EPISODE GUIDE
'The Hound'
Season 2, Episode 1
CREDITS
Written
by Bill Nuss
Directed by Michael Levine
Created by Stephen J. Cannell
Produced by Lorenzo Lamas
Theme by Mike Post
Starring:
Lorenzo Lamas as Reno Raines
Branscombe Richmond as Bobby Sixkiller
Kathleen Kinmont as Cheyenne Philips
Stephen J. Cannell as Dutch Dixon
Geoffrey Blake as Hound Adams
Ron Johnson as Sgt. Woody Bickford
Race Nelson as Jackson Perry
Gregory Brown as Officer McGuire
Michael Scott Greenlee as Officer Paxton
Dan Woren as Bartender
Lisa Dark
Diana Bellamy
First
broadcast in America on 18/9/1993
PLOT
It
is one year since the fateful day when Val died and Reno's life
as a fugitive began. On the anniversary of her death, Reno brings
flowers to the grave. There he is ambushed by Dutch Dixon and
Woody. Evading them, he drives into the police road block they
have bought along. He manages to escape, but it has been a close
thing. He has been shot in the shoulder, and is forced to make a
stop at a local hospital. A friend of Val's - Dr Helen McCabe -
helps him, and promises to keep quiet.
Bobby and Chey are concerned for Reno's safety - Dixon could
bring him down at any point. Bobby buys him a holiday in Hawaii
as a thank you for his hard work, and an incentive to get away
for a while, but Reno is unconvinced.
Dixon is indeed on Reno's trail. He stops at the hospital to quiz
Dr McCabe, but she is unforthcoming. Her receptionist, however,
did not take to Reno, and begins to keep her eyes open.
In a bar somewhere in America (reasonably close to Bay City, but
that could be anywhere), a man named 'The Hound' starts a drunken
bar room brawl. He comes out best, but he is then swiftly
arrested and taken into custody. His one phone call is to Bobby,
with some startling news. Hound Adams tells Bobby that he has
evidence that Reno is innocent of his charges. Claiming to be the
brother of Hog Adams, the man who Buzzy Burrell sprang from jail
in order to kill Reno. He is mysterious about what form the
evidence takes, but his knowledge of the situation is enough to
intrigue Bobby, and he promises to bail him out in exchange for
the evidence. However, he is beaten to it by Dutch Dixon.
Dixon is very interested in Hound when he comes in - Hound is the
only unreliable loose end that could jeopardise his own situation
- Hog Adams and Buzzy Burrell are both dead (and Woody,
presumeably, is too stupid to understand what's going on in any
case.) Dixon finds the Hound and promises to guarantee his safety
in exchange for handing over his evidence - if not, prison could
be dangerous. Hound refuses, knowing that Dixon would have him
killed as easily as he did his brother in any case.
Bobby arrives at the station at the same time that The Hound is
taken away. However, in between these times, Hound has obviously
reconsidered Dixon's offer. Dixon has provided him with a knife,
and the Hound escapes. He phones Bobby and tells him more about
the evidence. Apparently the evidence is a tape recording of
Buzzy Burrell telling Hog to kill Reno, and then Hog telling the
whole sordid story to Hound. Bobby knows that this is enough to
not only save Reno, but put Dixon behind bars, but The Hound
raises the price to $100,000. They decide to try another way.
Chey tracks down The Hound's girlfriend, Darleen. Pretending not
to know, she claims that she is pregnant with The Hounds child.
Furious, Darleen hurries off to find The Hound. She is followed
by Reno. At The Hound's hideaway, his protests to Darleen fall on
death ears until Reno arrives. Taking The Hound by force, Reno
makes his way from the building. Dixon and Woody are in wait, and
another shoot-out occurs. This time, The Hound is shot in the
shoulder, and Reno is forced to return to the hospital. The
receptionist calls Dixon.
