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Storyline: Gordon hires Mick and Joey (for double the fee) to investigate a rich girls entry into a
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According to US
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Ok, I sat down and watched this episode last night with my
kids whom I didn't realize always wondered what was on all these tapes in my closet that I
never watched! I must admit that once these were originally taped I kinda filed them away
and never watched them again, basically for lack of time, not because they were
awful or anything! I came to the conclusion as I was re-watching last night that I did really enjoy this run of High Tide, not because the show was a can't miss, but because I was seeing Rick again on a regular basis. Since I was watching with my kids I could re-live the experience of seeing it the first time without knowing the history from the shows to come. Here's their observations - (a 9 year old & 5 year old) *Rick looks the same to them (okay, what do they know -they're kids!). *Joey does not look like his brother (2 times they asked me, "Who is Joey again?" They kept thinking he was just a friend) *Who is Gordon? Why didn't Gordon just go look for this girl? (good question!) All in all though, they were quite captivated, and wanted to watch another one. (they ended up watching the whole tape which has 6 shows on it) I totally did NOT like Rick's hair - it was like some kind of pompadour or something LOL! Rick also seems to go thru this whole episode with some kind of look on his face like he's about to bust out laughing from some kind of secret he's dying to tell. Both Rick and Yannick seem like they are just reading dialogue and not really interacting, but they do get better at acting like brothers in future episodes (probably because they were getting to know each other better in real life). The wardrobe is frightening. I'm thinking this was quite low budget the first season (most of the money spent on the locale I assume) because the hair and clothing really sucked that first season. The best part is when Rick walks around with the shirt on; unbuttoned all the way... I will give it away and say that in the up-coming episodes he goes without the shirt and there is even a scene where some girls are putting sun block on HIS back! (lucky chicks!) This show was definitely a rip-off of Baywatch. Me being the biased Rick fan that I am probably would not have watched this on a regular basis if Rick was not in it, as I have a hard time stomaching all the T & A parading around in the bikinis. My husband on the other hand, would've watched this show religiously if Rick had not been in it! - Michelle P. |
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| Little waves that passed by: * I LOVE the look on Rick's face when he takes off his sunglasses at the beginning. When I saw that, saw that smile, I somehow knew I'd been wrong to wait so long to get acquainted with High Tide. * Rick's acting is MUCH improved! He had a time when he was always a little flat to me - and he had a kind of annoying stage laugh that always made me cringe - but he really came into himself in this role as I only catch little glimpses of flatness from him and find myself truly liking the character I feel him portraying... * So Shelia - the little shelia in the cult - was pretty flip for a brain washed bible beater when she said, "My Father's in heaven." I did not know sarcasm was allowed in cults - LOL! * Okay, so Rick climbing up on the truck - LMAO!! We know where he learned to do that little leg up and over maneuver - how freakin cute!! * Rick cussed - he said something about being pissed off - I admit it, I giggled :-) Continuity issues that make me think someone was sniffing the board wax: * Okay - so this is just a quirk for me in ALL movies/shows...during the long shots, the "beach babe's" have flowing, wind ruffled hair, in the close ups, Rick and Yannick have hair so stiff, it can ONLY be an indoor shoot - I HATE it when they don't spring for fans to give continuity :-) * Those books and bombs and grenades in those boxes must have been pretty light, no? That one guy picked them up like they were full of Styrofoam peanuts...which they probably were...he might have at least ACTED like they were heavy '-) Questions that make me wonder if it is really me who is high: * So - um...the girls on the beach...did you notice in that first episode they were NOT looking at Rick or Yannick...come on!!! That's just asking us to believe the impossible that they'd be walking by and NOT checking out that meat market on display! - LOL....again - ACTING...come on!!! * How cute is it that Rick keeps hiking up his jeans? LOL Talk about art imitating life ;-) * More art imitating life....Rick and his high kicks getting a little credit, the "Act of Faith" line, and Yannick had cut off sleeves while Rick was stuck with sleeves - poor Ricky :-( * Who the hell IS Fritz and WHY is she required? Is there not enough Babe Watch without her? LOL * Okay - so is THAT RICK surfing? I mean I am sure he's not doing it all, but even if he's just doing a little of it, he's damn good!!! Favorite Sex on the Beach moments: When Joey says to the cult bouncer, "Your mama's an Episcopalian" and later, the hysterical line, "We're compulsive trespassers." Also - can I get a big hell yeah for the chest fuzz - whhhooo hooooo - now that's enough to make me pray :-) Overall I have to say that if someone asked me now to describe High Tide, I'd say it is Magnum PI (ala the voice overs, a man with chest hair, a cool car, and a paradise setting), Bay Watch (babes, bikinis, and a man with chest hair), and Charley's Angels (a mystery to solve, a lot of women running around, and a mysterious man with a cell phone calling the shots) all rolled into one but even better as it stars Rick Springfield. And YES - I did jump up and down on the bed the first time I saw "Starring Rick Springfield" on my TV screen - no matter how old I get, that will never be anything but righteous, dude! - Anna C. |
