‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Speedway Fever’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of the past week or so, these Retro Recaps have focused heavily on a great deal of the mistakes and missteps that the sixth and final season of CHiPs has made, and rightfully so. Simply because this final year of the series has been riddled with glaring issues, the kind that are quickly helping us to understand why the show was cancelled back in 1983. But while it is important to recognize and critique those mistakes, it is equally as important to celebrate when the show does something right. Mainly because, it helps to remind us why we’re seeing this journey through to the end and it does leave one nostalgic for why they fell in love with this series in the first place, and it just so happens that today’s Retro Recap, is one that is grounded in celebration.
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Because ‘Speedway Fever’ took the time to revisit an element from the first five seasons of the series that each and every one of us adored. Specifically, what makes our heroes tick. A feat that this particular tale accomplished by introducing us to Bobby Nelson’s younger brother, Bruce. Who, ironically, would also become a fixture on the series later on in season six. But what made his introduction here so important and poignant, is that it finally made Bobby a multi-dimensional character instead of a gimmick, since we were able to learn that he comes from a family of police officers and is proud of that fact. And we also learned that he is a responsible big brother, one that does actually believe in the rules and following them at the end of the day, since he expected his baby bro to follow them to a tee at the CHP Academy.

Something that became a focus of this tale, since Bruce was struggling mightily with living a dual life as a championship racer and CHP Cadet and it was simply fascinating to watch him try and navigate the tough world of rules that the Highway Patrol expects of its officers, and it was equally as wonderful to see Bobby finally speak to their importance. Because it finally helped us to understand Bobby’s incredible enthusiasm and why he’s so eager to make a name for himself, all so that he can be a role model to his baby brother, and to uphold the family’s high standing as servants of the law, and it was simply amazing to watch Bruce grow before our eyes and choose to follow in his father and brother’s footsteps by the end of this particular tale, thanks to one unique and fascinating twist in regard to his journey.

Because one of the key reasons he decided to stick with his difficult training, was because he got to see how crime impacts people’s lives firsthand, by being best friends with this episode’s Creep of the Week. For his best buddy Ray was using his status as a racer to woo a woman that worked at a courier company. All so he could get information on the company's routes, in order to rob the couriers of their precious cargo, and coming to discover that his best friend was eager to harm people and show no remorse for it, really did change his outlook on the world and it helped him to understand how he could make it a better place by becoming a Highway Patrolman. But what matters most, is that this plot thread added depth and gravity to this particular tale and truth be told, this episode actually managed to top the last one.

Because this one felt like a classic episode of CHiPs through and through, largely because it featured the perfect balance of character development and action and compelling moments and that really made this story quite refreshing when all is said and done. Because this one featured everything we love about the show and it was nice to see its core elements on display instead of dealing with gimmicks and cameos or half-hearted storylines and well… hopefully this means that the series is going to provide us with a streak of episodes in this vein so that we can properly start to say goodbye in our minds to this wild and delightful journey, before the goofy stuff returns. But until that unsavory moments arrives, we can definitely bask in the wonder of this one and every magnificent moment it had to offer. Until next time.

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