Recap: Under the cover of darkness, Colonel John Litvak meets up with a KGB agent (Tanya Petrov) to discuss their nefarious plan to faux recruit Murray Bozinsky to a pretend job under false pretences. John assures Tanya he knows exactly the right buttons to push in order to successfully lure the geek, smarmily adding, "Stick with me, you might learn something." When he gets all touchy-feely, the humorless Tanya grabs his hand and gives it a painful twist, then snappishly warns him to not fucking touch her like that ever again. Haha! Murray has wrapped himself in a blanket and is pacing outside the Riptide, loudly hiccupping - a disturbance that's preventing Nick and Cody from being able to sleep. The two go above deck to ask Murray what has him so stressed to the point that he's hiccuping nonstop, so he reveals he has a major life decision to make. He explains that he just got a call from an old college professor - Bradley Stivers - to offer him a job (in Sunview, CA) heading up the Artificial Intelligence division at a new Silicon Valley firm called Techno Trend. The trio head inside the boat, and Nick reminds Murray that he quit his last corporate job during the series pilot...and not, to say the least, under the best of circumstances. Murray insists that that toxic situation was totally different from this new opportunity, and that he's intrigued by the idea of working in the AI field, aka a new frontier in the world of technology. He glumly adds he was hoping they'd be happy for him, and Cody assures him they are - but then expresses concern about the survival of the detective agency without his gadgetry and advanced computing know-how. Murray promises to continue to be there for them, then laments that breaking up their threesome is the most difficult decision he's ever had to make. In the next scene, Murray is enjoying his Boz Voyage party, to which everyone in King Harbor has been invited...including curmudgeon Lieutenant Quinlan. Bradley Stivers tells Nick he hopes there are no hard feelings towards him for recruiting Murray for the new AI job, and Nick assures him there aren't...but then warns that, sooner or later, Murray is going to crave the excitement of a perilous car chase. Bradley chuckles at that...and when he starts sneezing, he explains that he developed a new allergy the minute he arrived in California. Nick files away that tidbit before he and Cody present Murray with their farewell gifts: a mini Screaming Mimi that also serves as a radio, and a dart board with Lieutenant Quinlan's face on it. Hee! Murray thanks the two, who he makes a special point of calling his best friends and partners, then announces that he's leaving them Roboz in order for them to have continued technical support for the agency. He tells the rest of the King Harborites he'll always cherish the time he spent with them...and drones on and on as if he's delivering a commencement speech - until a buxom Contessa babe wearing a skimpy tank top sexily sashays over to the stage and shuts him up with a giant smooch. Nick and Cody get into a bitter argument as they pack up Murray's computer equipment...and as Roboz mutely observes the snipefest, he no doubt curses Murray for abandoning him to two men who bicker like they're an old married couple. Eventually Nick and Cody call a truce and chucklingly recall the first time they met Murray, and subsequently enjoy a flashback about their time serving in the U.S. military.. Nick and Cody, both decked out in full military garb (yum!), are summoned by their superior officer to provide air transport for Captain Murray Bozinsky, who's been detained after punching one Colonel John Litvak in the face. As the three board The Screaming Mimi, Murray explains to Nick and Cody that he only struck Litvak after he got wind that the scoundrel had stolen a software program he had designed to promote world peace, and intended to use it for some unspecified, abominable purpose. As he starts to natter about his interest in computers, the flashback fades out...and Nick and Cody decide to load the computer equipment onto Mimi and surprise Murray by flying it directly to his new digs in Sunview. Nick and Cody land in Sunview - but are puzzled when they learn that the address for Techno Trend is an abandoned construction site. They ask a construction worker ambling nearby if he knows anything about Techno Trend, and he says there was supposed to be a new office building on the site - but the lot owners skipped town without paying him and his crew for their labor. Nick and Cody chew on that for a few seconds, strongly suspect that Murray's job offer must be part of a scam, and worriedly conclude that whoever's running the scam now has Murray. Nick and Cody head over to the Sunview Police Department and report Murray's disappearance as part of a suspected scam. They tell the police captain that a man named Brad Stivers is supposed to be residing in the area as well, and she listens concernedly and promises to promptly look into the matter...which has to be a refreshing change from the callous way Lieutenant Ted 'I don't give a shit 'bout nuthin' Quinlan would surely have responded. On a rural property outside of Sunview, a hiccupping Murray tells Bradley Stivers he's sooooo dismayed he'd betray him like this - but Bradley denies doing any such thing and says he too was duped into thinking that the AI job was a legitimate offer. A few seconds later, two thugs enter the locked room...and when Murray demands answers about why he's being held in this house against his will, Bradley lunges at them and yells at Murray to make a run for it. Murray races out of the room and reaches the front door - but before he can figure out how to unlock all the bolts, he's tackled by the thugs and then hauled over to a makeshift office. He's stunned when the man sitting behind the desk is none other than Colonel John Litvak. He smarmily says, "Welcome to Sunview California, Dr. Bozinsky" ... and when Murray asks him if this whole thing is some kind of elaborate hoax, he says that while he's enjoying having the likes of him under his thumb, the real motivation is money. Murray sourly assumes this means he's going to be forced at gunpoint to work on some kind of malevolent research project - but John clarifies, "I'm planning to sell you to the Soviet Union." As Murray stares back at him in horrified bewilderment, John explains that the Soviet regime is desperate to recruit the best AI scientists the world has to offer...and that he was the first candidate who came to mind. Nick and Cody wander around Sunview and post missing person flyers that feature a sketch artist's rendering of Murray's bespectacled face. A random woman wanders over to the bulletin board, carefully studies the flyer, and says she saw Murray at a local airstrip...and that he seemed really drunk and referred to her as Myrna. Nick and Cody scrunch their faces confusedly, then recall that the only Myrna they know of is a New Orleans hooker who deflowered Murray while he was facing charges for Litvak's punching. The two then stare contemplatively into space as they indulge in a second flashback.. While hanging on Bourbon Street, Murray giddily ogles a brunette hooker from across the street. He admits to being a virgin - to which Nick and Cody are all, "Wow, shocker" - then abruptly announces that he needs to go to a drugstore, pronto, so he can stock up on breath mints, mouth wash, and nasal spray. And speaking of nasal spray... Back in the present day, Nick wonders aloud if perhaps Bradley Stivers might have needed some prescription nasal spray to control his sudden California allergy...and if so, they could use the address on the bottle to track his whereabouts. As they amble over to the nearest drugstore, Nick bitches about all the parking tickets they've gotten since arriving in Sunview, and then he and Cody approach the drugstore clerk and tell her they're here to pick up a prescription for Bradley Stivers (while crossing their fingers that a prescription under his name just happens to be waiting for pickup). The clerk confirms that, yep, indeed she does have a bottle of nasal medicine for a Bradley Stivers...and across the store, one of Litvak's thugs just happens to be close enough to eavesdrop on the interaction. Murray resorts to loud shrieking in an effort to get rid of his hiccups, then explains to one of his confused captors that shrieking can sometimes help, then recalls another activity that can quell hiccups as he dreamily flashes back to the time he got his wick dipped in New Orleans.. In the lobby of a New Orleans hotel, Nick and Cody lament the unfairness of a tenderhearted dweeb like Murray Bozinsky possibly getting sentenced to seven years for punching a colonel in the face - particularly an assbag like John Litvak...and highly doubt he'll last in the stockade for seven minutes, let alone seven years. They put their heads together to think of a high ranking officer who owes them a favor and come up with General Bernie Collins. A few seconds later, a dazed looking Murray descends the staircase with Myrna...and, yep, it definitely looks as though getting busy with a streetwalker has cured his hiccupping problem. Back in present day, Murray is returned to his room. When he sees that Bradley Stivers is no longer there, he demands to know what has happened to his friend...but in vain, 'cause his captors offer no explanation. Nick and Cody race over to the address that was on Bradley Stivers' prescription bottle and find him in the garage, slumped in the driver's seat of the car, with the motor running. They drag him out of the garage and attempt to revive him - but it's pretty obvious he's been a goner for awhile. A few seconds later, the thug who was in the drugstore comes squealing over in his car and opens fire on them...and after a brief car chase, a policeman standing nearby jumps into his patrol car and pulls over Nick and Cody while the thug gets away. Nick and Cody are in a holding cell at the police precinct, grumbling about the injustice of the police suspect them of killing Bradley Stivers. As they bicker about which of them is most to blame for their current predicament, someone in another cell yells at them to shut up...and they pause and longingly wonder, "Where's General Bernie Collins when you need him?" During another flashback, General Collins says he's reviewed all the facts in Murray's case, deems the charges "disgusting", and calls out Colonel Litvak for his generally retaliatory-type behavior. He announces that a new trial date will be set, and tells Murray that in the meantime he's free to return to his research post. Once the General has exited the room and is safely out of hearing range, an enraged John Litvak glares at Murray and seethes, "Someday you're going to pay for this - like you've never paid for anything in your life." Nick and Cody tell the Sunview police captain that they strongly suspect John Litvak of being behind the kidnapping of Murray and the killing of Bradley Stivers. She promises to look into where Litvak might be holed up - just as Nick suddenly recalls the many parking tickets he and Cody have amassed during their short stay in Sunview. He asks her if he can look through the precinct's parking ticket files, and she's like 'sure, why the hell not?'. As a crouched Murray is being locked inside a wooden crate, John Litvak smugly points out to Tanya Petrov that he delivered Murray as promised - but she looks unimpressed, reminds him he still has to transport Murray to the trawler, then chides him for selling out his own countryman. Seems like a counter-productive statement to her own agenda, but OK. As Nick and Cody sift through the pile of parking tickets, they come across one issued to John Litvak, whose home address is a rural property outside of town. The police captain perks up at that lead and agrees to meet them there asap. Nick and Cody fly to the rural property via Mimi - just as John Litvak is burning whatever incriminating evidence he didn't want to leave behind after his human trafficking of Murray. When he sees the chopper coming, he flees to his car to escape - but before he can drive anywhere, Cody leaps off of Mimi, tackles him, and hauls him aboard the chopper to get him to spill the beans about Murray's whereabouts. John immediately caves and says that the KGB has their friend, adding that the Russians paid him a fortune to obtain the geeky genius. Tanya Petrov and a KGB goon are driving a truck with the crated Murray in the back when they suddenly realize they're being hovered over by a fugly pink chopper. Cody laments not having any firearms aboard, 'cause they hadn't anticipated being in a gunfight while in Sunview, so he proposes throwing Murray's computer equipment atop the truck to get the driver to stop. Nick concurs with that plan, so Cody begins tossing things off of the Mimi...and eventually one of the computers hits the truck's windshield, causing the goon to lose control of the truck, which is then plunged into a nearby pond. Tanya and the goon emerge from the overturned truck and crawl to shore...and then Cody wades into the water to drag the floating crate to shore. Nick races over and breaks the lock...and when a conscious Murray spills out, Cody jokes about how they finally figured out how to use his computer equipment. A dazed Murray chews on the loss of his entire hardware collection for a few seconds, but then grins happily at the joy of being rescued from a life of Soviet slavery. Back at the Riptide, Nick sheepishly admits to a weary looking Murray that he told Cody to throw his computer equipment out of the chopper to stop the KGB agents - but Murray assures him he totally understands, and that he can easily replace it all. He expresses sadness at the loss of his friend and mentor, Bradley Stivers, and says he's deeply moved that the two of them risked everything to locate and rescue him. He points out that if weren't for them he'd just be another computer geek, and thinks of them as his brothers. As the three absorb the fuzzy warmth of that shared sentiment, Cody suggests they take an impromptu vacation. Murray says he's way too tired to go anywhere...but when Nick asks, "Too tired for New Orleans?", Murray perks up and is all, "Hell no!" and says he'd loooooove to look up Myrna and see if she's up for another romp...which, if she's still walking the streets in search of johns, she'll no doubt be willing to indulge him. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
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Recap: On a dark and stormy night, Murray is watching a horror movie as he works on some kind of science experiment. He's alarmed when the lights suddenly begin to flicker and he hears noises outside the boat. He calls out for Nick and Cody in the hope that the noises mean that they're back from their errand, then nervously peeks out the window. Nick and Cody, meanwhile, are in a nearby convenience store, buying ingredients to supply Murray with his experiment. They happen to glance down at the local newspaper, which features a story on their heroic role in the recent arrest of a drug kingpin - while the useless police just stood by and did fuck all. Cody remarks on how great the story is going to be for the agency, but Nick argues that Lieutenant Quinlan will, no doubt, be extremely pissed off that they made him look like the inept law enforcement flunky he is. Murray is fumbling around in the dark...and when the lights suddenly come back on, he notices that - ack! - a strange man is seated in the chair across the room, staring at him intently. He introduces himself as Albert Trumonde, wanks Murray about what an awesome computer genius he's famous for being, and says he'd like to hire the Riptide Detective Agency to locate a boat called the Mary Aberdeen. He says it was originally owned by Jessup Taylor, then issues an ominous warning: many people associated with this haunted boat have suffered horrible, untimely demises. He hands Murray a business card, along with a stack of bills totalling $1,000...and a dazed looking Murray says it's a sufficient deposit, but that he still needs to get an official OK from his partners to take the case. He tells Albert to stay put for a few minutes, then heads up to the main living area. When Nick and Cody return home from their convenience store errand, Murray tells them he just scored a client who wants their help locating a haunted boat. He describes Albert Trumonde as a very strange character, then ushers them down to his room...and is baffled when it appears as though Albert has vanished. A mystified Murray insists that Albert was sitting in his chair a few minutes earlier, then shows them the $1,000 he received as a deposit to find the haunted Mary Aberdeen. He hands Albert's business card to Cody, who calls the number and is directed to a cemetery called Hillside Acres, aka the final resting place of the deceased Albert Trumonde. Nick leaps to the conclusion that this whole thing is some kind of practical joke that Lieutenant Quinlan is playing on them - but Murray insists that Albert was aboard the boat, and that he's a legitimate client. The next morning, the Riptide trio heads over to Jessup Taylor's mansion to kickstart their investigation. Jessup tells them that Albert Trumonde has been dead for eighteen years, and that he and Jessup's also deceased son (Donald) were business partners. Jessup's two thuggish grandsons grumble about how Albert murdered their pa...so Jessup explains that Albert rigged a magic trick that was performed in Vegas, and it resulted in tragedy. Jessup says he's intrigued that anyone would pose as Albert for the odd purpose of searching for the Mary Aberdeen, then gets a faraway look in his eyes as he remarks on how much he misses the old boat and all the memories it held of his dearly departed Donald. One of the grandsons reveals that Tiny Tommy purchased the boat after the death of their pa...and then Jessup opens his safe, pulls out a wad of cash totalling $5,000, and hires the trio to locate the mystery boat. After they scamper off, Jessup tells his grandsons he's 100% certain Albert Trumonde is dead, given that he personally threw him and the magician off the side of the Mary Aberdeen as vengeance for their role in Donald's death. He scrunches his face concernedly and mutters, "Somebody knows something.." and assumes there's a piece of evidence on the boat he didn't have the opportunity to destroy. He then orders his grandsons to head over to Tiny Tommy's to do whatever's necessary to discourage the Riptide trio from pursuing the investigation further. The trio arrives at Tiny Tommy's Used Boat Sales shop...and when they tell him they're here to inquire about the Mary Aberdeen, he pales and moans, "Oh no! Not again!" and explains, "Seems like all I do is sell that stupid boat - then buy it back when somebody dies on it." Unfazed, the trio asks him if they can take a look at his customer files, and he hands them a file that documents his father's original purchase of the Mary Aberdeen from Jessup Taylor, then goes through the subsequent timeline..
