Jake and the Fatman: Season Two – DVD Review

DVD Reviews, Reviews

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In 1988, Hawaii was about to become a hotbed of criminal action. After two decades of being protected by Hawaii Five-O and Magnum P.I., the 50th state was slated to be without a TV crime solver. Citizens feared that Honolulu would resemble Chicago before The Untouchables arrived. Luckily they were saved when Jake and the Fatman fled smoggy Los Angeles for the tropical paradise. The new location opened up the drab drama with flamboyant colors and lush vistas. Not that the vibrancy reduced William Conrads thickness. Jake and the Fatman: Season Two takes us to their new tropical stomping grounds.


The Fatman is the nickname of District Attorney J.L. McCabe (Cannon‘s William Conrad). Jake Styles (Joe Penny) is his chief investigator. Derek Mitchell (Alan Campbell) is the office flunky who cant do the muscle work like Jake. How does this trio go from Los Angeles to Honolulu? The two hour special episode explain all. “Wish You Were Here” has Jake take a vacation to lovely Hawaii. Hes supposed to stay with a longtime pal. Instead of a nice beach bungalow, Jake arrives to a homicide scene. The death takes a Hawaii Five-O flavor with Khigh Dhiegh behind the hit. Thats right, Wo Fat is back except hes got a different name. One of the investigators is Al Harrington. He was part of McGarretts crew for several seasons as Det. Ben Kokua. Jake doesnt trust the local cops to find the killer. He gets support when the Fatman flies to the islands. Even though they are outsiders at first, the Fatman ends up getting a job as the assistant district attorney in Honolulu with a fast track to take over the office. Before this crime is solved, the series has planted itself in the land of Don Ho and pineapples. Although Jake refuses to stop wearing his acid washed jeans.

“Ill Never Smile Again” reveals the ultimate evil crime in Hawaii is a tourist gets mugged. Things get complicated when the mugger gets shot to death. The original victim doesnt know who held the gun. Jake isnt sure what to make of the situation. The Fatman keeps the police tailing the victim. He must find the mystery shooter. “Why Cant You Behave?” introduces us to the Fatmans son, but not under good circumstances. A senator pal of the Fatman dies in a plane crash. Turns out the Fatmans son sold him bad parts for the aircraft. Now its up to the Penny to uncover if the Fatmans son’s cheapness made him a murderer or did someone else screw up the flight. “Poor Butterfly” takes us into the world of Hawaiian hookers. Jake does his best to get a callgirl to flip on a pimp in the courtroom. However the pimp flips her into the emergency room. Late 80s prostitutes arent as tacky as the ones from the 70s featured on Hawaii Five-O. The pimp isnt nearly as flashy. He wears a Cosby sweater. Jake has to get the injured hookers to incriminate their mack. “It Ain’t Necessarily So” has the publisher of an adult magazine interrupting the burglary of his house. The robber turns into a murderer when he shoots the publishers wife. Can a man in such a dirty business get clean justice? The episode starts with a photo shoot featuring a big haired 80s model showing off her trashy lingerie.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” has an undercover drug bust go bad. The next night two undercover cops are blasted away. Who is behind the shooting? Jake is caught up in investigating the deaths and comforting the police widows. “Snowfall” has the biggest guest star of the season with Michael Madsen (Kill Bill and Free Willy). A sting operation turns sour and Jakes informant bites it. Jake wants to take out the counterfeiter who wasted his stool pigeon. Guess who that is? Madsen looks like a punk kid this early in his career.

Jake and the Fatman might have moved to Hawaii, but they hadnt gone native. Most of the scripts for this season seemed to be relocated from Los Angeles. The hookers and pimps dressed as if they were hanging out in Encino. Theres little island flair on the characters outside of the Fatmans huge shirts. The show is still timid when it comes to showing the violence. There isnt the intensity found in an episode of Hawaii Five-O. This is just graphic enough for your grandmother. For those curious why Jake and the Fatman: Season Two only has ten episodes, there was a writers strike that year. Perhaps the strike didnt allow them to think how to bring out island life on the pages? The episodes on Jake and the Fatman: Season Two are about as relaxing as any fruity drink you can order up at the Royal Hawaiians bar.

The Episodes
“Wish You Were Here,” “I’ll Never Smile Again,” “Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered,” “Why Can’t You Behave?,” “Poor Butterfly,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “Side By Side” & “Snowfall.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The series looks like it was shot on film, but edited and finished on videotape. This means the definition isnt quite up to the level of tropical views found on the Hawaii Five-O DVDs. Although the lower resolution does allow William Conrad to look sexy in his new paradise. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. You can hear Conrads stomach rumble when he gets too close to a luau.

None.

Jake and the Fatman: Season Two brings a tropical twist to their criminal investigations. The action isn’t too shocking. The average episode seems rather cushioned when compared to what Conrad did on Cannon. Jake and the Fatman isn’t meant to shock the audience so much as keep the folks guessing.

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CBS DVD presents Jake and the Fatman: Season Two. William Conrad, Joe Penny and Alan Campbell. Boxset Contents: 10 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released on DVD: May 5, 2009. Available at Amazon.com

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.