planktonrules

"A Strange Kind of Love" is an episode that reminds me of one of the best of the original "Hawaii Five-O" episodes, "Draw Me a Killer". In it, a twisted weirdo believes that a daily comic strip is real and he kills the folks who are out to do harm to the lady in the strip! In other words, he kills those who look like the characters...at least to him.

Here in "Draw Me a Killer", you have a late night talk radio host...and a twisted weirdo believes he should kill for her...such as her boss as well as the elements that make New York City a cesspool in the 1970s. But the problem isn't just the psycho. Rita, the talk radio host, isn't helpful in the least and doesn't seem to care about the fires she's stoking in this weirdo. What is Kojak to do...other than yelling at Rita a lot!

This is a good episode and is an interesting case of a rather unrepentant woman. All that seems to matter are ratings...until the guy comes after her! Well written and, sadly, prescient. In 1984. A talk radio host, Alan Berg, was murdered by a listener who didn't like him, his views or his controntational style.

I waited to review this until after I finished the final episode. And, before I talk about what I like about it, I must mention that it is NOT a show for everyone. There is a fair amount of nudity but, more importantly, some occasional horrific violence. It's NOT a show for the squeamish nor kids.

That being said, the show is very interesting because it is essentially a movie that last about 62 hours!! Because of that, you see characters change and grow. And, because it's based all around real world events, it is a decent history lesson as well as being entertaining.

Overall, extremely well written and acted and a show that is a one of a kind experience. Not to be missed...provided you aren't put off by the very adult nature of the show.

When the story begins, the cops are all playing poker. One of the guys is a cop you've never seen before...and you KNOW this means something bad is going to happen to him! Not surprisingly, a moment later, he's at a grocer and soon a robber arrives...shooting up the place. The cop gives chase and is soon gunned down by the scumbag. A lady in a fancy Ferrari gives aid...but it's all in vain. He's dead...and Kojak and the rest are there to see their co-worker die*.

Soon the police are looking for the woman who witnessed the shooting and rendered aid (Paula Kelly). Unfortunately, she's the girlfriend of some mobster and the Feds tell Kojak to leave the woman alone...she's needed for some other case and don't want to alert the mobster. But, of course, Kojak isn't going to just sit back and let a lead go that leads to capturing a cop killer! But how will he do that when he's ordered to drop it?

This is a very good episode and is a great start to the final season. An interesting plot and one that makes you want to see more.

By the way, I noticed several other reviewers complained about the new theme song beginning with this episode. I heartily agree...it's terrible and wish they'd just kept the old one.

*This death was handled VERY badly. You see the guy holding on for a bit and then his breathing stops. The EMT immediately removes the oxygen and says the guy is dead. No chest compressions or mouth-to-mouth or anything...which is NOT standard operating procedure for a death.