A Mother's Instinct

Lindsay Wagner is RaeAnn Gilbaine from Philadelphia, whose 2 boys have been kidnapped by her husband Carl (John Terry). Carl has remarried Holly Mitchell (Debrah Farantino) in North Carolina, and when Carl leaves her with the boys after she asks too many questions about the past, Holly contacts RaeAnn and together they try to find Carl and the boys.

Wagner's role is secondary to Farantino's, and this lessened responsibility allows for Wagner to retreat. Wearing her hair dark brown, RaeAnn is a woman recovering from intense pain and still depressed, and Wagner's dark wardrobe reflects this state of mind. The women have an argument in the rain, changing a car's tyre, RaeAnn raises her voice to Carl to embarrass him in front of schoolchildren when he is confronted, and Wagner makes RaeAnn's last line funny - `Just what I need - someone else to break my heart'.

The teleplay by Norman Morrill, based on a true story, repeats the opening meeting between Holly and RaeAnn after 30 minutes of flashback to Holly's back-story. This then changes the narrative to a road movie, with plot points of Holly's daughter Amanda (Alana Austin) and her relationship with her mother Louise (Barbara Babcock) interruptions to the chase. Welcome though is the contribution of ‘Mike' Wheelwright (Lynn Thigpen) as a private detective who is amused at Carl's skill. Thigpen is so entertaining a performer that she ups Wagner's ante over Farantino, especially with likes like `He's not exactly soup de jour'.

Director Sam Pillsbury uses a nauseatingly obvious music score by James McVay, and Terry undermines Carl's presumed initial charm for Holly by telegraphing his instability from the get go.

Husband leaves wife and wife finds another life, another wife in the husband's past while searching for answers to all of his hidden agendas. Good show and good story.