Many Happy Returns

In the show's first absolutely brilliant episode, Gus returns to the store where he is currently working only to find that Booth has murdered the store-owner and the police are waiting… Gus flees, takes a woman named Madeline hostage, and back to her home. Meanwhile, Booth has invaded another home and taken the owners hostage. He phones Gus with the news. Madeline is afraid for her life, but Gus convinces her to drive him to the address Booth has just given him. The brothers fight, and Madeline finally realises she can trust Gus. Unfortunately she's already left clues for the police, and they are rapidly closing in…

Madeline takes an injured Gus to a motel to hide-out, but Booth manages to split them up and take Gus's place at Madeline's side.

Now Madeline really is with a dangerous killer.

The first top-notch episode, and the first real indication that Two was something special. The story primarily concerns Gus and Booth. It's their birthday. So Booth plans a special surprise for Gus: a brutal murder caught on security camera. Rapidly Gus's cover falls apart and in the opening minutes of the episode he finds himself on the run, and forced to threaten an innocent woman (Laurie Holden from The X-Files). Scenes like this separate Two for shows like The Incredible Hulk. Only on Two would you have the leading lady totally terrified of the show's hero. Sure, the Hulk might scare a few people, but when did the leading lady cover in fear at the sight of David Banner?

While all this is happening Agent Carter has arrived in town. But, because Two is so well written, things are not smooth sailing from her end. The local Sheriff resents her, and he's doing everything he can to do things his way, and steal the glory for himself.

Best of all. Just as Laurie Holden finally begins to trust Gus, Booth switches places with him and she ends up driving off with a hardened killer.

Russian Hill

Gus saves the life of a mobsters son, and is invited back to their plush mansion. Initially things are cordial, but when Gus is unable to give many details of the assassination attempt he incurs the mobsters wrath and finds himself a prisoner.

Eventually, through befriending the mobsters daughter, he gets through to the old man and is allowed to leave the house…

…walking straight into the arms of a Justice Department agent.

Who vows to help Gus find Booth, if he will first go 'undercover' in the mobsters home and find some evidence.

Gus returns to the house. Where he is welcomed by the old man.

Gus accepts an invitation to stay.

All the while trying to decide what he should do.

He eventually decides to be honest with the mobster, and they work together on setting up a 'sting' operation on the Justice Department Agent.

But the plan goes wrong on the day of the drop when the mobsters daughter shows up, and shoots her brother in cold blood, leaving Gus to take the fall.

Gus is one the run again, with the mobster, the Justice Department and Carter all closing in…

One of the most exciting and convoluted stories in the show's first season.

It showcases some fine performances. Notably Donelly Rhodes as the mobster and Garwin Sanford as the Justice Department agent. Rhodes is a long-time favourite of mine from his days on Soap, and Sanford was a real stand-out during his time as chief baddie on Stephen's J. Cannell's Hawkeye.

In this episode of Two, both of them are on top form. Sanford's character displays a mischievous sense of humour when faced with a highly irate Agent Carter, and the actor conveys the scene perfectly. Much of the episode hinges on whether or not you can believe in the relationship between Gus and the old man, and Rhodes is perfect for the role of the idealistic mobster.

Also noteworthy are the plots twists and turns, with Gus caught up in a much bigger game.

The revelation of the killer is a stunner and from there on the episode takes on an edge-of-the-seat atmosphere.

And I mean that quite literally. I was on the edge of my seat as Gus headed into the hospital. Past the various police forces and straight to the man who now believed him to be a vicious killer.

This was a common threat in many episodes of Two - Gus earning or losing the trust of others. In the second episode of the series, while Gus is still in his home town and before he heads off across the country, there were several scenes between Gus and one of his best friends - in which you were never sure whether he was being believed. And when betrayal finally happened, it had great impact on the viewer.

And this is no exception. Gus and the old man had bonded. Suddenly all that appears lost.

Gus appears and starts to tell his story to the old man.

The daughter stands and listens. Then begins to refute Gus's claims (when she would, wouldn't she!).

It's a powerful scene.

As the police close in an emotional shouting match ensues, and no matter which way it goes you know Gus is about to have to run for his life.

