'Knight Rider': Michael plays fetch for a kidnapper

Tonight marked the first Knight Rider episode of the new year. I'm not quite sure why that feels momentous, but somehow it does. Actually, I think that even the producers believed it momentous, they threw in explosions, chuckles, and one very special surprise or two just for me.

The episode started off with Michael driving money to an exchange where he was to receive a kidnapped U.N. ambassador. Very run of the mill, right up until a drone swooped in and grabbed the briefcase full of cash. Frankly, I had no idea that people still carried briefcases of money around with them, it never goes well, does it?

Now, the kidnapper had left a cell phone at the drop location under a truck, so Michael was able to get in touch with our kidnapper so that he could be pointlessly obnoxious to Michael. If our kidnapper hadn't bothered to do that, he could have gotten away with the money scot-free. Instead, he toyed with Michael and the supercar, which probably meant he had a grander scheme than simply kidnapping a lowly ambassador.

First up as a part of this grander scheme, he wanted Michael to get a convict freed from jail. It was an easy enough task, but, inexplicably, not one that the CIA was down with. They put the kibosh on the whole thing, absolutely refusing to let the petty criminal out of the slammer.

And then, my friends, it happened. I've waited months for it. I've told you that I was disappointed by the lack of it. I've even asked you to speculate when it would occur. Michael didn't want to take the CIA's "no" for an answer, so he had KITT turbo boost into the prison to get the convict, and then had KITT turbo boost out again!

That's right, we got not one turbo boost tonight, but two! Two turbo boosts!! Best... episode... ever.

Anyway, up next on the kidnapper's shopping list was a fancy-schmancy x-ray machine located at a university. Michael had to don a repairman disguise to sneak into the building to get it. Where, oh where did he get the repairman disguise on such short notice? From KITT's 3D generator of course!

Okay, before I was kind of joking about this being the best episode ever, but after Michael used the 3D generator to make a repairman's outfit (even if we didn't see him use it), how could I not believe this to be the single finest hour of KR ever produced? The only thing the show needed at that point to really seal the deal was an appearance by KARR.

We didn't get that, but there was a whole subplot tonight about Doc Graiman dealing with a robot that was feeling neglected, so that's kind of like an appearance by KARR. Sort of. Maybe. Okay, fine, not at all. One medium-sized piece of distressed machinery doesn't substitute for a massive angry piece of machinery, but I'm going to pretend that it does anyway.

But, forget about that, back to the good stuff...

Michael had to give his convict to a trio of beautiful Russian spies in an amusement park in exchange for a box (you and I both know that this isn't the greatest TV show ever created, but the fact that I get to write sentences like that does make it fun). That exchange didn't go quite as planned though. KITT had to shoot some darts at the women, the drone reappeared, and the box turned out to be full of highly radioactive Hafnium. Hafnium, Michael learned, coupled with a fancy-schmancy x-ray machine can make a rocking bomb, which is exactly what our kidnapper wanted to do.

So, it was off to a sugar factory, which is where the kidnapper and the ambassador were, for the "final showdown." Michael and KITT were forced to separate for said showdown, and it was poor KITT that once again had to be the bait. KITT was left there to wait with the kidnappers while Michael snuck off to find the ambassador. He found her, but he also got captured.

If you ask me, he deserved to get captured. I think that every single time that Michael ditches KITT to save his own -- or someone else's -- skin, he ought to get caught, and perhaps even tortured just a little. It's the only way he'll ever learn.

With Michael captured, the kidnapper revealed his nefarious plot. It turned out the bomb was for Michael. The bomb was put into KITT's trunk and Michael was told he would have to keep driving north at 100 mph. If he dropped below 100, the bomb would explode.

Oh, I kid you not, Michael had to keep his speed over 100 or the bomb would go off. The kidnapper must have been a huge fan of Speed.

Have you been counting? That makes two turbo boosts, one use of the 3D generator, and a little borrowing from Speed. You have to agree with me now, right? Best... episode... ever.

Heck, when the Feds went in to raid the sugar factory with Carrie in the lead, one less than bright agent opened a door and the whole place blew up... with Carrie inside! What happened next?!? They threw up the "to be continued," so we'll just have to wait until next week to find out.

Question of the Knight: I know I oversold the greatness of the episode, I was saying it with more than a little bit of sarcasm, but I am curious to find out what you thought. Do you like this new-ish direction for the series? I'm not really sure I know what's new-ish about it, but I've definitely read that its been revamped and is therefore, new-ish. Do you recognize a difference?

The TV and Film Guy's Reviews - it's even better than two turbo boosts.

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