Murray gasps and warns Cody that his boat "will kill again", while Nick remains convinced that this case is a prank being perpetrated on them by Lieutenant Quinlan - but that notion is quickly dispelled when Jessup's psychotic grandsons descend on the boat shop and open fire on them with their machine guns. Lieutenant Quinlan arrives on the scene and rails at the trio for even thinking that he'd be involved in a boat-related prank...and Nick sheepishly admits he now realizes that Jessup Taylor is the dark force behind their attempted murders just now. Murray explains to a disinterested Quinlan that Jessup paid them $5,000 to locate the Mary Aberdeen, then describes the mysterious visit he received from Albert Trumonde, who also commissioned them to find the haunted boat. Quinlan chuckles about the notion about a haunted boat and makes it clear he's going to do fuck all about the fact that Jessup Taylor's grandsons just tried to kill them (+ Tiny Tommy) with a spray of bullets. After he exits the shop [to, I guess, continue not policing the community], Murray wonders aloud if maybe they're dealing with an actual curse, and a wigged out Tiny Tommy says he'd really really like them to leave 'cause he's pretty sure that, yep, they're definitely cursed. Back at the Riptide, Murray uses his computer to look into Jessup Taylor's background and learns that the cretin was found guilty of embezzling, gambling, and real estate fraud. He then links a special camera to his computer that can determine whether or not there's any "leftover energy fields" from the boat's deceased inhabitants. The camera immediately detects a presence just outside the boat, so Nick and Cody covertly sneak outside to see who's lurking around. Cody runs into a ghostly looking black-cloaked stranger, who punches him in the face and runs off...and when Nick races over, Cody cries, "He had no face!" Nick then pursues the ghost before he's nearly run over by a car that squeals off in the night. Nick and Cody head over to Casa Taylor to ask Jessup whaddup with sending a hit squad after them, pointing out that he and his grandsons were the only people who knew they were going to be at Tiny Tommy's boat shop. Jessup gets angry at the accusation and yells at them to get out, and Cody smugly says there's clearly something about the Riptide that's piquing his interest. Nick then hands Jessup his $5,000 back 'cause they no longer want to be on his payroll. Dooley arrives at the Riptide - just as Murray is spritzing a chemical spray he calls ghost repellent. Dooley chuckles about their demon problems, then says he stopped by for some more Boz-Again oil for his car motor. Murray gives him a small bottle, warning him to only use a few drops 'cause it's very powerful stuff. After conducting more research, Murray reports that Donald Taylor was involved in a number of shady dealings during the 1960s. Apparently his father (Jessup) bought him a hotel club for his twenty-first birthday...and shortly after that, he was reportedly killed on stage by a rogue magician. Nick chews on that tidbit for a few seconds, then points out that their original client had to have known that the Riptide is, in fact, the Mary Aberdeen...which leads to the conclusion that only an illusionist could have started this case in all of its mystifying mysteriousness. They suddenly hear a sneeze coming from the closet - no doubt from all the ghost repellent Murray's been spritzing - and Nick and Cody aim their guns while Murray flings open the door and finds a sheepish looking Albert Trumonde huddled on the floor and staring up at them. While dining out, Albert reveals that he's really Martin Stonewell, aka "the world's greatest magician" ... and that he's been hiding aboard the Riptide ever since the episode's opening scene and was getting very hungry. He explains that the Vegas partnership between Albert and Donald wasn't working out so well, so Albert deliberately rigged his equipment so that Donald would perish during a magic trick...and I can't help wondering if it was a gruesome outcome of the 'sawing a person in half' trick. Martin admits that, yeah, he probably should have gone to the police to report the crime - but he was so desperate to get back his friend's diary that Albert, for whatever reason, had in his possession...and dangled the promise of handing it over to him as long as he kept his mouth shut. Later that day, the two met up on the deck of the Mary Aberdeen, beneath which the diary was alleged to have been hidden - but they ran into Jessup, who was so enraged about his son's untimely death that he tied them both up and threw them overboard. Martin chucklingly says that as a master illusionist he had no problem untying the restraints...then adds that before being thrown overboard, Albert told him he had enough evidence to convict the corrupt Taylors. A miffed looking Murray chides Martin for putting him and his friends in danger, and snarks that a $1,000 deposit doesn't justify the grave risk to their lives. Martin rushes out of the restaurant after Murray and earnestly explains that he's been forced to take on the identity of a dead man for years - even though it prolly would have been equally as safe/dangerous for him to have simply retained his own identity. He says he eked out a living making appearances at backstreet carnivals and side shows, then contritely acknowledges that he had no right to involve three nice people in his Quest for the Missing Diary. As he shuffles off dejectedly, Murray asks, "Where beneath the boat?" and Martin beams, gushes about how thrilled he is that they're going to help him, and promises to be honest with them from this moment on. When the question arises of who's going to go diving beneath the Riptide to retrieve the diary, everyone stares expectantly at Cody. Across the pier, Jessup's grandsons are staring over at the Riptide through binoculars, waiting for the right moment to set off the bomb one of them just planted beneath the boat. They spot Martin Stonewell, (somehow) recognize him instantly, and express surprise that he's alive. Cody, meanwhile spots the ticking time bomb attached to the bottom of the Riptide and removes it...and when he swims up to the surface he throws it to Nick (!), who then whips it out to sea - just as the idiot grandsons accidentally set it off while arguing about when they should set it off. When they realize that their attempt to bomb the Riptide has been foiled, they decide to once again open fire on the trio (+ Martin). Nick and Cody dodge every bullet as they grab their firearms and chase after the murderous brothers, who are able to quickly hop into their getaway vehicle and squeal off. Cody says he didn't find the diary beneath the ship - just as Nick happens to notice a framed photo of the ship that Cody says came with the boat when he purchased it, along with a defective compass. Amid Cody's protests, Nick smashes the picture frame and finds a secret map behind the photo, which provides instructions on how to locate Martin's friend's missing diary. After flying (via The Screaming Mimi) to a remote beach, Nick and Cody eventually conclude that they're digging in the wrong place - just as Murray informs them that when he lubricated the defective compass with some Boz-Again, it began working properly...and theorizes that the map in the picture frame must have been altered by 90 degrees in order to match the once defective compass. Sounds perfectly reasonable. He says this all means they need to head over to Bluffside Acres, aka the cemetery that houses the grave for the woman the boat was originally named after: Mary Aberdeen. Dooley radios Mimi and tells the trio they need to return to Pier 56 pronto, 'cause Lieutenant Quinlan is raising a stink about the ticking time bomb explosion. Nick says to tell him they can't 'cause they're on a case, but that he can meet up with them at Bluffside Acres...and after he hangs up, we see that Dooley was being forced at gunpoint by Jessup and his grandsons to learn the whereabouts of the trio (+ Martin). The trio (+ Martin) arrives at Bluffside Acres, and they quickly locate Mary Aberdeen's gravesite and begin to dig. Dooley is able to escape from the back seat of Jessup's car, races over to the nearest vehicle (a hearse!) and motors over to the cemetery to give his friends a heads up about the imminent danger they're in. As that's happening, Nick and Cody dig up the coveted diary: Harry Houdini's Best Illusions. Murray gasps and calls the discovery priceless, and an elated Martin thanks them for giving him back his life...and then he and Murray wander off together to fully absorb the monumental unearthing of this mystical treasure. Dooley arrives at the cemetery while Nick and Cody are looking over a ledger they discovered was buried with the diary, which contains enough documentation to implicate Jessup in all manner of criminal activity. Dooley urgently warns that the Taylors are en route - just as Jessup and his grandsons squeal over in their car. Jessup storms over to the gravesite, snatches the ledger away from Cody, and mutters about how the magician was intent on finding this incriminating proof against him. The grandsons asks him what they should do with Nick, Cody, and Dooley, and he glances around and nonchalantly says, "It's a graveyard. Do what comes natural." From a hiding spot several feet away, Martin uses his illusionist ingenuity and tosses a fireball in Jessup's direction...and the distraction gives Nick and Cody all the time they need to physically subdue the grandsons before jumping into the hearse to race after the fleeing Jessup. They chase his car around the cemetery for what seems like a really looooong time - until Cody finally manages to smash into him. At that moment, Martin stands on the edge of the nearby cliff, clutching the diary, and imperiously announces, "Jessup Taylor, I take back what is due me!" ... and a wigged out Jessup cries, "Nooooo!! I killed you!" He then opens fire on the illusionist and watches as Martin appears to plunge off the cliff, prompting Murray to shriek, "Noooooo!!" and run towards him. He peers over the cliff's edge, but sees no sign of his friend. Back aboard the Riptide, Nick and Cody assure a distressed Murray that disappearing into thin air is what Martin does best, and that they can only assume he's hiding somewhere safe...pointing out that the police weren't able to locate his body [though it's highly doubtful that Lieutenant Quinlan would expend the energy or resources to look very hard]. Cody says that surely Martin is laughing about all of this, then reminds Murray of their most significant accomplishment this episode: getting an old-man criminal off the streets. He then suggests they all go out for drinks...and as they amble above deck, we hear the sound of Martin Stonewell's maniacal sounding laughter. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! Recap: Aboard a corporate helicopter, Eugene Kay (an engineer in the R&D division of Baxter Aviation) implores his corrupt boss (Stanley Weston) to make the much-needed adjustments in the design of their new fleet of helicopters, warning, "You'll never get away with it." Stanley coldly tells Eugene he's no longer needed...and his henchman growlingly informs Eugene he's been abruptly terminated. As Eugene stares back at him perplexedly, Stanley says, "It's been a pleasure having you in the company" and watches as the hapless engineer is shoved out of the helicopter somewhere over the ocean. Over in King Harbor, a grumpy security guard shoves a homeless man down a flight of concrete stairs...and Murray just happens to be standing at the bottom of the stairs, witnessing the abuse. The security guard threatens to lock the bum up if he ever catches him panhandling on the premises again - but the bum argues that he's an inventor and has the right to gain access to the U.S. Patent Office. Murray chimes in and concurs that if the bum has official patent business, he shouldn't be barred from the government office. When the security guard loses all interest in the matter and wanders off, the bum admits to Murray that he actually was panhandling, 'cause he's trying to raise the patent fee for his new invention: a small square thing that prevents people from falling asleep in front of the TV. Sounds like an odd thing to invest even an ounce of energy in, but OK. The bum says he can't get the thing to work properly, primarily 'cause people tend to...uh, blink while they watch TV...so Murray chews on that conundrum for a few seconds and suggests implementing "a micro digital time delay" to around thirty seconds. The bum joyously chirps, "Yes, yes! You've done it!" and tells Murray he owes him one, then asks for his contact info...and when Murray indulges him and then asks what his name is, the bum introduces himself as Baxter Bernard. As Nick and Cody work on the The Screaming Mimi's deteriorated wheel assembly, Murray tells them about his run-in with Baxter Bernard - but the two express their deep skepticism that he just happened to run into the richest man in the world. Nick reminds him that Baxter Bernard is the owner of around twenty companies, including Baxter Electronics and Baxter Aviation. When Cody goes off-topic and grumbles about how much time, money, and maintenance Mimi regularly requires, Nick gets all bitchy-defensive and says it takes a lot of work and money to maintain a classic. Murray ignores their bickering and insists that the bum he talked to was definitely Baxter Bernard, and that he helped him work out a kink [that anyone with a semblance of programming knowledge should have been able to figure out on his own] in his latest invention - but Nick and Cody tell him they suspect the guy was "Larry the Bum", a local vagrant who's been seen panhandling in the area. They urge Murray not get his hopes up about what was probably a faux celebrity sighting. A fancy blue helicopter - the new BaxterCraft 1000! - lands in the nearby landing space. A woman climbs out of the cockpit, asks which of them is Murray, then tosses him the keys as she brusquely says, "A gift from Baxter Aviation." She then strides over to a waiting cab and climbs in, ignoring calls from the Riptide trio to stop and explain the unexpected delivery. Murray cackles about the "boss" gift, which he estimates is worth around $5 million...and a dismayed Nick concedes that it's a great piece of machinery, but then stubbornly insists, "If you want character and personality, you gotta look to the Mimi." He then climbs inside the cockpit and can't help but be impressed by the sleek, top-of-the-line control panel, while mumbling that it's kinda weird to get a big ticket gift like this from a mere acquaintance. He hands Murray a note addressed to him from Baxter, asking them to please pick him up from the top of Point Dune...and Nick immediately perks up at the prospect of flying the spiffy new chopper. Nick revs up the chopper and makes lift-off...and unnerves Murray and Cody by doing some fancy flying tricks and deep dives. They approach Point Dune and spot Baxter, who's waving up at them - just as a second chopper suddenly appears out of nowhere. A couple of thugs leap off of it and chase after Baxter in a brazen attempt to abduct him...and as Nick tries to land close enough to rescue him, the bad guys open fire. Nick is mystified when, a few seconds later, the BaxterCraft suddenly starts to malfunction and spin in circles. He manages to safely land...and after he, Murray, and Cody leap off and hide in some nearby foliage, one of the thugs shoots at the empty chopper, resulting in a massive explosion. The trio stares at each other in puzzlement and vow to learn who those men were, why they would want to abduct Baxter Bernard, and why a brand new helicopter functioned so shittily after being shot at. The trio hitches a ride back to King Harbor on the back of a dilapidated pickup truck, then discuss how shocking it was that a brand new chopper malfunctioned after being riddled by a few bullets. Nick says he intends to call the FAA to file a report - just as they see that there's a brand new replacement chopper parked in the landing space with a big red bow across the front hood. An intrigued Murray glances around the cockpit, but doesn't find a note this time...and a few seconds later, Baxter Bernard appears. He removes his mangy grey wig and beard, introduces himself, and apologizes for them nearly getting blown up just now. Over at Baxter Aviation, the woman pilot who gifted Murray with the first helicopter (Denise McKean) is summoned to the head office to be questioned by Stanley Weston (the CEO) and his nefarious VP of Security (David Brady) regarding Baxter's whereabouts. She says that despite being his personal pilot, she has no clue where he is...and can only share that she received a memo, instructing her to deliver a new helicopter to the address provided and leave the keys in the co-pilot's seat. David informs her that they had to shoot down a new BaxterCraft today and are curious about who was inside of it, but she just shrugs and cheekily retorts, "You should have asked first." Stanley reminds her that members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are going to be present for a delivery ceremony that will demo the new BaxterCraft 1000 fleet, and that it's critical everything runs smoothly...and Denise is like, "Yeah, whatever" and exits the office. Stanley asks David who in blazes keeps issuing company memos without their authorization, and David explains that some unknown person keeps accessing their internal computer system and directing staff to do things. On top of that, they just learned that an additional chopper has gone missing...and can't help but come to the obvious conclusion that Baxter is somehow behind it. Stanley orders David to have Denise followed, 'cause he's pretty sure she knows more about Baxter than anyone else at the company. He warns David that they need to put an end to the shenanigans before the big unveiling ceremony - otherwise their evil [and really stupidly short-sighted] scheme to put a fleet of defective helicopters into circulation that will imperil army pilots could blow up in their faces. No pun intended. Denise makes a beeline over to the nearest pay phone to call Baxter at the Riptide to make sure he's OK. He assures her he's fine and warns her about all of the trouble brewing at Baxter Aviation. She tells him that Stanley and David just interrogated her regarding his whereabouts and isn't sure she convinced them she has no clue where he's holed up. She then asks him if he took a second chopper, and he promises to explain everything once they're face to face. Baxter sheepishly explains to the Riptide trio that he hasn't been running Baxter Aviation for the last ten years...and during that time, Stanley Weston has been involved in various plots to defraud the government. When he explains that Stanley is about to sell a fleet of BaxterCraft 1000s to the U.S. military, knowing it has a deadly design flaw, Murray looks aghast