No Man's Land

Gus gets work in a small town store. He gets on very well with the store owner (but her husband isn't quite so friendly). As well as giving him a job, she also offers him a place to stay. Gus readily accepts, which gives him a chance to get to know the family up close and personal.

And it's not a pretty picture.

The marriage is a new one, and the husband isn't dealing very well with his new step-son.

To make matters worse it soon becomes apparent that Gus and the teenager get on very well.

But, as uncomfortable as that makes things, worse is to follow.

The husband has a major chip on his shoulder about being ineligible for military service. A chip that has translated itself into psycho-hobby: he abducts and terrorises hitchhikers!!

His latest abductee puts up too strong a fight and gets killed, so the husband decides to frame Gus for the murder…

By this stage the wife has already realised that Gus is a wanted felon…

Another top-notch script.

Plot-wise everything unfolds at breakneck pace. Gus is employed in the opening scenes, and takes up residence after the opening credits. We pretty soon get several graphic illustrations as to the disharmony in the family. In no time the husband (Justin Louis of Public Morals, Trinity, Three) has revealed his quirky hobby and the wife has uncovered the dark secret of Gus McClain.

This episode features my favourite Two guest-star: Teryl Rothery (of Stargate SG-1). She is simply wonderful here.

Justin Louis (one of the busiest actors of the past few years: he also guested on Millenium) also turns in a great performance.

The issue of trust rears it's head again. Once his cover is blown, Gus has to try and get the woman to believe him.

A task made easier by the way he has behaved around her son.

The scenes that set this up were brilliantly played. They could have been mawkish and obvious. But every cord is played to perfection. Gus and the boy are shown having a flour fight, and Gus is also shown teaching the boy to box. Countless shows would try stuff like that. And all would fail.

Except The Incredible Hulk, which generally managed to be better than Two at pulling the ol' heartstrings.

Reunion

Gus arrives in a town where Booth lived. And he is constantly mistaken for Booth by everybody there.

Including Booth's ex-girlfriend.

Who happens to be the spitting image of Gus' dead wife!

She refuses to believe that Gus isn't Booth (who ran out on her when she got pregnant). Her abusive boyfriend, meanwhile, doesn't take too kindly to Gus hanging around. They have a vicious fist-fight, in which Gus totally demolishes the other guy.

Soonafter the guy turns up dead.

Somebody else is stalking the girlfriend. Is Booth back in town?

Another fine example of Two using it's premise to it's advantage.

The entire story is framed by clips of a talk-show in progress. The author on the talk show is plugging a book about…

Twins.

And it is this episode that we see the similarities between Gus and Booth. Most episodes focus on the differences. But this is the one where we see how alike they are. For a start they both fell in love with identical women (played by the same actress).

Another thing that marks this episode out is the fact that Gus is perceived to be Booth by just about everybody. And Booth was a bit of a wild-boy during his time there, so Gus is regarded a tough guy. Something that is backed up when he beats the crap out of the abusive boyfriend.

But, best of all, is the stalker aspect of things. Somebody is watching the girlfriend. P.O.V. camera angles from the woods behind her house show us this. But who is it?

It could be Booth. Which ups the stakes considerably, since it would be cool to see Booth and Gus interact again.

But, in the final moments, we find out that it wasn't Booth at all. It was somebody else. And the clues were there. The show is playing fair with us. When the killer is revealed, rather than being disappointed that it isn't Booth, we are thoroughly pleased that we have been deceived so well.

Prodigal

In the closing moments of the pilot episode, Gus declared that he was heading to Booth's home-town of Spokane, Washington, and in this episode (written by executive producer David Levinson) he finally arrives there.

The woman who stole Booth is long dead, so Gus investigates one of the foster families who raised the boy.

Again (as with the previous week's outing) he is mistaken for Booth. A misconception he is happy to leave intact.

But all is not what it seems. Once alone the foster family talk about Booth and his sudden return. They wonder has he guessed their secret.

If he has, they concur, he will have to die…

What the hell is going on?

This is one cool episode.

The foster family are involved with some kind of syndicate. Children placed in their care are moved on to other families, then located using sophisticated tracking devices, and kidnapped.

