THE A-TEAM episode guide

Native Red Indian Daniel Running Bear travels to Los Angeles to hire The A-Team, to get their help in protecting a bunch of wild Mustang horses in Arizona from a ruthless millionaire’s men, who are illegally capturing the animals to sell for their meat. But while the team are preparing to corral the rustlers, the Military assign tough Vietnam veteran Colonel Decker to lasso the soldiers of fortune once-and-for-all…

The peaceful, open plains of Arizona: a heard of wild Mustang horses peacefully graze. Suddenly the peace and tranquillity is shattered as three high-powered off-road jeeps roar onto the scene. The leader of the group, Phil Stryker, heads the men as the powerful jeeps begin chasing after the horses to round them up.

A moment later, a figure on horseback appears over a ridge. Daniel Running Bear, a local Native American, is determined to put an end to the illegal rustling. Clutching a shotgun, he gallops his horse into the midst of the jeeps and breaks up the corralling, giving the horses chance to flee. It’s not the first time Daniel has disrupted the rustling, and Stryker is determined to get even with him. He gives chase with his men. Daniel gallops of on his horse, but the all-terrain jeeps have no problem cutting through the tall grass and keeping up with him. Daniel wildly fires his shot-gun behind him, trying to throw his pursuers, and, almost by pure luck, even manages to blast one of the jeeps’ windshields, causing the vehicle to come to a halt. With another blast, he shoots out another jeep’s tyre, causing it to skid into the side of the first stopped jeep and go somersaulting over. But Stryker is determined to catch the interfering Daniel. Instructing his driver to keep steady behind Daniel’s horse, Stryker swings a lasso and captures Daniel, yanking him off the back of the horse onto the ground.

With Daniel caught tight in the lasso, Stryker radios in to his boss, Bus Carter, a local millionaire who is the head of the horse rustling operation. Stryker informs him that the horses got away as a result of Daniel’s intervention, but that he’s got Daniel. Carter tells Stryker to “send him back to his reservation in a basket”.

Giving the nod to his driver, Stryker’s jeep takes off again, dragging Daniel – still caught in the lasso – scrambling along the ground behind them, unable to escape.

In Los Angeles, tough Vietnam veteran Colonel Roderick Decker is on a Military rifle range practising his target skills. In amid of the loud blasts, General Bullen is briefing him. The Military has become tired of Colonel Lynch’s continual mess-ups trying to re-capture The A-Team, and he wants Colonel Decker to clear the matter up once-and-for-all. He hands Decker a file detailing some of Lynch’s past disasters while trying to capture the soldiers of fortune, which has made a bunch of jackasses out of the Army as a result.

Colonel Decker was one of the best trouble-shooters of the past two wars, Decker is somewhat sceptical - he was renowned in Vietnam for his tough methods; General Bullen says that’s the exact reason he’s been picked for the job, and assures him that all he’s interested in results. He doesn’t want detailed reports on their capture; he just wants it done. He tells Decker to do what he has to do, get him the A-Team. As if his way of agreeing, Decker fires another fierce burst of gun-fire off at another target…

Elsewhere, in a peaceful L.A. park, Daniel – with his arm now in a cast after his brutal encounter with Stryker - is following instructions he has been since he arrived in Los Angeles trying to track down The A-Team. Carefully eyeing up the numerous other characters nearby, any of which could be a contact for the team, he goes to buy a hot-dog from the vendor in the park.

Buying one from the bumbling, curious old vendor is quite a chore, especially as he insists he’s only just fired up and he insists all he has is lukewarm dogs. But Daniel has been instructed that he needs to buy a hot-dog from the vendor in order to somehow get in touch with The A-Team, and so sticks with it. He tells the vendor that Mr. Lee, the Chinese laundry owner, told him to come and buy a hot-dog, but that bumbling old vendor says he’s never heard of him. Daniel’s ready to give up, but as he’s about to walk away, the vendor sells him one of the lukewarm dogs, insisting that he buy it. As he walks away, Daniel notices that a message is scrawled on the hot-dog’s napkin – on it, it simply reads “THE CORNER OF LAS PALMAS AND HOLLYWOOD BLVD. 2.00 AM – JUST WAIT”. Amazed, Daniel turns around to take another look at the strange vendor, but he sees that another, completely different man is now running the stall, acting as if he’d been doing so all along!

Nearby, elsewhere in the park, under the shade of a large tree, Hannibal, is removing his hot-dog vendor disguise, and hands B.A. another cool hot-dog. B.A. grumbles, asking how many more of them he’s got to eat. He was keeping tabs on Daniel, and saw that he definitely wasn’t being followed, so if he’s a bird dog for the Military, he hasn’t got any back-up. Hannibal is convinced that Daniel is a good man with a real problem, and they have to help him. Hannibal says he’ll get Amy, and tells B.A. to get hold of Face. But B.A. tells him he doesn’t know where Face is; he’s been trying to reach him for over a day.

The fancy Hollywood Palladium on Hollywood Boulevard is the location for the glitzy premiere of a new film, ‘Wine For Breakfast’. Inside, The Faceman is talking business. He says it’s going to be “a big night, anyone who’s anyone is here”.

Outside in the parking lot, Colonel Decker and Captain Crane are waiting. Crane informs Decker that the screening is set to begin in 15 minutes. Decker says to get ready to move - Peck will have too much advantage in a darkened theatre.

Back inside, Face is still talking business and impressing people when he suddenly gets a whisper in his ear from a waiter with a heavy foreign accent, saying that there’s a telephone call for him. When Face asks him to take a message, the waiter sticks the top of a champagne bottle in his back to feel like a gun, and quietly tells him that he wouldn’t want the people to know that he is really Templeton Peck of The A-Team, and orders to follow him. Excusing himself from the group of people, Face follows the waiter to a quiet corner of the hall, where the waiter reveals himself as really being Hannibal in another disguise.

Hannibal is concerned – Face has got his photo on the front page of Variety newspaper! Hannibal asks him what he’s doing; Face explains that he has decided to produce. Hannibal asks him how he managed to scam the extravagant event, Face hands him his card, for “Miracle Films”, with it’s slogan “if it’s a good film, it’s a miracle”, and that in Hollywood, it’s not scamming, it’s producing. He has come across a film made by a couple of film students, dubbed it into German, then had it subtitled back into English in order to tell everyone he’s bought it from overseas. With that, the critics are sure to give good reviews. The lousy title is just one of the little touches. Now he’s got his sights on producing his own films, the first of which will be a monster movie in which Hannibal will play the monster.

But Hannibal is not to be caught up in the Lieutenant’s star struck dreams – he tells him that he’s meeting their client at 2 a.m., and orders him to meet B.A. at the hospital and spring Murdock, Amy will meet them at the warehouse. Face is still caught up in all his plans and dreams, but Hannibal insists that he go and get Murdock – and to keep his head down, he’s got a feeling Lynch is outside that minute.

As they got to leave, Decker and his men burst in to the grand Palladium. Ducking down behind a buffet table, Hannibal and Face tip two huge bowls of ice over, covering the whole floor and causing Decker and his men to go falling and sprawling in all directions, giving the pair chance to flee.

Racing off up the stars and through a window, they run down to the parking lot, with Decker and his men hot on their heels. A parking attendant has just taken charge of a shiny black Trans-Am, and Hannibal, looking official in his waiter’s costume, sends him off on a wild goose chase, allowing him and Face to get into the car and race off in it. Coming down the stairs behind them, Decker and his men pile into their cars and take off after them.