as he points out that army pilots could die as a result, and angrily asks him how he could allow such a thing to happen. Baxter says he does blame himself, and that Eugene Kay had reached out to him to discuss the impending catastrophe - but when he failed to show up at a meeting they arranged in secret, he's leaping to the (accurate) conclusion that the poor man is dead. Baxter then says he needs some hard proof before he can start blowing the whistle - despite the fact that he's the owner of the company and could step in and blow the whistle, like right now - and officially hires the Riptide Detective Agency to gather incriminating intel. He hands over his credit card for any expenses that might be incurred, then gets distracted by all the buxom, bikini-clad nymphets aboard the adjacent boat (the Contessa) ... and they giggle, wave, and invite him to join them for cocktail hour. Cody uses Baxter's credit card (that has a limit of 400K per month!) to make some over-the-phone purchases needed to crack this case, while Murray taps on his computer and complains that Baxter Aviation is way too locked up for him to be able to hack into. He says it'd really help if he had photos of every BaxterCraft 1000 in the fleet, taken from various geometric angles, so he can feed them into his computer and scrutinize the images from various geometric angles and determine the design flaw. Sounds digitally implausible - but then I'm a recapper, not a helicopter blueprint design flaw analyst. Murray meets up with Denise, who tells him she knows how to bypass Baxter Aviation's firewall through a back door that Baxter created. She then logs on, while Murray adjusts to the unfamiliar dynamic of having to watch someone else take the lead on a computer-based task. As Nick and Cody take apart the BaxterCraft to see if they can determine the design flaw, they call Baxter's recommended food service...and a few minutes later, a red van arrives, and a deliveryman/chef sets up a table, chairs, and serves them a scrumptious looking gourmet pizza. Denise types up a memo to authorize a couple of military press photographers to access the Baxter Aviation airfield and take photos, then suggests to Murray they send in Nick and Cody. Murray concurs with that plan, then asks her to check on the status of Eugene Kay...and when she taps in his name, his record indicates that he resigned two days ago, which she calls impossible, given that he's been an engineer with the company for over two decades. Nick and Cody, aka faux military photographers, get welcomed to Baxter Aviation by Pat Wolfson, the company's very chipper PR director. She gabbles about how the unveiling ceremony is tomorrow, and that it's a very exciting day for the company. As Cody starts snapping photos of all the choppers, Stanley and David arrive...and a puzzled Stanley tells David he thought that photographers were only going to be present during tomorrow's ceremony. David shrugs and says his secretary got a memo about a photo shoot happening today, and Stanley snaps, "Memo?!" and orders David to check the "photographers'" IDs. Nick and Cody stonewall David for as long as they possibly can...then hit him with their lighting panel before fleeing to their car and squealing off. David opens fire on their car before Stanley snarlingly orders him to 1) find out who they are by tracing their car, and 2) kill them. Eeeek! Back at the Riptide, Murray feeds the photographs of the helicopters into his computer so he can somehow perform an analysis of the aircrafts' internal geometrical makeup and magically diagnose the design flaw. When Denise asks why the chopper Nick flew wasn't able to self-diagnose the problem, Murray explains that because the self-warning system has been tampered with, the fatal design problems only present themselves when they're under stress conditions: aka, being shot at. Nick, meanwhile, is on the phone with Lieutenant Quinlan, who reports that marine patrol just recovered Eugene Kay's splatted body. When Baxter learns the sad news, he looks visibly upset and grumbles, "It's one thing to steal or cover up a crime, now they're murdering people to save a few million of my money." He bitterly adds that Eugene paid for his diligence with his life...and Denise offers to make him his favorite beverage while he processes his grief. Nick assures Baxter that the bad guys running his aviation company are about to go out of business, courtesy of the Riptide Detective Agency...and Baxter says he'd happily give everything he has to make that happen. Cody discreetly asks Denise if she and Baxter ever hooked up, so she explains that she met him (years ago) when she was in college. He was standing on a street corner, dressed in a rabbit's costume, ringing a bell and holding a bucket for people to donate their spare change. Apparently, it was a needless experiment to prove that people are in the spirit of giving - not only at Christmas time, but at Easter time too. Denise says that after she and the weirdo became fast friends, he offered to take her anywhere in the world she wanted to go...and she assumed he was kidding - until they were on a private plane, en route to Paris. She clarifies that there was never any kind of hanky panky between them, and that he was more of a mentor to her who got her hooked on flying. He helped put her through flight school and helicopter training...and got her to sneak him in and out of the Baxter Aviation compound once a week. Despite the fact that he's the owner of the company and shouldn't have let things deteriorate to the point that he had to be sneaked in and out of his own property. The Contessa nymphets are aboard a dinghy chanting, "We want Baxter"! and invite him to come over for a special surprise. Cody, Nick, Murray, and Denise urge him to go next door and have fun, so he figures 'ah, why the hell not?' and climbs aboard the dinghy. Murray continues to analyze the photos of the BaxterCrafts and deduces that the tail rotor is the weak spot. Nick says it makes perfect sense, since the occurrence of high stress manoeuvres while airborne wouldn't be obvious when simply viewing the blueprints. He asks Murray to print out these findings so he can warn the army asap. Next door, the Contessa nymphets tell Baxter they're throwing him a birthday party and chirp, "All your friends are here!" ... and a puzzled looking Baxter says it's not his birthday, then pales when he sees that Stanley and David are also aboard. One of Stanley's henchmen waves his gun around and tells the nymphets the party is officially over, then smugly reveals to Baxter that they were able to track him after "the PI clowns" he hired made purchases using his credit card. They force him above deck and onto a speedboat...and as he cries out for help, the Riptide trio rushes over to the Ebb Tide - only to discover that someone cut the fuel line. And when Nick races over to The Screaming Mimi, he's dismayed to see that it too was tampered with and not fly-able. Stanley and David ply Baxter with truth serum, then ask him how much the Riptide trio knows about the design flaw of the BaxterCraft 1000s...and Baxter mains, "Tail rotor, piece of junk" before passing out. Stanley chews on that for a few seconds before ordering David to kill the three Riptide PIs, along with "the broads next door". Eeeek! Stanley's henchmen show up at Pier 56, notice that the Riptide isn't in its usual boat slip, and leave. Dooley, who's covertly standing nearby, radios the trio to warn them about the henchmen stopping by...and Murray breathes a sigh of relief that they got outa there so quickly. Nick then calls Denise, who informs him that Baxter is scheduled to be at the unveiling ceremony later today, remarking that she has no idea how Stanley got him to agree to that. Denise asks him if she can pilot Mimi [which somehow got repaired in record time] ... and when he reluctantly agrees, Cody and Murray chuckle over Nick's visible discomfort with someone other than him sitting in the pilot's seat. As the ceremony gets underway, a zonked looking Baxter slumps in his chair while Stanley introduces the BaxterCraft 1000 to the guests. He then announces the live demonstration and gives the thumbs up to the pilot sitting in the cockpit of one of the chopper models. He quickly goes airborne, then employs some fancy flying moves - but in doing so, triggers the problems associated with the defective tail rotor and starts spinning out of control. From the nearby Mimi, Nick alerts him to the tail rotor problem, and the pilot's all, "Ack!" and parachutes out of the chopper, which then takes a nose-dive and explodes on impact, 'causing the ceremony guests to recoil in horror. Stanley sheepishly assures the General in attendance that he can explain what just happened - just as Denise safely lands Mimi so that Nick and Cody can leap off and chase the bad guys on ground level. When Nick sees David and a henchmen squeal off in a car, he radios Denise to get Mimi back into the air and pursue them from above. Murray strides over to the General and tells him he knows exactly why the BaxterCraft went down, and that he has documented proof of a large scale cover up involving a fatal design flaw. Denise closes in on David and his henchman from above...while Nick and Cody race over and are able to subdue them by holding them at gunpoint. When Stanley is ushered off by the General to explain his role in The Tail Rotor Conspiracy, Baxter thanks Murray for providing proof of the design flaw. While waiting for his limo to arrive, Baxter tells the Riptide trio he's been working on a new invention: the boomer ball, intended for kids who have no one to play catch with. He then tosses the ball to demonstrate, but it goes all womp womp when he accidentally throws the thing into the water. He grimaces and says, "Still a few bugs in the system." He then tells the trio he's really going to miss them, now that he's returning to Baxter Aviation to take over the role of president. He shakes their hands, tells them he'll never forget them...then pulls another boomer ball out of his pocket, tosses it to Murray, and tells him to work out the kinks. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
Recap: Nick and his new girlfriend (Peggy Burke) are making out on the beach, reminiscing about how they hooked up: he kept showing up at the travel agency she works at, but didn't seem to ever want to book a trip. Eventually she caved to his flirtitude and agreed to have dinner with him...and - voilà! - here they are, enjoying romantic time together while lying on the sand. A few seconds later, a powerful tide comes in, and they hastily gather their belongings and amble back towards town. A bus pulls into King Harbor to drop off passengers...and some random guy decked out in a military uniform exits the bus, then has the misfortune of getting stuck by a car after he stupidly failed to look both ways before crossing the street. The driver who hit him rushes over in a panic and wails about how he came out of nowhere...and Peggy and Nick race over to see if there's anything they can do to help the injured man. Peggy suddenly gets a flashback of trying to help a gravely wounded Vietnam soldier before his bloodied hand goes limp, which also happens to the present day soldier she's hovering over. She spacily pronounces him dead when the ambulance pulls up, then gets up and runs off. Nick chases after her and is all, "Whaddup with you suddenly running away?" ... and she climbs into his Corvette, snaps at him to leave her the hell alone [which is weirdly hostile, given that she's sitting in the driver's seat of his fancy convertible], and squeals off. Cody and Murray are playing beach volleyball against two skilled players, mostly for the purpose of showcasing Cody's ripped bod in all of its spectacular shirtlessness. After a hapless Murray crashes into the net, they decide to call it a game. Murray tells Cody he prolly shouldn't attempt volleyball anymore and thinks maybe golf is more his speed...then reminds Cody that he only agreed to step in for Nick so he can spend all of his leisure time with Peggy. Cody tells him not to be so hard on himself, and says that all he really needs in order to improve his athleticism is a better pair of sneakers. Nick returns to Pier 56 by taxi and explains to Cody and Murray that Peggy took his car and drove off. He shakes his head confusedly and says that one minute they were enjoying a romantic day on the beach, the next she was tending to a man who got hit by a car...and then got all weirdly spacey as she fled the scene. That evening, Nick continues to have zero luck getting a hold of Peggy. He recalls that it seemed almost as if she slipped into a trance after the soldier died in her arms...and Cody breezily suggests she drove off in his car simply 'cause she needed to clear her head. A few seconds later, Lieutenant Quinlan calls Nick to report that his Corvette was located in a seedy part of town (where the hookers turn their tricks), and that all four tires are flat. When Nick asks him if he knows where Peggy is, Quinlan snaps, "Beats me", and then emphasizes how tiny a shit he gives about locating her 'cause his shift just ended. When the Riptide trio arrives in Hookerville, Nick says he can't fathom how his car ended up in the underbelly of King's Harbor, then suggests they split up as they look around for Peggy. A pimp associate (Blademan) climbs into a waiting limo and hands his boss - Tyrone Diamond, aka Pimp Overlord - a pile of cash. Tyrone snarlingly tells him it's far less cash than he was expecting and accuses Blademan of trying to stiff him...so Blademan explains that two of their 'hos defected to the stable of a rival pimp (known as The Reverend), and adds that it looks as though he additionally acquired "one classy act". A few seconds later, The Reverend sashays over to the limo, waves a huge wad of cash in Tyrone's face, and smugly wishes him and Blademan a good evening...and an irked Tyrone orders his driver to take him to wherever he can take a gander at The Reverend's classy new 'ho. Elsewhere in Hookerville, Murray gets over-excited when he sees a guy with piercings in strange places...and Cody urges him to stay cool as he steers him into a strip club to further their quest to find Peggy. When that turns out to be more gratuitous for viewers than it is fruitful for their search, Cody and Murray exit the club and reconnect with Nick, who glances across the street and spots Peggy talking to Blademan. He's aghast when he witnesses Blademan forcing her inside Tyrone's limo...and the Riptide trio races over to the Jimmy so they can engage in a car-on-car pursuit. Tyrone asks Peggy if she's hooking for The Reverend, but she just spacily mutters, "He's dead..", leaving Tyrone to wonder aloud if she's just another strung out skank. He then notices the limo is being followed...and a few seconds later, the Jimmy cuts them off. Nick, Cody, and Murray swiftly launch an attack against Tyrone and Blademan (both of whom are armed with knives) while a still-spaced-out Peggy slips out of the limo and scampers off, prompting Nick to race after her. Lieutenant Quinlan makes an appearance at the hospital and chides Cody and Murray for getting into a scrap with a known pimp, so Cody explains to grumpy-pants that they were looking for a friend who had been manhandled by Blademan before being forced into a limo. Quinlan says he well knows that Blademan is Tyrone Diamond's top henchman, then bitchily asks what their friend was doing palling around with that kind of sleaze. When Murray insists that Peggy is an innocent travel agent, Quinlan growls, "That's bull" and says he can only assume she's a streetwalker...then grumbles about how he knows he's not going to get any information from Tyrone, who's in the adjacent exam room with a broken arm and refuses to talk. When Nick enters the room, Quinlan mockingly guffaws, "Enter Mr. Cool himself. And where were you during all this? Blowdrying your hair?" Nick ignores his idiotic questions and asks Cody and Murray if they're OK, and they assure him they weren't seriously injured during the knife fight. Quinlan tells them they're all being charged with disorderly conduct, and that they should give him a call whenever they're ready to spill the beans. Nick asks him if he knows about anyone by the name of Peggy Burke working as an undercover vice cop in Hookerville, and Quinlan barks back that there's no one by that name employed by his police department before storming out. When Nick chides himself for losing track of Peggy after she fled the limo, Cody cautions him to leave it alone...and says he may have misjudged his girlfriend, who may not be who he thinks she is. Nick says he can't/won't just give up on her, and quietly exits the room. In the hospital corridor, Nick runs into Tyrone Diamond, who tauntingly warns him that no one takes him on and lives to tell about it. Nick looks unfazed and threatens to break his other arm - just as Blademan steps between them, says, "Not here", and urges his boss to leave without further incident. Later, Tyrone and Blademan run into The Reverend, who insists that the classy blonde is not one of his 'hos. He boasts that he already has plenty of women hooking for him, and also makes it clear that he had nothing at all to do with the attack instigated by Nick and Cody. After he swaggers off, Tyrone orders Blademan to find Nick, Cody, and Peggy, and bring them to him. Elsewhere in King Harbor, a spaced out Peggy is aimlessly wandering the streets. Nick drops by Peggy's place, collects her mail, and lets himself in (using the spare key under a flowerpot). As he ambles around for clues that might explain her odd behavior, he comes across a box that contains cassette tapes, newspaper clippings from the Vietnam war, dog tags belonging to a Randall Wright, and a military uniform with Burke imprinted on it. He stares thoughtfully into space about his discovery. Cody and Murray arrive at Peggy's place and find a sad looking Nick listening to an audio letter (on cassette) that Peggy had recorded for her mom, detailing how dead inside she feels after working as a medic in a war zone. Nick tells Cody and Murray he had no idea she had served as a nurse in Vietnam, 'cause she only ever told him she was a travel agent. The Riptide trio brings the cassette to their friend Nurse Irene Wilcox, who works at the local VA Hospital. Nick theorizes that Peggy must be suffering from some kind of delayed stress she never shared with him, even though he too is a Vietnam veteran. Irene shakes her head and says she has no idea how the nurses (who came to the war zone after her) coped with all the death, and agrees with Nick that no one could possibly repress that kind of grief and trauma before something inevitably triggers it...and in Peggy's case, it was the soldier who died in her arms soon after being struck by a car. She says it took awhile for PTSD to be formally recognized by anyone as the root cause of some of the nurses' weird behavior after they returned home, and