- I agree with Mike on his assessment of this episode. I would also like to add that I am still confused as to whether K3000 has nano shields or nano armor or both. It looks to me like the windows were not actually cracking themselves but we are seeing a view through windows into the opposing side of the nanoshields themselves cracking. The problem with that belief though is, from the front you never see any cracking effect so I guess it's plausable that bullet impacts have a different effect on the glass than it does the metallic like "skin" of the car.Michael Pajaro wrote:I'm going to side with the minority on this one; I didn't think this was a strong episode.
If KARR should have been a two-parter, this episode should have been 30 minutes. There was a lot of "vamping" with little to move the plot forward. Gunfight ran a bit long; the tunnel chase ran long. And very little of the action involved KITT.
The storyline by itself was fine. There wasn't really anything "bad" about the episode, just nothing to make it stand out.
A few small things I did like:
When Mike said he needed coffee, I was terrified that KITT would pour him a cup. Glad he didn't.
I like that this wasn't an assignment; it was just something Mike stumbled into.
I like seeing the self-healing-windows.
Good to see KITT moving his own steering wheel (although we need to see KITT driving without tinted windows.
Mike: "You're gonna hit me again when I tell you... KITT's my car.... OWWWW... I saw that coming." Funny stuff.
Shields however don't tend to heal themselves, they are more of a barrier, they can however fluctuate intensities/frequencies.
I can also support this belief based upon the idea of the energy "ripple" effect which is consistant (but much better represented) with the blue ripples in the episode A Hard Day's Knight.
I wish this series had a Knight Rider Bible of its own so we could get an idea of what exactly the checks and balances of KITT's abilities are. One constant problem I have with the series as a whole is it creates more vague questions than it gives answers.
With the original series, you didn't have to get into a long technical explaination of how the Molecular Bonded Shell worked, it was pretty simplistic and the special/practical effects were used to support the idea of a coating or application that protected the car from damage by bullets or other impacts through obstructions.
I did find the ending rushed but I've come to expect the 5-10 minute episode climax wrap up. I was a bit confused when they escaped the bank because it went by so quickly it was kind of difficult to keep up with what everyone was saying. It was essentially a rapid fire sequence of everyone talking at once.
Mike turning down the money was a great testament to his character as a hero. Having the villainess tumble down the hill and what appeared to be breaking her neck was a bit over the top for me and seemed to do nothing to enhance the story...poetic justice I guess.
I think the male villain was strong and convincing. Great performances this time all around.
The funny thing I have with this show, I don't tend to remember the villain of the week's character names much probably because they really don't do anything all that memorable save for Christopher Stevens/Rick Hoffman in the two parter.
I also liked the HAL reference from 2001: A Space Odyssey and how KITT said he found the movie confusing.
One of the better episodes by far but given that this was originally a season finale, I expected as much detail to be invested in it. I think this time Gary Scott Thompson at least proved he can write a decent script (and direct it) without the need of relying on his Fast and the Furious roots.
Kudos this time to Gary for that. Despite the little things people may pick apart he worked hard on this episode and it shows.
The lack of KITT action didn't bother me much because when KITT was needed it served the purpose of the story rather than just ending up as another confusing eye candy sequence.
Next week's promo was infinately uninspiring and short, they could have done better and with a desperate need for higher ratings they still need to do better in order to earn a second season yet.
=VK=