But for what purpose?

This episode took me by surprise. It seemed as if Two was about to launch an arc for itself. And it genuinely piqued my curiosity about Booth's past and what exactly happened to him after he was kidnapped.

With the show cancelled, we will never get these answers.

Sink Or Swim

The episode opens when two police officers - acting on a tip - find Gus working in a warehouse, a chase ensues and Gus is shot. Falling off the pier, apparently to his death.

Next day his body is dragged from the river and Agent Carter is informed that her manhunt is over.

When news of McClain's death goes public, Booth hits town. His first port of call is the coroners office. Unfortunately the Coroner responds to his presence in the wrong way, and confirms his suspicions that this is an elaborate ruse set in motion by Gus.

Booth takes the coroner hostage.

Carter is also in town, likewise convinced that this is all an elaborate con-job. When she learns of the coroners disappearance (rapidly followed by the kidnapping of the cop who claimed to shoot Gus) she's determined to locate McClain.

She then learns that Gus' body was dragged from the water by none other than the mobster befriended by Gus in the "Russian Hill" episode.

But Booth has reached the same conclusion, and pretty soon he has added the mobster to his collection of hostages.

None it's up to Gus to try and save the three people who tried to save him.

Excellent episode, told largely from the point of view of Booth.

Prom Night

Gus is working as a driver for a limo company.

It's Prom Night and six students have hired his limo. As driver, Gus gets to tag along.

However, all is not what it seems. The kids have a gun stashed in the back seat and whenever they are alone they talk about their plans for later on.

An extremely well told story.

For ages, Gus has no idea that anything is up.

Once he finds the gun, he still doesn't know why it's been put there. And the beauty of this episode is that neither do we.

The climax of the story is upon us by the time the view knows what's going on. And a pretty stunning finale it is, too.

And then we (the audience) remember that he is a teacher. Or was a teacher. And when - a moment later - the images freezes and the episode concludes you cannot help but feel great empathy for the character.

The Nun Story

Three women meet for lunch.

They separate, and two of them are brutally gunned down by a man.

The third woman meets with Gus, they chat together and then return to her house where they make love.

Later, the two cops investigating the double murders arrive at the house and while they are telling her what has happened, Gus (while hiding from the police) overhears that his lover is actually a nun.

Meanwhile the killer is closing in for a third kill.

The one opens with a brutal shooting. Gut-wrenching.

This is following by the revelation that Gus has finally let his guard down long enough to fall in love.

Then, we learn that the woman in question is a nun having a crisis of faith.

Best of all, large chunks of the episode are told from the point of view of the two homicide detectives investigating the murders. They quickly suss that the nun they interviewed was entertaining a gentleman and they discuss this fact at length. As well as proving interesting in it's own right, this type of writing fleshes out the guest characters and you really come to know them with the 42 minutes of the show.

Between The Lines

Booth (posing as Gus) has contacted a journalist and gotten her to write "his" biography.

When Gus hears about the book on TV, he sees it as a chance to capture Booth so he heads for the journalist and makes contact.

She, of course, thinks that this is Booth back to play some kind of twisted game.

Meanwhile, Booth is still in town, and before too long he is playing a twisted game…

There is a lot to like in this episode.

First the story is good. Sandra Nelson (of Stephen J.Cannell's Scene Of The Crime) is perfect as the writer caught up between the McClain brothers, her publisher and the media.

Next, it's always good to have an episode with Booth in action.

Then there's that whole trust angle that shows up in many episodes. I really loved that. And in this one, it takes Gus ages and many attempts to win the writer's trust. Only to have Booth shatter it again.

The episode has two wonderful set pieces.

In the first, Agent Carter has assigned Agent Forbes to follow the writer. Booth intercedes and a chase/gun battle ensues. Meanwhile Gus is handcuffed inside the van that Booth is driving.

Booth finds an alleyway and ditches the van. Agent Forbes is closing in and Gus has to find a way out of the handcuffs. And fast!

The second set piece takes place at the climax of the episode. Booth has tied the writer up and is about to strangle her slowly, in full view of a video camera.

