‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Green Thumb Burglar’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​I think it is safe to assume, that every single one of us out there, have had those days where it seems as though we simply cannot get a break at our job. The tasks just keep coming, and no matter how hard we work, the list of things we have to get done never seems to shrink, and that particular kind of day is on my mind, because the next episode of CHiPs, ‘Green Thumb Burglar’, is that exact day, in television form. For in this particular tale, Ponch and Jon simply could not get a break in the slightest since traffic, crime and Creeps of the Week were everywhere in this tale and I have to admit, I was quite impressed with how much stuff they packed into this one.
 
I mean come on, within the first five minutes, we were treated a massive problem on the highway since a couple of drunk dudes were playing bumper cars with one another and the madness didn’t end there. Because over the course of the hour Ponch and Jon dealt with a surprise traffic stop involving another 70s TV icon, H.R. Pufnstuf, since those kinds of cameos were a big deal back in the day, and they even found themselves embroiled in a high speed attempt to save a truck driver’s life when her gasoline filled rig inadvertently caught on fire and well, this was just exhausting to watch. You just so rarely see this much action and adventure packed into an hour-long story, and what’s amazing is that this tale had so much more to offer.
 
Because believe it or not, this episode allowed for us to learn more about a particular character, and there was outright fun to be found in this one as well, and the fun, well that came via Poncherello since a routine stop involving a pair of psychic twins led to a nasty line of predictions for Ponch’s day, the kind he tried to avoid unsuccessfully. But I made mention of the fact that we learned more about a specific character in this story and that just so happened to be the Sarge. For in this tale, we came to learn that Sergeant Getraer has quite the green thumb, and caring for the plants at HQ is a big deal for him, as is caring for plants everywhere and this matters because this is the softest side of Joe we’ve seen on the series to date and well, our Creeps of the Week helped us to understand that one does not mess with the Sarge and his love of plants, or you will pay the price.
 
In fact, these guys quickly became public enemy number one to the Sarge, due to the fact that they were stealing plants on the highway in order to earn a quick buck and their plan, was fairly ingenious. For these crooks managed to get their hands on a few CalTrans uniforms and a truck that matched that company as well, leaving no one the wiser when it comes to their plan, because to the average driver and officer, it would seem as though they were changing out old plants for new ones. But our dynamic duo’s keen eye led to a high-speed pursuit of these tree thieves, one so epic that the Sarge joined in on the chase and that of course led to one satisfying finale, wherein the Green Thumb Burglars bought themselves a ticket to the Grey Bar Hotel.
 
So, yeah, if it seems like we’ve covered a metric ton of plot lines when it comes to this episode, we most certainly have. This story just went a mile a minute and I won’t lie it was thrilling and compelling and this really is CHiPs at its finest. Because this episode featured everything we love about this series since there was plenty of action and adventure and laughs and everything in between and if anything, this one felt important when all is said and done. Because the first season of any series is an experimental phase, wherein the Writer’s Room tries all kinds of new things to help the show find its voice and its structure and this one felt as though the series was starting to discover just that since everything felt so natural and familiar. Which means, there’s a fair chance what comes next will be as good as this particular tale, which means, it’s high time I dive back in and enjoy another day of fun in the sun on the California highways. Until next time. 

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