AIRWOLF Episode Guide Season 1 — Episode 07 — FIGHT LIKE A DOVE

EPISODE DESCRIPTION & OVERVIEW

When Harry Lebow, an Israeli Nazi hunter is killed by Colonel Helmet Kruger, a suspected Nazi and known arms dealer, in Paris his daughter Sarah plans her revenge and asks for the help of Hawke and Dom to bring him to justice by infiltrating his fortress in Paraguay.

Complicating matters is the political intrigue of the Firm's covert involvement with Kruger in supplying him weapons creating the rock and a hard place position that the Airwolf team have to go up against both Archangel and Thor, the hottest SAM missile defence system that money (and the US government) can supply, a seemingly impossible feat as it contains four dual-purpose, simultaneously-fired missiles that destroy aircraft via both heat-seeking and radar targeting systems. Hawke will have to defeat Thor if he is to get to Kruger and bring him to justice.

MJC AIRWOLF EPISODE REVIEW:

Some of the best and worst performances from the Guest cast in this episode and the majority of Airwolf fans would rank it lowly overall within Season 1. Tovah Feldshuh was just an awful casting choice as the then 32-year-old Sarah Lebow, especially putting on the ridiculous "stock" Hollywood Mary Poppins accent (seriously folks, people don't speak like that!)... yet nowadays she's a Tony Award winner for Broadway musical "PIPPIN" - she can certainly sing though, but her extensive theatre experience didn't translate to the small screen in 1984. Maybe it was the direction, maybe it was the character but her performance stands out as one of the worst and most wooden of any guest cast across the entire series, and the majority of Airwolf fans would agree and possibly why many don't rank this episode higher than in probably should have deserved.

As for her character on the episode, to be able to find the Lair and know all about Hawke & Dom as well, when the combined might of the US intelligence services couldn't was just ridiculous.

Walter Gotell, on the other hand - puts in a David Hemmings-esque level of subtle performance as ex-SS arms dealer, Helmut Kruger; one of his best performances since his Russian ‘General Gogol’ character on the Roger Moore 007 years during the late 70s and 80s.

There is an amazing amount of flight time for Airwolf in this episode from the fabulous ceiling topping sequence pushing Airwolf to its limits and opening the episode, to the later Deus Ex Machina moment over Archangel's jeep (replicated a little later when Kruger is beaten and Airwolf rises into the frame), and of course the brilliant Thor missile sequence to allow Sarah to get access to Kruger's estate. Some of the best chemistry between JMV and Ernie, and some great dialogue between between the three leads too (Dom's greasy pat on Archangel's shoulder is priceless) make up for the wooden performance of Tovah and subsequent lack of chemistry between Hawke and Sarah Lebow.

The closing titles show a still frame of them kissing but this sequence was ultimately pulled by writer and producer Burt Armus in favour of the later Sarah & Archangel jeep scene where she shot his ear, which interestingly was originally canned from the shooting script but re-inserted during filming to leave a memorable, though ultimately silly scene, setting up the humorous tag ending where Marella swears Archangel's injuries looked like powder burns.

The Thor missile provides some wonderful action sequences, especially with the poor German fighter pilot that was offered a million dollars if he could defeat it. I always felt this was Burt Armus' political reaction to the Iran-Contra affair where the US - in reality sold "Hawk" [the irony!] and "TOW" anti-aircraft missiles to "moderate elements" within Iran.

Some great espionage and political intrigue sequences for Archangel in this one, and an again that awesome long lens shot of Airwolf rising up from behind a hill (see below) to surprise him, and the nose-down shot of the Lady taking off against the two Phantom jets (a similar manoeuvre seen in Season 2's terrible ‘OUT OF THE SKY‘ episode), all make this a decent episode overall despite what many fans may think.

So you call flying Airwolf for the Firm not in the business?

Of course, you're very effective in the field. I'd trust you with anything whenever the action starts.

I don't need a testimonial.

Well you know me, I always start out nice.

So what's your point?

You're unbending Hawke, unswerving. You think there's a right and a wrong and that the right should always win. Not so. There's grey and beige; there's a lot of almost and compromise, political manoeuvring and intrigue. The people who do that, are in the business!

‘FIGHT LIKE A DOVE’ EPISODE’s AIRWOLF THEME MUSIC REVIEWED:

One of the earliest themes in the episode is the creepy atmospheric pads used in the "Coming Down!" theme from the original ‘Airwolf Themes’, where Hawke takes The Lady to 86,000 for the first time to see if it could be done. The aerial also uses one of the last of the big orchestral versions of the Main Theme similar to the Pilot sand dune chase and ‘ECHOS FROM THE PAST’. There's also a little reprise of "Gabrielle's Theme" with a really lovely Oboe solo.

However, overall, it's not really an episode that has any standout or new themes (apart from "Coming Down") as it's mostly just filled with atmospheric pads and underscore, maybe with exception to the Season 1 Synth Theme against the Phantom interceptor jets, but there's not a lot to say overall on this one.

MUSIC TRACKS AVAILABLE FROM THE AIRWOLF ‘FIGHT LIKE A DOVE’ episode:
Airwolf Main Theme – Season 1 – Trailer
Airwolf Main Theme – Season 1 – Opening / Closing (extended)
Airwolf Main Theme – ‘PILOT’, Season 1 – Synth Theme (extended)
Airwolf Main Theme - Season 1 – Closing
Airwolf Main Theme – Season 1 – Slow Main Theme
‘PILOT’ – Orchestral Suite
‘PILOT’ – Closing Theme