‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘High Times’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When we think of criminals, we think of adults, quite frankly. The kind who have outright lost their way and feel that they have no other option in life, but to brake the law in order to get by, and it makes sense as to we think that way. Because more often than not, the people that do indeed commit heinous crimes, tend to be fully grown adults that make, poor, poor choices and find themselves in jail. But the fact of the matter is, that particular line of thinking isn’t one hundred percent correct. Because young adults are fully capable of committing big time crimes as well if the circumstances are right, and it just so happens that the next episode of CHiPs took the time to explore what exactly might motivate a teenager to turn to a life of crime.

For ‘High Times’ introduced us to a pair of teenagers named Matt and Benny, who decided their knowledge from auto shop class could be put to good use and help them to steal high value muscle cars to make some extra money. And their plan was going swimmingly until they had a close call with Ponch and Bobby. Because our intrepid heroes couldn’t help but notice that one of the teens (Benny to be specific), left behind some arcade tokens. Which led them to discover that the culprits of this heist had to be attending a nearby high school, that was within walking distance of said arcade. But sadly a quick canvassing of the school, made it clear that no one was going to tell a uniformed officer what was really going on, and that meant our dynamic duo had to get creative in cracking the case. 

Which motivated them to make use of dear Bruce Nelson as an undercover agent, since he was young enough to pass as a teenager, and that’s when the exploration into what could turn a teen into a criminal, got underway. And as it turns out, some sour influence from someone that teens trust and some financial troubles from stupid and foolish decisions, can serve as mitigating factors into making this happen. Because Bruce was able to learn that Benny discovered the wonder of gambling and was placing all kinds of ridiculous bets on silly things, and the financial trouble that got him into, is why he opted to start ripping off cars at every turn. To the point of course, that he got greedy, and that allowed for Ponch and Bobby to put the cuffs on him.

But there was mention of influence coming from a position and a person of trust as the other reason as to why this could happen, and that was handled by way of a surprise reveal as to who was the brains of this carjacking operation. And wouldn't you know it? It wasn’t the ex-con auto shop teacher that used to steal all kinds of cars back in the day. No instead, it was the ego-fueled football coach who decided the time had come to make a little money on the side, and his ability to lead young men is what allowed for him to build a little crime syndicate. But a poor choice on his and Matt’s part to kidnap Bruce when things went south, led to his downfall and of course… Matt’s as well and really, in the end, this was quite the entertaining and downright fun tale.

Because this one just turned Ponch and Bobby loose and let them play detective for a change and that really did lead to a more traditional crime story. One that moved at a breakneck pace and kept the viewer on the edge of their seat, and there’s nothing wrong with a little high-octane CHiPs from time to time. If anything, the only real complaint one can lodge in regard to this story, is the weird sub-plot involving a salesman/admirer of Harlan. Since that just felt out of place and didn’t make any damn sense. But outside of that, this one is aces for sure and thus far, that means the hot streak of good episodes has extended itself to two, and the only big question that remains after this one, is whether or not the series can extend that streak… to three. Until next time.   

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