"Deadly Ambition"
AIRDATE: 11.20.82
WRITER: Arth Weingarten
DIRECTOR: Michael Preece

TJ-HOOKER.COM RATING:

WHAT SAID:

An ambitious detective is out to nail Hooker's friend on a charge of aiding jewel thieves while working as a diamond-exchange guard. Jerry Lee Lewis appears as himself.

SYNOPSIS:

While Cody mayfield and two armed henchmen are robbing a jewelry store, they are surprised by security guard Ben Edwards. Ben is shot but manages to trip the alarm before losing consciousness. Hooker learns that Ben was a last minute replacement for Joey Bonner, who also happens to be Ben's half-brother. In the meantime, Det. Holland insists that this is his case and warns Hooker to back off. Holland goes to see his informer, Durbin, who is working with Mayfield. They plan to set Holland up. Holland, discovering this, fights with Durbin and winds up killing him. Now he is forced to go along with Mayfield. Hooker, taking a personal interest in the case, learns that Ben's half-brother was supposed to look the other way while robbing the store. Ben admits to him that he knew about the robbery, but was hoping to arrest Mayfield single-handedly. On Sunday, the day of the next robbery, Holland dispatches police units to three false locations, and he goes to the actual robbery site. Hooker, realizing that Holland is acting as protection for Mayfield, goes to the location Holland was supposed to cover, and is able to arrest Holland and Mayfield in the act.

REVIEW:

A gang of diamond thieves break into the Wallace Diamond Exchange, shooting a guard: one Ben Edwards, friend to Hooker from his Academy days (Edwards wanted to be a cop but was turned down when he found out he had a heart murmur) and former employee of Jerry Lee Lewis (he worked security for the Killer for 3 years).

4Adam30 are out on routine patrol; Romano discusses his new-found taste for the finer things in life (like raisin quiche and sparkling water) as a result of his relationship with a young well-to-do lady named Pamela Van Briesen. Hooker ruminates about the wiseness of Romano's attempts at high culture when they receive a call to investigate the diamond theft.

A rooftop chase ensues, with Hooker yelling at one of the thieves "You'll never make it!" before he attempts to jump over to the next rooftop. Of course, the thief misses and falls.

On the ground, Hooker talks to Edwards, who is being wheeled ona gurney into an ambulance. He tries to pry some useful information out of the guard, who fingers a "big black guy" as one of the thieves. He asks Hooker to get in touch with his daughter, Alise.

At the hospital, Ben survives his surgery, Hooker and Romano talk to Alise, and Jerry Lee Lewis arrives for a visit. Alise & Ben had been fighting recently over his taking on the security job--he'd been trying to impress his daughter to prove he was really cop material. Hooker & Romano discover they both have an appreciation for Jerry Lee Lewis' music.

Eventually, 4Adam30 tussle with Detective Holland, who is assigned to the diamond thief case and apparently has nothing good to say about Hooker. Holland's record is sparkling, and he's got ambitions on flying up the ranks, willing to do anything to get what he wants. Eventually it's revealed that he has withheld evidence as blackmail against a local bartender so that the bartender will be a snitch for Holland.

Holland discovers that Edwards was filling in for another guard named Joey Bonner when the diamond thieves broke in. Apparently Edwards knew that the hit was going to go down, and went in on a vacation day to try to stop the thieves in an attempt to make his daughter Alise proud of him. Bonner was in with the thieves and gave Edwards the tip; they had previously both worked for Jerry Lee, and Bonner had been busted for heroin possession; Edwards took the rap for him.

Holland catches wind of where and when the next diamond heist will take place, and sends Hooker & Romano on a wild goose chase to another location so that he can get the glory (after he kills his informant who tries to blackmail Holland with some dirt of his own). Of course, Hooker realizes Holland's game and heads to the real scene, where a chase ensues and the lead diamond thief, one Cody Mayfield, fingers Holland as knowing what was going on all along. 4Adam30 make a double bust, with Hooker upset at having to take in one of his own.

Hooker, Romano, Stacy, and Alise take in a performance by Jerry Lee Lewis at the Palomino, where Romano announces the end of his relationship with Pamela (her embarrassment over his profession is said to be the last straw for him). The entire group "dances" to Jerry Lee's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" without leaving their seats (Hooker's hand-waving and butt-wiggling are a highlight). Ben is cleared of all charges and everything ends up tidy.

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

--Reviewed by 4adam30