Gus breaks in just as the wrier loses consciousness. And a fist-fight ensues. Partially caught on tape.

Gus wins, but the writer is still knocked out and the video camera caught nothing much but feet.

Excellent.

The Reckoning

A military man sets out avenge the murder of his daughter.

Doing so involves enlisting the assistance of Agent Carter's boss (who has been a recurring character on the show) to get information on Gus McClain's whereabouts.

Before long, a commando team led by the Military Guy has located Booth and prepares to move in for the kill. Unfortunately (for him) Gus has managed to trace Booth and he is watching from nearby when the commando's attack and kidnap Booth from his motel room.

Gus is spotted.

And captured.

Soon, the Military guy is face to face with the McClain brothers. One is a killer. One isn't. He can't tell them apart but he is determined to execute his daughters killer.

Meanwhile, Agent Carter has grown suspicious of her boss.

There's a lot to recommend this clever episode.

First a guest appearance by Jim Byrnes of Stephen J. Cannell's Wiseguy (and Highlander, of course).

Then, there's the spectacle of Booth and Gus side by side. Booth did not appear in every episode, and when he did appear, he rarely hung around with Gus very much. So here's an episode with both of them, side by side in two cages, waiting for execution.

Next, is the fact that this story takes an established semi-regular, brings him front and centre on the show (and writes him out in spectacular fashion).

Forget Me Not

Gus is working as a tutor to the only daughter of a wealthy immigrant family.

The local sheriff has paid them a visit. He recognises Gus. But does nothing about it. Instead he phones an unseen person to report on happenings at the house.

It seems that the parents have a dark secret of some kind. They and their staff carry hand-guns and the imminent arrival of a foreign diplomat is causing them great worry.

Oblivious to all this, Gus continues to tutor the teenage girl. On one trip into a nearby town they are hassled by a reporter, which mystifies our hero.

One day, he and the girl return to discover the father and servants shot dead after a bloody gun battle. There is no sign of the mother and two gunmen are still on the scene. Gus and the girl flee.

Having informed the sheriff about the murders, Gus takes the girl to her embassy for sanctuary.

But he quickly realises that the Sheriff has done nothing in regard to the killings and has done nothing by cover them up and clean the house.

Returning to the embassy, Gus is told that they don't know what girl he is talking about. Then he spots (and is spotted by) the two killers from the house. A chase follows. Gus escapes, but now realises that he has delivered the teenage girl right into the hands of the very people who killed most of her family.

In an effort to figure out what is going on, Gus locates the journalist and the duo team up to try and save the girl.

The key phrase there is: "In an effort to figure out what is going on". Like all the very best Two episodes, the plot here is complex, and told in such a way to have you wondering about it, for as long as possible.

Gus eventually gets face to face with the baddies, and hears their story. A story which casts them in a much more sympathetic light.

But, to the credit of the writer, Gus remains sceptical about their story - meaning that the audience becomes equally doubting and the tension is increased.

Tale Of The Tape

A trashy exposé show is broadcasting footage of a prominent politician meeting with a woman connected to organised crime.

Gus is watching this story unfold on a bar TV set, when in the background he spots his twin brother Booth. The onscreen caption gives the date of the recording. The exact same day as Agent Carter was chasing Gus in an entirely different city. Proof, at last, of Booth's existence.

Gus heads for the TV station for a copy of the show. Only to learn that the master copy of the show has been stolen.

He goes to the home of the camerawoman and finds that the place has been ransacked and her copy of the footage has apparently been taken.

In a desperate bid to locate the footage, Gus teams up with the cynical woman, in a battle of wits with what appears to be henchmen of the politician.

Except, of course, it begins to become clear that these guys have nothing to do with the politician at all, and a third (more sinister) party is involved.

A fitting finale to a superb series.

More than at any other time in the shows run, Gus has a shot at proving his innocence.

And, as is typical of Two, it is really only in the closing moments of the show that you are finally privy to the explanation for what has been going on.

Best of all, the clues telling you this were right there on screen at the very start of the show.

8:00

Sci-Fi

V

9:00

Network Two

Ally McBeal

9:55

TV3

Early Edition

10:50

Channel Five

Two