The chase races across town, with Hannibal making some sharp moves in the Trans-Am but not quite being able to shake the MPs, who, headed by Decker and Crane, closely stay on the car’s every move. Eventually, taking a sharp turn out of an ally-way, Hannibal drives the car up the back of a car transporter that’s parked at the side of the street. Decker and his men don’t realise and race on past. Cautiously peering down out of the window as they watch the MPs race away past them, Face wonders who in the world is this guy – it sure isn’t Lynch. Hannibal says he doesn’t know, but it’s gonna be fun finding out…

Late that night, Daniel is doing as the message scrawled on the hot-dog napkin instructed, and waiting in Hollywood Boulevard. Waiting for what exactly he doesn’t quite know, though he does encounter some of the curious characters that inhabit the area at that hour. As he’s walking along, an old wino bumps into him. Just the old man is staggering off, Daniel goes to offer him a couple of bucks, only to realise that he’s swiped his wallet. He grabs the man and retrieves his wallet when Hannibal disguised as a cop intervenes. He orders Daniel to get in his squad car, and Daniel is angered and confused when the cop lets the old wino get away. Checking Daniel’s wallet for his identity, the cop asks him what he’s doing in Los Angeles. Daniel tells him that he came there to meet some people. The cop, more informal now asks if it’s The A-Team, and introduces himself as Hannibal Smith. Taken aback, Daniel laughs, commenting that this has all been pretty weird. Hannibal assures him that things will get slower from here on. Daniel says that he hope’s so, because he doesn’t think he can handle another crazy scene!

Meanwhile, at the V.A. hospital, Murdock is finishing watching a rerun of 1950’s cowboy series ‘The Range Rider’ on TV, decked out in full Range Rider costume and wearing a mask cut out from the back of a cereal packet. Suddenly, the hospital wing’s power goes dead. Murdock, in his Range Rider guise, tells his horse that they’ve been trapped in a cave by “the Black Rock Gang”. He searches for another way out, when Face appears at the window, and asks him why he doesn’t just use that exit.

As Face climbs in, his flashlight casts light on the mask on Murdock’s face. Murdock says his alter-ego is out – he is the mysterious lawman of the plains, the Range Rider.

Face tells him B.A. is outside jumping the mains, and they’ve got about 10 minutes to get out of there before the hospital start a room check. He arranges some blankets and pillows in Murdock’s bed, with his shoes at one end and his cap at the other, to make it look like Murdock is sleeping. Murdock calls for Thunder – his invisible horse! Face reminds him that B.A. gets annoyed about having Billy in his van, and he’s just a dog! Murdock is in full swing of insisting that the Range Rider would never go anywhere without his horse, when B.A. appears at the window and warns him against talking to any invisible animals! Murdock and Face make their exit through the window, and B.A. replaces the wire that covers it so that nothing in the room looks amiss.

At that very moment, Captain Crane is walking along the wing corridor with one of the orderlies, towards Murdock’s room. All of a sudden, the power comes back on. They check Murdock’s room. With the television still blaring the adventures of The Range Rider and Murdock seemingly asleep in his bed, Crane assumes him to still be in the room, and thanks the orderly and goes to leave.

Returning to his MP car, Captain Crane sees the van speed off and recognises it as B.A. Baracus'. The Sergeant tells him that he saw it pull up while Crane was inside, so he slipped out and attached a homing device to it. Crane thinks that Murdock’s still in his room, so supposes that the team must just visit him occasionally. The Sergeant says there’s no sign yet of Smith, but the homing device should lead them straight to him. They take off, following the van.

It is light when B.A.’s van pulls up to some quiet docks and into an old disused warehouse. Inside, Hannibal and Amy are waiting for them with Daniel. Hannibal asks if anybody followed them, and B.A. says no, that he was careful. But he is unaware of the homing device that was planted underneath his van. Outside the warehouse, Captain Crane and the Sergeant pull up. Crane radios in to Colonel Decker, saying that they’ve got The A-Team…

<note: on U.S. syndicated two-part versions, there is another commercial break here>

Inside the warehouse, Murdock greets Daniel in full Range Rider persona. Face is surprised when Daniel actually recognises the Range Rider! Murdock says that a full blooded American Indian living on the plains of Arizona where the Range Rider dispenses his justice, naturally he’s heard of him; but Daniel says that actually he used to watch the re-runs while he was at U.C.L.A..

Amy reminds Daniel that there is a federal bureau that watches over wild Mustangs, but Daniel says that, like any other branch of the Government, there’s too much to govern and too few people to do it. Every horse in the U.S. is protected by law, but when someone like Bus Carter breaks that law, it’s very hard to press charges – he owns huge amounts of land and is very influential in the county, and as Daniel’s broken arm proves, he also plays dirty.

Daniel apologises that he didn’t tell Mister Lee that he hasn’t got enough money to meet the team’s fee - he had to meet them to convince them how important this really is. Hannibal reminds Amy that they’ve had it happen to them before. B.A., typically gruff, is unhappy that the team are always working for next to nothing, this time to save some wild horses, but Daniel convinces him that the horses are part of part of his people’s land, part of the tribe.

Daniel insists the he will raise all of the money eventually. All that he asks that they come down and take a look, see for themselves. Hannibal, won over, decides that someone who’s crazy enough to take on three jeep loads of armed rustlers on horseback by himself deserves special consideration.

Range Rider Murdock prepares to set out on another thrilling adventure with his trusty steed Thunder, but B.A.’s gruff intervention makes him decide that maybe Thunder will remain behind, just this one time.

They group all ready to “saddle up” as Face puts it when suddenly the whole place comes under a heavy shower of gun-fire, sending bits of debris flying all over the place. The group drop to the ground and crawl their way to the wall.

Eventually, the gun-fire ceases. Outside, the whole place is surrounded by Colonel Decker, with Captain Crane and the MPs. Over his megaphone, Decker identifies himself. The team instantly recognise the name. Decker was renowned in Vietnam for the ruthless tactics he used to get the job done, and he and Hannibal had mixed it up previously when they clashed over Decker’s ruthless methods.

Hannibal tries to play for time, but the place just comes under more heavy fire - Decker won’t listen to any talk. He tells them that either they come out or he’ll come in - and they’re not gonna like it if he comes in. He gives them two minutes. Hannibal cheerfully smiles, saying “No matter how smart they think they are, they always screw up somehow”. Bemused, Amy asks what they’re going to do in two minutes. Hannibal tells her they’re doing as told, going out the front door. As they crawl away, B.A. rips Murdock’s Range Rider mask to pieces, but Murdock already has another one already in his hat!

Outside, Captain Crane is sure of victory, commenting that it’s obvious the team have no choice. But Decker is more sceptical. He’d believe it with anyone but Colonel Hannibal Smith – with him, nothing is obvious. Crane asks what can he do; Decker says that they’ll find out, in about 40 seconds.

Suddenly, The A-Team van comes smashing out through the huge warehouse doors, and, under a barrage of gun-fire from the MPs, it races across the dock to the edge before going hurtling off the side and plunging into the ocean.

Decker, Crane and the MPs rush across and watch the van as it slowly sinks down under the water. All attention is so focused on the van that they don’t notice Amy’s shiny new red convertible, with the team - minus Hannibal - and Daniel in, pull out of the warehouse and quietly drive off. Amy asks what about Hannibal, but B.A. says that he’ll be alright.

Captain Crane orders the MPs to keep the watching civilians back out of the way. As a soldier goes to move a group of fishermen on, one of them asks him if he’s got a light, and the soldier gives him a box of matches. Hannibal the fisherman thanks him and walks away, soaking wet…

Later, the team and Daniel are travelling towards Arizona, all crammed into Amy’s plush new convertible. Face is admiring the locale. Hannibal suggests that he should scout locations for his next movie there. Face looks back painfully at his short-lived producing career, which now is surely over after the chaos caused after Decker burst in on the premiere.

