episode #14 - Nuclear Alert

episode #1 of 2nd season / Air Date: 9/13/74    written by William Driskill    Directed by Jerry London

A standard thriller of an episode, involving the nuclear threat - and possibly more relevant nowadays due to the terrorist threat of the past decade. At the start, several reps are on an airplane to bid on a nuclear bomb; the winning bid is $70 million. A sore loser (Sid Haig) goes to Oscar Goldman's office and tells him what happened. So, the wheels are set into motion; after a top level meeting, Oscar reluctantly agrees to Steve Austin's idea to take over as truck driver on the truck which is transporting a key fuse part for a nuke, in the hope of catching the unknown perps.
This episode was OK in terms of espionage-type intrigue coupled with a road trip-type plot. It's a question of who is the inside man here - the traitor - though we do find out pretty quick. The climax, back on an airplane, is fairly exciting. There's also an unusual moment midway through, when an old farmer sees Austin running past and it's not the usual slow-mo. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10
Star Trek TOS actor alert:
Stewart Moss has a role here as a major; he was in The Naked Time as a crew member and in By Any Other Name as an alien invader