Dixon arrives at the hospital, but Reno is gone. Dr McCabe claims
that The Hound died on her table and Reno took the body. Dixon
hurries off in pursuit. In fact, Bobby has collected Reno and The
Hound, who is very much still alive. Reluctantly, he guides them
to a boat on which his evidence is hidden. He plays a fragment of
the tape to Reno and Bobby, and it is everything he could have
hoped for. However, as the Hound is about to hand it over, Dixon
arrives. A fight ensues, during which the Hound escapes with the
tape. Reno knocks Dixon unconcious, but The Hound has had too
great a start on him, and he is long gone.
Reno is frustrated, but he knows he has a purpose now. Evidence
to clear his name is in existence, and his mission in life from
this moment is to find the Hound again.
(The next two episodes, at least make no mention of the
Hound, Reno's mission to find the Hound, or the evidence that
will clear Reno's name.)
CLASSIC
QUOTES
"I'm
gonna get you Reno Raines - I swear it."
"You'll be happy to know that your
.38 caliber 'curtain rail' went straight through." - Dr
McCabe subtly expresses her opinion of Reno's cover story. He
fell from a stool while hanging curtains in the dark at 4am
apparently.
"Your
friend, Reno Raines, was set up."
"Tell me something I don't know."
- Bobby and The Hound make each other's acquaintance.
"You're
gonna put in $50,000 for him."
"If it'll get this guy's life back, I'd pay a million."
- noble sentiments from Bobby which rather fall apart when he
later declares $100,000 to be too high a price.
"I
think I'll take my chance with a jury. At least then I've got a
one in twelve chance of finding an honest man!" - The Hound
to Dixon. That must sting.
"Bobby,
I think it's really cool what you're doing for Reno." - Chey
becomes star-struck.
NOTES
Dixon's
ambush is the worst attempt at an ambush ever. Two men sent in
and one car. Surely taking in ONE MAN can't be so hard.
As
soon as Hound pushes the guy in the bar through the window,
police sirens begin, and the police arrive in seconds. Now that's
rather efficient isn't it.
Dixon
commands the officer on duty to leave he and The Hound alone. One
police officer doing unobserved interrogation of a prisoner. Must
be illegal, surely?
Was
The Hound stupid enough to go home after escaping from the
police, or he did he rent and furnish another house really fast?
Reno
leaves his bike behind at The Hound's appartment. Why doesn't
Dixon impound it as property of a felon?
Dr
Helen wears full sterilized clothing when treating the Hound. Yet
although Reno is just as close to him most of the time, he wears
nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps this is for the same reason
that he never wears a crash helmet?
At
the end of the episode (and this is quite a big one) what does
The Hound gain from keeping the cassette. Okay, he may expect to
be able to coerce more money from Bobby (although this seems
unlikely), but with Dixon on his tail, surely it;d be worth
getting him put away. Not to mention the fact that Dixon killed
his brother, and surely he'd want revenge for that?
WHAT
WE LEARN
This
may have been fully revealed in the pilot episode, or it may not
have been. Either way, it's told here, and it's essential to the
workings of Renegade.
Reno Raines was framed for murder as he was about to uncover the
corruption of Buzzy Burrell and Dutch Dixon. Buzzy sprang Hog
Adams from jail and asked him to kill Val with Reno's own back up
gun. This Hog did, thus framing murder. Buzzy Burrell was killed
by Dixon, and Reno was framed for this also. Hog recounted the
whole story to his brother Hound, and Dixon later arranged the
death of Hog. Hound and Hog recorded their converstion (as well
as other key moments), and Hound now has this evidence.
OSCAR
WINNING MOMENT
Reno,
on hearing that The Hound has 'some news' - the long zoom in -
the expression on the face. It's all there.
REVIEW
"A
good episode that a lot of background information. Great to see
the whole team getting involved." 4
/ 5
"A
good season opener, in that it re-establishes what has gone
before (or introduces it for those of us who haven't before had
the pleasure. The story is slightly jumbled (of course), but the
characters muddle through, and the opening left at the end,
though predictable, leaves scope for future episodes. Solid
stuff, without being particularly exciting."
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