‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Breaking Point’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something that is truly incredible when it comes to the police serial CHiPs, is the sheer fact that this series was able to immediately rebound from a bad episode in stunning fashion. Because every single time we’ve discussed a stinker of an episode in these Retro Recaps, the next one really does impress by offering up a unique and/or thoughtful storyline that straight up blows the audience away. And it just so happens, that this proud tradition has found its way into season five, since the next chapter in this storied saga, took the time to go back to basics and dive into some real-world situations that police officers might actually face.
 
In fact, ‘Breaking Point’ decided to explore something that few police shows do by showing us how sometimes, the brushes with death that officers face on a regular basis can have a profound impact on their psyche. And it explored this particular aspect of reality by way of an officer that seemingly can never be rattled, one Frank Poncherello. For in the opening moments of this tale, Ponch and Jon were in hot pursuit of a reckless drunk driver, one who was taking some dangerous risks on the road as he tried to elude pursuit, and unfortunately for Ponch… that put him in quite the precarious place. Because this drunk caused an accident, one that Frank was sucked into and it all ended in scary fashion since he came within an inch of cutting his throat on broken glass and thanks to his mates, he survived with nothing more than a scratch on his uniform.
 
But in reality, there was an unseen injury that Ponch suffered in this crash, one that manifested itself in slow and steady fashion. Because this really did engender some emotional trauma in Ponch, the kind that straight up made him fearful of his job and he quickly made moves at Central to avoid getting atop a motorcycle. Which meant he volunteered for stuff that he would never volunteer for normally, and in the event he did get on a bike, there was a ‘problem’ with it and he had to head back to the office and well, it didn’t take long for his coworkers to notice that something was amiss with Ponch. And despite their gentle nudging’s and attempts to get him to open up, he simply wouldn’t acknowledge the terror in his heart and to complicate matters further, he began to lash out once he realized that he needed to confront his fears, prompting Getraer to put him on leave to sort out his mind.
 
Which was a good choice for certain. Because Ponch’s sister Patti was in town and she too was dealing with a mental crisis. Because she no longer thought she would be worthwhile as a nurse with all the horrible things she saw in training and now she was spending time with a brother who was wondering as to whether or not he wanted to be a motorcycle cop and while one would think that having two people in the same room, that have soured upon their career choices would be a bad idea, it ended up helping them both. Because a moment where Patti used her skills to save a life, rattled her once again, and the advice that Ponch provided her with, is the very advice he needed to give to himself, and that motivated him to try once again, to be the great police officer we know him to be and thankfully, Ponch found his groove and hit the streets.
 
If anything, this is an episode that was downright brilliant when all is said and done. Because it was filled to the brim with character growth and depth and poignant moments, and this is the kind of stuff that made us fall in love with the series in the first place. Plus, the performances here were downright incredible, since everyone put on an acting clinic. But of course, the award for best performance has to go to Erik Estrada, because he really did a phenomenal job here and he sold the fear and the confusion that Ponch was going through. In the end, this episode just goes to show that season five of CHiPs might end with a bang instead of a whimper. Because it is delivering some great episodes in year five and it would be a wonderful thing to see the final year that Ponch and Jon spend together, end on a high note. Until next time.

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