Charlie's Angels: The Complete Third Season
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Movie Reviews of Charlie's Angels: The Complete Third Season
Movie Review: The Angels are back, but not in the most Angelic of seasons...
Summary: 4 Stars
The third season of Charlie's Angels, which aired on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC from September 1978 through May 1979, had a lot going for it, as well as a lot to live up to. The first season exploded onto television and immediately became a Nielsen ratings champ. Thanks to tweaked writing and a better timeslot, the second season was an even greater success, despite losing the angel who became a cultural phenomenon, Farrah Fawcett's "Jill Munroe."
One unique aspect of the third season is that it has the distinction of being the first (and only) season to have all three angels returning from the previous one-Cheryl Ladd as "Kris Munroe" who replaced Farrah, in addition to original angels "Sabrina Duncan" and "Kelley Garret," played by Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith respectively. Additionally, Farrah's contractual return for three episodes this season was another asset for the returning show. Her Townsend Associates homecoming alone caused enough media hype to potentially catapult the ratings even higher than before as everyone was curious to see how the former angel would come back into the fold with her younger sister and former colleagues. Not to mention that this season was filled with plenty of guest appearances including Dean Martin, Dick Sargent, Nancy Parsons, Anne Francis, Casey Kasem, and an up-and-coming young actress by the name of Jamie Lee Curtis. So with all of these factors going for it, this season should have been nothing less than stellar.
Well, that wasn't quite the case. I think that the actresses, along with faithful sidekick "Bosley," played perfectly by the late David Doyle, performed to the best of their abilities, given the material. The real problem is that by the time the third season began, the producers/creators thought that the show was infallible given its immense popularity and record-setting ratings, and this arrogance on their behalf lead to a creative decline mostly due to inferior writing. One particular writer became quite lazy with his scripts, and a pattern begins to emerge in his scripted episodes: they lack any real depth and tend to be built around one good central idea that isn't fleshed out enough for an entire episode. Examples of these episodes include: ANGELS BELONG IN HEAVEN, ANGELS ON VACATION, MARATHON ANGELS, ANGEL ON HIGH, and TERROR ON SKIS, the latter of which he admittedly wrote because his wife wanted to go on a skiing vacation!?! The initial ideas for these episodes are good, but the episodes as a whole don't match the calibur of earlier Angel outings.
Since Charlie's Angels is more episodic (meaning that the storylines are limited to the duration of an episode) than serial (where storylines last several episodes or even an entire season), it's better to have a diverse mix of writers and directors so that they can bring their own creativity to the show, thus giving it a fresh, ever-evolving feel. Consequently, the season's highlights are when guest writers contributed scripts: COUNTERFEIT ANGELS is an original episode that uses Charlie's anonymity against him when a man disguises his voice to impersonate Charlie and send his "evil angels" out to do his bidding; Jill's return in ANGEL COME HOME has a well-developed story that naturally involves all 4 angels as they work together to discover who sent the phony emergency cablegram that brought Jill back from racing in Europe; and another bright spot in the season, and series, is the classic ANGELS IN SPRINGTIME where the Angels infiltrate a women's spa to solve the murder of a famous actress and find her missing memoirs. This episode is loaded with fun, from short shorts to frigid adversaries to faking hypnotism, and this episode boasts one of the best villains: Zora the hefty physical therapist who uses her might against little Kris during a rough confrontation.
As for the DVD set, there's nothing in the form of "special features," but for me the show itself is worth the purchase. The packaging for this season is different than the formats used for previous seasons, with this season's packaging consisting of an outer box that houses 3 slim plastic DVD cases. Each case holds 2 discs and features a large photo of an angel on the cover, episode titles, descriptions and airdates on the back, and several photos of the angels and Bosley on the inside. Of all 3 season DVD releases, I believe this one has the best packaging. The film restoration is excellent, as the episodes look and sound great! My only complaint about the set is that the 2 double-length episodes, "Angels in Vegas" and "Terror on Skis," are the syndicated versions that are each split up into 2-part episodes. It would be nice to have the rarely seen, unedited, original versions of these episodes.
