#58 "Eternal Flame" (Season 4 #3)

#58 "Eternal Flame" (Season 4 #3)

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

Original Air Date: Oct. 2, 1989

Writer: David Stenn

Director: Mario Van Peebles

Production Code: 16406

Things To Note:

Opening Theme:

Closing Theme:

LOD:

Regulars:

Friends, Family & Guests: Tracy Griffith [ Linda McHugh ], Michael Des Barres [ Gavin McHugh ], Kim Valentine [ Unknown ], Thomas Haden Church [ Unknown ]

Episode Summary from The 21 Jump Street Episode Guide:

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

Hanson meets an old flame now married to the owner of a 80's nightclub suspected of providing LSD to high school students.

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’ve watched "Eternal Flame" quite a few times, since Michael Des Barres plays Gavin. I really like this actor. This kind of role is what he’s known for. Mr. Karst (the drama teacher in #51 "High High") was very atypical for him. There’s such a lush and cool atmosphere here. It’s funny - the original episode summary read that it was a 60’s club, and I asked them to change it to an 80’s club, thinking it was a typo, but now, looking at it, with the smiley faces and the acid, maybe it *was* a 60’s club. Looking back on it from a late 90’s perspective though, it is so 80’s. Love the music, Johnny’s black outfits and gum-chewing cockiness, the way Linda’s clothing and hairstyles parallel her gradual loosening up around Hanson - the cool jazzy music Gavin likes - it’s just a great episode, and I’m sure director Mario Van Peebles deserves a lot of the credit (he also directed #51 "High High" and #62 "Out of Control"). I also like it that Hanson went to Penhall to talk about her. I love it when they show how close Hanson and Penhall are. Can’t help thinking of Linda as Jessica Rabbit in her first scene. Interesting how they keep McHugh and Penhall apart until the very end. They must have realized that some people would recognize MDB from playing Mr. Karst six months earlier and in syndication these episodes would run only 7 days apart. They wisely keep Penhall out of McHugh’s scenes till the very end, where he comes in and says that McHugh talks like a bad movie. Good joke.

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