B.A., Face and Murdock are all crammed in to the back seat of the vehicle. The bulky B.A. squeezes for more room, shouting at Murdock to move over. A squabbling match ensues, squashing Face in the middle. Murdock says it’s not his fault, there isn’t room back there for four of them – to which B.A. promptly grabs him and forces him to say there’s only three of them. Amy yells at them to knock it off – she can’t afford to buy a new car every time they get together in it. B.A. says they wouldn’t have to go through this if Hannibal hadn’t left his van behind – he said he’d loose the MPs. Hannibal reminds him that he did, but B.A. is still angry that he didn’t bring his van back. Hannibal say’s he’s sure it’ll turn up, sooner or later.

At that moment, back at the docks, a crane is lifting B.A.’s van is being lifted out of the pier. It dumps it back on the side of the pier. Decker and Crane look inside, to find that it is empty! Amazed, Crane suggests that they could drag they bay, but Decker says it would be a waste of energy, all of the bodies couldn’t have washed out. Decker isn’t surprised; it's nothing beyond what Hannibal Smith capable of. It would have been easy for him to jump clear of the van before it hit the water, then drift off with the rest of the team.

Decker asks Crane if there’s anything on the other prints they’ve found in the warehouse, the ones that weren’t Smith’s. Crane reports that they belong to Daniel Running Bear, the Military had him on record from when he served in Vietnam. Decker says to get an address on Running Bear, but Crane already has done so. Decker says that they’ll pay him a visit, find out what his story is.

Meanwhile, the team and Daniel have arrived in Ohigai, the small town on the edge of Daniel’s Chequea Indian Reservation. They are all saddled up on horses - Daniel says it’s the easiest way to get to the reservation, it’s a lot more comfortable than them all crowding into his Land Rover. Murdock is excited at being around the horses; B.A. says he likes horses - when he can see them!

The group takes off on the horses across the picturesque plains, following dusty trails and along a river until they eventually arrive at a clearing in the area where Daniel had previously encountered Stryker and his men.

Daniel tells them how he was out there one night when he first spotted Carter’s men rounding up the horses. He has no idea where they corral them, but Carter has over 2500 acres of land.

They passed some railroad tracks on the way out of town, and Daniel tells them that Bus Carter owns the line; he has a locomotive and box-cars which he uses to move his cattle, and Daniel is sure that he takes the horses down to a slaughter house in Mexico which is only a short run from there. B.A. asks Daniel how his people can let it happen. Daniel tells him that they just go about their business like any other community, they’re not going to dig out the war-paints and go up against Carter.

Face takes off his new cowboy jacket and is about to hang it on a nearby tree when an arrow suddenly zips out of nowhere and pins the jacket into the tree. Hannibal and B.A. catch sight of a figure running off and run after it into the brush, splitting up to follow the figure. As Face pulls the arrow out his jacket, Daniel seems to recognise the arrow and runs off after B.A. and Hannibal. Hannibal is cautiously moving around the brush looking for the unseen assailant when another arrow cuts into a branch right in front of him. The figure is ducked behind a large fallen log waiting to take his next shot, when B.A. creeps up behind the person and grabs them – it’s nothing but a small boy, who starts kicking and yelling as B.A. grabs him. Daniel runs up, calling for B.A. not to hurt him. He introduces the young boy as his nephew, Shelly. B.A. asks Shelly what he’s doing firing dangerous arrows at people. Shelly says that he was trying to scare them off, he thought they were Bus Carter’s men. Daniel tells him that they came here with him to help. Shelly asks if they’ll stop Carter; Hannibal tells him that they’re going to try. Amy say that means that they will – whenever Hannibal says that, it means that he’s got a plan.

A while later, back in town, the team, with Daniel and Shelly, come out of a local supplies store after stocking up on some things. Amy says she’s going to go up to the reservation with Daniel, to dig up some back-ground, talk to some of the elders, she may be able to get a human interest story in it. But it is obvious that much of her reason for going is to spend some time with Daniel. As Amy goes off with Daniel and Shelly in Daniel’s Land Rover, the rest of the team stay in town to check into a motel and get a couple more things.

Meanwhile, just across the street, Stryker is also in town with his men where they are picking some things up after collecting Bus Carter’s attractive young niece Lane from the airport. As they load Lane’s things into one of the jeeps, he spots Daniel’s Land Rover and gives one of his men a nod to cut off it’s path. Daniel asks them to move, but Stryker is determined to pick a fight. Shelly shouts at Stryker that he’s not stealing any more of the horses - which catches Lane’s ear.

Along the street, the team spot the scene. Murdock says it looks like a job for the Range Rider. B.A. is about to shut him up when Hannibal says he thinks Murdock is right. With Murdock donning his cut-out Range Rider mask and the rest of the team covering the lower halves of their faces with handkerchiefs in true cowboy fashion, they stride up to Stryker and his men. Murdock introduces himself as the Range Rider, with his trusty companions. Laughing and ready for a fight, Stryker takes a swing at Murdock - but Murdock ducks and Stryker hits B.A. instead! Stryker is frozen for a moment as he realises what he’s done and what he’s taken on, before the muscular black man gives him a swift punch in the face

A brawl breaks out, and Lane stands watching trying to comprehend what is going on as Stryker and his men are being flung all over the place. Soon, all of Stryker’s men are taken care of. Hannibal, bending down to the dazed Stryker, instructs him to tell Carter that he’s out of the rustling business - no more Mustangs leave the valley. With that, the team head off. Watching in the Land Rover, Daniel says this looks like it’s going to get interesting real soon; Amy says it usually does…

<Note: on more recent U.S. syndicated versions, the end of Part I falls slightly later>

Later, back at Bus Carter’s huge ranch, Lane is riding one of his horses while Carter and Stryker stand at the side of the field, watching and encouraging her. They are planning to move another box-car load of the horses out at sundown. They try to laugh off the incident of the encounter with the team in town and coming off the worse of it, but when Stryker mentions that they warned not to ship any more Mustangs, Carter becomes highly concerned that they know about his operation. As Lane gets off the horse and goes in for lunch, Carter tells Stryker that he is bothered that she might catch wind of what he’s up to after Shelly shot his mouth of about the operation in front of her. He tells him that Lane thinks that Stryker is rounding up the Mustangs behind Carter’s back and he’s told her he’ll look into it. Stryker assures him that he’ll find out who the men who took them on are. That’s if they’re still around, Carter says, but Stryker has a feeling that they are. He’s got a feeling that Daniel has rounded himself up some help. Carter says that if he has, then they know how to handle it.

At the side of the railroad, Murdock has his ear to the track, listening for the approaching train, while having a conversation with his horse. He says he can’t here anything, but if his horse insists, then there must be something coming. B.A. stomps over and grabs Murdock, warning him about talking to his invisible friends. Murdock reminds him that this horse is real, but it just angers B.A. even more, insisting that invisible or not, he doesn’t want Murdock talking to horses; horses don’t talk. With that, Murdock starts singing the theme tune to ‘Mr. Ed’, and B.A. grabs him at the throat, half-strangling him.

Face calls in on the radio to ask Murdock if there’s any sign of the train, but all he gets is Murdock’s gasps and splutters as B.A. refuses to release his grip on Murdock. Instinctively knowing what the pair are up to, Face calmly asks B.A. to take his hand off Murdock’s throat. Murdock goes to give Ed’s report, but B.A. grabs the radio and gruffly reports that there’s no train coming. With that, Ed the horse neighs, to signal the approaching of a train. Smugly, Murdock takes the radio back and reports that the train is on the way.

Face calls with Amy on the radio to check that she heard. Amy is slightly along the line, where she is coating the rails in thick grease. Over the radio she asks him what is in the grease, as it really stinks. Face smiles, saying it’s not grease, leaving her calling to tell her what it is as he turns off the radio. With that, Hannibal and Face prepare for action.