admits that she too needs her "boosts" every now and then by sitting in on therapy sessions that are specifically tailored for nurses who worked in war zones. She said it was particularly healing when soldiers expressed their gratitude for everything she and her colleagues did to save their lives...and tears up at the realization that she waited many long years to get any appreciation for her sacrifice. Nick announces that he plans to head back to Hookerville to continue the search for Peggy. Cody argues that he's too emotionally involved for that, and Nick pretends to agree as they all head back to the Riptide. Blademan and another henchman burst into Straightaway's, shove the owner's face in a plate of seafood, and demand to know where they can find Nick and Cody. The terrorized owner immediately cracks and spills that the two are PIs who, along with a computer nerd and his robot, live together in a tiny boat on Pier 56. Late that evening, Roboz detects movement outside the Riptide...and when Murray gets up to investigate, he sees that Nick's bed is empty. Peggy is spacily wandering around Hookerville when she spots the back of a man wearing a military uniform. She visibly perks up and asks him if he's feeling lonely...and when the man slowly turns around, she sees that - ack! - it's Nick, and his familiar face seems to jolt her back into some semblance of coherence (sort of). Tyrone is enjoying a massage in his luxury pad when Cody and Murray burst in, their guns pointed at Blademan and his henchman friend. Cody says he's looking for Nick and suspects he was forcibly taken from the Riptide and is being held here...but a few seconds later, Tyrone gets a call from The Reverend, informing him that Nick was just seen in Hookerville, along with his blonde squeeze. Tyrone relays this news to Cody and Murray, then says it's time they all put their guns down...and by all, they really just mean Cody and Murray. Inside a seedy hotel room in Hookerville, Nick implores Peggy to explain why it looks as though she's suddenly become a spaced-out prostitute. He says he now knows she was a nurse in Vietnam and waves around the dog tags he found while rifling through her personal stuff. Peggy starts sobbing, sinks to the floor, and elaborates on a particularly traumatic memory of the war: on a day when there was supposed to be a ceasefire, they had more wounded and dead men than they could accommodate. Corporal Randall Wright was in such grave condition when he was brought to her that she knew he only had minutes to live. He had grabbed her by the hand and begged, "Please don't let me die" ... and she's never gotten over the helplessness of not being able to do anything to save his life. The Reverend directs Tyrone's limo driver to the seedy hotel Nick and Peggy were spotted entering...and Cody and Murray have also been dragged along under the threat of gunpoint. Tyrone yells at Nick to come outside for a little chat, then nonsensically starts shooting...and Nick returns fire before he quickly runs out of bullets. He urges Peggy to stay put in the room, then runs downstairs, finds a firehose that just happens to be lying around, and blasts water at Tyrone et. al. Cody and Murray take advantage of all the wet chaos to throw The Reverend into a dumpster, then regain control of the situation by pointing guns at all the bad guys. Peggy emerges from the hotel looking slightly less spacey...and when she smiles at Nick, he rushes over to give her a comforting hug. Over at the VA hospital, Peggy tells Cody and Murray that she's spoken to Nurse Irene Wilcox about getting some much-needed therapy, and that she's also planning a trip home so she can reconnect with her family. She admits that the superfluous pimp subplot could easily have been avoided had she had opened up to Nick about her grim experience in Vietnam...and Cody and Murray point over to where Nick and an older gentleman are standing. When Peggy ambles over, Nick introduces her to Charles Wright, aka the father of Randall Wright. He adds that he told Charles all about her time as a nurse in Vietnam, specifically that she was with his son when he died. Charles tells Peggy that he and his wife always wondered what the moment of their son's passing was like, and that they both appreciate everything she did to offer him comfort...and Peggy looks deeply touched by the thanks and gives the old man a grateful hug. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! Recap: A beauty pageant contestant (Charlene West) is taking a bubble bath when her phone starts ringing. She stares fearfully into space until the ringing stops, then gets out of the tub and climbs into bed, clutching her stuffed bear. The phone promptly starts ringing again...and when she answers, a garbled male voice asks, "Why aren't you sleeping?" and taunts her about the importance of getting enough beauty rest. She cries, "Why are you doing this to me?!" ... and after the stalker hangs up, she leaves the receiver off the hook. The next day, pageant director Chuck Davis is leading a rehearsal of the Miss King Harbor pageant, directing swimsuit-clad women across the stage while he croons into the microphone. Behind the stage, MC and minor TV personality Eddie Caruthers gets all grab-handsy with Charlene and smarmily remarks on how this is her first pageant...and over at the judge's table, one of the pageant judges (Lois Ames) bitterly mumbles about the sluttish way in which Charlene is throwing herself at Eddie, despite it clearly being the other way around. When Murray (a fellow pageant judge) asks her if she's talking about Charlene West, she confirms she is, and snarls, "I know ambitious, loose women when I see them." Murray argues that Charlene seems like a very nice girl - but Lois insists that the trollop will do anything to win a local pageant that no one outside of King Harbor could possibly give a rat's ass about, and vows to ensure that the best contestant wins the pageant, not a harlot who's willing to jump into the sack with a vulture like Eddie Caruthers. Meow, Lois. When Cody arrives at the pageant rehearsal, Murray starts dishing to him about what Lois just said about Eddie - but Cody shushes him and reminds him that they don't want anyone to know that they're working undercover as pageant judges in order to sneakily investigate the creepy stalker who's been making threatening phone calls to Charlene. Murray insists that his dish is relevant to the case, so he shares that Lois referred to Eddie Caruthers as a vulture, and Cody suggests adding this bitter woman who looks to have an ax to grind on their List o' Suspects. Murray stares wistfully into space as he wonders aloud if the contestants are really so desperate to win the Miss King Harbor title that they'd go so far as to sleep with a judge...then jolts himself back into reality as he reminds himself that they're here on assignment, and that he shouldn't let his implausible fantasies run wild. As he and Cody watch the rehearsal, one particularly saucy contestant sashays over and gives Cody an unmistakable come hither look as she introduces herself as Whitney...and Murray is so overwhelmed by the brazen sexuality oozing from the woman's every pore that he literally falls off of his chair. An exhausted Nick arrives at the pageant venue, complains about what a joke this assignment is, and reminds Cody and Murray that he just came off a two week stint doing National Guard duty and hasn't slept in the last three days. Cody explains that this case just happened to come up while he was away, and that getting hired to look into something associated with the Miss King Harbor pageant is going to look great on their PI resume - not to mention what "a real gas" it is, being appointed a pageant judge. Nick's like, "It's still lame", but says he'll force himself to endure the case, but only as long as he doesn't have to tolerate the sight of baton twirlers...and by scripted coincidence, the three then wander backstage and come upon a baton twirling rehearsal. Womp womp! Charlene is primping in her dressing room when she gets another call from her stalker, tauntingly asking her if she liked the funeral wreath he just sent to her...and she cries, "Stop it! Leave me alone!" A few seconds later, the Riptide trio knocks on her door, so she ushers them inside and informs them that she just got another weird call. After she's introduced to a very sleepy looking Nick, she wails about how she hasn't done anything to deserve this harassment. When Nick suggests her stalker could be someone who really really doesn't want her to win the pageant, she points out how utterly ridiculous it would be for anyone to get their panties in a twist about which young woman gets crowned Miss King Harbor. That's a definite understatement. Murray plays back the garbled phone message left by the stalker and says he's going to fiddle around with the recording and see if he can remove the electronic screening device the caller used and thereby unveil the culprit. Charlene says she's considered dropping out of the pageant and looking for a different way to afford college tuition [like get a job, for example] - but an exhausted Nick, who nearly nods off while he's talking, urges her to hang in there, 'cause he's pretty sure he, Cody, and Murray are fully capable of catching the miscreant. As the trio ambles toward the door, Charlene opens her closet to get dressed - and shrieks in horror when she finds a creepy looking mannequin staring back at her, which then crashes towards her onto the floor. When she sees that someone has gone through the silly trouble of plunging a knife into the back of the life-size doll for an added jolt of shock value, she starts sobbing and clings to Nick for comfort (yum!). Chuck Davis tells the Riptide trio that he wants this investigation wrapped up asap, 'cause it's not good for the business of running a pageant. Cody explains that it takes time to zero in on all the possible suspects, and Murray concurs and assures Chuck that they've made some excellent preliminary progress. Eddie Caruthers corners another contestant, Paula Anderson, and offers to pull some strings for her among the judges, in exchange for a visit to his dressing room - but she makes it clear she's not interested. Nick, who's been eavesdropping on the icky quid pro quo attempt, snarlingly chides Eddie for once putting a friend of his in the hospital...and Eddie chuckles at the memory of the unfortunate woman's "hot-headed friend who wanted to take me apart in the hospital waiting room". He pompously cautions Nick about threatening a [minor] celebrity - just as Cody and Murray wander over. After Eddie scuttles off, Cody tells Nick that Eddie is the MC of the pageant...as well as a prime suspect in their investigation. Nick explains that his former girlfriend's friend once dated Eddie...and when she tried to dump him, he beat her up. She was well compensated to keep the matter out of court, so Eddie was never even arrested for the assault. As the three continue to discuss the case, Charlene walks across the stage to ask Cody something - when suddenly the light bar above her starts to come suspiciously loose. Cody sees it dislodge and hastily pushes Charlene out of the way seconds before the entire contraption comes crashing to the stage. Eeeek! Murray studies the wiring of the light bar and deduces that it was a clear-cut act of sabotage, then explains that someone connected a cable cutter to the light bar that could be triggered remotely. [Not sure how such a thing would actually be possible - but then I'm a recapper, not a remotely triggered cable cutting expert.] Cody reveals that Eddie Caruthers is their main suspect, and then Nick says it's long past time to call in the cops. When Chuck says he really really doesn't want the pageant to get shut down, Nick tells him the sad tale about how Eddie beat up a gal pal of his so badly he put her in the hospital. Chuck says he's very sorry to hear that, but that it likely happened during the time Eddie was drinking like a fish and behaved in a completely unpredictable manner. He insists that Eddie is completely sober now...and if word got out that the police were questioning him about terrorizing beauty pageant contestants, it'd be the end of his career. He strongly urges them to wait until they have more definitive proof. Eddie is ogling the contestants as they rehearse their dance number when Chuck interrupts to call it a day so that his people can inspect the rest of the equipment and ensure that nothing else comes crashing onto the stage. Charlene tells Murray that some of the contestants don't believe that the light bar crash was an accident, not least 'cause they too have been receiving threatening phone calls, warning that something bad was about to happen. Murray tells her they're getting closer to catching the culprit and urges her to hang in there a little longer. He adds that he's arranged for Dooley to drive her to the Eden Park Hotel for safety reasons and assures her that no one knows she'll be staying there...except for the mystery person who's covertly eavesdropping outside her dressing room door. Eddie leaves a message for Charlene, inviting her to his dinner party...and after he exits his office, the Riptide trio sneaks inside to search for possible clues. Nick picks the lock on a drawer and finds an odd looking contraption, and Murray confirms that it's an electronic device designed to alter the human voice. Over at the Eden Park Hotel, Charlene meets up with Eddie, who pretends to be all regretful about how creepishly he came onto her earlier. He tells her that the Riptide PI trio will be joining them for dinner at his place, and she's all, "Wuh? Really?" and says she's extremely surprised that 1) he knows the Riptide guys are detectives, and 2) any of them would be remotely interested in having dinner with a pompous gas-bag like him. Eddie says he heard all about the creepy calls she's been getting and then hands her a rose, and she assures him she has no hard feelings and follows him out to his car. Noooooo!! Over on the Riptide, Murray is replaying one of the stalker's creepy messages. When he manages to remove the audio filter, they're left with a voice that sounds unmistakably like that of Eddie Caruthers. Murray says along with that evidence, he has copies of the arrest reports he extracted (though questionable means) from the Reno Police Department that implicate Eddie for threatening various showgirls. He adds that the cases never made it to court, likely 'cause the victims were paid off...much like Nick's friend after he beat her to a pulp. Over at Casa Caruthers, a terrified Charlene begs Eddie not to hurt her, and the predator coos, "The choice is all yours" and creepishly points out that he tried to bone her "the nice way", which resulted in her giving him a well deserved smack across the face. He growls, "No woman ever hits me", while - across town - Cody worriedly reports to Nick and Murray that he can't seem to get a hold of Charlene at the hotel. Eddie tells Charlene that their evening will go a lot smoother if she obediently drinks her wine and lets him get as rapey with her as he wants...and when Charlene tells him she doesn't drink, he throws his glass across the room, forcibly smooches her, and says he has it on good authority (Chuck Davis) that her favorite booze-drink is a cheap brand of wine called Citrono Vintage Chablis. Seems weirdly specific, but OK. While en route to Eddie's house, where the Riptide trio correctly assumes that Eddie suckered Charlene into accompanying him, Murray tells Nick and Cody that he called Chuck about their evidence implicating Eddie as the stalker. Chuck offered to call the police to give them Eddie's address, then says he's about to head over there as well. When the trio arrives at Eddie's place, they find Chuck there...along with an unconscious and battered Charlene, and a deceased Eddie with a knife plunged into his abdomen. Chuck solemnly reiterates that he called the police, and Murray laments how horrible he now feels about urging Charlene to stick with the pageant while they continued to investigate her stalker. When the perpetually-angry-as-fuck Lieutenant Quinlan arrives on the scene, Nick informs him that they learned about Eddie getting repeatedly busted in Reno but never having to go to court...and Murray adds that they have audio proof implicating Eddie as the stalker who made threatening calls to Charlene. Quinlan responds by snarlingly warning Murray that he's going to fuck him up hard if he ever finds out he hacked into the Reno police database. Murray wearily tells him not to concern himself with how he gets his intel, and Quinlan changes the subject to the murder at hand and remarks on how the entire bottle of Citrono Vintage Chablis that Charlene and Eddie had been drinking was spiked, a detail which causes great puzzlement among the Riptide trio. Later at the hospital, Charlene laments not staying in the safety of her hotel room as she was strongly advised, then says she has no memory of killing Eddie. She does, however, recall that Eddie forced her to guzzle cheap wine and that he nattered on and on about how he heard that Citrono Vintage Chablis was her favorite, despite the fact that she's a tee-totaler. She says she pushed Eddie away as he continued to get violently grab-handsy with her...then suddenly blanked out until she came to after the three of them, Chuck, and the police appeared at Eddie's house. She then breaks into sobs at the thought of having possibly killed Eddie...despite him desperately needing killin' by whoever was willing to take the time and effort to stab him to death. Cody tells Nick and Murray he has serious doubts that Charlene could have killed Eddie, not least 'cause lots of people hated the prick. Nick and Murray concur and agree that they have to do everything possible to help her from being charged for an act of murder she likely did not commit. Hours later, while the cops who are guarding Eddie's house are on a cigarette break, the Riptide trio sneaks inside to look around for clues that might help exonerate Charlene. Murray focuses on Eddie's computer, accesses his financial records, and notices that he'd been receiving monthly deposits of $10,000. Cody says that while taking a look around, he noticed that Eddie was into very expensive wine...which makes it all the more perplexing why he'd forcibly serve cheap-ass chablis to Charlene. The cops, meanwhile, finally get wind that someone's in the house they're supposed to be guarding and go from room to room with their flashlights. While that's happening, Cody notices a framed wedding photo of Eddie with his former bride, Lois Ames (!), and quickly grabs it before he, Murray, and Nick flee the house, remove the license plate from the Jimmy, pile into the vehicle, and squeal off. They manage to elude the police with a series of deft u-turns that end up causing several police cruisers to smash into each other. Haha! Back at pageant headquarters, Lois Ames admits to the Riptide trio that:
