Oh Where, Oh Where Can My Little Sparks Be? - Ace
Due to my knowledge of “The A-Team” being corroded by time, since the last time I watched the show
regularly I was around eight, this one had me perplexed at first. Now though, I think I’ve deciphered it - if
I’m not mistaken, the plot concerns a troop of boy scout types getting ready for bed, and the shameful secret
held by the second in command of the squad. Okay, so it’s not going to hold much appeal for those outside
the fandom - it’s not a rollicking piece of action that’ll appeal across the board, but it is rather amusing and
well written. [3/5]
Father Figure - Al
We’ve all seen this before, I thought as I read the opening, but before you can say “It’s Hannibal in
disguise!”, *everything* changes. To say much more would be to give away the story, but it *is* set long
after the series, and is really quite sad. Some good writing and a neat ending add to what is, all in all, a
moving story. [4/5]
Mr Murdock - Rhonda C
After a far too rushed opening, Murdock become a first grade school teacher and falls for a co-worker,
while Face goes undercover as a tramp. What should have been a fun romp with romantic overtones is
drained by the fact that Murdock is somewhat colourlessly portrayed. Where his on-screen insanity would
have bought this story some sparkle, instead we are given a drab little man, who seems rather embarassed
about his obsession for Slinkys (those springs that “walk” down stairs, to those not in the know). Hannibal
seems rather lazy, staying out of the story for the most part, and B.A. is reduced to a supporting role. Still,
it’s nice to see Face coping with his role; he even gets a couple of decent lines. The story isn’t explained
until the end, which led me to believe that Face and Murdock’s meeting with girlfriend Sabrina was some
kind of unbelievable coincidence. The writing is competent, but the missed opportunities and the terrible
conclusion spoil what could have bee *so* much more. [3/5]
See No Evil, Speak No Evil - Maggie Z
This is bizarre to the nth degree. After a puzzling teaser, the A-Team try to help a teenaged girl, who has
been forced into becoming an exotic dancer, but instead of the usual armoured car building and blank bullet
action, we are launched into a dark nightmarish plot in which the very essences of our heroes are warped.
Throughout the first half of the story the plot points fail to make sense. We are told that the girl was raised
by a sinister commune to dance in an a local club, and later find that this club is one of a number feeding off
the commune. Are we to believe that there is a whole town built up around this child exploitation ring?
Apparently so, for the second half explains this away using parallel dimensions, psychic dolphins and all
kinds of nonsense. This really does not feel like an A-Team story at all; the author is trying to cram
Millennium style dark meanderings into a light hearted thrill ride, and the two elements completely fail to
blend. The terrible ending spoils everything that has gone before.
On the technical side, things are much better. The writing is competent, though a few instances of combining paragraphs stick out. This story could be salvaged with an extensive re-writing, though it doesn’t fit into the A-Team fandom at all. [2/5]
The Reverse Rumplestiltskin - Javelin
While driving through small town America, the A-Team suddenly find themselves lumbered with a baby girl.
Sounds bad, huh? Sounds like “Four Men and a Baby”, huh? That’s what I thought when the girl first
appeared - and I was pleasantly surprised. Within paragraphs all the awkward ‘men are useless with babies’
business is out of the way, and the gang deal with the baby with all the efficiency you’d expect of a group of
crack commandos. Also, the plot is soon driven away from the expected saccharine and into familiar
territory as the boys deal with the local bully. Basically the main plot is classic ‘Team’, complete with damsel
in distress, scared townsfolk, home-brew armoured car - yet it all works. The author works within the
formula, while never being limited to it, as a clever in joke at the end proves. Unfortunately there are a
myriad of plot points that aren’t explained until the hurriedly put together end. The story is in parts, and if
these parts were originally published separately then I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the author had thought
up answers to all the questions asked by puzzled readers about the story, and put them all into the last part;
that’s the impression with which I was left.
The writing is pretty good, with an ambiguous feel to it; the surface thoughts of all the main characters are revealed, and this manages to avoid leaving any of the team redundant while still not becoming an overcrowded and confusing piece of prose. There are a couple of annoying grammatical errors that lace the entire story (‘you’re’ instead of ‘your’), but this is mostly technically sound, though a little shallow feeling at times.
This is an enjoyable, if lightweight story. A lot like the show, in fact! [3.5/5]
A Simple Farce - Amanda/Cuke
All kids of the eighties know how big an influence “The A-Team”, and in particular BA Baracus, was on the
playground. At my own primary school, white middle-class seven-year-olds suddenly felt the need to call
each other ‘sucka’ and loudly state that they were *not* ‘goin’ on no plane, you crazy damn fool’, and this
story takes up this idea. When BA stops his potty mouth for the sake of the children at the orphanage the
gang is helping out at, his bad attituded tendancies start to display themselves in a way that only Murdock
can see and hear. As suggested by the title, this is little more than an idea worked on by a couple of drunk
IRCers, but it works surprisingly well. There are some funny moments, a great dig at the prolific “A-Team”
slash market, and despite a few slips here and there, this is pretty neat. [3.5/5]
Je Donne Ma Couer A Toi - Al
Well written but spoiled by some clumsy typnig mistales (which is exactly what this story *didn’t* need),
this fanfic covers the heartache suffered by Hannibal’s girlfriend after his execution. It’s not as
heartwrenching as it thinks (and isn’t as good as Al’s “Father Figure”) and the ending is utterly abysmal. I
liked the writing though. [3.5/5]
The Darkness And The Light - Amanda/Cuke
This is one of those “character’s thoughts” pieces so beloved of fan fiction, and it is a good read, if not
strictly A-Team. HM Murdock contemplates his life while in bed in hospital, but don’t expect any nonsense
about Slinkys or invisible dogs, because this Murdock is a Vietnam veteran, haunted by years spent in
unsanitary mental institutes. The writing is pretty good, despite some odd turns of phrase, but the thought
“plot” seems a bit here there and everywhere. We are not given a clear pattern of thought, events are only
hinted at and Murdock is just about as far from being Murdock as it’s possible to get. Come to think of it,
maybe that’s the whole point. [3.5/5]
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