77: Veteran (5.03)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Reuben Leder, Nicholas Corea; Produced by Robert Bennett Steinhauer, Jill Sherman, Karen Harris
Directed by Michael Vejar

A man, apparently suffering from combat shock, stumbles into the alleyway where David is putting out rubbish.  The latter foils an attempted mugging and helps the Vietnam veteran back to health.   Once Hewitt is back on his feet he locates a place where he can conveniently unfold an assassination attempt on a local politician, who he blames for 'killing' him back in 'nam.  This location happens to be a studio run by a woman who is forced to be held hostage until the shooting can take place.

Centering around a good performance from the veteran, played by German-born Paul Koslo (he also played Rivers in Long Run Home), there is some amusement to be had from Hewitt just staggering into the studio saying that he needs to use the place, but the character is clearly a complete psychological mess (something that is explained later in the story by deeper issues than him simply being a returner from the war, as if that wouldn't be enough!).  Some enjoyable small scale destruction from the Hulk in the first half, after David has been tortured in a rather disturbing fashion, keep this one moving along.

Number of Fists: ***

76: Two Godmothers (5.02)

1981; 46 minutes
Written by Reuben Leder; Produced by Jill Sherman
Directed by Michael Vejar

While collecting laundry from a female detention facility, David - ever in the wrong place at the wrong time - is taken hostage by three escaping prisoners and forced to drive the van out into the middle of nowhere as the women aim to hold up for a night or two.  A bigger problem is that one of them is pregnant, with the birth not too far away as the shaking of the vehicle on bumpy roads stimulates movement of the new arrival.

The group are pursued by a fascist warden controller while David himself is believed to be voluntarily assisting the group.  The drama is enhanced a little by their forced pause in a shack as the authorities close in, at the same time as the birth is underway, although on the whole this is a running of the well worn mill.

Number of Fists: **½