‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Pilot’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​It was the summer of 1990, and my favorite hobby of sleeping in during my summer vacation from school, was rudely interrupted by the gentle symphony of lawnmowers on one fine morning, and being pulled from one’s slumber by such a ruckus could only mean one thing; it was time to start my day with a giant bowl of cereal and some mindless television. But on this particular day, my attempt to just watch TV and slurp through a bowl of Fruity Pebbles ended in the most fascinating of fashion. For I stumbled on a police themed serial that completely and utterly sucked me in, to the point where I got up early for the rest of that summer to enjoy the wonder…of CHiPs.
 
Of course, I’m fairly certain a few of you rolled your eyes at the mere mention of that show, since this late 70s and early 80s delight is oft regarded as quite the cheeseball series, but it’s one that I utterly loved when I first saw it and I still love it to this day. In fact, I was able to get my hands on the entire series on Home Video, and the 1999 made-for-TV movie, and I have zero regrets. But I will say, that as I started to pour through some of my favorite episodes for the first time in years, I couldn’t help but notice the uniqueness that comes with watching this series in 2019. For some parts of this show hold up extremely well and are incredibly entertaining after all these years. But other parts of the show are supremely outdated and cringy as best.
 
Which in all honestly, motivated me to start this series over from the beginning to Retro Recap every single moment with Ponch and Jon, in part to enjoy the series once again, but also because…what a great opportunity to break down how this show simply wouldn’t fly in this day and age, and to reflect upon the strange time that was the 1970s and the 1980s. Yet, I have to admit, that the start of my journey didn’t yield the awkwardness that I quite expected, since the ‘Pilot’ episode actually managed to provide the audience with quite the entertaining ride, one that outright managed to captivate me from beginning to end.
 
That’s largely due to the fact that this opening episode didn’t feature the growing pains that most pilots suffer from. For there was genuine chemistry amongst the cast members and it really did seem as though Ponch and Jon were partners for some time before we catch up with them and perhaps the best part of the beginning of this duo’s journey together, is the sheer fact that the action and plot here, do a fine job of setting the tone for the next six years. Because the action is big and bold for the era, and the caper presented here is intriguing enough to keep your attention and I suppose if there’s any complaint nagging at me when it comes to this story, it’s how Ponch is portrayed here.
 
Because in episodes to come, Ponch is a calculated but bold officer, one that is blunt but knows when not to cross the line, but here…he’s kind of a doof. I mean come on, he gets stuck in glue, he keeps wrecking his bikes and butting heads with the Sarge and that is a tad cliché when all is said and done. But I can definitely forgive that, since this is the Pilot we are talking about here, and it won’t be long before Ponch becomes the officer we know and love and well, I have to admit, it is already a blast to watch this series once again. It’s just plain good old fun, and I really am looking forward to seeing episodes that I barely recall or outright missed in syndication, and hopefully, these highway adventures will yield some poignant moments to mull over as well and most importantly, I’m looking forward to geeking out about one of my favorite shows/guilty pleasures with all of you. Until next time.  

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