<Note: on more recent U.S. syndicated versions, Part I ends and Part II begins here>

As the approaching locomotive rounds the bend onto that section of track, the driver sees the figure at the edge of track up ahead, and blows the train’s whistle to shoo them out the way. Amy gives one last quick coat and races to the side of the track for cover. As the train reaches the section that she’s covered in grease, the wheels begin to wildly slip and slide and they struggle to get traction on the rail.

With the train slowing, Hannibal and Face gallop their horses into action, racing up alongside the locomotive. Hannibal leaps off of his horse and climbs up onto a box-cart, while Face races up to the front of the engine and, pulling his gun, has the driver pull on the breaks, screeching the train to a stand-still. Climbing down from the top of the train, Hannibal opens the box-cart door and sets the captured Mustangs inside free. Amy and B.A. arrive also on horseback, returning Hannibal’s horse with them, while Murdock treats the bemused engine driver with his Range Rider spiel.

News of the hit on the train soon reaches Bus Carter. He orders Stryker to get out and round up the horses, tomorrow they’ll ship all of the horses out of there, and to find the yahoos who were responsible. Stryker says that they’ve checked every hotel and has a man watching the reservation, but if they are just camping out, they could be anywhere on the hundreds of thousands of acres. Carter says to do what he has to do, to use his chopper if he needs it, but find them. Dressed in her night clothes, Lane appears in a door-way, the loud talking of the two men having woken her. Stryker assures her it’s just some business problems.

Going into his study, Carter goes over to his desk to a cigar out of the box when someone whistles to him. He looks up to see Hannibal standing right beside his desk, steadily aiming a gun at him. As Hannibal helps himself to the cigar, Carter demands to know who he is, how he got in there. He strides to the outside door to call Stryker, but as he opens it is greeted by Face on the other side, with another gun trained firmly on him. Carter tells them they were stupid to come back there. Hannibal tells him that they’re to warn him to leave the wild Mustangs alone. Carter insists they’re both dead – Face reminds him that they’re the ones holding the guns. Hannibal orders him to get all his papers out of his safe that have to do with the slaughter house that he does business in Mexico. Reluctantly, Carter goes over and opens his safe, and hands Face a file with all the details of the operation in. As Face is checking through the file, Carter suddenly pulls out a gun out of the safe, but with a single shot Hannibal blows it right out of Carter’s hand. Stryker, having heard the shot, bursts in, and upon seeing the intruders, starts firing. Hannibal and Face duck for cover behind Carter’s desk, and, as more of Stryker’s men, alerted by the shots, rush in, a gun battle takes place over the study, until Lane appears in a doorway to see what all the commotion is. Hannibal darts over and grabs her, hauling her over his shoulder. Seeing that they’ve got his niece, Carter calls for his men to hold their fire. Hannibal and Face go to the door to make their getaway, warning the men not to move. As soon as they’re out of the office, Carter gives the word to his men to get them. But with Lane on the back of Face’s horse they can’t take a clear shot, and by the time Stryker and his men have piled into their jeeps, the assailants are far away. Bus Carter solemnly watches as they disappear.

Hannibal and Face, with Lane clinging on behind Face on his horse, make their way across the open country. As they make their way past a seemingly plain a bush, Hannibal calls asking Murdock what he’s seen. Suddenly the bush moves – it’s actually Murdock with a load of branches tied around him! As he stands up and starts removing his disguise, Murdock says that’s it all quiet, but he’s upset over something that B.A. said to Ed. He complains that he’s done with being a bush, madly pulling the attached branches away.

At the area where the team have made their camp, Daniel is teaching Amy some archery skills, while B.A. and Shelly make some new arrows. Hannibal and Face with Lane arrive. Face can’t help but comment on Daniel and Amy’s closeness. Hannibal introduces their “guest”, Bus Carter’s niece. Lane asks just how long they think they can hold her against her will. Hannibal says they’re not holding her against her will, they just borrowed her, to stop them from being killed - they’re not the criminals around there. Lane says that they’ll let the law decided that, but Daniel tells her Uncle wouldn’t want to bring the law in on it – they might investigate too deeply and discover that he’s been rounding up the wild Mustangs and selling them illegally. Face shows her the file with all the details in, and B.A. tells her that Carter has his men round up the horses illegally, and then ships them to a dog food company in Mexico. As the group saddle up and prepare to head off, Lane admits that she tried to convince herself that it was Stryker behind the operation, and even went to her uncle about it, but deep down believed he was involved all along. They leave Lane to walk back to Carter’s ranch. She asks them if they aren’t afraid that she’ll tell her uncle’s men where they are or what they look like, but Hannibal says that by the time she reaches them, they’ll have struck camp and be long gone, and don’t plan on sticking around long enough to be picked out of a line-up. As they go to leave, Lane tells Hannibal that she thinks she heard her uncle say that there’s still more horses to be shipped out, and that Stryker should get it done first thing. With a smile, Hannibal bids her “Adios”.

As the group makes their way, steadily trotting along on their horses, Murdock raucously belts out cowboy songs, until B.A. threatens to knock him off his horse if he doesn’t shut up. Hannibal diplomatically sends Murdock back on rear guard in case Carter’s men are on their trail. Face says that Carter knows that with the file they got, they’ve got all the evidence they need to shut him down; he has to figure that they’re heading for the hills. But Hannibal isn’t planning on heading for the hills; he says it’s going to take Amy a couple of days to file the story to start an investigation, and Carter’s niece did say that there’s another shipment of Mustangs scheduled for tomorrow morning’s train. Face is concerned at Hannibal’s next move - hitting the train two times in a row is pushing it. Hannibal says that’s why they’ll have to get some stuff together to stop to keep Carter’s men from hitting back too hard. Face tries to convince himself that Carter would think they’d be insane to hit his train again so soon and wont be ready for them – but he’s not convinced, and neither is Hannibal; they know they’re likely to run into trouble. Then of course, they’re only one step ahead of Colonel Decker, too. Hannibal’s considered that – laughing, he says he’s gonna be a big problem big problem

At that moment in town, Decker rounds a bend in his MP car in a cloud of smoke and pulls up as Captain Crane comes out of the store. Decker has found out that they mixed it up with some locals (Stryker and his men) there yesterday. Over what he doesn’t know, but knowing Hannibal Smith and his men, they’ve probably taken on some “bleeding heart” cause or other, no doubt requested by Daniel Running Bear. Captain Crane reports that the shop keeper told him that they picked up some camping gear and supplies, so they’re out there somewhere, but it could take forever to find them camping out on the open range. Decker says they’ll track them down through Daniel Running Bear. They’ll go and see the Sheriff, to find out exactly where they can find Running Bear. Once they find him, he’s sure The A-Team won’t be far away.

Meanwhile, Amy and Face are heading to town in Amy’s car. Face is trying to convince her to help him in the scam he’s got planned, but Amy says she’s through being suckered by him, He insists that it’ll be easy, but it’s not working. Interrupting him, Amy once again asks Face what was in the grease. Face evasively tells her “a little of this…” “a little of that” Amy finishes; he already told her that, but it’s not enough – there’s something he’s not telling her. As they arrive in town and Face gets out, he gives one last try at convincing Amy to help him, but it doesn’t work. Well, he says, if he told her what was in the grease, she’d never help. He arranges to meet her back in a bit after she’s checked in with the newspaper, leaving her to drive away wondering just what was in the grease.

As he walks past the Sheriff’s office into town, he walks right into Captain Crane coming out of the Sheriff’s office! Crane yells to Decker as Peck runs off as fast as he can, with Crane and Decker hot on his heels behind him. Running between the weather-beaten town buildings, he manages to buy himself a few seconds by hiding in an empty hut, before nearly being hit by a pick-up truck, then nearly being mauled by a young boy’s small dog.

