Sky Knight
Nitcentral's Bulletin Brash Reflections:
Knight Rider:
Season 4:
Sky Knight
Sky Knight
As Bonnie gets ready to board a flight to get to her sister's wedding in Boston, a bomb warning is called when a briefcase is suspected of having an explosive in it. The "bomb" is actually just a decoy (fake explosive) so that Michael can be occupied chasing the men who left the briefcase, while three other men board Bonnie's plane. The plane is soon hijacked by the "New Dawn Movement," headed by one Charles Zurich. Zurich was once with the National Security Commission but was dismissed when it was found that he manipulated funds, and now he wants to get his revenge. Zurich and his men take all the passengers on the flight hostage in a fortress outside of Cactus, Arizona and Zurich contacts the government with his demands. Zurich wants $3 million in cash as well as 197 prisoners to be released (so he can have an unstoppable terrorist fighting force, most probably against the American infantry division set to be deployed soon). Eventually Michael finds out where Zurich is located, but there's a problem: the fortress is called "Deep Sleep" and was originally built to safeguard top government officials (it is impenetrable). Also, Zurich has the only contingency for the fortress in a doomesday device which, once the key is taken out and the countdown begins, will detonate a small nuclear device to completely destroy the fortess and everyon inside it. Using a signal sent to a toy car carried by one of the hostages, Michael is able to send a message to Bonnie that he's on his way. Unfortunately, Bonnie is also the first hostage who is scheduled to be killed (Zurich knows she is with the Foundation for Law and Government). Racing against the clock, Michael navigates KITT through a minefield and past several rockets to approach the fortress, but Zurich escapes - he has set the doomesday device and escaped with the key, betraying both the hostages and his own men. Convincing the terrorists she is the only one who can stop the timer, Bonnie gets to work and eventually finds the access code, but she still needs the key. Michael and KITT chase after Zurich and intercept him on his escape plane, getting the key back, and have to parachute out of the plane to save time. Michael races to the timer and puts the key in just in time, saving the hostages.
THOUGHTS:
-Good episode, though it felt a little weak until the second half. The shots of KITT going through the minefield were really beautiful, and reminded me of previous episodes (like "Deadly Maneuvers" and "Knight Strike," and yes they did reuse footage but it looks so good I'm gonna overlook it as a nit!).
-Nick is supposed to be a cute kid, but I found him annoying. If I was on a flight with him I'd switch seats with someone else!
-Also, I didn't really find the old law enforcement guy (who gave KITT tickets) to be all that funny. Ah well.
-I'm sure you noticed Brian Thompson as one of the terrorists (he played the alien bounty hunter in "The X-Files" series).
-The "off" sound effects in the title sequence have been fixed.
New feature on KITT:
+Micropulse (used to start up the toy car). KITT has used pulses before but none this small.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
"Oh, Michael! My fear of flying has been fully justified."
-KITT, on exit from the plane
NITS:
-In the very first shot of the episode, the camera is dirty on the left side.
-Michael's line to KITT, "You better stop that van," is dubbed at the beginning of the episode.
-When KITT approaches the FLAG semi at the beginning of the episode, KITT's scanner is stuck as he makes the first turn.
-KITT's hood is popped open during the theater chase.
-The device used to activate the doomesday device also showed up in "Junk Yard Dog" as one of the devices Bonnie used to evaluate KITT.
-Around the middle of the episode, KITT scans the fortress. Though the fortress is supposedly in the desert, the reflection on KITT's hood shows plenty of trees.
-The shots of the rockets firing are obviously stock footage.
-KITT's hood is popped open while navigating the minefield.
-What happened to KITT's own parachute (see "Goliath Returns, Part 1")?
By Biggy on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 10:21 am: Nick was played by Robbie Rist, who is most famous for playing Cousin Oliver on "The Brady Bunch."
By The Star Cadet on Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 10:50 am:Well, as far as annoying kids go, I didn't find Nick too bad. Okay, he bugged me for the first part of the show, but he could have been a lot worse.
By Todd Pence on Thursday, June 26, 2008 - 1:52 pm:Rist was also boy genius General Zee in the disastrous Galactica:1980, as well as playing one of Jaime Sommers' students on The Bionic Woman.