‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Death Watch’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

If there’s one saying that I apply to my television viewing habits often, it would have to be; ‘be careful what you wish for.’ Because time and time again, I hope for something to happen within the framework of a particular series, only to have that wish rewarded in devastating fashion and this is on my mind today, simply because… it happened again. For recently, I lamented over the fact that CHiPs was making its villains one-dimensional once more and sticking with fluffier fare story wise, and I truly hoped that the saga would return to its more cerebral roots and well, the next episode sure did accomplish that in the ugliest way imaginable.
 
For ‘Death Watch’ did something outright incredible; it killed off a motor officer. Something that I never thought I would see on a series that features disco and roller derby but, it happened. Granted the officer that died in the line of duty wasn’t a series regular, but the show did enough to make Steve Wydemeyer matter quickly, and that made the moment when his ride collided with he and Baricza all the more powerful since that kind of violence was rarely present on this series. But truly, learning that he succumbed to his injuries put a heavy cloud over the episode since it injected some real-life gravity into this story, and the fallout that came about from his death only added to the power of this particular tale.
 
Because this rattled Central Division like never before, and I am hard pressed to think of another moment in the series where I’ve seen Jon Baker brought to tears, and Steve’s death also put Ponch in quite the dark place. For he lost his cool in the midst of a traffic stop and while we have seen that happen before, we’ve never seen it happen like this, since the moment ended with Ponch sucking in air to keep from losing his mind and even Getrear struggled with this loss since he actually took the time to vent aloud, something we’ve never seen him do. If anything, this made for an hour of powerful storytelling, the kind that definitely moved me and one that has your heart screaming for justice when all is said and done.
 
Thankfully, that was to come, but not before we had the opportunity to be properly introduced to our Creep of the Week; a stuntman named Dennis who was desperate to stick it to the man. Because he lost a loved one in a collision ages ago and had an insurance company insult that loved one’s legacy and now seemed like the right time to make them all pay, regardless of the cost. And part of that cost involved the harsh reality, that he caused the accident that killed Steve and was able to evade the cops by making use of his Hollywood skill set. But his professionalism was eventually his downfall. For once Ponch and Jon figured out that he worked in showbiz they eventually brought him, and the guy that actually hit Steve and Baricza’s cruiser, thanks to Dennis’ scheme, to justice.
 
Yet while this one ends in happy-ish fashion, the weight of the story hung heavy over this one long after it came to an end. Just because it presented the death of a police officer in raw and powerful fashion, and honestly, while this episode provided this reviewer with quite the gut punch, I can do nothing but praise it. Because this was good television, the kind that really featured some magnificent depth and emotional weight and it is these types of tales that allowed for CHiPs to truly shine and transcend its status as a fluffy police serial. If anything, this was hands down the finest ‘dramatic’ episode of the series I’ve seen to date, and it honestly energizes me to watch more, simply because it’s obvious this show hasn’t quite reached its potential yet, and I am curious to see what kind of story the show will provide us with when that all-important moment happens and the only way to experience that, is to push ahead. So, on that note, I’m off to hit the highways with my favorite motor cops, once again. Until next time. 

---