My summary is pure plagiarism quoting a lyric from a popular Huey Lewis song, but it fits. Banacek is a bad boy and he sure is cool. He lives the playboy life, but he's deadly serious about his craft. That craft would be solving insured criminal theft. For a meager 10-percent Banacek can live the high life. Yet he's grounded by Boston's "old-school" blue blood circles in which he moves. A wonderful juxtaposition! Banacek is George Peppard. An elegant yet approachable man. A pillar of both old world acceptance as well as garish 70's cool. He's perfect in the role. It was rumored that others such as James Coburn were considered, well all I can say is they snagged the perfect actor in Peppard.
Like Sherlock Holmes the crux of each week's complicated mystery isn't so much in the action but in the elimination. While Peppard can be physical it's his wily intuition that always rises to solve the case. Along the way we get some fantastic cinematography and some downright cool style via our protagonist. Dino and Frank can only remember when as George rewrites cool.
I'm a "Brother of the Leaf" ( a cigar lover) and I sincerely enjoy how much of Peppard's own signature style carries over into the series. The cocktails and the smokes, the cars, and the clothing (('ll forgive the SansaBelts) make for pure fashion forward style. Not to mention the signature gloves that carried over much later in "The A-Team".
So much for the overview, this episode, not unlike the pilot, is complicated. It, of course, skirts believability as it shoe horns relevance into everyday life...The NFL here. A player mysteriously disappears after a gang tackle. Insurance, as well as in this case ransom, money is on the line Banacek is on the case.
O.K., this episode isn't as earthy as the pilot. It stretches the imagination more, but it's still complicated and doesn't give up the finale too early. It keeps you invested. This is the fun, and entertainment, that is Banacek. It's great fun indeed. He's just too cool for words. We knew he'd solve it, but the ride was good. Sure, there tension isn't too great, but the journey is so enjoyable. The window dressing of Susan St. James is spot-on. The supporting characters add color. A solid start for a 70's cool Sherlock Holmes.