‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Christmas Watch’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I made it no secret a little while back, that I am always hesitant when it comes to holiday themed episodes of just about any television show out there. Because they’re often weird in nature, altering the rules and the structure of an established series, in order to offer up some kind of unique experience for the audience and that’s just silly and unnecessary. But thankfully, these Retro Recap of CHiPs are starting to give me hope in regard to these types of stories. Because the Halloween themed episode from season two of this series was a solid entry, one that mixed realism and the spookiness of the season in seamless fashion and being treated to that wonderful story, helped temper my worries for the Christmas themed episode that season three offered up.
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If anything, I’m glad I went into this one without a worry in my mind because ‘Christmas Watch’ delivered another magnificent episode, one that kept realism at the forefront of the story. Because despite the fact that there was Christmas cheer to be found in every single corner of Central Division, this is a story that made a point to remind us that while we open presents and slice into our holiday ham, or rush to get those last minute gifts, the world is still turning, the bad parts included. Which made Ponch and Jon’s efforts to keep the streets safe all the more comforting since it served to remind us that there are people making sacrifices during a time we take for granted and oddly enough, the realism that came about from this, was taken one step further, by way of Ponch.

Because Frank was dealing with a case of the holiday blues since his family wouldn’t be around for the holiday season, and that prompted him to dive deep into his paperwork and his patrol routes and it was quite the surprise to see Ponch this sentimental about the holiday and the time we spend with family during it, which is what made the surprise waiting for Poncherllo all the more worthwhile. Because his darling mother came out to Los Angeles to see her boy and that simply lit him up like the tree in the briefing room and that was a lovely and realistic Christmas Miracle for Ponch to enjoy, and it also served to reinforce the sacrifice public servants make this time of year since Frank still had to work the Christmas Watch, despite the fact that his mother was in town for the holiday.

But what would an episode of this series be without the always dastardly Creeps of the Week and the ones featured here were pretty disgusting in their own right. Because Bob and Alice were a pair of thieves that saw Christmas as a time to give to themselves, and they went the extra mile during this season to rip off presents from homes while the owners were out and while that’s pretty awful in its own right what truly made these two genuinely gross human beings, was the sheer fact that they were willing to steal from a church. Yes, you read that right, and it is actually worse than it sounds, since they swiped a bell that kids from the church, paid for by way of money they’d raised for an entire year. But thankfully, their holiday greed eventually led to their take down and one happy ending wherein the bell was returned during Christmas Mass.

In the end however, this really was quite the lovely holiday episode, since it offered up a smidge of relatability for the audience. For we’ve all been in Ponch’s shoes from time to time during the holidays, and some of us have had to work during the season or don’t quite love it for various reasons. But really what I enjoyed the most about this episode was the fact that it depicted a realistic look at how crime doesn’t exactly take a holiday vacation and offering up that kind of honesty just made this episode a breath of fresh air, one that had my attention at every single turn and one that reinforced the fact that season three really has been a revelation storytelling wise. Because it’s offered up so many unique stories and I simply cannot wait to see what the home stretch of this season has in store for me. Until next time.   

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