He runs into the clothes store, randomly grabbing something and asking the store-keeper if he can try it on. Moments later, Decker and Crane sprint into the shop after him, guns at the ready. Decker calls to the store-keeper, asking where he went, and the man points to the changing cubicles. Stealthily creeping up to the first one, Decker crouches down to check under the swing doors of the cubicle, to find only a woman inside is inside. He apologises to the girl, before he bursts into the second one - only to find it’s empty. Angrily, Decker muses that it’s the second time Peck’s done this to him. After the pair leave, the woman in the first cubicle opens the swing doors – Face is lying on a bench behind her at the back of the cubicle! Getting up, he thanks her, saying he really appreciates her trusting him like that. She tells him the she liked his face. He asks her if it’s an honest face; she says no, but she likes it. With that, the pair go back into the cubicle in an embrace.

Back outside, Decker orders Crane to get on the horn and get him the 10 best marksmen that can be rounded up and flown there before the days out. Crane says at least they’ve got the team located, they know they’re still there. Decker growls that if they are, then this is will be The A-Team’s Waterloo…

Later, the team arrive in Amy’s car at an old scrap yard, followed by Daniel, Amy and Shelly in Daniel’s Land Rover. Seeing all the rusty junk around them, Hannibal and B.A. complain; Hannibal wanted something they could use as an all terrain vehicle, but Face insists that as Decker’s presence limits most sources of supplies, he did rather well. He tells B.A. to look at it as a challenge. Murdock tells B.A. that Mr. Ed could tell him how to fix it… but he’s not gonna. Hannibal asks B.A. what he thinks, to which the gruff giant just replies “Aw Hannibal”. “Now how did I know you were gonna say that” says Hannibal, smiling.

The group get to work, shifting old sheets of metal and iron and various bits rusty equipment. Murdock plants some dynamite under the railroad tracks, Amy and Daniel go about attaching sticks of dynamite to arrows, and B.A. gets welding. Throughout the work, Face goes about trying to convince everyone else in turn to grease the wheels of their construction (he briefly considers asking B.A. but thinks better of it!), but ends up doing the job himself! Eventually, the work is complete, and Hannibal lights up a fresh cigar in anticipation of the coming action.

Soon, once again, Bus Carter’s locomotive is steaming along the railroad, this time with Stryker on board in the engine with the driver. On the back of the carts are Stryker’s men, heavily armed with shotguns and rifles. The engine driver asks Stryker if he really things the team will try and hit the train two days running, but at that moment spots something up ahead - it is the team’s construction, a tall armoured tower; a contraption running on the tracks that is two storeys high, with B.A. at the controls below and Hannibal in the turret on top, the whole thing heavily protected in sheets of metal.

On-board the contraption, Hannibal and B.A. watch as the locomotive heads towards them. As he watches it loom closer, B.A. says that it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down, but Hannibal insists they’ll slow down, they have to. On the engine, the driver goes to slow the train down, but Stryker orders him s he keep up a full head of steam and keep going! As the train heads nearer and nearer, Hannibal sees they’re not slowing down!

Face runs out of the brush by the side of the track and changes the switch-points for the track. As the locomotive pulls onto the other railroad line, the strange armed tower pulls up along side the train. In front of the train, a rigged explosion from the dynamite Murdock had placed goes off from under the rails. The driver slams on the train’s breaks and Stryker orders him to quickly back it up. Murdock triggers a second explosion, which sets off the second lot of explosives, this time on the rails behind the locomotive, trapping the train on the short stretch of track.

With Hannibal on the top of the crudely constructed tower firing an automatic rifle at the henchmen on the train, B.A. backs the contraption back up and down the stretch of track, as Hannibal fires at the locomotive and Murdock sets off more explosions. Amy, under Daniel’s guidance, fires the dynamite tipped arrows at the train, sending men flying off the top. The gun fight continues until the men are clearly overpowered, and Hannibal orders them to drop their guns.

Soon, the men are lined up at the side of the train, and Hannibal orders for the box-cart to be opened up, but when they do they see that it’s empty!

Suddenly from behind the train appear three of the jeeps. Hannibal tells B.A. to get the contraption moving and calls for Face, who has to run like crazy to reach the vehicle as it moves off, to avoid being caught in the midst of the gun-fire. The jeeps race alongside as Hannibal fires down at one of them, but within seconds, one of the jeeps cuts in front of the vehicle. It’s driver and the passenger park it across the tracks and quickly leap out and away. The towering vehicle doesn’t have time to stop, and ploughs right into the jeep, causing a huge explosion which all but wrecks the huge armoured structure.

Stryker’s men leap forward and quickly surround them with their guns. On the top of the wreck, Hannibal, non-defeatist as ever, just smiles and says “I love it when a plan comes together”.

Examining the sections of rail damaged by the explosions, the driver says that they’ll have to replace the pieces of rail before the train can move. Stryker sets his men to work; he doesn’t want a train full of horses just sitting there any longer than necessary. Hannibal, B.A. and Face are under heavy guard by his men. Stryker takes Hannibal with him, knowing Bus Carter will want to see him, and B.A. and Face are loaded into the train. Stryker takes off with his driver in his jeep, with Hannibal as his prisoner. A way back from the railroad, Murdock is watching the scene with Amy and Daniel. He tells them that he’s going to stick with Hannibal, and for them to go and get some help. With that, he leaps onto his horse, rears it up into the air, and the horse gives a whinny before it and gallops off, just, as Daniel comments, like the real Range Rider. The pair watch him go before they get into Daniel’s Land Rover.

At the ranch, Bus Carter comes out to see the man who has been causing him so much trouble. He tells Hannibal he’s a lucky man he didn’t harm his niece, and because of that, he’s not gonna make him die slow. He tells Stryker to have his pilot fire up his chopper, he wants to go out to the train to see there are no more mess ups; he wants the train safely over the border into Mexico. When Stryker asks what to do with Hannibal, Carter instructs his man to “fertilise the south 40 with him”, and they go to leave. Not letting up with the ever-cheery attitude, Hannibal calls after him “Have a nice day!”

As Stryker and Carter leave in an off-road vehicle, Lane watches to whole scene from behind a barn, when Murdock suddenly creeps up behind her, covering her mouth to stop her from calling out, and telling her he needs a distraction. He instructs her to count to five and then scream, before he disappears. Knowing now that her uncle is up to no good, Lane does as Murdock told her, and after a short count, runs out screaming, calling fire. It is more than enough momentarily distraction to divert the man guarding Hannibal’s attention, giving Hannibal chance to swing his bound wrists at the man, sending him flying. The goon goes to get up, but Murdock gallops up on his horse and with a well-aimed kick sends him tumbling over a small wall. As Murdock quickly unties Hannibal, Lane asks if they were really going to kill him. Hannibal says that was the general idea. Leaving lane to look after hiss horse, Murdock heads off with Hannibal in the jeep.

Meanwhile, Carter is taking off in his helicopter. He tells Stryker that after he’s got the horses into Mexico they’ll go and find Daniel, make sure he doesn’t hire any more help.

Daniel’s Land Rover pulls off the plains and onto the road. Amy is insisting that they head to the Sheriff. Daniel is confused, as the team are wanted. He says they should go to the reservation, maybe a bunch of guys will come out and help. But Amy says if not they’ll be wasting time, she wants to head straight for the Sheriff’s. Her only worry is keeping the guys from being killed; Hannibal can always find a way to escape. Daniel admits that sounds like the way Hannibal would think.

Suddenly in the road up ahead, two MP cars appear and cut off their route, and Decker and Crane get out. Identifying himself, Decker tells Daniel that he’s been trying to get hold of him all day. Daniel says that he has a lot of important things to take care of, but Decker insists that so does he – he wants to know where The A-Team is. He’s sure he can tell him, and if not, he’s certain that Miss Allen can.