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| I have a mixed review for this first episode, which really reminded me a lot of Magnum PI and Charlie's Angels….the narrator, the 'mission by telephone call', mixed with a little Baywatch cleavage here and there. The storyline was interesting. Cults have always fascinated me, yet creep me out at the same time. During the opening scene, there was discussion of God, etc. and my mind started to wander a way from the show to thoughts of…'wow, I wonder how many fans would actually be a part of a commune with Rick as the head of it', seeing as so many people seem to hang onto his every word. Not everyone but, well, I will stop here. Let's discuss Mick, ick. Physically, I did not like the wardrobe. I really did not like the hair, and I cannot stand to see that goofy staged smile he sometimes displays. You can see it when he meets the cult leader for the first time. The acting was 'okay', partially due to the script, partially because Rick was not to terribly convincing but, I will say that overall, the episode did hold my attention. Joey, a cute typical younger brother with spunk and the odd entertaining line the writers gave him…Your momma is an Episcopalian. Light sporadic humor is a necessary part of any script. I liked his tongue wagging at the end of the show. Gordon, not much to say there. There was not a whole lot of info on the background of how he established a relationship with the brothers, or even on the brothers themselves. I found that a little odd. Fritz. Fritz? Is she the token blonde with looks and breasts? Her character did not make a whole lot of sense to me. I found the scenes with Fritz and Gordon somewhat awkward. Being Canadian, I was surprised at the Blue Jays reference, so I am assuming this was filmed around the time that they Jays were hot and won the World Series. The scenery was beautiful. The surfing scenes at the end were fun to watch but I could not tell if they were stunt doubles or not. I know Rick does know how to surf but sometimes stunt doubles are mandatory so that the primary characters do not injure themselves and hold up production of future episodes. I have a few things I am going to nit pick at: When the brothers are fighting with the first bald 'bouncer/security' type guy, they made an awful lot of noise, and I am surprised no other cult members heard this. After the speaker in the 'brainwashing room' is disengaged, and the female cult leader enters the room, she leaves the door open behind her and the brothers stay and chat with her instead of running out of the room to continue on their mission. Those boxes with the grenades were not only poorly packed and fairly light looking, but they were handled so carelessly. What if a finger accidentally pulled a pin when they scrambled to pick them up? I think it would have been far more effective to zoom in on the box and have one or two grenades roll out, and have the goons gently pick it up and place it back into the box. And, later on in the movie…what crooked shipper of weapons would shoot at his own loot, not only to destroy it, but to draw attention to his illegal activities? When we are first introduced to the commune, the security is tight and the gate is closed, but when the brothers steal the police car and exit the commune, the gate is open and there were not any 'stepford workers' around, working away in silence like before. I wondered how this episode would end…the whole stopping the shipment, rescuing Sheila, etc if the cops were bought and paid for. Turns out the cops were having a good moral values day and it made the script easy to clean up and create a 'happy ending'. So, maybe I was not thrilled with the writing and some of the details, but I did watch this episode with held interest, and I look forward to seeing the others as well. - Kat Mendelin |
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| This was a decent episode, with some good dialogue from Mick in a few scenes, and several sexy shots of him as well. It also has funny lines or one-liners in parts, but it ends up being one of my least favorites from season one. Maybe it's the storyline itself, I'm not sure. There are other episodes from this season that I feel are much `richer' in the story department. I'm also not too sure if this was the best one to kick off the season with, especially if they wanted viewers to return for the next week. Of course, we all know that the Rick fans would come back, simply because it was a Rick series, but what about those viewers who just happened onto the High Tide series? The guys go to Puerto Rico to `save the girl,' as is a common theme in most of the High Tide shows. They get involved in a `religious cult' of sorts called The Children of Light. They are looking for a wealthy woman named Shelia Hennessey. I thought Rick looked pretty great in this episode, starting out in his classic "hot" wet suit. Gordon is introduced in this first show. He calls Mick at the beach wanting some help from the guys, but Mick hangs up on Gordon after expressing how badly Gordon stresses him out. He tells Gordon, "Thanks to you I have a hole in my gut the size of a basketball!" LOL Suddenly Gordon walks up to them, dressed in a suit and hat asking for a favor. He had been `hanging' on the beach right near the guys! I thought this scene was cute, the way Mick is walking briskly away from Gordon, arguing over his shoulder and stopping occasionally to rant at Gordon. He's telling him that he doesn't want to go on this mission. Mick finally relents (after he convinces Gordon to double their pay) and the guys set off to the camp to find Shelia. They do manage to make their way into the compound, past the gate. It was funny how even at a 'religious' compound Joey was scoping out the women and making eyes at some of them. LOL He never lets up, does he?! Sadly, it turns out that Shelia has been brainwashed by this `religious leader' (Reverend Henry) and his people. The guys speak with Shelia and she tells them she will not leave with them to go see her father (who is looking for her and worried about her). The guys appear to leave the property, but they really don't. They end up sneaking around, watching the activities at the compound. What a FUNNY line when Mick and Joey are hiding around the corner of the building and Joey pokes his head around and blurts out to the big burly `guard'---"You're mama's an Episcopalian!" When the dude goes to look around the corner, Mick sneaks up behind the thug and hits him. It doesn't even phase the man! It's like he's made of iron or steel. Mick is hilarious here as the thug gets him around the throat. Joey manages to distract the guy and they end up bringing him down after all and they get away. The brothers find the `brainwashing room' at the camp. This is when they realize that Shelia is likely being brainwashed. In walks the camp leader, catching them snooping around and the three of them have a confrontation about Shelia. Mick tells him to forget about Shelia's trust fund money, but of course Reverend Henry spews a bunch of bull to the guys about how Shelia is there for religious reasons.