Double Heat (S03, E06)
In which we take on two mobsters for the price of one.
We open on a young couple at a restaurant, with the man ordering champagne for the table. He’s called away to the phone and we learn that he’s lured the woman there so two other men can kidnap her. They point a gun at her, so she complies and leaves without making a fuss.
Later, an older man meets Hannibal disguised as a living statue. It isn’t the usual client meeting though, as Hannibal pulls a gun on the man and bundles him into the van, driven by BA. They meet Murdock at the marina, mentioning the man’s also met Mr Lee.
The team are suspicious as the man didn’t seem to exist in any records until two years ago. In turns out that he was placed in witness protection and given a new identity for testifying against a mobster called Tommy Largo. The case never went to trial but is about to be re-opened and he’s due to appear in court the next day. The kidnapped girl is his daughter, Jenny, and he’s been warned not to go to the police.
The team’s only lead is the man who took Jenny to the restaurant, Ray Evans. They meet up with Face and send him into a fitness club to interrogate Ray. After sizing him up, Face tries to leave but Ray has had enough of him and throws him through a window into the marina. Thankfully, BA is there to scare him straight when he comes out of the club for more.
Ray claims that he just did what he was told and that Ginger, the waitress that served them, set the deal up. The team drive to the restaurant, where Ginger is being grabbed by two goons and thrown into a car. Somehow knowing it’s the woman they need, the team give chase in the van until the two men crash and ditch their car, leaving Ginger behind.
The waitress reveals she’s working for Eddie Devane, another mobster and a rival of Tommy Largo. This bad news gets worse for the team as no-one knows where Devane is. Hannibal isn’t worried though – they can just ask Tommy Largo!
The four burst into Largo’s club and shoot the place up, telling Tommy that Eddie Devane sent them and he wants to talk. They soon leave, with Hannibal returning in disguise as a drunk to spill some liquid on the car Largo gets in to.
The liquid is a luminous paint that Face and Murdock can see through special glasses as they tail Largo in a chopper they scam. Meanwhile, BA and Hannibal follow in the van.
At Devane’s mansion, there’s unease and confusion between the two wise guys. Eddie claims to know nothing about the men who broke into Largo’s club and says he doesn’t have Jenny. After his rival leaves, Devane reveals he does have Jenny captive and is using her to make sure that her father testifies the next day – sending his competition to jail.
Realising how well-fortified Devane’s mansion is, Hannibal tries an unusual way of getting inside. He parachutes into the pool, dressed in costume as Leo the Lizard – a character booked for a nearby children’s party.
While he’s talking to Devane and scoping out the internal defences, Jenny slips a note into Leo’s mask which Hannibal unknowingly picks up. As he’s about to leave, Devane’s guards search him and find the note – locking him up with Jenny while they decide what to do with him. Jenny apologises for ruining the plan, but Hannibal’s agile and pulls a concealed gun from the lizard suit for their escape.
The rest of the team are at the gate, pretending to be Leo the Lizards crew, having tracked him from the ground. They give up on the ruse as soon as they get inside, attacking the mobster and his goons with gunfire. This sends a guard running in to check on Jenny, where Hannibal’s able to knock him out and escape. He manages to get Jenny to the van, which bursts out through the front gate.
Devane’s forced to call Largo, who’s amused that the same four men have now got one over on his rival as well as him. They agree to team up, knowing that Devane will get arrested for kidnapping and Largo will go down when her father testifies if they don’t get her back.
Back at her apartment, Jenny speaks to her father on the phone who reveals his location before his minders can stop him. Realising the phone is bugged, the team head to the hotel to stop Devane and Largo from getting to the witness first.
Hannibal dresses as a waiter to gain access to the room. The minders are unusual alert as they suspect a con. Hannibal assures them he’s legit, offering to bite some of the food he’s brought up. On doing so, he collapses as if poisoned. The men take Jenny’s father with them and move to a new location.
Jumping to his feet, Hannibal lets the rest of the team in as they prepare a welcome for Devane and Largo. The mobsters try the same trick, sending a henchman up as a waiter, but he’s taken out by Hannibal. The team then surprise the other men waiting outside the hotel, shooting at them and taking them on hand to hand.
With their goons beaten, Devane and Largo try to escape in a car. Hannibal lines up his shot and blows a tire, causing the car to flip and roll over. It’s left in a mangles mess and though both men climb out unharmed, they’re left for the police to collect them and put both behind bars.
Let’s wrap up with a few key questions.
Does Hannibal wear a disguise?
Yes – 4! He’s a living statue to meet their client, a drunken man to spill some tacking paint on Largo’s car, Leo the Lizard’s actor and a waiter to get access to the witness’s room.
Does BA get on a plane?
No, and it’s just his trusty van to drive this time.
Should someone be dead?
Yes. The car flip at the end leaves the car a wreck.
Double Heat is a fun episode of The A-Team, back on their home turf after two episodes working as firemen and loggers. They face off against two rival mobsters who’re both trying to influence the outcome of an upcoming trial.
There’s plenty of intrigue in this episode, with their client at first seeming suspicious then the first suspect not knowing where the victim was either. It loses steam in the final act as there’s not enough time left to stage a proper battle at the hotel. The team just attack the mobsters and beat them in the street. I guess they can’t make a propane-powered forklift shooting wooden planks every week though.