‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Tow Truck Lady’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

If there’s one phrase that I often hear from parents, my own included, it’s that they would do anything for their children and that is, quite the powerful statement. Because anything is a broad word, one that could mean that a parent is willing to hurt another human being if it means their child remains safe and while I would hope that most fathers and mothers never have to face that situation, there are some out there stealing food for their babies and doing what must be done to ensure their kids see another tomorrow. And it just so happens that CHiPs decided to explore what this notion would look like for a parent if breaking the law in extreme fashion, meant giving a child a better life in the next episode of the series, ‘Tow Truck Lady’.
 
For this particular tale introduced to a tow truck driver named Danny and well, dear Danny had fallen on some tough times. For he lost his wife a little while back and the resulting costs from her death were putting him in the poorhouse quickly and to make matters worse, he had a darling daughter named Marla who he needed to take proper care of and sadly, while his work with Los Angeles County was steady in its own right, it simply wasn’t enough. Which prompted him to turn to a loan shark to cover his debts and unfortunately for Danny, this shark expected Dan to pay off his debts by towing /stealing expensive cars that could be sold to the highest bidder, putting him in quite the precarious place since he was committing some big time crimes.
 
If anything, this was quite the fascinating plot for certain because this is about as gritty as a story can get, since this one featured a genuinely good man who found himself surrounded by a seedy underworld from which there seemed to be no escape and this storyline was greatly enhanced further by the addition of Danny’s daughter. Because Marla loved her father dearly and wanted nothing more than to be by his side, something that wasn’t possible because of the fact that he was constantly working overtime to steal those cars and pay off his debts and that allowed for some genuinely moving moments to come into play. Oddly enough, those were engendered by Ponch since he took the little girl in and went the extra mile to keep her safe and on schedule when it comes to school.
 
Yet while this is another tale that seems to break the mold and deviate from what makes this series so great, fear not, for there was plenty of the standard stuff to be found in this one. For once again, this one was a sequel of sorts since young Chris and his mother, who were first introduced in ‘Disaster Squad’ pop up here again to help Ponch and in turn Jon out with Marla when necessary and there are plenty of car chases and thrilling moments to be found in this story. Especially when our dynamic duo are charged with saving Marla from danger when our Creeps of the Week lift the car she’s hiding within, high above the junkyard they use for cover. But what truly impressed me about this tale, is the sheer fact that it offered up a bittersweet ending for a change.
 
Because while they save the girl and bring the baddies to justice, Danny still committed crimes along the way and he is not above the law, and it’s a little sad that his going the extra mile to save his baby girl will in turn separate them further but that is perhaps the lesson inherent. That doing anything and everything to save one’s child can bring about consequences when lines are crossed, especially ones involving the law and I appreciate the fact that this particular tale went into such bold and gritty territory. Because this is the kind of stuff that’s often saved for darker police serials, not CHiPs, but it works here and it is a supremely human story when all is said and done, and it is also another bold venture for season three and one that I truly enjoyed since it does stay with you for some time thanks to its powerful themes. And I suppose it just goes to show that they’re saving the best for the last in season three and I cannot wait to see what other incredible tales await me as we close in on the season three finale. Until next time. 

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