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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 7179" data-attributes="member: 23">BEAUTY BURGLARSOh - that episode name. It brings to mind latter Charlie’s Angels episodes. Or maybe Hart To Hart (didn’t Jennifer once get brainwashed by her hairdresser or something). Or even the Fembots from The Bionic Woman.Fortunately, while the plot is something that would be a good fit on any of those shows, the execution ensures there’s nothing quite so camp here.The main story centres around a series of violent robberies at upmarket salons where rich Park Avenue ladies are relieved of their jewellery by a gang dressed as cops. We witness one of the robberies as the story opens, involving guns held to heads, threats of sexual violence and a couple of pistol-whippings (all done in the best possible taste, of course).As with the Neighbourhood Watch shooting episode, there’s a post-robbery moment where it gets a little hammy as one of the women cries hysterically (and badly) in close up, emoting for all she’s worth before we cut away.There’s a lot to enjoy about the story. Chris and Mary Beth are heading a task force for the first time, and their reactions appropriately in character: Chris thrilled because this is what she’s been waiting for. Mary Beth apprehensive in case they blow it. The dynamics of their interactions with colleagues (who for the purposes of this assignment are technically now their subordinates) is fascinating. There’s the sense that everyone is acutely aware of the slight power shift. Stroppiness and inappropriate comments from the men are met with sarcasm from Chris and with no-nonsense facts about the reality of the case from Mary Beth.A couple of the turns the story takes lean towards the convoluted at times. Several people they come into contact with in their routine activities mention people who have been robbed while visiting hairdressers, and Mary Beth conveniently spots someone wearing a security uniform that resembles those used in the robberies. But these are nitpicks that could be put down to the lead characters having their eyes open for clues.There’s some great character stuff for Chris as part of this storyline. She rants and raves about being ordered to make a compassionate visit to a hospital where one of the victims of the robberies is on her deathbed, resenting every minute of having to sit still and see people she doesn’t know bursting into tears. At the hospital, she appears composed and compassionate, but when she gets back to the station she really cuts loose, shouting that “he” (Samuels) can go next time (we don’t see Samuels’ reaction to this, we’re just very aware that his office door is open).The hysterical woman (who is also the friend of the dead woman) feels a sense of attachment to Chris and opens up that she is not coping well and agoraphobic since her husband left her. Chris’s response to this is particularly interesting. She makes polite but clearly perfunctory stock responses as she hastily tries to quickly exit the woman’s apartment. Chris is asked if she’d like to have lunch sometime, and responds in the affirmative - but essentially negates it in her next sentence about being very tied up with the case at the moment. Seeing Chris’s professional side, it’s easy to understand why the lonely woman felt compelled to open up. But knowing Chris’s personal attitudes towards personal responsibility and weakness (particularly in women), it’s quite fascinating to wonder what’s going on below the surface. There’s an interesting kind of low-level guilt that stays with her for much of the episode, with the simple fact being that she is not the right person to give this woman what she is trying to find.The “personal” story in this episode is equally compelling and has a long-time friend of Mary Beth’s visiting. Now wealthy and about to enter her second marriage, Theresa has come to go over arrangements with Mary Beth who is to be her Maid Of Honour. There’s a really cute scene where Theresa is met by Mary Beth and Chris. Theresa’s comment about not having been in a police car before is met with gentle teasing from Chris (“There’s a shotgun under the seat”). Theresa, by the way, is played by Christine Belford - one of the reliable actors who seemed to do the rounds of practically every tv show during the Seventies and Eighties. I remember her well as Baroness von Gunther in one of the earliest Wonder Woman episodes. And she went straight on from C&L to begin her short but memorable run on Dynasty.Operating in different strata brings up issues of status. Mary Beth tries to keep up by buying expensive pair of crystal candlesticks as a wedding present. This leads to some fun moments where she nervously clutches the giftwrapped box as they race round New York following a call to action.Things get more serious when she and Harvey go to dinner with Theresa and some of her wealthy friends. There’s an awkward moment where Harvey is asked what he does. After a moment he says he’s in construction, which is pretty much met with silence. There’s a beautiful scene that follows their arrival home, where Harvey - his self-esteem round his ankles - tells Mary Beth that she’s still pretty and it’s not to late to find herself a doctor or lawyer and have everything she deserves. Mary Beth says she already has everything she wants, then nervously keeps talking about her friendship with Theresa, how they used to curl each others hair with huge rollers they could put their arms through (“Did you ever do that with your friends?”, she asks Harv). As Harvey leaves, she blurts out that she loves him and it’s clear that he doesn’t know what to do with it so he says nothing. It’s such a poignant scene and tells us all we need to know about these two.The final straw is when Theresa encourages Mary Beth to buy a $400 dress (complete with turban) for the wedding. When Mary Beth says she can’t afford it, Theresa offers to buy her the dress. There’s another great Harv scene where Mary Beth relays this story to him as she holds one of their sleeping children (I can never remember which is which). On finding out about the proffered charity Harv clenches his jaw and his fist, loudly thumping the table before shouting the odds. Mary Beth’s first response is to cover the child’s ears, which is quite comical.The crux is that Mary Beth decides not to go to the wedding, but eventually talks it over with Theresa who backs down and says she just wants Mary Beth there, no matter what she wears. But somehow that’s not the key point. What’s important here is the journey, and the one taken with all characters involved has been a really engaging one.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played JR Ewing?