#48 "A.W.O.L."

#48 "A.W.O.L" (Season 3 #13)

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

Original Air Date: Mar. 19, 1989

Writer: Glen Morgan & James Wong

Director: Mike Robison

Production Code: 16309

Things To Note: Songs throughout the episode performed by R.E.M.

Opening Theme:

Closing Theme:

LOD:

Regulars:

Friends, Family & Guests: Patrick Laborteaux [ Unknown ], Harrison Page [ Unknown ], Corky Gunnestad [ Unknown ], Ric Reid [ Unknown ], Don Thompson [ Unknown ]

Episode Summary from The 21 Jump Street Episode Guide:

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

An old Army buddy comes to Fuller seeking the Jump Street unit's help in bringing in an AWOL soldier who will be classified a deserter if he doesn't return to base within two days.

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: Another Morgan/Wong episode, and really well done. I like seeing Penhall and Hanson out of the high schools, even if they’re still on a case. I wasn’t very disturbed by Hanson going back on his word - after all, most of his work is built on him conning teenage kids. Besides, he had to say something, anything, to get the kid to stay and help, because there was no way he himself could have ever helped Penhall. The drill sergeant was right - the kid was a good soldier - he did everything: built a shelter, built a sled of sorts, splinted Penhall’s broken leg. I liked the follow-up in the next episode with Penhall still having the cast. I especially liked the Hanson/Penhall interaction in the car with the kid and the humor in their bad survival skills. R.E.M.'s music fit the episode perfectly. Also of note are the scenes with the sergeant and Fuller, bringing out (again) Fuller’s old backstory of being a Vietnam veteran. Especially funny is the scene where Hanson pulls into the driveway of the rest stop and skids badly on the ice - that’s not Hanson, who grew up in that region and would know to slow way down before leaving the highway, that’s Depp, who learned how to drive in Florida.

John DeCarli: I have mixed feelings about this one. It bothers me that Hanson tells Jack that he will let him go and then eventually (half-heartedly) restrains him when he attempts to escape. Maybe it had something to do with the cold. But I wonder whether Patrick Hasburgh would have allowed this to happen had he still been around.

I've never figured out the character of Jack. There are times when I think TPTB are trying to portray him as a normal, not too bright high school graduate who has made a bad decision. But there are other moments, such as when he has the nightmare in the car and the several times he laughs at inappropriate moments, that make me think he is borderline psychotic. So I can't generate much sympathy for him.

Ultimately I think this is saved by the charm of the Hanson/Penhall scenes. Even though some of the dialogue seems mumbled (turning on the closed captioning helped here), watching these two play off each other is always a pleasure. In sum: watchable, but could have been better.

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