A few seconds later, Lieutenant Quinlan enters the auditorium, snarkishly tells the trio he knows for a fact that they were in Eddie's house last night, and that he expects them to pay for all the damage they caused to the squad cars that crashed into each other. Nick cheekily asks him if he got the license plate of the vehicle they were pursuing, and Quinlan admits he didn't - but then grimaces smugly when he announces that he did, however, book their pageant friend Charlene for Murder One. He says that, despite the implausibility of a petite woman like Charlene overpowering a man who probably outweighed her by at least fifty pounds, he's totes convinced that she "flipped out" from all the harassing phone calls, which traumatized her into gaining the strength of ten petite women that made it possible for her to fatally stab her attacker. He adds that since her fingerprints were found all over the murder weapon, he has no doubt "it was pure, cold premeditation". Later, Murray points out to Nick and Cody that Charlene might possibly have gotten so wigged out that she stabbed Eddie in a fit of panic - but Cody doesn't buy it, and thinks the truth is somehow linked to the spiked bottle of Citrono Vintage Chablis. Murray mulls that over and says it also doesn't feel quite right to him that Eddie was the weirdo who was making all those harassing calls to Charlene. At Eddie's funeral, the Riptide trio indulge in a joint cameo appearance featuring Bob Eubanks and Gene Rayburn. The two celebs dish about how helpful Eddie always was to fellow game show hosts...but that his career got derailed when he was implicated in the Quiz Show scandal, aka where he first hooked up with Chuck Davis. They further explain that after the show was cancelled, it was at least ten years before anyone would hire Eddie or Chuck. Bob Eubanks wryly says he doesn't believe that Chuck ever cleaned up his act, citing the rumor that Celebrity Stakeout (a show Chuck was hired to work on) was fixed. As the trio digests this illuminating new intel, Murray muses that perhaps it was, in fact, Chuck who's been behind all the weird stalker shit from the beginning. As the Riptide trio digs deeper into the case, they learn that Eddie had found out that Chuck had been rigging Celebrity Stakeout and blackmailed him in exchange for staying quiet - hence the monthly $10,000 deposits to his bank account. When they ponder why Chuck would bother hiring them to investigate a creepy stalker if he was planning to kill Eddie, Nick surmises that he likely did it "for the illusion", and that Chuck figured they'd be busy focusing on all the harassing phone calls being made to Charlene, who he could then use as a scapegoat for Eddie's murder. Later, at pageant headquarters, Murray strongly suspects that Chuck had the know-how to operate the sophisticated audio equipment to splice up recordings of Eddie's voice (using audio from his various game show appearances) and make it seem as though he had been the one making the calls to Charlene. Mmm...Chuck really doesn't strike me as someone who would be particularly savvy when it comes to the mechanics of audio file splicing...but I guess I'll take Murray's word for it. Nick chews on that for a few seconds, then suggests they make a spliced tape of their own. Nick and Cody invite Chuck to dinner at a fancy restaurant and inform him that they have some news about the case. An unsuspecting Chuck is like, "Kewl!" and orders some Citrono Vintage Chablis (red flag alert!) ... and then Cody reveals that Eddie wasn't the person who was making the weird phone calls to Charlene. Nick chimes in and says that while the voice on the calls belonged to Eddie, he didn't actually make the calls, then plays a tape Murray created with Eddie's voice spliced to say 'Chuck Davis killed me' ... and Chuck reacts by nervously chuckling. Cody explains that Murray spliced Eddie's voice to make it sound as though he'd said something he never actually said, then declares that it's exactly what his killer did. Nick says they highly suspect that this killer gave Eddie a spiked bottle of Citrono Vintage Chablis (to drink on the night of his murder) and had told him it was Charlene's favorite. The two then inform him the jig is officially up, 'cause - at this very moment - Murray is at the bank, looking to verify whether or not he had been making monthly $10,000 withdrawals as blackmail payments to Eddie, which is a clear motive for murder. Nick smugly says, "The deposits to your personal account will get you - if the wine and the tapes don't." Chuck responds to the dismantling of his absurdly over-engineered [but probably not entirely provable in a court of law] plot to murder Eddie by flipping over the table and fleeing the restaurant. He heads to the nearby dock, steals a speedboat from a couple about to board, and motors off. Nick and Cody jump aboard the Ebb Tide (I'll assume) and race after him...and the marine chase goes on for what feels like a really loooooong time. Chuck crashes through a floating billboard (!), and eventually Nick and Cody get close enough so that Nick can leap onto the stolen boat, take control of the gears, and punch Chuck in the face. To conclude the episode, we learn that Charlene won the Miss King Harbor pageant. Hurray! She tells Murray that getting the scholarship money is definitely "boss", then gives him a chaste cheek kiss before directing her attention to Cody for an amorous tongue-on-tongue smoochfest. When the face-sucking goes on longer than Murray seems comfortable watching, he taps Cody on the shoulder and suggests that perhaps Nick too would like a thank you smooch from their client. Cody's like, "Fair point" - but sees that an exhausted Nick has fallen asleep while spooning Roboz...so he happily refrains from waking him and quietly declares, "As your friend and your partner, I'll collect for you." And Charlene seems only too happy to act as a mindless kissing machine in exchange for Cody's part in cracking The Case of the Demented Pageant Director Who Really Should Have Found a More Efficient Way to Kill Eddie. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! Recap: A grey-haired man (Garrett) is sitting in his office, watching an old black and white movie on his TV, when two men enter the room. Garrett informs the snarlier of the men (Jim Sutherland) that the lead actress in the movie he's watching (Helen Howell) was released from the asylum two weeks ago, then hands over a copy of the release papers that were issued by California's Department of Mental Health. A displeased Jim snidely asks Garrett how hard it could be to keep tabs on a seventy-five year old woman...and when Garrett reminds him that there's no need for any unpleasantness 'cause their families go back a long way, Jim snappishly retorts, "You and my father go back a long way", then grumbles about how his father should have gotten rid of Helen a long time ago. He tells Garrett he wants the matter taken care of asap and quietly...meaning he expects him to turn the town upside down in his effort to locate Helen, hastily rid the world of her, and do it without his father hearing a word about it. Over at Pier 56, Murray is furious when a couple of hot-doggers rev their speedboat past the Riptide, 'causing whatever electronic contraption he was working on to malfunction and excrete an insane amount of smoke that starts billowing out of the boat's windows. Murray complains to Nick and Cody that the hot-doggers have destroyed his prototype, and suggests that the three of them speed after the ruffians with the Ebb Tide - but Nick urges him to chillax and suggests he calmly take the issue to the tenant association. Murray's like, "Fine. I'll go do that right now" ... and as he marches towards the office, Cody and Nick rush after him and implore him to not make too big a deal out what they consider harmless boating fun. Elsewhere on Pier 56, Helen Howell (disguised as a homeless woman) is puttering by a garbage pile when two of Jim Sutherland's thugs advance on her. She manages to escape their clutches by kicking one and smacking the other with a sack - but then stumbles over the railing and plunges into the water below. When she cries that she can't swim, Cody immediately springs into action and dives into the harbor to rescue her, while Nick leaps onto the thugs' getaway car and tries to hold onto the back of it - but eventually gets thrown off. Murray, meanwhile, tosses Cody a life preserver, and Helen clutches it gratefully. The trio brings Helen back to the Riptide to recover from the attempted abduction. For whatever reason, she starts reciting lines from the script of one of her old films...and Nick suddenly realizes that she's one of his favorite actresses, recognizes the film she's reciting from, and jumps in with the next line. When Cody and Murray stare at them confusedly, Nick explains that the woman they just rescued is legendary actress Helen Howell...and that back in the day she was almost as famous as Bette Davis. He then rattles off the various films she starred in...and when someone finally thinks to ask the poor woman if she's hungry, she tells them she could really go for a steak/lobster feast. At Straightaway's, Murray gushes about "how boss" it is to be dining with a bonafide movie star. Helen explains what became of her life since her movie-making days: she's been forcibly committed to a sanitarium for the last fifty years by a man she hooked up with - Danny Sutherland - who was somehow able to conspire with a bunch of phony doctors to get her declared mentally unfit so that he could get his hands on everything she owned. She adds that the scoundrel pretty much cleaned her out - except for one thing: the deed to King Harbor. She cackles about how she put the document in a secret place Danny would never find, then reveals the secret place: behind the fireplace wall in the house Danny stole from her. She then bats her eyes coquettishly at Nick ['cause who the hell could blame her?] and tells him she rather fancies the notion of him becoming her protector. Meanwhile, Jim Sutherland's thugs are aboard the Riptide, ripping it apart in search of the King Harbor deed. The Riptide trio (+ Helen) take a stroll along Pier 56. She laments how all the trees that used to be on the pier decades ago were pulled out in favor of so much unsightly concrete. Nick suggests she restore the pier to its former glory once she gets her deed back - just as they notice that the Riptide door has been flung open...and when they race over, they find that the interior has been ripped apart by the thugs. That evening, Jim admonishes his thugs for their incompetence in allowing Helen Howell to get away and hire PIs. One of the thugs says the PIs foiled their attempt to abduct Helen...and when they searched their boat, they found no sign of the King Harbor deed. Jim stares at him incredulously and reminds him that his over-the-top fury at Helen Howell is not about any deed, but rather an aimless plan to exact revenge on the woman who was responsible for coupling with his father and causing his cuckqueaned mother to cry herself to sleep every night. Garrett refrains from pointing out that his father actually deserves most of the blame, given that he was the one who was unfaithful to his wife - but instead insists that a better use of thug resources would be to focus their attention on the property deed so that the Sutherlands can gain ownership of King Harbor. Jim stubbornly reiterates that he doesn't give even the tiniest of rat's asses about the King Harbor deed...and insists that Helen doesn't deserve to live a minute longer, and that he personally wants payback for her sluttish misdeeds. From fifty years ago. Murray tells Helen that after doing some research, he learned that the deed to King Harbor was transferred to a beachfront development company in 1938. Helen insists that she never signed over ownership to that or any other company, and can only assume that Danny colluded with his mobster pals to falsify the documents. The trio's all, "Danny's in the racket?" and chide her for failing to mention that her vengeful ex-lover has ties to organized crime...but after mulling over the conundrum for a few more seconds, Nick suggests they put the word out that Helen sold them the property and cross their fingers that:
While parked across the street from the Sutherland estate, Helen wistfully reminisces about the house Danny stole from her. Cody wanders over and reports that it looks as though Danny also lives at the estate. Murray wonders aloud how in blazes they're going to get inside what looks like a fortress - but then the trio comes up with the brilliant idea of posing as PayTV technicians. Yep, seems plausible enough. Cody phones the Sutherland home to inquire about whether or not they're currently having technical issues with their PayTV...and while Murray jams the signal, the maid turns on the TV and tells him that, as a matter of fact, they are having problems. She promises to ensure that the gate is opened for them so they can enter the property with their utility truck. Danny Sutherland's plane lands in Riptide-ville...and as he's being ferried to his estate via private limo, he chides Danny for being so rabidly obsessed with punishing Helen for her part in their hookup. He admits that back when he was a young man he was a hot-tempered fucktwat who should have behaved better, then lectures his hot-tempered fucktwat of a son about letting his hatred for his former mistress get so out of whack. He then reveals that he has only one priority while he's back in town: get possession of the deed to King Harbor. Over at the Sutherland estate, Cody is pretending to fix the PayTV while Murray continues to jam the signal. Cody tells one of the thugs that he needs to accompany him atop the roof in order to needlessly fiddle with the antenna so that an unmonitored Nick can take a sledgehammer to the wall behind the fireplace and unearth the King Harbor deed. Soon after that, Murray calls Cody to urge him and Nick to hurry 'cause he just spotted the Sutherland limo en route to the estate. Fortunately, after unbricking much of the fireplace wall, Nick has finally located the deed...and he and Cody race out of the house, climb into their truck, and squeal off - just as the Sutherland limo arrives. As the thugs open fire on Nick and Cody's truck, Jim realizes that the PayTV technicians are actually the PIs that Helen hired...and a dismayed Danny irritably informs his son that he's now taking control of Operation Find the Missing Deed. Helen tears up as she tells the trio how grateful she is to them for recovering the King Harbor deed, which she feared had been lost forever. Murray is giving a televised press conference, declaring himself the new owner of King Harbor who won't divulge the details of this acquisition. Danny, who's watching the press conference from his estate, says he'd be open to a payoff to the PIs in order to get ownership of the harbor - but Jim just grumbles about him being willing to make a deal with the men who work for his ex-mistress. Danny tells his son to shut the fuck up already about the woman he bedded decades ago, snarling, "I might have to look at you while I'm keeping you out of trouble - but I sure as hell don't have to listen to you." As Murray networks with the public and various stakeholders of Pier 56, Cody and Nick monitor the area, but report no sign of Danny Sutherland. A few seconds later, they spot the Sutherland limo...but it drives past Murray and towards where the Riptide is docked. The trio then watches in horror as the thugs storm onto their boat, grab Helen, and force her into the limo before the driver hits the gas. The trio scratch their heads to come up with a plausible explanation as to why Helen was abducted...and without any kind of ransom note. Nick says he just had a brilliant idea that involves The Screaming Mimi, not least 'cause viewers haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing that fugly hunk o' junk go airborne this episode. In the next scene, Nick is piloting his pink chopper with Murray and Cody aboard. He lands it on the Sutherland estate, and then he and Cody engage in a shootout (that amazingly results in zero gunshot wounds), and eventually confiscate the weapons from the bad guys. Inside the house, Danny overhears Jim order one of his thugs to take Helen to his boat, then angrily admonishes his son for his continued fixation on his revenge plot. Jim snaps back, "I don't want that whore to live!" ... and a few seconds later, we hear gunshots being fired. Nick and Cody run inside the house and are shocked to find Danny lying in a pool of blood...and an ashen-faced thug says it looks like Danny's own son offed his own pa before fleeing to the marina [to dispose of Helen]. Cody jumps into the Sutherland limo to chase after Danny, while Nick and Murray provide air support via The Screaming Mimi. When Cody loses Danny in traffic, Nick provides directions of his whereabouts, correctly assuming he'll lead them to wherever Helen has been stashed. Aboard the Sutherland boat, Jim confronts Helen, snarkishly accusing her of "luring my father with your cheap, seductive ways". Helen quickly puts two and two together and realizes that Jim is the son of her former lover, and tries to explains that once she realized Danny was married, she did everything possible to end their relationship. Jim makes it clear that he doesn't believe her/doesn't care...and when he motions at his thugs to take her below deck, she cries for help and starts clutching her chest as if she's suddenly suffering a heart attack. A few seconds later, an armed Nick and Cody storm onto the boat...and after Helen winks at them to signal that she's not really having a heart attack, the thugs shove her in their direction and then all four men engage in a collective beat-down. Jim attempts to flee by jumping onto the boat's accompanying dinghy - but he's closely pursued by Nick and Cody, who also leap off of the boat. Helen grins at Murray and gushes, "Oh, isn't my Nicky just wonderful?!" [mmm...that he is, Helen] as a smugly grinning Nick, who landed with meticulous precision inside the dinghy, manages to simultaneously subdue Jim and help a less precise Cody (who didn't land inside the dinghy) out of the water. That evening, the Riptide trio (+ Helen) lounge aboard the boat and watch one of her old films. Nick gushes about how terrific she was, and she wistfully remarks on how it simultaneously feels to her as if the filming happened yesterday, and that it was another person playing the role. Cody and Nick solemnly concur with that sentiment and say they feel the same way whenever they watch footage of the Vietnam War. A moment later, they present Helen with a gift: a tree to adorn the pier as used to be. She gives them all a happy hug, and then the four exit the boat to seek out the most opportune place to dig up some concrete so that the new tree can be planted. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"!