Back at the halted locomotive, Stryker’s men have just finished repairing the damaged rails. B.A. and Face have been tied up in the back of the final train wagon. Carter tells them that he’s sending them on a one way trip. As the locomotive takes off, Carter tells Stryker to get rid of the rest of his men, they don’t want any eyeball witnesses on-board. Stryker sends his men back to the ranch, and Carter orders him that when they get across the border, to their two prisoners on the train.

As the locomotive slowly rolls off, Stryker climbs onboard, and Carter heads back to his helicopter. As he’s walking across to it, Hannibal and Murdock race up in the jeep. Hannibal leaps out and onto him, taking care of him with one punch, while Murdock rushes over to the helicopter and takes out the pilot with another punch. Taking Carter with them, they Murdock and Hannibal climb into the chopper and take off after the train.

By now, the train has built up a full head of steam. In the back of the wagon, Face and B.A. struggle to break free of their ropes.

Piloting the helicopter, Murdock follows the track until they come up behind the locomotive. Seeing the helicopter appear up behind, with Hannibal hanging off the side, Stryker orders the driver not to stop no matter what, and climbs up onto the back of the carriages. Hannibal jumps out of the chopper onto the back of the locomotive, and runs along on top, dodging Stryker’s gun shots. He makes it up to the front end, where he leaps onto Stryker, knocking him off his feet and overpowering him. He goes to uncouple the engine from the rest of the train, but Stryker is not quite out of the count yet, and drops down on him, and a desperate struggle between the two mean commences, each trying to get the upper hand to send the other falling from the train. For a moment, it seems as if Stryker has the upper hand, as he grabs Hannibal by the throat and tries to shove him from the locomotive. Hannibal, clutching on to a boxcar ladder footing, finally manages to swing a punch at him, which knocks Stryker off balance. Hannibal quickly pulls himself upright again, and with a sturdy shove from his foot, sends Stryker tumbling from the train. With that, he successfully uncouples the engine from the rest of the train.

In the wagon, B.A. is struggling to break free the ropes that are holding the pair. Face makes B.A. angry enough to finally break free, just as Hannibal comes hurrying in and calls for B.A. to grab the break wheel; they have to stop the train. He says that they’re coming to the border – if the Mustangs get into Mexico, they’ve got no evidence. B.A. puts all his might into turning the brake wheel, fighting against the whole weight of the whole train of carts and their built up speed. As he musters up the strength, the wheels break, sending sparks flying with the friction, and eventually they come to a halt, B.A. drained after using so much energy.

They hear Murdock arrive overhead in the helicopter. Hannibal takes a piece of wood and gives it to Face - it’s time for B.A. to go to sleep.

As Murdock lands the helicopter beside the train, with Carter cringing in the back, Hannibal goes to help B.A. down off the train. As the giant bends over, Face whacks him from behind with the piece of wood, sending him slumped unconscious across Hannibal’s shoulders.

Murdock spots Daniel’s Land Rover followed by the MP cars approaching, and calls to warn Hannibal. Pushing Carter out of the helicopter, Face loads the sleeping B.A. in and gets him himself.

But Hannibal stands beside the helicopter, lighting a fresh cigar, watching the approaching vehicles. Face calls for him to come on, but Hannibal says he’s not close enough – he wouldn’t sleep at all that night if Decker didn’t see the expression on his face. Face and Murdock yell for the Colonel to get in, but he just stands there, smiling broadly as he watches the vehicles approach. Eventually, as they are almost up to the chopper, Hannibal decides that they’re close enough. Standing on the side runner, he calls “so long pal” as the helicopter finally takes off. Bus Carter stands frozen as Decker, Crane and the MPs open fire on the helicopter, but it is to no avail in stopping it. It takes a low swoop overhead before heading off over a thick trees.

Amy tells Daniel she told him they’d do it. Daniel tells Decker that the train is used to move wild Mustangs off the reservation illegally, and that Bus Carter there has a lot to answer for. Amy says that she believes that it’s a Federal offence, Decker says that it is.

Stepping forward and looking up towards the sky, Decker promises “Next time, Hannibal Smith, next time…”

As the chopper heads off into the blue, Hannibal, still standing on the runner, gives a big thumbs up.

(Note: in it’s original form, Act VIII of this story plays straight on into the epilogue. Some syndicated versions insert another commercial break here)

No longer under threat, the Mustangs graze and run happily on the Arizona plains once more. Amy comments that it’s almost like they know they’re not being hunted any more. The team are still there; Hannibal says they have to get going, before Decker finds out that they never left the county. Amy says that even though he has nothing positive on her, she will be under constant surveillance when she gets home, so she’s going to stay in Arizona for a while, to gather some background information for her story, but it is obvious that most of the reason is to stay with Daniel.

Shelly gives B.A. his bow and arrows to show to the children in his day care centre class. B.A. thanks him, saying that he’s sure they will love the gift.

Murdock asks Daniel to say goodbye to Ed (the invisible version) for him, and to tell him that if the horse ever has the need to talk to someone, he’ll always lend an ear. “Good”, calls B.A. “because you ain’t got no brain!”. With that, Murdock pulls out his six-shooters for the last time, handing them to Daniel, dropping his cowboy belt, and giving his cowboy hat to Shelly. As the boy goes to put the hat on, he finds that Murdock forgot his mask. “He didn’t forget his mask,” says Amy, “he just left it behind, because his job here is done”.

With that, they watch the team, in Amy’s convertible, head off into the horizon.

This was the first feature-length outing since the Pilot episode, and is arguably the best of the series' feature-length outings.

It’s maybe rather strange that it wasn’t used to open the second season. Many series use feature-length episodes to kick off new seasons (indeed, the show’s own fourth season was with ‘Judgement Day’), and this episode would have done it excellently. It also serves as a more in-depth look as to how the team operate; after the Pilot, this is the episode which gives us the biggest look at how the team check out potential clients.

Richard Yniguez gives a solid performance as Daniel Running Bear; resulting in being on of the show’s most likable and memorable that people the team help through the course of the series.

But the main note regarding characters, is of course, the introduction of Lance LeGault as Colonel Roderick Decker. After the rather bumbling Colonel Lynch, Decker became the what could be considered most effective and the most memorable of the team’s pursuers.

The story isn't exactly Amy heavy, but does at least give her a love interest for once. She also learns archery from Daniel, launching dynamite-tipped arrows as the team stop the locomotive (the second time) and sending goons flying everywhere. Many people, both viewers and critics, asked why this new skill of hers wasn't continued in the character's later episodes - it would have at least given her more to do, and especially considering that Melinda Culea was constantly pressing producers and writers for Amy to be more actively involved in the team's fights, this might have seemed to be the perfect solution.

The story concludes with Amy staying behind in Arizona for a while to spend some time with Daniel. It's a shame that Culea didn't leave the series on more amicable terms, as this would have been the perfect sort of way to write her out. As it was, she just suddenly disappeared mid-season.

The villains of the piece are very much a standard bunch. Mills Watson is acceptably as the burly Stryker, and Special Guest Star Morgan Woodward is fair as ruthless millionaire Bus Carter, but maybe doesn't get that much to really sink his teeth into.

Once again, Murdock conjured up a memorable persona, this time as "the Range Rider". The final scene is, in some ways, quite moving - the Range Rider’s job there done, another of Murdock’s illusions is shattered and he walks away.

This story sees tough Vietnam trouble-shooter Colonel Roderick Decker (Lance LeGault) being assigned to bring in The A-Team once and for all, after Colonel Lynch's continual mess ups (Lynch would return one more time, in the third season's memorable 'Showdown!'). Decker is probably the most well recognised of the three Army pursuers in the series (the third being Jack Ging as General Harlan "Bull" Fulbright in the fourth season).

