‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Name Your Price’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​When it comes to these Retro Recaps of CHiPs, I couldn’t help but notice that we’ve spent a lot of time discussing the wonder and nature of ‘firsts’ on this series, and with good reason. Because it’s inherently clear now that the middle of season one is when the series truly began to find its stride, since the stories are suddenly full of depth and character development and characters that are integral to the future of the show. And as I continue my journey through Ponch and Jon’s first year together on the road, it just so happens that I was privy to another first, since the next episode in this magnificent series, ‘Name Your Price’, was really the first time I’d seen the show simply let loose and have as much fun as possible.
 
In fact, even the Creeps of the Week were a joy to watch this time around, simply because their plan and their failures were so unique and magnificent, respectively. Because this time around, we were introduced to a pair of crafty ladies who figured out creative ways to steal Rolls Royce’s to sell on the black market, and despite Ponch and Jon’s best efforts to capture them early on in the episode, they always managed to get away, even going so far as to ditch one of the cars at a car wash in order to leave no trace of their fingerprints and of course, to flat out escape. But of course, they cannot hide from California’s finest forever and in a tense chase sequence, Ponch and Jon were eventually able to bring them down and the twists and the turns here, alongside some quality performances from our villains really were a delight to watch through and through.
 
But the fun didn’t end there. For Ponch and Jon’s adventures on the road were equally as entertaining and magical in their own right since they were so lighthearted. I mean, you really can’t go wrong with watching Ponch and Jon and Grossman and ‘Bear’ work to get some chickens off the highway, especially when Jon is able to school everyone on how to get it done. Plus, it was great to see Ponch get star struck when meeting his favorite soap stars during a traffic stop, and see him play the hero in the midst of an accident since he was able to help a diabetic hang on after said crash by way of the junk food he keeps handy in his bike. And it was equally as neat to watch them deal with a Great Dane that felt the need to sleep where ever he wants because all of that just made for good ol’ fashioned family entertainment and believe or not, there was more fun to be found.
 
Because the centerpiece of the smiles in this tale, came forth from the fact that Ponch received two tickets to a game show that shared the namesake of this tale, and Frank was beyond excited for an opportunity to go on this show and potentially get his hands upon riches untold. So much in fact that he actually took the time to train for this opportunity, and had Jon come along with him to various home goods dealers around town to guess their product’s prices so that he was one-hundred percent ready if he was selected to be a contestant, and of course, he was, and of course, he lost. But what made this sequence so much fun to watch was that we finally saw Ponch and Jon out of the uniform and going about their daily lives, and while we’ve seen snippets of that before, this is the first time it really felt natural on the show, and of course, it’s always a delight to see hilarious shenanigans involving Ponch.
 
If anything, this episode really was quite the special treat. For this particular tale just felt natural and organic and it really is a sign of how quickly this series is coming together, and the humor really was top notch, and for proof, look no further than the perfectly timed line from the pastor about how ‘the Lord taketh away’ as one of the thieves swiped a beautiful Rolls at a funeral in the opening moments of this episode, and really, this was just good old fashioned fun and it’s got me hungry for more. For this is the stuff that I fell in love with all those years ago, and clearly, it’s time for me to get another fix of these wonderful adventures. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to hit the highway with Ponch and Jon once again and lose myself in the silliness of this series. Until next time. 

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