episode #81 - Sharks, Part II

episode #2 of 5th season / Air Date: 9/18/77 written by Arthur Weingarten directed by Alan J. Levi

Continued from the first part, the main thrust of this episode is that the goals of the supposed villains (Pamela Hensley and Stephen Elliott) diverge from those of the henchmen (led by Gregory Walcott). The father-daughter team had supposedly noble if misguided intentions, the usual protest against the military industrial complex. The henchmen are merely mercenaries and their aim is to use the threat of the sub's nuclear missiles for purposes of extortion and riches. Walcott's merc takes over as the actual villain, while Hensley and Elliott's characters become helpless captives just like Austin. In addition, Elliott's elder character also suffers medical problems. Meanwhile, Rudy is stuck on the ocean floor in a bathysphere, as a means of controlling Austin.
The main thing which irritates me about this 2-parter is the deceptive title. For an episode (s) which is titled "Sharks" there is very little involving the threat of sharks. It's only in the last 5 minutes that the villain sends a shark against Austin and we get to see bionics in action vs. a man-eater... but even then, this shark is on the small side; we're talking maybe a 6-footer, certainly nothing like a great white. One bionic punch sends the fish scurrying. Maybe the title referred more to the human-variety of predator, the mercs. BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10