---"This isn't about Shelia's money, it's about her eternal soul." Yeah right! Another funny line, the leader says something about how the truth will set her free (Shelia) and wash away her sins. He tells the guys it could do the same for them. Mick tells him (with a cute little sarcastic look & a wink of his right eye )---"No thanks, my sins are dry cleaned only." Henry has the boys arrested on the spot. Thanks to the cops, the brothers learn that the `cult' sends out tons of books each year all over the world. The next scene pans in on a woman's high-heeled feet and the camera inches up her legs until we see a pretty blonde gathering a fax for her `boss.` The woman is Fritz, Gordon's secretary and lovely assistant. Mick speaks with Fritz and Gordon over the speaker phone. The guys are released from jail. They speculate that the Reverend wanted them out of there as soon as possible since they were hot on his trail. So of course what do they do, rather than going back to Malibu? They go BACK to the compound, hide out in the bushes (these `boys' stay in trouble! ) and spy on the `guards.' It must be Mick's cop nature. When I think of the other shows from season one, I don't think Mick ever totally turns Gordon down on some of the `jobs' he asks them to do! He ends up getting involved and he won't stop until the case is solved. |
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As it turns out, the men from the compound appear to be loading books into a truck. I love Rick's/Mick's "whoa!" when one of the boxes falls open and out roll a bunch of hand grenades. Looks like some `explosive' reading. The thugs catch the brothers and drag them back to the camp. The beginning of the next scene is pretty much a hoot! The guys are tied up on chairs in the brainwashing room. Joey is jabbering away, which he becomes notorious for in High Tide…LOL, "ok, we can't help it. We're compulsive trespassers. It's in the family. It's in the genes." The guys end up speaking with Henry's female `partner' (I'm not sure what her name is) and it's also obvious that she too has been brainwashed by the Reverend. Mick ends up telling the woman that Henry is NOT the great man she thinks he is. This is an awesome Rick scene as he's trying to get through to this woman. Of course she doesn't believe what Mick is saying, and she says she's only there to do God's work. She doesn't want to believe that Henry is a crook, so Mick asks her to join them at the harbor and she can see for herself. It upsets her and she leaves them with the thugs and says they can tell their lies to the police. High Tide wouldn't be complete without several fight scenes. One breaks out here for the brothers and the guards. The boys get loose and steal a police car. They take of for the dock. Mick and Joey watch as the `books' are loaded onto a boat. Another cute line here from Joey, "Praise the Lord and pass the ammo. The guy's nothing but a scumbag gunrunner." It's quite funny how the guys sneak up on the crooks. They take a rowboat over to the boat so they don't make a racket. They're bantering back and forth on the way there. The men are unaware the Barrett brothers have climbed aboard their rig. Joey struggles on the rope and when Mick tries to help him up he `shoos' him off saying he doesn't NEED his help! LOL These brothers always have at least a little bit of competition going on. Mick kicks the ass of one of the thugs and makes his way to the top of the boat where he finds Henry. Henry sees him and blurts out, "what the hell?" It's cute how Mick approaches him with arms out, "now what kind of language is that, coming from a man of God?" Mick and Henry have words. Mick tells him he knows that the Children of Life is just a front. He also explains how he figured out why Henry kept Shelia there against her will. He says that it wasn't because of the money at all…but because Henry needed her silence. Shelia had seen too much, knew too much. About this time, Joey comes flying over top of them in a net of cargo (or something…I'm not sure what.) It distracts the conversation and Henry rips out the big dog of all guns, pointing it up at Joey. Mick sees that Henry is about to shoot his brother. He screams, "JOEY JUMP!" Joey jumps from the net lands safely in the water, free from harm. The cops haul off the `bad guys' and Mick runs to the ladder where Joey is making his way up. Joey asks Mick, "do you think when we get home we can go to church?" I like how Mick grabs his brother here and hugs him. The last scene at the beach…WOWSA! Mick is hanging shirtless on the beach having `deep' religious discussions with his brother. They say something about divine intervention when about that time, Shelia and the woman who had been Henry's partner at the camp come up to the guys. They jump up to speak to the women. Could Mick look any `nicer' in this scene, in all his shirtless `beauty`?! The woman who had refused to believe them has now seen the real truth about Henry and his camp. I like when Shelia says that `maybe we should have faith in ourselves.' Joey replies, "that's not a bad place to start." Soon after, Gordon calls with another offer, but the guys have other ideas at the moment. Joey tells him, "Sorry Gordon, only one thing we're interested in. That's being wet." Joey laughs and Mick smiles that gorgeous smile. The guys hit the surf and the show ends with some cool surfing scenes. - Kelley Pearson |
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