‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Vagabonds’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

When we think about family, a wealth of thoughts come to our minds. There are obviously the memories, both the good and the bad ones since that’s part of the family experience. And of course, there’s that incredible sense of belonging that comes with knowing we literally share DNA with only a handful of humans in this world. But of the many things that we think of when we ponder upon family; the proud tradition (or traditions) that our family takes part in, is something that often stands out. Because some of these elicit a genuine sense of pride since they’re so unique and important, while others… sadly bring about feelings of shame. Because they’re not that great and we would love to be rid of them and oddly enough, tradition and family just so happened to serve as the central themes in the next episode of CHiPs.
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Which is something that was accomplished in ‘Vagabonds’, by having the audience spend a lot of time with the current generation of the Wilson family, a legendary clan that used to be known for cleaning out a town with their swift hands and clever minds. But when the matriarch came down ill, the family disappeared from law enforcement’s radar, that is… until we catch up with the family here. Because Lonny and Daws, the last surviving sons of the family, made a pact to keep the legend alive and to rip off as many people as possible and they definitely kept their word. Because if it wasn’t in someone’s trunk, they stole it, and if the opportunity was there to scam someone, they took it and it really was something to watch this family in action since they were fast and efficient and smart in every caper, they took part in.

But unfortunately for the family, they ran into Ponch and Jon and our dynamic duo were instantly suspicious of them. But without concrete evidence that a crime was committed during their first encounter, all they could do was pass the word and the description of the family along and well, the constant pressure of having the fuzz on their backs, is what brought about the story’s exploration on tradition. Because Lonny Wilson’s wife, Claire, was more or less done with living in this manner. She wanted to settle down and raise their son Jamie right. Whereas Daws Wilson wanted nothing more than to enjoy the life that his grandmother taught him, and to keep the legend of the family alive and it was really was quite different to see the series dip its toes into something this philosophical and it was fascinating to watch two brothers fight over which path forward was the correct one.

Sadly though, as ugly battles go, eventually there are casualties and, in this case, it turned out to be young Jamie. Because a stupid suggestion from Daws on a scam stunt got the young man hurt, and that prompted Ponch and Jon to finally step in to try and help the kid and stop the family from digging themselves a deeper legal hole. Which brought about some unique moments, since Jon took the time to confront both Lonny and Jamie about their life of crime in bold and fierce fashion and that’s just something that Jon doesn’t normally do. But it was clear he was passionate about Jamie being used as a pawn and in bittersweet fashion, those confrontations led to the end of the Wilson legend. Because Daws panicked when his brother decided enough was enough and kidnapped his nephew before leading everyone on a dangerous chase, one that ended with bumps and bruises, and handcuffs.

If anything, this really was quite the unique episode of CHiPs for certain. Because the show gave the Wilson family a lot of screen time, to the point where we truly got to know them, and that may be due to the fact that Lonny Wilson was played by screen legend Ed Harris. Who wasn’t a household name just yet. But he was on his way in 1981, since he showed up here and also starred in George Romero’s Knightriders earlier in that same year and well… he did a phenomenal job and it was quite cool to see him share space with Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. And oddly enough, there’s another Romero-universe alum in this story as well since McKee Anderson, who played Claire Wilson, was also in the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead that George penned. But all geeking out aside, this really was a quality tale, one that definitely grabbed hold of you and never let go and hopefully, there are plenty more engrossing stories such as this one, waiting for us to enjoy as season five rolls along. Until next time. 

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