I love the Angels, through thick and thin, and even though this season has its flaws, I'm thrilled to add it to my Angel DVD collection. It's just a shame that a season that could have been spectacular as a whole was instead lackluster.
Season 3: 4 stars
Season 3 DVD set: 4 stars
Movie Review: Angels on my mind
Summary: 4 Stars
It's great to have Season 3 in all its campy glory. Kris wrestling alligators,Mercedes McCambridge at a fat farm with lesbian overtones,a Dean Martin romance,Anne Francis as a religious cult groupie kidnapping cheerleaders, and a marathon with T&A and a boa constrictor! I loved Charlie's Angels!! I mostly missed out on the Farrah era(lights out by 10 pm) so Cheryl Ladd was really the only blond angel I knew(and loved). Later,when I got to see the first season,I realized that the Sabrina/Jill/Kelly team had the best chemistry. You believe these three were really friends looking out for each other (plus Farrah's physical stature and presence meshed better I think with Jaclyn and Kate). With Kris there's a noticeable strain in the team although its near impossible to dislike her. When Cheryl joined the show she wanted Kris to be funny and goofy and from then on the show became less edgy and classy and less about the friendship of the girls. It became silly family entertainment. The production level increased,the stories became more ridiculous(but enjoyable). During Farrah's season it almost didn't matter what the plot was,the enjoyment was watching these three interact. You can't bottle that. Now at the time I didn't know Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd didn't get along but watching the shows now you can definitely see the tension. Having said that,the cast during Season 3 seem a tad more comfortable with each other than during Season 2 where Kris seems like the baby sister everyone has to put up with. Yes,now they're more at ease, just in time for Kate Jackson to check out. It's clear watching Season 3 that she's counting the episodes til she's outta there. After she left, the show officially became self-parody(which had already begun with season 3).
I actually kinda prefer Season 3 to Season 2. There are some genuinely terrific episodes during this season: Angels In Springtime(I'm woozy with delight...or is it that truth serum?),Counterfeit Angels(always remembered that one),Haunted Angels(actually a little creepy),Angel On My Mind(another unforgettable one and a great performance by Cheryl), Teen Angels(even though it should've been less predictable, its worth it for Kris tangling with Audrey Landers). Terror on Skis is worth it for the shots of Sabrina in her fur hat(from the show pilot?)bobbing around in front of the pre-filmed ski-slope backdrop. Angels in the Stretch and Angels in Vegas are worth it solely for Kate Jackson who wakes up and does great work here. Angels in Waiting isn't particularly enjoyable but it gives David Doyle a chance to flesh out his character more. This season also contains some real bizarre stinkers(in my opinion): Winning Is For Losers(zzz),Marathon Angels(that jogging theme music is enough to make you want to run into traffic),Angels Ahoy(don't just float there Kelly,swim away). In general everyone seems tired: the actors,the writers,the directors. But at its worst you still can't look away.
The real bright spot is the return of Farrah. She sweeps in with Angel Come Home and all of a sudden everything comes to life. Whenever she's on screen,including her other episodes Mother Angel and Angel in a Box,you're reminded why this show commanded attention when it first appeared.
As far as the DVD set goes, yea, I'd love some extras too. Are there no outtakes,bloopers or old commercials anywhere? You gotta wonder if anyone even looked. The quality of the transfers vary, and some are bad, but its great to have them at all. The packaging is wonderful(love the stars). Clearly the designer favors Farrah(and why not?). Now only if Farrah would finally admit she left the show because her then-husband Lee Majors demanded it(maybe not the coolest thing to admit in the feminist 70s).
Movie Review: Worth the two year wait!