Recap: Wealthy, married socialite Melissa Belancourt arrives for a secret evening meeting with a sleazy PI (Edward Steiger) on the beach. Edward hands her an envelop, which contains a series of photos of her in bed with her extramarital lover, and tells her that his price for staying quiet about her infidelity is $5,000 a month...snarkishly adding that he well knows she can afford it. Melissa tells him she hasn't hooked up with the guy in the photos for more than two months - but Edward points out that since the photos aren't date-stamped, there's really no proof of how recently she and he were knocking boots. He tells her he wants his pay on the first of every month, then warns her not to alert the man in the photos...'cause if she does, he'll increase her monthly blackmail payment. Melissa stomps back to her car and squeals off, leaving Edward grinning evilly after her. Over on the Riptide, Nick and Cody find crushed beer cans littered throughout the common living area and wonder if maybe Murray suddenly developed a drinking problem. Dooley arrives carrying a sack of empty cans that Murray requested...and a few seconds later, Murray enters the living room looking like a poor woman's James Dean: dark sunglasses, greased back hair, and an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Nick does his best not to laugh and points out that he doesn't actually smoke, and Murray grunts in response, "What's it to you?" He then breaks character to gleefully explain to his pals that he's working on a personal experiment involving image and masculinity, and that this tough guy act is part of his cover for their next PI assignment. Cody then needlessly fills Dooley in about the job: they were hired by the owner of a swanky beach club to hunt down a burglar who's been stealing jewelry from rich club members. The plan is for Nick and Cody to pass themselves off as lifeguards, while Murray roams the beach with a metal detector, pretending to look for lost change. As Murray continues his tough guy banter, repeatedly muttering, 'Maybe...maybe not", Nick groans, "It's going to be a loooooong case." Over at the beach club, a cute sixteen year old blonde (Candace James) invites her lifeguard boyfriend - thirty-three (!) year old Byron Monk - to her seventeenth birthday party. She explains that since she keeps her personal life secret from her parents, they wouldn't know to invite him. Not that they likely would, given that he's a thirty-three year old man who clearly has no compunction about brazenly dating a sixteen year old. Byron's like, "Yeah, whatever. I'll be there" before he ushers her off for a stroll. The Riptide trio arrives at the beach club. Byron, who's inside the club with Candace, spots Cody in the main lobby and is all, "Hey old roomie!" and rushes over to give him a hello hug. Byron says he's been back in town for three years...and that his ex-girlfriend Jill, who he apparently stole from Cody while they were roommates, dumped him like a hot potato. After the two chuckle about that for a few seconds, Cody introduces his old friend to Nick and Murray, while Byron introduces them to his underage squeeze. Byron glances over at Murray, remarks on how familiar he looks, and asks him if they've ever met before...and Murray, who's in deep under cover mode with his tough guy facade mumbles, "Maybe...maybe not." Cody explains to a bemused Byron that Murray is a tech geek who's sorta famous for his inventions, then says they need to meet with the club's manager, Fred Cushing, about a PI job. Byron offers to walk them to Fred's office...and as they exit the room, they walk past Melissa Belancourt, who's been quietly sitting on a nearby couch, looking incognito in dark sunglasses. Fred Cushing gives the Riptide trio a list of the items that have recently been stolen from club members. He apologizes for not being better prepared and explains that his boss, club owner Mr. Lawrence, had hastily hired them in an effort to act quickly on the theft problem. A miffed looking Byron asks Fred why Mr. Lawrence would hire three PIs to track a burglar when he's out on the beach all day long...and when Fred wryly tells Byron that clearly Mr. Lawrence is under the accurate assumption that he mostly spends his days ogling bikini-clad bods, Byron huffily insists that he's a great lifeguard and storms out. Fred resumes his meeting with the Riptide trio and tells them that the jewelry burglar seems to be very slick, then remarks on how odd he finds it that the ladies feel the need to wear expensive jewelry on the beach. Murray requests a list of the club's members and employees so he can feed it into his computer and cross his fingers that something magical occurs as a result, and Fred says he'd be happy to oblige. He adds that he very much wants to keep the thefts on the down-low...though now that Byron knows, he isn't confident that the fucktwat won't blab about it to some of the club members he's friends with. With that said, he urges the trio to hit the sand and find the thief, pronto. Nick and Cody change into the standard lifeguard uniform - a white tank top and blue short shorts (yum!) - and head out to the beach. They quickly spot a man in the water crying for help, and Cody's like, "I'm on it!" and tears off his tank top and leaps into the ocean to perform an impromptu rescue. Byron tears himself away from the shapely blonde he's talking to (Dana) and runs into the water, and is closely followed by Nick. Cody, meanwhile, is attacked by the man he thought was drowning...but a few seconds later, the attacker hastily swims off before Nick and Byron approach. The two help Cody to shore, and after he coughs up some ocean water, he tells them that the fake drowning victim just tried to kill him. While that's happening, Melissa Belancourt is standing on the shore with other club members, looking intrigued by the drama. During an update session with Fred Cushing, Cody tells Byron he has a theory: the man who was pretending to be drowning was actually trying to kill him (meaning Byron) 'cause he would normally be the person leaping into the ocean to perform rescues. Fred's like, "Good point" and asks Byron why he wasn't the first man in the ocean, reminding him that he hired Nick and Cody to suss out the burglar, not do that along with the job he's paying him to do. Byron insists that he's a good lifeguard, then bitchily says he's taking his toys and going home...and once he's safely out of earshot, Nick asks Fred why he doesn't just fire Byron if he's such a shitty employee. Fred says he'd looooooooove to get rid of the useless sack of nothing were it not for Mr. Lawrence, who feels forever indebted to Byron 'cause he once saved him from a heavy surf. Fred sourly adds that Byron is such an all-around dick that he routinely takes full advantage of the owner's loyalty to him. Out in the parking lot, Byron pissily tells Cody he's outa here, then smugly says he assumes that Fred will have to clear the beach, given that there isn't currently a lifeguard on duty. Cody informs him that he and Nick agreed to cover his shift so that the beachgoers don't have to suffer for his immaturity, and Byron pissily says he wishes they hadn't done that, 'cause having to close the beach is the only way he can teach Fred a lesson. Cody chides him for blowing things way out of proportion - but Byron argues that he's the one who's doing that, e.g. hypothesizing about how some random guy in the ocean is out to kill him. A few seconds later, a convertible driven by an attractive brunette (Lizzie Jackson) pulls up to ferry Byron home...and he climbs into the car and cavalierly says, "Ciao" to Cody while a heartbroken Candace watches from several feet away. Dana tells Nick that someone just stole a bracelet from where she was just sitting on the beach, and Nick scrunches his face confusedly 'cause of how carefully he's been studying his surroundings. Cody suggests they ride out the day, then look over the membership list once Murray has fed it into his computer. Murray then lays it on thick with his tough guy persona, nonsensically chiming in, "Me and the machine are tight" before sauntering off. That evening aboard the Riptide, Murray points out that since the club members are all rich, none of them would have a motive for stealing jewelry on the beach - plus, the only club employee who's ever on the beach is the bartender...and, of course, Byron. Nick chews on that for a couple of seconds before remarking on the gold Rolex he noticed Byron was wearing, and Cody gets all prickly about the accusation - but then admits that, yeah, he too couldn't help but notice it. Murray suggests they just come right out and ask Byron whaddap with that and bounds above deck...and Nick hangs back to show Cody a magazine he found amid Murray's stuff that features the headline 'A man: what it means to be one'. They agree that it prolly has something to do with the tough guy persona that Murray has adopted this episode, chuckle about it for a few seconds, then head up the stairs. When no one answers at Byron's apartment, Nick sneaks around to the back of the building, spots someone moving around inside the living room, and enters through the unlocked sliding patio door. As Cody bursts through the front door, the two tackle the person inside the apartment: Melissa Belancourt. Byron bursts into the room and is all WTF?, so Melissa snarkishly accuses Byron of having intimate photos taken while they were in the sack together. Byron stares back at her blankly and says he has no idea what she's talking about, so the Riptide trio head over to the bedroom and quickly realize that a fake smoke detector was installed on the ceiling that hides a video camera...and that whoever lives in the apartment above him apparently has nothing better to do than watch/film his sexcapades. Byron stares up at the fake smoke detector, his expression a peeved/sheepish/intrigued combination. Nick discovers that the upstairs apartment is leased to a corporation, and Melissa offers up some additional intel: the jerk who's blackmailing her is Edward Steiger. Cody says he knows that Steiger is a PI...and the Riptide trio wonders if perhaps Melissa's husband hired Edward to follow her around and catch her in a compromising situation. She says she highly doubts that, not least 'cause her husband suffered a recent heart attack - a health scare that led her to become so desperately lonely that she sought out extramarital companionship with the first bonehead she happened to encounter. Byron insists that he had nothing to do with the photographs, so the Riptide trio begins hatching a plan to "move in on Steiger". Melissa telephones Edward to propose a faux deal to extricate herself from his blackmail scheme. She fibs that Byron dumped her for another woman and that she's never gotten over the heartbreak...and that his new woman is married, extremely rich, and fully able to pay more than the $5,000 a month he's trying to squeeze out of her. She tells him she has it on good authority that the gigolo and his new lady friend will be canoodling at his apartment this evening...and after she hangs up, she thanks the Riptide trio in advance for their effort to expose Edward for the extortionist creep he is. Nick and Murray walk her out to her car so that Cody and Byron can have a private one-on-one. Byron insists that he'd never be involved in any kind of blackmail scheme, and that he doesn't always know that the women he hits the sheets with are married. Cody motions at his gold Rolex and asks him where he got it, and he sheepishly admits that Melissa gave it to him as a gift. The next morning on the beach, Murray happens to find a gold watch with his metal detector...but when he kneels down and momentarily sets it onto the sand, a small dog trots over, snatches the watch between his teeth, and scampers off. While Fred is informing Nick and Cody that yet more jewelry has gone missing, Murray rushes over and says he thinks he's cracked The Case of the Stolen Jewelry. He explains encountering a dog just now that stole a watch he found with his metal detector, then leads them over to where he suspects that the dog has been stashing his spoils. Fred says he recognizes the dog as a local pooch who hangs around the club a lot, and that the kitchen staff gives him food from time to time. As Murray restrains the miffed looking dog, Nick and Cody dig around the sand and unearth all of the missing jewelry...and when Fred shakes his head in dismay at the unexpected outcome of this investigation, Nick cheekily says, "When you hire the Riptide Agency, sir, you hire the best." LOL. Candace reminds Byron about her upcoming birthday party, and he looks visibly distracted as he mumbles a half-hearted promise to attend. Candace excitedly tells him she'll save a seat for him at her table, and he abruptly tells her he's gotta go 'cause he has more important things on his mind. Murray is in the apartment above Byron's, staring through the camera that's creepily aimed at the bed below. He tells Nick and Cody that the way in which the camera has been wired suggests that the voyeur has to be close by, and that if they follow the cable they'll no doubt be able to catch the perv in the act of spying on Byron and Lizzie when they're slated to hit the sack at around 7:00pm. Hours later, Byron and Lizzie arrive at his apartment...and as the two start to get busy atop his bed, we see that Edward Steiger is in a nearby apartment, watching the amorousness unfold on his TV screen. Nick sneakily enters the apartment...but Edward hears him and springs up from his chair, and throws a table in his direction before fleeing towards the door - where he encounters Cody, who punches him in the face. After a chase ensues, Edward, Cody, and Nick end up in plunging into the swimming pool...and Cody and Nick pull Edward out of the pool and smugly inform him that his movie-making career just got cut short. Candace is at her seventeenth birthday party, trying to get a hold of Byron by calling his apartment. When Lizzie answers, Candace scrunches her face sadly and hangs up. Meanwhile, a mystery man who's parked outside Byron's apartment building aims a firearm at his bedroom and pulls the trigger, and Byron and Lizzie are all, "Ack!" before they hit the floor, unharmed. The next morning, Cody drops in on Byron, who announces that he's packing his things and abruptly moving to San Francisco. Cody reminds him that he needs to stay in town at least long enough to help the police find whoever tried to kill him last night, but Byron breezily says he just assumes it's someone who's less than pleased about all the women he's been bedding...and that he'd much prefer to slip outa town before things get too serious. Cody chides him for his immaturity, calls him "a thirty-three year old infant", and lectures him on his inability to commit to anything. Byron snappishly counters, "Where's your wife and kids?", so Cody angrily reminds him that he (Byron) blew that chance for him when he stole Jill away. As Byron chuckles at how much losing Jill has clearly bothered him over the years, Cody reminds him that women (and underage girls) weren't put on the planet solely to amuse him. He then solemnly informs him that his latest flavour of the week, Candace, was so distraught that he didn't show up at her birthday party that she overdosed on sleeping pills, and was found unconscious on the beach. He pointedly asks Byron if he slept with the teenager, and Byron semi-sheepishly shrugs and says he had no idea he was committing a felony when he bedded her [and then somehow didn't comprehend that the icky realization should have precluded him from wanting to continue dating the minor]. Cody reacts by giving him a much needed punch in the face, glares down at him in disgust, and says the real tragedy here is that "guys like you never learn a darn thing". Cody arrives at the club to inform Fred that Byron is about to leave town, and is perplexed when Nick and Murray tell him that Fred is already interviewing for a new lifeguard. Cody murmurs about how weird that is, not least 'cause Byron's decision to leave town was fairly spontaneous...and the three agree that there's something inherently fishy about Fred Cushing and think it'd be a worthwhile endeavour to look into whether or not he had an alibi last night (e.g. around the time someone tried to shoot Byron). Cody and Murray arrive at what they assume is Fred's house, and are befuddled when they discover that it's actually Lizzie's residence. She explains that she and Fred used to date/live together - until she hooked up with Byron. When she helpfully adds that the breakup with Fred was definitely not on good terms, Cody remarks to Murray that it looks as though a scorned Fred could be at the root of the 'who shot at Byron?' mystery. Fred, who's armed with a pistol, is in his car, stalking Byron as he attempts to make a break for San Francisco...and while that's happening, Nick is piloting The Screaming Mimi with Cody aboard. When they notice on the road below that Fred is driving parallel to Byron and makes a motion for him to pull over, Nick prepares to hastily land the chopper. Byron exits his car and sheepishly tells Fred he was going to call him about abruptly abandoning his lifeguarding job, and Fred responds by opening fire and shooting him. Nick, meanwhile, lands Mimi, and Cody chases and eventually subdues Fred, who whines that he couldn't just let Byron get away with taking Lizzie away from him. [Actually, you could have...and thus avoid a lengthy prison sentence.] Cody then walks over to where a lifeless Byron is lying and stares sadly at his old friend. Later, aboard the Riptide, Murray announces that his experimental tough guy act is over...which comes as a giant relief, 'cause one thing he learned was that he can't crush beer cans with his bare palm, and that no one should even care. He admits that the tough guy persona wasn't solely part of his cover - he was actively trying to beef up his image and work on the parts of himself that are soft, e.g. the way he walks, talks, dresses, carries pens in his shirt pocket, emotes etc. etc. He then looks all hang-doggish and explains, "Well...I wanted to be a man." Nick says he totally gets that, then assures him that while he's nowhere near as dreamy-hunky as himself or Cody, he is a man, and Murray beams happily at the kind words. Cody enters the room and tells Nick and Murray that Lieutenant Quinlan has arrested Fred's accomplice, aka the man who attacked him in the ocean when he tried to rescue him. He then says he's off for a solitary drive to brood over his dead pal - but before he goes, he asks Nick if, like Byron, they too suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome, citing their unmarried status and embracing of the Pier 56 lifestyle that can be summarized by "sun, beach, and girls in bikinis". When he rhetorically asks what they have to show for their lives, Nick refrains from pointing out that three grown men living aboard a tiny boat and solving silly cases amid the backdrop of the sun, beach, and girls in bikinis is the kind of escapism '80s TV viewers seemed to really enjoy...and just opines about how no one ever really wants to grow up. He wankingly points out to Cody that the very fact that he's so worried about being a stunted man-child like Byron is proof that it'll never happen - a sentiment with which Murray concurs, and Cody absorbs by staring contemplatively into space. