21 Jump Street

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Season One (1987)

Rate: 4 out of 5
Viewed: 4/25

21JumpS1
4/25: The high school version of Miami Vice, I saw 21 Jump Street back then and knew Johnny Depp would be a major movie star because he was the total package.

Eventually, he became bigger than the show and tried everything to get out of it as soon as possible. But it's a good thing that he didn't because his acting is often strong here and better than a lot of films he did later. Ironically, Johnny Depp was a high school dropout in real life.

While watching the episodes of Season One, I have to say Holly Robinson gives Johnny Depp the strongest competition because she's pretty good. The rest of the cast passes muster. In a way, the tone begins to change after Frederic Forrest is replaced with Steven Williams of which I don't believe is the reason why; there's something else that caused it.

Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:

Jump Street Chapel: When Johnny Depp went running after Reginald T. Dorsey, who plays Waxer, it's a scene straight out of The French Connection. Plus, who knew that his soon-to-be-erstwhile partner would be played by Jerry Seinfeld's father?

America, What a Town: Impressive writing...very high quality. It's a fine performance by Traci Lind as the Polish girl, having a water foundation scene that's an homage to La dolce vita. Oddly, the lawyer who picks her up at the theatre is a dead ringer for Ted Bundy. Billy Jacoby is well known from Just One of the Guys and will do another TV show called Parker Lewis Can't Lose.

Don't Pet the Teacher: I bet when Miss Chadwick found out Hanson's true identity, she went, "Yessssss...." Leah Ayres may be old-looking, but she and Johnny Depp are six years apart. I knew it was the janitor who did it. Geoffrey Blake has done a nice job.

My Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades: An anti-drug message about cocaine at the end? Ironically, Johnny Depp has done plenty of snorting in his life. Meanwhile, two familiar faces emerge: Josh Brolin and Mitchell Anderson. Who knew the former would go on to play the same type of role in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps? The latter was a regular on Doogie Howser, M.D.

The Worst Night of Your Life: It's the final episode for Frederic Forrest who probably left because he's a movie, not TV, actor. Come on, he was in Apocalypse Now. This is a big step down for him.

Gotta Finish the Riff: Holly Robinson is actually fluent in French, having graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in it and also psychology. Blair Underwood makes an appearance and will soon be in L.A. Law.

Blindsided: Sherilyn Fenn of Two Moon Junction fame stars in one of the better episodes of the season.

Low and Away: This is the worst episode of the season. The plot made no sense. I'll hate to be the baseball coach, thinking he had a championship team only to find out two were cops and one was the son of a Mafia witness.

16 Blown to 35: Wow...David Paymer plays a pornographer. In the meantime, Steven Williams is starting to get into the groove and looks better than Frederic Forrest.

Mean Streets and Pastel Houses: What a weak finale with Brandon Walsh as part of a punk gang. In the car, Penhall told Hanson, "You can make a freaking documentary," when it came to witnessing the music scene. Yeah...and it's called The Decline of Western Civilization. At this point, it's not looking good when Dustin Nguyen is barely shown most of the season. I don't care if he's Vietnamese (not Japanese as the show would have everybody believe). They need to start expanding his screen time.




Season Two (1987-88)

Rate: out of 5
Viewed: 4/25

21JumpS2
4/25:

Here's my analysis for some of the following episodes:

In the Custody of a Clown: The series' pilot episode starred Jerry Seinfeld's father as Hanson's partner, and now, he plays somebody else who'll be busted by Hanson? Stupid. In other words, they should've sought a different actor for the part. Anyway, it's nice to see Joshua Miller, and I remember him from River's Edge. Ray Walston steals the show as usual. What a strange hairdo for Peter DeLuise. Was he trying to mimic Mel Gibson's look from Lethal Weapon? I agree with Fuller when he wasn't pleased with Hanson and Penhall for destroying evidence just because it felt right. By the way, there's one scene that looks straight out of The Boy Who Could Fly, especially when the girl fell after trying to pick off a white rose from the bridge.

Besieged: This is the best episode so far in series history with a big twist, thanks to outstanding performances by Peter DeLuise, Bruce A. Young, Renée Jones, Johnny Depp, and Josh Richman. The last two's characters really hate each other, and I hope Ronnie Seebok will come back again. Their rivalry isn't over by any means. As for Adabo, it's too bad; he was simply caught up in his work on the drug-infested streets.

Two For the Road: Fuller is a fucking hypocrite. Now, I've lost respect for him. His arguments suck. He's a drunk driver, period. Jason Priestley appears for the second time but as a different character. Ironically, he has been busted for drunk driving, too, in real life. Oh, look...it's Pauly Shore who makes his first appearance ever in anything. He seems kind of normal, but the annoying "Pauly Shore" vibe is still there.

After School Special: Obviously, this episode was inspired by Class of 1984. That's Patrick Cronin who played Sid Farkus in Seinfeld.

Higher Education: It's an all-time stupid episode. If I were Ioki, I would contact a lawyer and threaten a lawsuit if the girl kept insisting the baby was his, thus jeopardizing his police career. There's no point in visiting her house to set the record straight. I don't know if DNA testing was yet possible to establish paternity. Anyway, everybody doesn't realize that the teacher had committed statutory rape, more specifically engaged himself in an "improper relationship between educator and student." He even admitted to mere sex with the girl; that should put him away in prison. The confession that Ioki extracted from the teacher under torture? It won't hold up; at least ten students witnessed it in the locker room, and it's illegal, enough to fire Ioki this time. By the way, why does Fuller need to go on a TV show and talk about undercover cops in schools? That's so fucking pointless on top of blowing his future cover by showing his face.

You Ought to Be in Prison: Good episode. While waiting for Ronnie Seebok to come back, I didn't expect a rivalry between Hanson and Tyrell Thompson of "Jump Street Chapel." Ironically, who knew Johnny Depp would adopt the same attitude that the movie star character, played by Lochlyn Munro, sported throughout? Meanwhile, Candyman's Tony Todd makes an appearance.