#25 "Fear And Loathing With Russell Buckins" AKA "Doin' The Quarter Mile in a Lifetime" (Season 2 #12)

#25 "Fear And Loathing With Russell Buckins" AKA "Doin' The Quarter Mile in a Lifetime" (Season 2 #12)

Photo Gallery 1 (scroll to find correct episode once you get there)

Original Air Date: Dec. 20, 1987

Writer: Gary Skeen Hall

Director: Kevin Hooks

Production Code: 16214

Things To Note:

Opening Theme:

Closing Theme:

LOD:

Regulars:

Friends, Family & Guests: Angelo Tiffe [ Unknown ], Anthony Starke [ Unknown ], Liz Keifer [ Unknown ], Keone Young [ Unknown ], Marcia Rodd [ Unknown ], Haunani Minn [ Unknown ]

Episode Summary from The 21 Jump Street Episode Guide:

NOTE: Stop with this one if you don’t want spoilers.

Hanson contemplates leaving the force and leaves town instead of going to a refresher course at the police academy he and Penhall had been assigned to take after they went drag racing to try to catch a hit and run driver.

Detailed Episode Review (contains spoilers!):

(NOTE: I am doing these from the FX repeats. Email me with missing scenes & I’ll add them).

Commentary:

Cyndi Glass: I really liked this one. Hanson's starting to wake up and rebel a little bit. I don't like Buckins at all, but it's nice to see Hanson start to be less of a by-the-book guy. I liked how they set us up for #47 "The Dreaded Return of Russell Buckins." I think this episode marks the beginning of Hanson reconsidering his choice of career. I can see a gradual shift with him wanting to be a Big Brother, and when he saw what the police force wanted to do to Ioki (#24 "Christmas In Saigon,"but it really began to culminate in this episode. For the first time, Hanson just doesn’t care what happens, to him or his career. And poor Penhall. He learns a hard lesson about "acquiescing" and how you are responsible not only for yourself but for your partner’s actions as well, and if you stand back and let them do wrong, you are just as responsible. Having to go back to the academy must have made him very ashamed. And later, he fails to apply it to his own life - he realizes he should have spoken up against what Hanson wanted to do, but he doesn’t realize that he should also speak up against Dorothy (sorry, I don’t like her). I’m wondering now how Debbie and Linda (#58 "Eternal Flame") could both be Hanson’s old first loves. I don’t think Hanson went to college. I think that from the dialogue, Russell and Debbie went to college and Hanson didn’t. I think she was a high school crush - maybe he dated her, etc & just didn’t pursue as much as he should have. Then after she went to college, he met Linda. That’s the only thing that makes sense. He was 21 when he joined Jump Street, according to the pilot.

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