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! Recap: The episode opens with footage of a horse race and the commentator squealing about a horse named Roman Holiday who just pulled into the lead. That evening, veterinarian Dr. Clemson and his curly-haired assistant [who isn't actually given a name] enter his lab to look for something important that has gone missing. Curly Hair confirms that, yep, it's definitely gone, then chides Dr. Clemson for running his mouth off about whatever it is. Dr. Clemson stares contemplatively into space and says the thief has to be the young kid who's been hanging around the lab lately, and Curly Hair advises Dr. Clemson to call [this week's crime kingpin] McMurty to tell him the deal's off - just as McMurty enters the lab and demands to know where his vial is. Dr. Clemson informs him it was stolen - but that he knows who stole it and plans to get it back pronto. McMurty warns Dr. Clemson not to con him and says he wants the thief caught and the vial found. Or else. Nick and Cody get irked when they realize that the Riptide is without electricity. They head below deck to ask Murray if he has any idea whassup with the power outage and find him tinkering with Roboz, and soon learn that he's diverted all the boat's electricity to recharge his orange bot. They remind him that they're expecting a client visit in a few minutes and therefore want him to clean up his mess and turn the power back on. A couple arrives at the Riptide Detective Agency with a suitcase in tow, and Dr. Clemson's two thugs are watching from a distance through binoculars. The couple introduces themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Collins and tells the Riptide trio that they haven't seen their son William in five months and want him located. They explain that William had a dream of breaking into show business - despite his complete lack of talent - and was living in a nearby boardinghouse, but left all of his things behind months ago and hasn't been seen since. Mr. Collins adds that William earned a scholarship to attend Stanford and laments throwing away his future to become a low quality entertainer. Nick thanks them for the intel and assures the couple that they have enough information to begin a preliminary search. Dooley, meanwhile, spots Clemson's two thugs approaching the Riptide and is all, "Shit!" as the thugs pull out their guns and snarl, "Where's the kid?" and everyone above deck assumes they're talking about William and are like, "Uh, we have no idea." The thugs demand they hand over the suitcase - just as Dooley pops up from out of nowhere and throws an ice chest atop their heads. As bullets fly in all directions (without hitting anyone), the thugs grab the suitcase and make a run for it...and Nick and Cody chase them on foot until the bad guys are able to get away by car. They return to the Riptide and ask the Collinses what a couple of gun-toting thugs would want with William's suitcase, and they're like, "Uh, we have no idea", but assume that all can't be well with William if two dangerous looking men are after him...and Cody chews on that for a few seconds before asking Dooley to escort the Collinses safely to their hotel. The trio's first stop is the National Actors' Guild, but no one there knows of William's whereabouts and can only confirm that he booked a role in a commercial about a year ago. Nick suggests heading over to the boardinghouse to sift through the belongings that William left behind, and the three pile awkwardly into Nick's tiny Corvette and speed off. Over at the race track, McMurty rifles through William's suitcase, finds nothing of value, and snappishly asks the thugs, "Is this a joke?" They sheepishly explain that they didn't have time to go through the suitcase prior to presenting it to him and, stupider yet, don't even know for sure who it belongs to. LOL. An enraged McMurty warns them, Curly Hair, and Dr. Clemson that if he doesn't get the vial back, everyone dies. Including the registered owners of the Riptide: Cody Allen and Nick Ryder. Eeeeeeeek!! Dooley tells the trio he got the Collinses to their hotel safely via the Jimmy, and they're like, "Fine, thanks" and pile into the more spacious Jimmy. Murray tells Cody and Nick that he installed a photo tracking device in the grill of the truck so that they can photograph the license plates of cars whenever they're chasing bad guys...and Cody says it's a great idea, given that the Riptide producers haven't yet aired an episode that doesn't include a superfluous car chase sequence. Nick says he too loooooves having a camera at the ready, but remarks on how close the red click photo button is located to the radio dial. Dr. Clemson and Curly Hair spot the Riptide trio driving off in the Jimmy and follow them to the boardinghouse. The trio question William's roommate, who says he has no idea where William is, but suggests they look into some of the phone numbers written on the wall near the phone that he likely wrote down. A few seconds later, Dr. Clemson and Curly Hair burst through the door, open fire (!), and demand the vial. The confused roommate asks what in blazes they're talking about - just as Cody throws a large suitcase at the gunmen before he and Nick leap over and attempt to subdue them with their fists. Dr. Clemson and Curly Hair manage to race outside and leap into their vehicle and drive off, and Nick and Cody rush over to the Jimmy and hit the gas after them, press on the click photo button in an effort to photograph the license plate, but then have to come to a screeching halt to avoid hitting a group of would-be-casualty cyclists. Back at the boarding house, Murray is calling various numbers written on the wall and hits pay dirt when he learns that William is currently employed at a sandwich shop. He places an order for a "hamburger platter" delivery from William...and when Nick and Cody return, he tells them they need to head back to the Riptide to wait for William to arrive with their lunch order. Nick and Cody are dismayed that most of the photos that were developed from the camera installed in the Jimmy are useless - until Murray discovers one of the bad guys' truck that Dooley must have inadvertently snapped when he dropped the Collinses off at their hotel. They head back to the Riptide, where Dooley is watching William Collins perform while decked out as a giant hamburger [apparently he is the hamburger platter] ... and when he confirms that he is, in fact, William Collins, Dooley tells him that his PI friends just spoke to his concerned parents regarding his whereabouts. William panics and says his parents are going to force him to go back to Standford, then races down the pier in his bulky hamburger costume. Dr. Clemson and Curly Hair, who are watching this buffoonery unfold via binoculars, capture William and force him into the back of their truck. Nick and Cody ask Dooley if he recognizes the bad guys' truck that was captured by their secret Jimmy camera, and he sheepishly says he must have inadvertently pressed the click photo button while he was at the racetrack, where he's been working as a handyman. When Nick and Cody ask him if he did something to make some bad guys mad at him, he admits that, yep, he stole something...and that that something was a vial of horse sperm. When Nick and Cody just stare back at him blankly, he explains that Dr. Clemson was planning to make money off of the sperm, which got him miffed 'cause he didn't want to see the owner of Roman Holiday being ripped off. He says he's been storing the frozen sperm inside the Riptide's freezer...and after Nick and Cody are all, "Ew! Gross!", they decide that the best course of action would be to return the sperm vial to Dr. Clemson and hope to never have to speak of having horse sperm being stored in their freezer ever again. Cody calls the lab and tells Dr. Clemson he's ready to hand over the sperm vial in exchange for their hostage, William Collins. Dr. Clemson says he's agreeable to that and instructs him to send Dooley to an old abandoned warehouse with the sperm vial. A few seconds later, the Collinses drop by the Riptide to inform the trio that they can no longer stand the stress of waiting around to learn about William's fate and want to head home to Oregon. Cody says that's a wonderful idea, assures them they're making good progress in cracking the missing person case, and wishes them Godspeed. Once they're out of hearing range, Murray informs Nick, Cody, and Dooley that the horse sperm is no longer viable 'cause the sample melted when the power went out earlier. McMurty and his two thugs arrive at the old abandoned warehouse, where a hapless and clueless William Collins is tied up...and Dr. Clemson explains to McMurty that William is their insurance in getting the sperm vial back. Murray is doing his best to re-freeze the horse sperm, while Dooley assures Nick and Cody that he's A-OK with the risk of making the exchange in person. Murray offers to wire him up with a hidden mic, and Nick and Cody says they definitely like that idea. While en route to the warehouse, Dooley says he can totally sympathize with William having a dream he can never be talented enough to live out, him being such an inept dolt himself. When they arrive at the warehouse, Dooley takes the cooler and brings it inside, while Nick and Cody arm themselves and follow. McMurty opens the cooler and quickly realizes there's nothing in the vial [I guess the re-freezing didn't take] - just as Cody and Nick crash the Jimmy into the warehouse and manage to quickly restrain all of the bad guys in record time. William tells the trio (plus Dooley) he's come to the realization that he's too smart to keep living his life as a mediocre entertainer and decides to return to Stanford after all. After he bids them all adieu, the trio tells Dooley his debt is squared with them and offers to start cutting him in with the client profits - just as two armed men come looking for Dooley and needlessly fire their guns in the air...and Dooley's all, "Ack!" and escapes by diving into the water. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! Recap: Two black vans charge up to a warehouse labelled California Cavaliers and crash through the doors. A group of masked men spill out...and the ring leader, who's wearing a gorilla mask, warns the Cavalier warehouse guys, "This operation is closed" then orders them to load up their drugs in the delivery truck so they can abscond with them. When one of the men protests, Gorilla Guy smacks him down and chides the warehouse guys for being "minor league punks trying to play in the majors". The Cavalier warehouse guys give up on showing any further signs of resistance and meekly load the cargo as ordered, then watch helplessly as Gorilla Guy and his thugs squeal off with their stash. Aboard the Riptide, Nick is reminiscing to Cody about his high school pals and how they all played football on the California Cavaliers team, then says he can't wait to see them at the reunion. As he puts his tie on, he wonders if he should even be wearing a tie, 'cause he's assuming that his pals are pumping gas for a living and therefore doesn't want to "come on too strong" about his enviable success of being a PI who works out of a houseboat. Cody and Murray, for some God-only-know-why-reason, express an interest in accompanying him to the reunion, and Nick's like 'sure, why the hell not?' While en route to the reunion, Nick blushingly tells Cody and Murray that back in high school, the girls used to call him Dream Machine...and Cody tries not to laugh and asks him if that was 'cause he was always falling asleep in class. Nick indignantly points out that they were referring to his dreamy-ness - and I'm going to have to side with Nick on that, 'cause, yep, his '80s dreamy-ness is definitely off the charts. The Riptide trio arrives at the reunion venue: a luxury estate owned by one of Nick's old buddies, Clark Cranston. Nick looks around confusedly and says this has to be a mistake, considering what a dumb tool Clark was in high school. A former classmate named Mary spots Nick and excitedly shrieks, "Dream Machine!" before rushing over and throwing herself in his arms. Nick asks her if it's really true that Clark owns this estate, and she says he does, and that the interior of the mansion is even more awesome than the grounds. Another of Nick's old pals, Flybag, arrives in a limo and brags to Nick about how he's had a personal chauffeur for the last four years and looooves being ferried around to his various appointments. He then asks Nick what he's been up to for the last fifteen years and says he heard from someone that he was eking out a living pumping gas - LOL - and Nick just does that TV tropey thing of mutely staring at him until the camera cuts away. As the reunion party gets underway, Nick is increasingly puzzled and dismayed to learn that everyone who played on the California Cavaliers football team (sans him) has somehow gotten crazy wealthy. He meets up with his best friend, Deke the Beek, who he introduces to Cody and Murray. After the obligatory reminiscing of all the hijinks they got into as teenagers, Deke tells him that they've stayed in touch with Sid Glover, their chemistry teacher, and expects to see him at the reunion. Another Cavalier, Rick Beeber, wanders over and irritably informs Deke that they have important business to discuss and barely acknowledges Nick, who bewilderedly asks whassup with the snub. Janice Simpkins, a spacey woman who's somehow still stuck in the '60s, introduces her husband Walter to the partygoers before he takes the stage to recite some Vietnam War era type poetry. A few seconds later, the masked men who stormed the warehouse earlier interrupt the party, spray bullets everywhere without actually injuring anyone, and announce to probably way more people than is necessary that they've shut the warehouse down and warn the Cavaliers that if they don't stop their operation they'll start killing. They spray a few more rounds of bullets before driving off, at which point Nick says they should probably call the police - but Clark breezily says he really doesn't mind his estate being shot up [or, I guess, his party guests facing machine-gunfire] and that he considers this a harmless prank from alumni at a rival high school. He implores Nick to not make a big deal out of the disturbing incident, as Cody glances around the estate and scoops up one of the bullets in case it can help lead them to who in blazes just dropped by to shoot at everyone unprovoked. Back at the Riptide, Murray uses his computer to access annual income reports on Nick's high school buddies, 'cause yeah I'm sure that kind of personal financial information was published online in 1984. They all list real estate as their main source of income and each has a declared income of around 50K a year...which makes it pretty stupid of them to be brazenly buying mansions, jets, and hiring chauffeurs. Nick says he has no idea what they could be into, refrains from wondering aloud if the IRS has twigged onto the fact that they're clearly filing bogus tax returns, and decides that he should maybe get in touch with Sid Glover. As Nick stakes out Sid Glover's estate from his Corvette, Rick gets into a limo with Sid...and the two pull out of the driveway with Nick in pursuit. Rick complains to Sid about Frank Moran sending his goons to threaten and shoot at them, then vows that tonight he's going to hit Moran's nightclub and get retribution. Sid admonishes Rick for so easily losing his temper over the slightest things...and when Rick snarks about tired he is of always being lectured as if they're still student and teacher, Sid reminds him that before he came along and offered his expertise, their drug operation was a joke. The limo arrives at a dock, as do the rest of the Cavaliers...and, unbeknownst to them, Nick is lurking behind a building to see if he can figure out what his ex-buddies are up to. The men amble over to a boat, where Deke is slumped over the steering wheel with a note attached to him that reads I should have listened. Nick eventually wanders over and asks them if they've gotten themselves caught up in the dangerous world of drugs, then looks aghast at the sight of his dead friend as Rick snarls, "You and your questions are the last things we need right now." After the commercial break, Nick asks who Deke's killer is, and Rick growls that he's not welcome here before lunging at him. Sid intervenes and confirms that, yep, he and the Cavaliers have been operating a very lucrative drug operation for the last several years...and that he educated the crew on how to go from trafficking weed from Tijuana to distributing drugs at Pablo Escobar levels and earning $100 million a year. Unfortunately for them, however, Frank Moran is no longer satisfied with a mere cut and wants to take over the entire operation. Nick angrily orders them to report Deke's murder to the police, so Sid pretends to agree that, yep, the jig is totally up now that one of their own has paid the ultimate price and that they'll definitely 'fess up to the authorities asap. Nick stares sadly into space and recalls that during high school, Deke had once told him he wanted to become a doctor...and that Mr. Glover had given him the confidence to believe he could achieve that goal. He glares at Sid and snaps, "Now he's dead", then storms off. That evening, Cody tells a tearful Nick that people can change over the years...and Nick sadly laments how his besties have gone from playing football to smuggling drugs, a turn that had predictably tragic consequences for Deke. Cody tells him that his buddies' bad decisions aren't his responsibility, and Murray concurs and says that eventually everyone has to move on from high school, however painful that might be. Hours later, a group of masked gunmen - one wearing a gorilla mask - dock a small boat near the Riptide, sneak aboard, and start shooting it up. This gang really