Back on the waterfront (Norfolk?), Daniel
is on business along with Israel and Becky. While Dan's at the customs house a thief breaks in and steals a purportedly gold-filled dispatch box, ditching the loot in a well after a Keystone Cops chase with the redcoats. Israel sees the drop and enlists the aid of ship's chandler and reprobate Capt. Jonas Morgan (Henry Jones) in retrieving the prize.
Another urban outing for DB, and the third with a nautical theme. Henry Jones for the second time is a colonial town schemer, and Welsh TV and movie journeyman Ivor Richard is the British commodore in pursuit of the box. Two capable period character actors are put in play, but unfortunately their interaction is minimal. Another character actor who went on to a 96-role career, Jack Bannon, plays a British corporal; he played several redcoat roles on DB's run.
Jones is given a hook-hand lest anyone miss the belabored point that he's an old salt. Becky is given a chance to unleash her inner spitfire on a hapless redcoat corporal (Bannon).
The episode is dated as pre-Revolution due to a reference on redcoat quartering, but the patriot movement is absent and no real connection to tensions with the Crown is made. No real explanation is given as to why Dan has to visit the customs house.
Redcoat report: about eight, and again the Royal American Regiment blue on red facings are reused when Royal Marine colors would have served better. The commodore is wearing a chapeau more appropriate to the Napoleonic Wars period.
The drama and action is largely Disney-level, and Dan mainly looks sharp in his town clothes except for a brief street brawl with the redcoats. And near the finale we are again in the waterfront cave that Jim Backus was using several episodes back. The ingredients were all here for a tale of Revolutionary War intrigue, but again the Season 5 slide toward human interest stories continues.