"ANGEL OF MERCY" Mercy Please April 3, 1999

by
Gordon Hom

There are no action scenes and no car chases in "Angel of Mercy." The majority of this episode appears to be shot on the Treasure Island production lot, a low-key episode made with an apparently smaller budget than usual. It appears that NASH BRIDGES saves all their razzle dazzle for the sweeps period shows, and then in-between, we get these low-key cheapo shows just to round out the 22 episodes a year.

Caitlin returns from her sister's wedding with a new boyfriend in tow. But it was a mistake, sex in a moment of vulnerability, as a guilty Caitlin blurts out to Nash. We see Caitlin compare the two potential mates: Nash is kind and magically playful with children (as he tapes up a girl's bruised knee) contrasted to Bruce's callousness and competitiveness in his coaching of girl's soccer. Caitlin ultimately fires Brucey boy and sends him packing. Nash re-unites Angel with his lost mother, as a beaming Caitlin admires Nash for the goodness just oozing out of him. This is all fine and dandy, but isn't NASH BRIDGES supposed to be a cop show? You remember, bang-bang shoot-em-up, right?

Then there's Harvey. Harvey should just wear a "Kick Me" sign when it comes to women. Bonnie returns, after cruelly leaving Harvey on Christmas Eve (for no apparent solid reason, other than "not being able to be herself"). Of course Harvey forgives Bonnie, being the soft meatball that he is. And of course she leaves him again. Again, this is all fine and dandy, but this is supposed to be a cop show, right? Bang-bang shoot-em-up?

And then there's Joe, approaching a young girl on the street. She's on her way home from school, and Joe, the potential child molester, asks where does she live. Is this really even funny? Here's Joe coaching all these young girls. Such a twisted scenario (there have been notorious actual incidents) is sure to be on the minds of people in these positions, as one must always be cautious in these twisted times. The outrageous film WILD THINGS (1997) exploits these fears with a gleeful vengeance. Taboos are broken in a menagé a trois with two female students and a handsome outgoing counselor. Molestation is given a mean plot twist, as it's all part of an elaborate plan hatched by one of the sexy students. But Joe's misadventure has nothing to do with this kind of nastiness, but rather Caitlin's voluntarism in coaching.

The Angel mystique remains unresolved even though Nash finds out his identity and Angel's sad childhood. Beyond childhood, Angel remains a mystery, having never attended high school or ever working. The Bayside serial killer is an almost refreshing contrast amidst the cloying sweetness of Caitlin and young girl's soccer teams. And as Nash says, "She smells good, too." It seems like that's as lecherous an undercurrent as we're likely to get from Nash. But we're not at the season finale yet...

For more, see synopsis for Episode 73

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