‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘A Simple Operation’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​It is quite funny how sometimes, a particular season of a television series, doesn’t quite go the way that you expect it to. For not that long ago, we sat here and discussed the possibility that season four of CHiPs was going to be a rough ride, due in large part to a hollow and sloppy season premiere that toyed with the formula and made it seem as though the elements that eventually brought the series to cancellation were going to find root here. But as it turns out, that premiere was nothing more than a one-off and everything that followed was powerful and fascinating and that includes the season four finale of this series, since it provided the audience with an engrossing and unique story.
 
For ‘A Simple Operation’ felt the need to explore something that the series only flirted with from time to time in deeper fashion, specifically; injuries that officers sustain while in the line of duty. And it accomplished this particular feat by injecting quite the twist into an unfortunate accident involving Sergeant Joe Getraer. Because his bike slipped on some loose metal that fell off of a truck that he was chasing, and after the dust settled and Ponch and Jon caught up with him, they immediately called for an ambulance because some of that metal was lodged in his eye and well, it quickly became a race against time at the hospital to get that chunk out and repair the damage that was done since it ran the risk of costing Joe his eyesight.
 
Thankfully, the skilled doctors at the hospital were able to save his eyesight and get him in a stable place, and really the danger inherent to Joe’s eye is the first element that made this storyline so unique and different. Because while we’ve seen various officers end up in the hospital on this series, they’ve never really had their careers threatened in the slightest. They heal up, they report back to work like it’s no big deal. So, to see Getraer, a guy who lives and breathes the law and struggles when he is away from the office, be faced with the possibility that he may never do what he loves ever again, made for some incredibly powerful moments and it was equally as wonderful to see everyone at Central rally around their Sergeant and show Joe how much he means to them, and that actually saved Joe’s life in the end.
 
Which brings us to the second fascinating element in this tale, in that, Joe’s life was in serious danger in this story. Because our Creep of the Week in this tale was a hired assassin who thought Joe spotted him doing some dirty work, and because of that, he and the boss agreed that Getraer needed to be taken out. Which means we had to watch the Sarge slip into cardiac arrest, thanks to our Creep’s sneaky work. And if it wasn’t for Jon, there’s a fair chance Joe would have died in this finale, and really, this was just a stunning surprise to inject into the story. Because no one saw this coming and it really did up the ante since we rarely see our heroes in this kind of danger and it definitely made the final moments of this episode all the more satisfying when Jon was able to bring this scumbag into custody.
 
If anything, this might be the finest season finale that this series has offered to date. Because it’s tough for a lighthearted show like this to really wow us and put us on edge. But everything that happened here made that possible, and all nervous moments aside, the danger inherent really did make for some compelling television. The kind that grabs on tight and doesn’t let go and it really is an exclamation point on how great and thoughtful this season turned out to be. But there is an ominous feel to this particular finale, simply because this is where the good times end. Because some behind the scenes surprises in season five will set the stage for some big changes, the kind that will eventually lead to the show’s series finale and that will make the rest of our Retro Recap of CHiPs, bittersweet at best. Until next season.

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