Summary: 4 Stars
Finally, after two years and a few months since the release of Season 2, we have Season 3! We fans kept letting Sony know we wanted it, and hopefully they will fast track Seasons 4 and 5! Sony has done a great job lately of reaching deep in the vault for some great stuff!! While Season 3 is not my favorite season of the 5, it does have some of my favorite episodes of the shows entire run, such as "Counterfeit Angels", "Angels on Vacation" (rarely seen in syndication), "Mother Angel" and "Rosemary, For Remembrance." It would have been nice to have some extras, but it won't influence my decision to buy or not to buy. We see the return of Farrah Fawcett in this season for three episodes, which was a condition of her legal settlement with Spelling-Goldberg. Spelling-Goldberg agreed to drop their lawsuit in exchange for Farrah appearing in 3 episodes in Season 3 and Season 4. I look forward to Season 4, as some really great episodes came from that season as well, such as "Avenging Angel", "Fallen Angel" (the best of Farrah's 6 return episodes), "Of Ghosts and Angels." Contrary to many's opinion, Shelley Hack was no where near as dreadful as she was made out to be, and after having filmed several episodes, she was coming along. Granted, the chemistry between the Angels lacked somewhat in Season 4. Let's keep contacting Sony and let them know we want Seasons 4 and 5 soon! Hopefully, they will fast track it like they have so far with the "Flying Nun."Movie Review: Angels to the rescue!
Summary: 4 Stars
Before I start, I hope sony hurries up with the release of the remaining seasons!!
Now that off my back, here are my comments:
1. First and foremost, I am very excited when watching the shows.
Season 3 still holds strong with more creative ideas.
And yes, I always thought in the past that season 1 was the true best season because of Farrah, but I take that back.
Farah is always cool, but season 3 is equally strong and entertainning. Heck, the chemistry with the girls in 2 & 3 are amazing.
2. Of course, Sony could have done a better packaging instead of the cheap looking box set.
3. Sony could have thrown in some documentary, interviews with stars in the past, and interviews with them today.
By God have an audio commentary in the discs. The stars if I recall correctly are mostly alive and well. RIP Mr. Doyle, you were a great actor.
Or atleaset put some old TV commercials.
4. Oh and why not release a a box set audio CDs with the music / themes played in the seasons. I for one would buy it, I bet other fans of the show would too.
Anyhow, what we got is seriously better than nothing.
Thanks,
Nawaf
Movie Review: DIDN'T LIKE KATE LEAVING:THIS WAS A COOL SEASON
Summary: 4 Stars
THIS WAS ONE SEASON THAT I PRACTICALLY COMPLETELY MISSED. LIKE MOST OF THE SHOWS I ENJOYED WHICH AIRED BETWEEN THE MID-SEVENTIES TO THE MID TO LATE EIGHTIES, I MISSED QUITE A BIT OF THIS ONE. BUT I DID SEE "TERROR ON SKIES". ONE OF THE SUPPORTING ACTORS IN THAT EPISODE WAS "CHRISTOPHER GEORGE". WOW! TALK ABOUT EYE CANDY, HE WAS STILL AS HANDSOME AS EVER. I FIRST SAW HIM ON AN EPISODE OF
"BEWITCHED". I DON'T REMEMBER IF HE PLAYED A LOVE INTEREST OF "SAMANTHA'S" OR IF HE WAS A RELATIVE OF HERS. ANYWAY, HE PLAYED SOME SORT OF AGENT WHO WAS WORKING WITH THE ANGELS TO ASSIST IN STOPPING SOME SORT OF A TERRORIST ATTEMPT. IF MY MEMORY IS CORRECT THERE WAS A ROMANCE BETWEEN HIS CHARACTER AND ONE OF THE ANGELS, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE. BOY, DO I NEED TO WATCH THIS SEASON BADLY.
I RECORDED THIS EPISODE ON VIDEO, OF COURSE NOT KNOWING THAT EVENTUALLY I WOULD BE ABLE TO BUY THE ENTIRE SEASON ON DVD'S. I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY COPY. HOPEFULLY BY MY NEXT BIRTHDAY SEASON FIVE WILL BE AVAILABLE AND I CAN PURCHASE ALL FIVE SEASONS AS A PRESENT TO MYSELF.