‘CHiPs’ Retro Recap: ‘Vintage ‘54’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I have to admit, that I am thoroughly enjoying my voyage back through the first season of CHiPs. Because not only have I run across a couple of episodes that I’ve never seen before, I’ve been treated to some downright impressive feats from Officers Jon Baker and Frank Ponchorello. After all, these guys have taken down some wild thieves in their first adventures together, and they’ve also had to deal with some heavier moments that involve breaking terrible news to people and they’ve even had to face certain parts of their past while on the job and well, at this point, I’m really not sure there’s any greater challenges these two cannot face and conquer as the series rolls on and for proof, well, look at what these guys had to deal with in the next episode of this storied series.
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For ‘Vintage ‘54’ gave this dynamic duo their biggest task to date, simply because, they had to play a pair of surrogate fathers for a little while to a cute baby girl they simply dubbed ‘Princess’. Because as it turns out, this little lady was the daughter of a couple that had a lot of kids and little time on their hands as they tried to juggle work, their family and an upcoming vacation and unfortunately, in the midst of the latter preparations mentioned there, they left Miss Princess behind on a bench at a rest stop and thankfully, Ponch and Jon got the call and well, their attempts to care for the kid were just a delight to watch. Because you just don’t see the softer side of cops in police serials in general, so to see both of them work to help out the folks at the foster home that took her in for a little bit was supremely down to earth and charming, and it really spoke to the genuine kindness and good nature present in both of their hearts.

Plus, it also helped to clear one’s pallet of some of the incredibly intense things these officers had to deal with in this episode, because some impressive stuff went down, such as the moment when a skydiver’s chute failed, and the backup deployed late, sending this thrill seeker on one terrifying ride since she eventually crash landed atop an overpass and the only thing keeping her from being hurt, was a simple sign attached to the concrete. Meaning it was up to Ponch and Jon to think fast to keep her safe and they did not disappoint. For both men sprung into action, with Jon risking his own physical health by hanging onto the string of her parachute for as long as possible while Ponch improvised and made use of a nearby crane to get her down just in the nick of time and while this was pretty harrowing and impressive in its own right, it pales in comparison to the Creeps of the Week since their desire to steal vintage cars brought forth the wrath of one of season one’s toughest foes, Mrs. Downey.

Yes, the love able little old lady that always knows better than the Sarge and his team returned in this tale, due to the fact that the COTW’s stole her baby blue car, and while Ponch and Jon didn’t deal with her directly, and I mean, I get why, she made life hell for the Sarge in this tale. She simply wouldn’t leave headquarters without an update on the investigation, and to complicate matters further, she even went so far as to try and confuse Bear when he was asked to take her home in the hopes of finding her car and well, this added some levity to the situation since the thieves that took her vehicle, were pretty daring in their own right. After all, they simply waited for as long as necessary in order to get their hands on a new ride, and they would swipe these suckers in broad daylight if given the opportunity. But with bravado comes stupidity at times, and these boys got greedy, and were eventually noticed by a concerned citizen and that led to a happy ending for Mrs. Downey, since she finally got her precious car back after the boys busted the thieves, and she even put the Sarge in quite the comedic situation since she wiped out his bike on her way out of the garage where her car was being stored.

But, we cannot forget about how the story ends for baby Princess, because that too wrapped up in happy fashion since the parents finally figured out their baby wasn’t at grandma’s and they were able to be reunited with their little one at the foster home, allowing for Ponch and Jon to say their goodbyes and make sure she left with the teddy bears they bought for her, and really, in the end, wow, what an episode. I mean this sucker had it all, drama, laughs, thrills and chills and a little heart as well and I really loved this one through and through. Mainly because of the depth that Ponch and Jon exhibited in this tale, but also because of the fun factor since this episode was just entertaining through and through and as we enter the home stretch of season one, I cannot help but wonder what kinds of new challenges and bigger adventures await Ponch and Jon as we cruise toward the season one finale. Until next time. 

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