‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘MAIT Team’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

A suspension of disbelief is often necessary when it comes to our favorite shows and movies. Because the rules of reality are often bent or outright forgotten when it comes to fictional stories and since we use visual entertainment to escape from everyday life, if only for a little while, taking the time to scrutinize changes to a fictional universe, tends to sour the overall experience. But sometimes, a little dash of reality is needed in a story in order to properly convey what the characters are about to go through, so that we too feel something in the moment, and I honestly respect stories that can add a dash of reality into the mix in seamless fashion and it just so happens, that the next episode of CHiPs decided to give realism a try in what turned out to be the boldest episode of season two’s lineup.
​
Because ‘MAIT Team’ really didn’t pull any punches when it came to its depiction of a deadly crash involving Officer Sindy Cahill, in fact, I have to admit that I was quite taken aback with how much detail they showed in the opening segment of this story. Because not only were we privy to every single crunch and crumple as cars collided with one another, we in essence, watched people die on screen since two cars caught fire and exploded after getting into a head-on collision, and the grizzly nature of this tale didn’t end there. For the aftermath of this mess was just as sobering, since there were bodies, lying limp behind the wheel of their respective vehicles, and they were covered in blood and once the flames were out, we came to learn that Cahill was going to survive her wounds, but eleven other people weren’t so lucky and no one had a clue how this crash happened.

Which is where surprisingly, the realism of this tale found a way to continue. Because Sergeant Getrear activated the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) in order to figure out how the heck this mess unfolded, and what made this so realistic, is the sheer fact that we saw a forensic team, doing actual forensics on the series for the first time ever, and it was simply fascinating to watch them work. Because this crew, one that included Ponch and Jon of course, measured everything imaginable, from tire tracks on the road, to the strength and direction of the wind and while it seemed for a brief moment there, that the team was making headway in figuring out how this tragic incident occurred, they simply could not come up with a cause and that was quite the problem when all is said and done.

Because an insurance adjuster, who needed a ‘why’ in order to complete his job, was of the firm belief that Cahill, somehow caused this accident via negligence, and to complicate matters further, a state senator wanted to know if that was the case as well since he firmly believed that high speed pursuits caused more harm than good in his proud state. Which meant that the pressure was on to produce answers, and that led to quite the bold move on the MAIT Team’s part, since they all decided the best way to figure out the cause, was to re-enact the crash. Yet, while the re-enactment more or less exonerated any wrong doing on Cahill’s part, it still didn’t explain the cause, that is until…a quick flash of light caught Ponch and Jon’s eyes, and as it turns out, a set of mirrors that were delivered to a nearby construction site, blinded a truck driver and set in motion this tragic event and while this revelation didn’t bring back the people that were lost, it did at least bring closure to the dead’s loved ones.

If anything, this episode truly gave me pause, thanks to its frank and graphic realism when it comes to the accident in question and well…that honestly took me by surprise. Because even now, showing that kind of carnage is frowned upon, so I can only wonder how it went over back in ’78. But this series took its shot and was successful in telling a powerful and devastating tale that reminds us just how tough the job is for officers like Ponch and Jon and Sindy since this is the risk they face on the road every single day and these are the kinds of things they see out there on the highway and really, I applaud this episode. Because gutsy storytelling is rare in just about any era of television history, since producers love to keep it mild for their audiences, and in the end, this episode is going to stay with me a for a long time since it was so supremely bold, and so unlike anything else that season two has had to offer. Until next time.      

---