‘Almost Paradise’ Rewatch: Paying Tribute

Written by John Edward Betancourt

How ‘Pistol Whip’ Pays Homage to Some Classic Crime Shows

‘Why shoot a gun?’
 
‘When you can whip it!?’
 
-Alex Walker and Jerry Westwood

Over the course of the past couple of weeks, our rewatch of the phenomenal television series, Almost Paradise, has opened our eyes to some fascinating new aspects of this saga that we definitely missed the first time around. For now, it is becoming clear that this titular first season of this series was designed to serve as more than a mere story of redemption for a broken man, since there are now elements present to indicate that this is an outright origin story for a hero. Since Alex Walker is growing into one right before our eyes. But while it has been fascinating to see that particular twist come to light the second time around, the next episode of this show… takes the time to surprise us in a completely different manner.
 
Because upon a second viewing, it’s obvious that ‘Pistol Whip’ is devoid of any deeper meaning or carefully designed plot points to continue Alex Walker's journey toward becoming a noble hero. No instead, it turns out that this particular tale is nothing more than a grand homage to the crime shows of yesterday and that’s honestly wonderful, for several reasons. In part because, it’s just a classy move on Dean Devlin and Gary Rosen’s part. Since it speaks volumes to the fact that they understand the roots of this genre and how past crime shows helped to lay the foundation down for this one. But it is also wonderful, because it also allows for the cast and crew to let loose and have a little fun with the story since lighthearted affairs like this one, embrace and encourage comedy.
 
But before we get to the comedic aspects of this tale, let’s talk about the homage angle. Because in many ways this particular episode feels as though it is paying tribute to Magnum P.I. with just a hint of CHiPs thrown in for good measure. A feat that the story accomplished in both sneaky and direct fashion. The direct stuff, well that related to ol’ Magnum, since Alex’s wardrobe and private investigator demeanor in this tale directly reflected Tom Selleck in that iconic role. Whereas the more subtle CHiPs stuff, came about by way of Alex hanging out and eventually working with his television hero. Since Ponch and Jon ran into incidents like that during their later years on the highways and it was just nice to enjoy some throwbacks to the classics since it all evoked a sense of nostalgia and of course, led into the comedy that was mentioned a moment ago.
 
Which is something we get in spades in this particular tale. Since a fair chunk of the scenes between Alex Winter and Jerry Westwood just leave you in stitches and these segments really do hammer home how talented a comedian Christian Kane is. Since his timing is flawless in these sequences, to the point where he is able to transform what should be a tense finale, into a segment of the story that leaves you gasping for air. And even Samantha Richelle and Arthur Acuña get in on the action as well, since they too take part in some humorous and relaxed moments in this tale. But while it is wonderful to enjoy all kinds of laughs in this story, we would be remiss to not point out that this episode does a phenomenal job of keeping everything grounded by way of the gritty investigation that Kai takes part in.
 
Which is something that is still refreshing in all the right ways since other shows in this genre, still haven’t bothered to explore the lasting impact of major crimes on the loved ones that are left behind. Plus, Kai’s desire to take the notion of public service to new heights by helping Julio process his pain still makes for some powerful television for certain and really, in the end, all of these elements make this one dynamic tale. One that reinforces the fact that this series can do it all since it shifted gears here and became a mostly lighthearted affair that also took the time to pay proper respect to its elders and well, this really was quite the delightful palate cleanser for certain. For what comes next, is a bit of a darker tale, one that features another important waypoint on Alex’s journey toward becoming a genuine hero. Until next time.

​‘Almost Paradise’ is available to stream for free (with ads), right now, on IMDbTV.

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