Decker is nearly always accompanied by his aide, Captain Crane (Carl Franklin). The only episodes where Decker appears without Crane are the fourth season's 'The Road To Hope' and the weak 'Body Slam', as well as Decker's final cameo appearance in the fifth season's 'Trial By Fire'.

Although this episode introduces Decker and Crane, it wasn't the first that LeGault and Franklin filmed in the roles - they had already filmed 'The White Ballot', the second episode to be produced for the season, but not broadcast until later.

Although at first glance the Range Rider might appear to many to be a Lone Ranger clone created simply for the purposes of this story, it was in fact a real Western series, that ran from 1951-53, for three seasons. It starred Jock Mahoney as The Range Rider, and Dickie Jones as his sidekick Dick West.

Decker reads from the file: “December 1st ’77, they relieve Colonel Lynch of one executive jet belonging to the Military…”, and we see an abridged sequence taken from the Pilot as Hannibal, carrying B.A., and Amy, pile onto a jet and take off away from Colonel Lynch.

These strange dates and flashbacks seem to have nothing to do with the original episodes that they were taken from, and just seem to be used to try and flesh out the team's history. But it certainly serves to confuse the viewer!!

NOTE: On the U.S. syndicated version (at least, on the version that I have seen), this entire flash-back sequence is edited out, with the scene starting much more towards the end, with General Bullen and Decker talking.

This story has a Wild West style theme (sample coming soon), with it's own distinctive theme that suits the episode very well.

The main episode theme (heard during the 'make' and on the closing credits) was used again as part of the 'make' theme in 'It's A Desert Out There' later in the season.

The episode closes with the longest ever closing credits sequence in the entire series, running at 4:40 (some TV broadcasts may be slightly shorter where the film is sped up). It contains a very orchestral version of the theme, with a whole 'suite' of music from the episode, in the middle. Part of this version was used, edited down, on the closing credits of 'The Battle of Bel-Air' and (slightly re-recorded) 'Say It With Bullets' later in the season.

The title of this episode is a play on the 1979 movie ‘When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder’, in which a drug dealer played by Marjoe Gortner (who played Thomas Anderson / Angel in ‘Recipe For Heavy Bread’ a few episodes previously) subjects a town to his unique physical and mental torture after his car breaks down there. Other than the actual title, this episode doesn't seem particularly influenced on that film.

Playing Daniel Running Bear is Richard Yniguez, an experienced guest spot actor who has worked in TV and films from the early 1970s through to the present day. Often cast in ethnic roles due to his distinctive appearance, he can be seen - among many other appearances - as...:

Mills Watson plays Stryker, the head of Bus Carter's men. Born 10^th July 1940, in Oakland California, the burly Watson is normally cast as the bad guy heavy, quite often with a cowboy / western connection. In the 1960s and 70s, he played a number of different parts in cowboy series ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Alias Smith And Jones’. His most well known roles are in 'B.J. and the Bear (1978)m, where he played Perkins, and spin-off ‘The Misadventures Of Sheriff Lobo’ (later just ‘Lobo’; 1979-1981) as Deputy Perkins, as well as ‘Uncle Buster’ in ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’ (1981-82). He appears again twice in 'The A-Team' - as Hoyt Plummer in the third season's 'Trouble On Wheels', and as Lou Canter in the "missing" fifth season episode 'Without Reservations', He can also be seen as...:

Dana Kimmell plays Lane Carter, Bus Carter's niece. Born 26th October 1959 in Arkansas, Kimmell (sometimes credited as Dana Kimmell-Anderson) had a number of guest spots from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s. She can also be seen as...:

Walter Brooke, born 13th October 1914, New York, plays General Bullen, who assigns Colonel Decker to capture The A-Team. His career spanned from the 1940s though to the mid 1980s. He passed away on 20th August 1986. He can also be seen as...:

Born Thomas Morgan Woodward on 16^th September 1925 in Texas, Woodward has had a long career appearing in many classic television series, including numerous episodes of cowboy series ‘The Restless Gun’, ‘Wagon Train’, ‘Bonanza’, ‘The Virginian’, ‘Gunsmoke’, and ‘The High Chaparral’, as well as a number of big screen films. He appears again in 'The A-Team' as Rodeo owner Captain Winnetka in the memorable third season episode 'Showdown!'.

Philip Gordon (Daniel's nephew Shelley) was a Mexican child actor who made a few TV and film appearances in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Alicia Fleer plays the girl in the changing room that Face hides from Decker in. Born 9th September 1964 in California, Fleer ha a couple of bit part TV roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Will Hunt, who plays the Wino that tries to steal Daniel's wallet, is another bit part actor, who worked in TV from the mid-1970s through to the early 1990s. He can be seen as...:

Anita Merritt, sometimes credited as Juanita Merritt, plays Gretel at Face's movie premiere. She can also be seen as...:

Tony Ciccone plays the Parking Attendant from who Hannibal and Face 'borrow' the Trans-Am to escape Decker. He appears again in 'The A-Team' as a waiter in the third season episode 'The Big Squeeze', a Security Guard in 'Beverly Hills Assault' also in the third season, and as a V.A. Hospital Orderly in the fifth season's 'Firing Line'. More recently he has worked as a film editor. He can also be seen as...:

Occasional bit part performer Bill Dyer (Willy the train engineer) is the most recurring actor to be used in 'The A-Team'. He also plays a Minister in the first season finale 'A Nice Place To Visit'; as Old Man Villager' in the third season's 'The Island' and as Claude in 'The Big Squeeze'; as a Wino in 'The Road to Hope' and a Reverend in 'Waiting For Insane Wayne' in the fourth season; and as Father Stellini in 'Firing Line' and Douglas in 'The Spy Who Mugged Me' in the fifth season.

Bobby Bass (Dexter) is an experienced stuntman and stunt coordinator. He was also credited as a Thug in the fourth season episode 'A Little Town With An Accent'. He also worked on 'Star Trek' where he was stunt double for James Doohan (Scotty), and films such as 'Smokey and the Bandit' (1977) and 'Smokey and the Bandit II' (1980); and 'The Cannonball Run' (1981).

Jack Verbois is another experienced stuntman, who also played a Thug in the fourth season's 'A Little Town With An Accent', as well as McVee in the fifth season episode 'The Crystal Skull'. He can also be seen as...:

Norm Howell (M.P. #2) is another accomplished stunt coordinator and occasional actor. He can also be seen as...:

The actor who plays Mick at Face's film premiere is uncredited. I think it might possibly be John Ashley, series Producer and who gives the opening narration at the start of each episode. Listen to the voice; they sound very alike. It might also explain why a shot of himself and Face was used on the third and fourth season opening credits.

When Daniel is lassoed off of his horse, the place where he falls seems to be a different place from where he gets up again. When he falls there are trees around, when we see him stand up, they have disappeared. (Also, the stream seems to appear from nowhere, though it may simply not have been visible in the previous shots.)

My favourite thing to spot in the entire series: I've only spotted this on DVD, the picture panned up to far on televised versions, but look carefully at the file that Colonel Decker reads about The A-Team. It reads:... 'Aleged suspects on or about June 15, 1978, did wilfully and knowingly do something really naughty'! Click the image to see a larger screen shot (opens in a new window). And yes, they did spell 'aledged' wrong!

Nitpick: At the film premiere, if Hannibal suspects that Lynch is nearby, why does he remove his disguise when he is talking to Face?

My friend at school (also an 'A-Team' fan) and I often used to laugh about this one: at the film premiere, after Decker and his men have slid over on the ice, Hannibal jumps through a window. Not only is it clearly a stunt double (of course), but this particular double seems to have been on holiday, as he has a tan and is much darker than George Peppard!

