix Federal Reserve.

As Michael, Cassandra, and KITT proceed at neck breaking speeds to stop the robbers, the gold has already made into the wrong hands. But as our bad guys attempt to flee, they are confronted with Micheal and KITT. On the surface it's a lopsided game of chicken; two HUMVEE's and 5 ton against a tricked out Mustang Cobra. When they resist, KITT deploys his laser weapons and destroys the HUMVEE's. By that time, the Phoenix police and National Guard arrive. This is what makes it science fiction.

The plot ending is what the original series made of. It is why I became a TV critic, and it's why I write. One man (with a beautiful gal in tow) can make a difference.

As for the rest of the story lines, it's all filler, stuff to fill the 43 minutes of the actual episode between commercials. We're gonna continue to see the "baggage" between Michael and Sarah. We'll see more character development with Billy and Zoe. Charles (Bruce Davison) and Carrie Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) are not in every episode. Alex (Yancey Arias) is the bad guy of the bunch, and it would not hurt my feelings if they killed off his character, although he did help with some comedy relief in this episode.

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John Crawford

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The Cartouche: DIGG THIS --> Knight Rider: An Open Letter To NBC

The Cartouche: DIGG THIS --> Knight Rider: An Open Letter To NBC

More reviews

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John Crawford

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DIGG THIS --> Knight Rider: An Open Letter To NBC

Last Spring we got a preview of the NEW Knight Rider. It sounded promising, and we even got a special visit from the Hoff. So with much anticipation, I've watched the first 3 episodes, only to be disappointed.

Like many television of movie remakes of recent years, more often then not, they royally screw them up. Name a few you say? The Dukes Of Hazard, Starsky and Hutch, Planet Of The Apes, The Bionic Woman, and Dragnet (The Series). And I'm not looking forward to the new Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams, because he admitted he was not sticking to the ORIGINAL Star Trek "universe".

Note to all would be producers of TV and movies remakes. DO NOT DEVIATE FROM THE ORIGINAL STORY. If you think you're gonna put your own spin on it and it will be wildly popular, you better take a look around before you spend the studios money.

Knight Rider has gone off the beaten path from it's ancestral roots, and it's not being successful. What do I mean?

1. The shows writers and producers need to watch and re-watch the original series, especially the 2 hour pilot. From a show foundation standpoint, they are trying to reinvent it.

Mistake #1, don't re-invent the show, stick with what worked. Michael and KITT were a crime fighting team. They helped people, small businesses, and towns. The new "Team" only goes after the big fish.

Mistake #2, the foundation (F.L.A.G) is out, and the FBI is in. Listen, KITT's not gonna save the world from another 9/11 style attack. But he might help put some bad guys in jail.

Mistake #3, there are way too many people on the "Team", mostly because a show has 5-7 main characters. The other team members detract from the stories.

Mistake #4, government conspiracies and cover-ups are not required to make a successful show. In the original series, we knew who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. Now we have a leader that is not exactly forthcoming about his intentions, and he would eliminate anyone of the team to further his agenda. I would remove this element of the show immediately.

Mistake #5. Because of the deviations, Mike Traceur's past is continuously coming back to haunt him. Something we didn't have with Michael Knight (Long). The attempt to kill off Mike Traceur in the series premier was short lived, since Mike Traceur keeps running into people from his past.

2. Bring back some of the original cast. I know that Edward Mulhare is no longer living, but his character could be revived but someone else filling the role. Patricia McPherson dropped out of show business in 1991, but would be a welcomed guest to the show.

What would really give the show a shot in the arm is the return of the Hoff and/or the original KITT. The show has nothing to lose at this point.

3. The original show features special effects and sounds. Some of these are corny, but the red light on the front, and the swishing sound are the only special effects from the original series brought to the new series. Fans identify with them, and is part of the entertainment. You need to work on that!

4. KITT is too vulnerable. In the TV movie and the first 2 episodes, KITT was incapacitated. This is unacceptable. The car is the show... The car is the show... THE CAR IS THE SHOW! Don't forget that.

5. KITT is too much like a real car, makes too much noise like a car. In this day and age loud cars are a menace to society. The original KITT was much more "science fiction" in every way, and I think that was part of it's attractiveness.

6. It's like the network wants to see this show fail, like the Bionic Woman did. The network and executives want things a certain way, see this article, and then can't understand when the show just doesn't appeal to even us hardcore fans. If NBC is still making new episodes of Knight Rider after Christmas, I will be very amazed.



Regards
John Crawford

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DIGG THIS --> NBC's Life Is Resurrected

NBC's Life is back, a rare survivor of last years WGA strike. The cerebral Charlie Crews and his partner Dani Reese are back as LA's top crime fighting team. Crews is like Monk, Columbo, and Baretta rolled into one. Quite the opposite of Monk, Crews is afraid of nothing, as cold as ice.

Crews has an uncanny ability to solve the most perplexing crimes. He is compulsive, and thinks outside the box on everything. Reese is a conventional thinker, and keeps Crews balanced and between the navigational beacons. In the season opener, a killer is putting dead bodies in luggage style crates, and depositing them in key locations. Crews used tracking data from GPS to outwit the killer, which turned out to be a young, but emotionally disturbed stationary store clerk. In the second episode, Crews and Reese go up against a steroid abuse ring, and the misfits peddling it to solve a brutal murder.

Charlie Crews is a cop that spent 12 years in prison for murder, but was later released after proven innocent. He received a $50 Million settlement and got his old job back. He also agreed to not pursue the case that sent him to prison. Season 1 was all about his "secret" pursuit, and ends with what is believed to be all the evidence to show who framed him. But Season 2 so far has been mostly absent of that. Solving the crime of the week is the primary focus. He did find the girl, who is now grown, who was in the house during the murders, and has her in protective custody. And he is still harassing Jack Reese, a key player in his conviction, whom Crews believes is the mastermind. Jack Reese is also the father of his partner. His partner is a recovering addict. While she is a great cop, she has a past. So far in 2 episodes we've had zero character development for Dani Reese.

New this season is Captain Kevin Tidwell, new captain of the Robbery/Homicide division. At first he came off as hard nosed, but soon he was following Crews' and Reese's lead. Life airs on NBC Monday and Friday Nights at 10PM.

Regards
John Crawford

AutismZone
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The Cartouche - Science Fiction Reviews
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