‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Ponch’s Angels – Part 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When one takes the time to tune into the majestic series that is CHiPs, there are certain guarantees as to what you’re going to see. Because this is a show that made it inherently clear that it would offer up lighthearted storytelling that would sometimes dip into more dramatic and powerful themes. And of course, it would always offer audiences some thrilling action on the highways surrounding Los Angeles, the kind that would result in some epic stunts from time to time. But while these guarantees/staples of the series are wonderful in their own right, the next episode of the series served as a fine reminder that one particular constant on this series has gone the wayside over the past few seasons.
 
Because it used to be, that Ponch was always getting into trouble with Sergeant Getrear because he always did his own thing and basically threw procedure out of the window. But as time went on that became less and less of an occurrence to the point where no one really noticed that Ponch was an officer of the law who followed the rules to the letter. But after a slight delay, Ponch's break from the hot dog lifestyle finally came to an end. For ‘Ponch’s Angel’s – Part 1’ saw this ‘reformed’ officer break all the rules once again in the midst of a high speed chase involving some crooks who recently busted out of prison and well, this seemed to be the straw that broke the sergeant’s back since Ponch still hadn’t figured out that by the book was the way to go.
 
But rather than scream and yell and threaten over the need to understand policy and procedure, Getrear came up with the finest possible punishment for Officer Frank Poncherello; by making him a teacher. Because in doing that, Ponch would now be forced to quote the rule book and follow it to the letter in order to help nurture a young motorcycle officer along. And of course, Ponch wasn’t cool with this in the slightest, and he was equally as apprehensive over the fact that his trainee, would be a lady. Which would have been a shocking element to introduce into the plot back in 1981, making this episode a bit of a time capsule since this is commonplace in the CHP in this day and age.
 
All of that aside however, this particular plan did work like a charm. Because he was indeed following procedure to a tee, and what made these twists and turns so worth our while, is the sheer fact that his trainee, an officer named Melanie Mitchell, was cut from the same cloth as Ponch. For she believed that she needed to make waves as a new motor officer, and that prompted her to break the rules, disregard procedure, and put herself in harm’s way, all in the hopes of making a name for herself at the CHP. Yet while this particular twist should have received more attention in this tale, this is still 1981, where drama and romance were king. Something that prompted the Writer’s Room to have these two fall in love, leaving us with a bit of a cheesy cliffhanger involving a forbidden smooch.
 
If anything, this is an episode that is teetering on the verge of disappointment. Because the love thing is just silly, and it feels shoehorned into the story and that’s a shame. Because it overshadows the fact that a female officer is finally in the motorcycle division and that’s huge and would have been progressive storytelling at the time, had the show not snuck in the whole; she has a crush on her instructor and vice versa. But it is what it is, and it is reflective of the storytelling of that era. And all we can hope for at this point is that the kiss is viewed as a mistake by both of them in ‘Part 2’ and better writing takes hold. But, it’s best we don’t hold our breath. Because Ponch is the ladies’ man, and she has fallen under his spell, and that likely means this is going all going to be wrapped up in stereotypical and disappointing fashion. Until next time.

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