The night-time shots of the city, before Daniel bumps into the Wino, are stock footage, and were previously used at the start of the first season episode 'The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas'.

Nitpick: Seeing as it is the first time that Colonel Decker has tried to capture The A-Team, how does Captain Crane recognise it even though this is the first time he’s ever seen it. Presumably the Military Police have a record of it’s description on file, which rekindles the long-running question as to why the MPs seemingly recognise the van on some occasion, and not on others.

A shot of The A-Team van pulling up to the warehouse was recycled in the third season episode 'Trouble On Wheels'.

When B.A.’s van crashes off of the pier, and when it is lifted out, it quite clearly is not the standard GMC A-Team van, but another model. When we see it crash off the pier, the headlights become round, and the front grill is also missing. The front end of this model seems to be shorter – note on the shots after it has been pulled out of the water and Decker and Crane are looking inside, the van is shot from such an angle that the front end is not overly visible. The side sliding door can also be seen to be different.

The sequence of the van crashing into the ocean was reused at the end of the third season episode 'Hot Styles'.

Nitpick: Why does Hannibal have to be inside the van as it races across the pier and into the ocean - couldn't they have just placed a brick (or suchlike) on the accelerator? Possible explanation: Maybe he needed to steer it around the soldiers?

Nitpick: The rest of the team and Daniel seem to leave via a different exit than the one that the van entered the warehouse by. So why do they leave by the exit that is right near the M.P.s? Possible explanation: maybe both sides of the warehouse had been surrounded, and the one where the soldiers were distracted was easier to leave by?

Nitpick: If the M.P.s identity Daniel from his fingerprints, how come Amy and Murdock's prints aren't also identified? Surely this would confirm that they are both working with The A-Team?

In Arizona, when the team go into town for supplies (just before the brawl with Stryker and his men), the establishing shot of the street is actually an (unused) shot from the first season finale 'A Nice Place To Visit' - the Watkins Brothers pick-up can even be seen in the background.

When Hannibal and Face are galloping on horseback alongside the train, their stunt doubles can be spotted in many shots, intercut with shots of George Peppard and Dirk Benedict.

When Hannibal frees the mustangs from the railroad wagon, his stunt double can clearly be seen in one shot.

After the team have successfully stopped the train (the first time), after Hannibal has released the horses from the wagon, we see B.A. ride up and give Hannibal his horse. Look carefully - this is actually B.A.'s stunt double (Tony Brubaker); it is clearly not Mr. T.

The mansion belonging to Bus Carter is also used in several other episodes, including the third season episode 'The Bells of St. Marys'.

When Murdock is listening to the train rail and talking to his horse, B.A. grabs him, holding both sides of Murdock's top. He then puts down one arm, but in the shots from behind Murdock, his hand is still there.

When Hannibal jumps out of the helicopter onto the train, the helicopter appears to vanish into nowhere.

Nitpick: Hannibal says to B.A. "...We gotta stop this train". Actually, the train was disconnected and went on ahead; he should say "We've gotta stop these wagons".

The Range Rider, of course! He also has a supposedly talking horse Ed, referring to the sit-come 'Mr. Ed' (1961-66).

Murdock is dressed in his Range Rider costume for the entirety of this story, so does not wear a comical t-shirt for this episode.

This story was originally broadcast in the U.K. on (date to be confirmed) 1983. Edit(s) (if any), and whether it was shown in feature-length or two-part format, are not currently known.

It was repeated on Saturday 29th March 1986, in feature-length format. This airing had quite a few edits. They included:

	The opening trailer being edited off (as was quite common with US series shown at the time)
	When the lassoed Daniel is pulled along the ground, a shot of him struggling as he is dragged along is edited out. Around three seconds are lost.
	The third 'flashback' as the team's file is read, using material from 'Holiday In The Hills' (see 'A File Full of Conflicts' section) is edited out. At the end of the 'flashback' to 'One More Time', it cuts to General Bullen telling Decker "...They've made a fine bunch of jackasses out of all of us. And I want it to stop now". 58 seconds is lost.
	Face's description to Hannibal about his new film scam is shortened. After Face tells him "I've decided to produce", it jumps to Hannibal (suddenly with Face's card in his hand, and the pair of them standing in a different position) "Face... Face. You're not George Lucas.". One minute 45 seconds is lost.
	The 'make' in the rail yard is shortened. One minute 18 seconds is lost.

Meridian repeated the story, in two-part format, on Saturday 9th January (15:00-15:55) and Saturday 16th January (14:55-15:55) 1993 (actually the first 'A-Team' story that Meridian broadcast after taking over from TVS, who were generally showing third season episodes at the time). Both parts were shown uncut (bar the closing credits, see below), including the re-insertion of the above edits.

	Part 1 was shown without the opening trailer. It finished after the scene with the brawl in town. The closing credits ran from the begging before being cut just as Decker and his men enter to slip on the ice, cutting up to the Universal logo.
	Part 2 opened with the opening trailer. The closing credits cut to the shot of the helicopter flying up behind the locomotive.

London Weekend Television repeated the story, again in two-part format, on Saturday 7th October (14:25-15:20) and Saturday 14th October (14:15--15:15). As an example of LWT's seeming random picking of episodes, the story was shown between the first season's 'The Beast From The Belly of A Boeing' and the third season's 'Cup A' Joe'. As was sadly the norm with LWT, there were a few edits.

	Part 1 had the opening trailer up to Captain Crane saying "Looks like you caught The A-Team once and for all", and then cut to the opening credits.
	Under the title "When You Comin' Back, Range Rider?", LWT added 'Part One'.
	The rest of Part 1 played complete. It finished at the same point as Meridian's Part 1, but instead of closing credits, the closing theme was faded in, and 'To Be Continued...' was written on the bottom of the screen, after which it cut to the Universal logo.
	Part 2 played the rest of the opening trailer that was cut out on Part 1.
	Unlike Meridian's Part 2, "When You Comin' Back, Ranger Rider?" Part Two was written on the bottom of the screen as the story resumed.
	After the team and Daniel leave the 'borrowed' Lane Carter at their camp, this showing went to an advertisement break, and resumed with Decker meeting Crane in town, skipping the scene where Hannibal and Face discuss their plans. Around one minute 30 seconds were lost.
	The final act was rounded down. It faded out from Hannibal, standing on the side of the helicopter and giving the thumbs up, to Murdock handing over his pistols to Daniel and dropping his pistol belt. Around one minute 30 seconds were lost. Maybe surprisingly, the long closing credits were shown complete and uninterrupted.

This story was not released on any format until The Complete Second Season in 2004. It was complete bar a slight jump near the end of Part 1. After the brawl, Hannibal bends down to Stryker "Now, you tell Mr. Carter he's out of the rustling business". The DVD version suddenly jumps, to "...rustling business". This was seemingly due to a break in the master prints.

There is also another slight possible break earlier in the story. In the first 'flashback' ('Holiday In The Hills' material), as Murdock opens the plane door, there is a sudden jump, notably in the music. This again may be due to a break in the masters. To note is that on the repeat broadcasts of the episode (bar the 1986 showing, where the sequence was edited out), it also jumps - on those occasions, the sound drops for a moment.

(Also, to get very trivial, the first note of Act I's opening music is missed off on the DVD.)

Either Decker and his men sent flying on the tipped ice, or the A-Team van crashing into the ocean.

A very enjoyable feature-length (or two-part) adventure, that may very well be the series' best feature-length outing. Much of the concept of the series came from classic cowboy movies; and when the team get to play cowboys for themselves, they do it very well!

AIRDATES

Either Decker and his men sent flying on the tipped ice, or the A-Team van crashing into the ocean.