seems to like spraying bullets around willy-nilly. When Nick, Cody, and Murray scramble into the living area to see whassup with the flying bullets, the masked men order them above deck and into their boat. As they're forced to speed away from the Riptide, Cody motions at the fire extinguisher, then pretends to freak out so he can create enough of a diversion for Murray to spray the men with the extinguisher and for Nick to begin punching the bad guys before the three leap overboard and swim to shore. The masked men are like, "Where the heck did they go?" and shine their flashlights into the water, but don't have any luck and eventually motor back from whence they came. Cody pries one of the bullets from the Riptide so that Murray can compare it to the one that was picked up at the reunion party. Cody then calls the police department and pretends to be a reporter following up on Deke's murder, and has to tell a dismayed Nick that no one reported him murdered. The trio breaks into Clark Cranston's house to look around for clues that can help bring this mystery to its conclusion and learn that Clark had an appointment with Walter Simpkins to get his photo taken. They're all, "Why would he be getting his portrait done now?" ... but when they quickly research Walter's shop, they learn that one of the services he provides is taking passport photos. They make a beeline over to the Simpkins' shop, where they run into Janice, who greets them warmly and spacily mutters, "It's far out to see you guys again." When she tells them that Walter isn't home right now, Murray wanks Janice about how much he loooooves photography equipment and would looooove to see where all the magic happens, so she's like, "That sounds far out" and brings the three into Walter's darkroom so they can covertly figure out what the Cavaliers are up to. Murray "accidentally" knocks down a clothesline filled with developing photos, a diversion that Nick and Cody use to search around for something damning...and - voilà! - find a pile of passports for each of the Cavaliers. Walter happens to return to the shop at that moment...and when he sees that Nick and Cody are looking over the passports, he drops whatever he's holding and flees. The trio manages to catch him as he races through the nearby alleys...and when Nick grabs him by the collar and roughly demands that he admit what he's been up to, Walter confesses that the Cavaliers paid him $5,000 to create false passports - but swears that he doesn't know anything about their actual travel plans. The trio head back to the Riptide, where they look over the passports and decide on their next move. Dooley drops by to pass along an envelop that someone just paid him $50 to hand deliver to Nick...and when he opens it, he finds a letter from Sid, urging him to meet with him and the Cavaliers aboard their boat in the middle of the ocean. Nick's like 'what could possibly go wrong with doing that?' ... and in the next scene he's taking the Ebb Tide out to where Sid's boat is anchored, climbs aboard, and nods hello to the grim-faced Cavaliers. Sid explains to Nick that they couldn't/wouldn't/refused to report Deke's murder to the police 'cause they got too skeered when Frank Moran started threatening their families. Nick asks him why Moran would want to murder him and his Riptide pals, and Sid's like, "I dunno", looks confused by the question, then changes the subject and tells Nick that he and the Cavaliers are boating to Mexico...and that if he's willing to keep his mouth shut about Deke and their drug running operation, his cut will be $4 million. Nick refuses the bribe and vows to bring them all down, then heads above deck and re-boards the Ebb Tide. As he motors away, the boat he was just on suddenly blows up...and a horrified Nick is all, "Noooooo!!" In the aftermath, Nick tells the marine investigator that the blown up boat was filled with his ex football buddies - but doesn't mention the drug running 'cause he didn't want the mens' parents to ever find out about the shameful illegal activities they were into...even though it had to have been obvious to their parents that they were up to no good, given that they claimed annual incomes of 50K but yet were somehow able to afford chauffeured limos and grand estates. He tells Cody and Murray that Frank Moran is the likeliest culprit to have planted the bomb and vows to deal with him personally. The Riptide trio is staking out the Print Zebra restaurant as they wait for Frank Moran to finish dining and drive off. They follow him and his men to a pier, where they board a boat with Rick, who Nick is startled to learn isn't actually dead. Cody tells him it stands to reason that none of the Cavaliers are actually dead, and that they deliberately blew up Sid's boat so that Nick could witness the explosion and declare them dead to the world. As Moran et. al. speed off on the boat, Nick suggests renting a non-decrepit chopper (aka not Mimi) to pursue them by air...and in the next scene they're flying across the water and following the boat that's heading towards a remote island. Nick lands the chopper at the other end of the island, and the armed trio stealthily follows the men and overhear Rick's treacherous plot to lay out an ambush for the other Cavaliers. Rick finds the Cavaliers hiding out at a campsite and tells them it's time to board the boat and cruise to Mexico...but then a few seconds later, Moran's men leap from behind trees and start shooting at them. Cody, Nick, and Murray open counter-fire on Moran's men, and Nick quickly heads back to the chopper and flies above the bad guys' boat and shoots it up until it explodes to make extra sure that none of them can get away. After calling the Coast Guard to blow the whistle on everyone, he lands the chopper so he can confront Rick...and the two wrestle around while everyone uselessly watches. When a concerned Murray suggests to Cody that Nick might need some help, Cody solemnly replies, "It's Nick's fight" ... and after Nick repeatedly punches Rick in the face, he says, "Sorry Beeb. It's a tough business" and glares at him with disgust. Nick is wearing his high school football sweater as he wanders around the stadium and stares sadly into space. He reminisces about past football plays and the cheering crowd, then takes off his sweater and contemplatively drapes it across his shoulder while the final credits roll. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! Recap: A frightened looking blonde enters a confessional and tells Father Bob that she and her baby are in grave danger. The priest assures her she's in the safety of God's house, but she natters nervously about the peril she's facing before bolting out of the confessional and fleeing the church. A startled Father Bob exits his side of the booth to see whassup - then stops when he sees that the woman has left her baby behind on one of the pews. Aboard the Riptide, Murray is giggling with delight as he shows Nick and Cody the various animal-themed cell phones he'll be playing with this episode, and explains that they're part of a new product line from a tech firm that's paying him a huge consultation fee. A few seconds later, Father Bob arrives with the abandoned baby, introduces her as Katie, and explains that she was just abandoned in his church by her terrified mother. He further explains that the mom, Cheryl Watson, has somehow gotten herself tangled up with some very dangerous people, then asks the sleuths if they wouldn't mind locating her before the bad guys get to her. The trio says they'd be happy to take on the case pro bono, then peppers Father Bob with questions about exactly what sort of trouble Cheryl is in. Father Bob says he's not willing to repeat anything Cheryl told him inside the confessional, other than to reveal that her life is in grave danger and that she used to hang out at the local halfway house while she was preggers. He also decides that for Katie's safekeeping, it'd be best for him to leave the tot under their care. Cody looks thrilled at the prospect of caring for the infant and rhetorically asks, "How hard could it be?" A grim-faced man named Phillip Everitt meets with two henchmen, who assure him that they're still on the hunt for Cheryl. Phillip barks at them to get the job done, then suggests they start their search at the local halfway house. While en route to the halfway house, Murray is trying to soothe a sobbing Katie with a stuffed bear, but she just scrunches her face unhappily and mewls. Nick chides Murray for not bringing along the cuter stuffed bunny, but Murray ignores him and continues to unhelpfully coochie coo at the baby. The Riptide trio (plus Katie) arrives at the halfway house and chats with Cheryl's former roommate, Patricia. They ask her if she's heard from Cheryl lately, and she says she hasn't - but recalls that Cheryl had lots of problems with her boyfriend Phillip, and that the two used to argue a lot. After that, she shows the three how to heat up a bottle of formula and feed it to the baby so that she's less likely to starve while in their custody. As the Riptide trio (plus Katie) heads out, Murray holds up a bunch of papers and says he was able to get the phone records during the time that Cheryl was staying at the halfway house. A few seconds later, the two henchmen pull up to poke around the halfway house for any sign of the missing mom. As Nick looks on in newfound fascination, Murray taps on his keyboard as he searches through all of the halfway house's outgoing calls. He pinpoints one phone number that Cheryl had repeatedly called, and quickly learns that it's an extension inside the police department. The two henchmen storm inside the church and attack Father Bob, demanding to know where Cheryl is hiding out. The Riptide trio (plus Katie) just happen to enter the church at that very moment, and Nick and Cody immediately leap into action to prevent Father Bob from getting a bigger beatdown than he was getting. At the hospital, Lieutenant Quinlan offers rare praise to the Riptide trio for coming to the aid of Father Bob, then says he's determined to find the mobsters who would dare rough up a priest. The trio heads over to Father Bob's room to inform him that Cheryl has been making a lot of calls to the police department and to ask if he's willing to shed any light on who she might have been calling. Father Bob says he still can't/won't reveal anything she told him in confidence, 'cause he's very determined to play "according to God's rules". Back at the Riptide, the trio asks Dooley to babysit Katie while they investigate Cheryl's disappearance. Dooley assures them that, implausible as it may sound, he has lots of hands on experience caring for infants, and promises to not let them down. Nick and Cody putter around the police department as faux repairmen while Murray lets himself into the computer room to extract phone records. He hits pay dirt when he learns that Cheryl repeatedly called a certain Commander Phillip Everitt, aka the man who's been angling to become the next police chief. They then mull over the name Phillip while recalling that Patricia told them it's the name of Cheryl's boyfriend. Hmm.. Nick and Cody drop by Phillip Everitt's office posing as investigators (from a radio station) who are working on a report about runaway women. When they come right out and tell Phillip that they're searching for Cheryl Watson, Phillip pretends he's never heard of anyone by that name...even when it's pointed out that she has called his direct telephone extension several times. Cody spots a framed photo of Phillip's wife and children and remarks on the family resemblance, then adds that Cheryl's baby looks an awful lot like him as well...and Phillip stares back at him with a stricken expression on his face. Phillip immediately calls [mob boss] Jimmy Holland to report that two pretend researchers were just in his office, fishing for information on the whereabouts of Cheryl Watson. When Jimmy suggests he arrest them, Phillip explains that he can't just go around arresting people without cause, then assures him that once he's appointed Police Chief, he'll happily let the mob run roughshod over his town. Jimmy's like, "Sounds good to me!" and orders Phillip to get rid of Cheryl so he can eliminate the scandal that he has a mistress he knocked up, then suggests using the baby to lure Cheryl from wherever she's been hiding. Murray giddily tells Nick and Cody that he surreptitiously bugged Phillip's phone, and that based on the phone call that just occurred, he now has proof that 1) the police commander is working for Jimmy Holland, and 2) he had a fling with Cheryl, who got pregnant and had the baby against his will. A few seconds later, Murray is alerted to an incoming call from Cheryl to Phillip, begging him to not hurt her baby. He snarkishly reminds her that he warned her about the risks of having his spawn, then offers to buy her off if she keeps quiet about the baby. He asks her where she's staying - and Murray's bugging device goes dead just as Cheryl is revealing her current location. Murray says he's going to have to do some fancy computing stat! in order to find out where her call originated so that they can get to her before the bad guys do. The Riptide trio drops by Lieutenant Quinlan's office to chastise him for releasing the two henchmen after they were arrested for beating Father Bob. Quinlan explains that since they prolly wouldn't have admitted any wrongdoing, he was A-OK with releasing two mob-connected, violent men back into society 'cause he was too fucking lazy to properly interrogate them. A dismayed Murray says he has intel that's going to rock the police station, namely that Commander Phillip Everitt is in the pocket of Jimmy Holland. Quinlan sneers at that revelation and insists that Phillip is far too awesome a police commander to ever get involved with organized crime, then orders the three to get the hell out of his office. Dooley returns to the Riptide after taking a walk with Katie, and discovering that a man holding a baby is a veritable magnet for buxomly bikini-clad women. Murray pokes his head from below deck and summons Nick and Cody over to tell them he's pinpointed Cheryl's location, based on the construction noises he picked up on in the background during her call to Phillip. Cody tells Murray that while they're off rescuing her, he should figure out a way to find some of scientific proof that Phillip is Katie's bio dad. Murray dons a white lab coat and heads over to Phillip's office, posing as a blood drive coordinator. The surly secretary snarls that he needs to get lost 'cause he doesn't have an appointment - but Murray holds up a piece of paper and says she clearly missed the memo about the Commissioner's ill mother, who's in desperate need of donated blood. When Phillip emerges from his office to see what all the commotion is about, he scrunches his face concernedly about the fake hospitalization of his boss's mother and agrees to donate blood. The henchmen arrive at the motel where Cheryl has been hiding - seconds before Nick and Cody pull up. They spot the henchmen attempting to abduct Cheryl in broad daylight and open fire...and while that's happening, Cheryl manages to break loose and flee without getting shot. Cody races after her and convinces her that they're friends with Father Bob...and in the next scene, she's en route to the Riptide with Nick and Cody. She tears up about almost getting killed just now, then gets upset when she hears about Father Bob's beating. When the three arrive at the Riptide, Dooley informs them that two police officers stopped by to take Katie to the authorities and he just stupidly assumed that they knew all about it. Nick and Cody glare at him angrily as Cheryl wails, "My babyyyyy!" Murray studies a sample of Phillip's blood under his microscope and explains that if he's able to detect the same anomalies in his blood that Katie has (but which Cheryl doesn't), it'll serve as irrefutable proof that he is Katie's bio dad. Sort of. After studying the blood sample for a few seconds, he's like, "Jackpot!" and says it does contain the telltale anomalies - but Cheryl just scrunches her face worriedly as she explains that she and Katie stand in the way of Phillip and his life's dream of becoming the next police chief. Murray assures her that his plan to nail Phillip is just crazy enough to work, then hands her one of his animal-themed cell phones and tells her it's time to call Phillip. When he answers, she tells him, "You win. I can't fight it anymore." Murray loiters by the police station and checks in with Nick via a cell phone hidden in a large sandwich as he (Nick) prepares to fly Mimi overhead with several police officers on board...who were somehow willing to join a civilian operation that implicates a commander in their department who's about to be appointed the next police chief. Cheryl is waiting at the Griffith Observatory, while an armed Cody hides atop a nearby roof. Two henchmen appear with Katie in tow and smirkingly tell her that Phillip couldn't make it - just as Cody leaps off of the roof, brandishes his gun, and orders them to put the baby down. As that's happening, a backup team of armed bad guys rush over with guns drawn - just as Mimi appears overhead and the men aboard spray the Observatory with bullets. Amid the gunfire, the henchman carefully sets Katie down...then grabs Cheryl, flees the Observatory, and forces her into his car. Phillip Everitt is about to be formally appointed Police Chief when Murray interrupts the ceremony shrieking, "Fraud!" LOL. He informs the spectators that Phillip 1) has an illegitimate child he just ordered to be kidnapped, and 2) has connections with the mob. He then offers proof by pressing play on his tape recorder so that everyone can listen to the audio recording of the damning conversation between Phillip and Jimmy Holland. As an enraged Jimmy Holland watches the implausible drama unfold on live television, Phillip is restrained by the officers flanking him...and the car that's being driven by the henchman who abducted Cheryl is brought to a peaceful halt by police. As Cheryl scrambles out of the passenger seat, she looks up at Mimi and gives Nick a happy wave...while Cody cuddles Katie and offers Nick a relieved thumbs up. Cheryl bids the Riptide trio farewell before heading off to Michigan to get a fresh start with her baby daughter. As Cheryl's cab drives off, Nick remarks on how nice it would be to raise a child...and Cody gets a faraway look in his eyes and stares wistfully into space. Thanks for reading! If you are enjoying TVofYore's recaps, consider thanking me by buying me a "coffee"! |
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