Charlie's Angels: Season 3
They're back, they're beautiful, and they mean business--but in a sweet way.Charlie's Angels: The Complete Third Seasonfinds Kris Munroe (Cheryl Ladd), sister of departed Angel Jill Munroe (Farrah Fawcett), well ensconced in the Charles Townsend Investigation agency. Jill, however, isn't entirely absent from the scene: Fawcett turns up in at least three episodes, not quite ready to shake her old job despite the lure of car racing and a handsome beau (Stephen Collins). But enough about her: the current incarnation of Charlie's team kicks off the season with a two-part mystery set in Las Vegas. Dean Martin plays a maverick casino owner who believes he's being "gaslighted," i.e., made the target of psychological harassment by an unknown enemy. Trouble is, some of his employees and friends are getting hurt and even killed by this same assailant. The girls, including brainy Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson) and streetwise Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith), plus mirthful supervisor Bosley (David Doyle), go undercover to root out a plot to ruin Martin's character. (Sure, Dino romances one of them: Sabrina.)The rest of the season follows the usualCharlie's Angelsformula of relying on the cast's appealing personalities and substantive, anti-bimbo characters, while also getting them (well, not Jackson so much) in various states of undress as quickly as possible. An accent on stories requiring the wearing of leotards and showgirl costumes certainly helps the cause, but there are plenty of non-exploitational episodes as well. Among the best programs is "Angel Come Home," in which Jill arrives at Charlie's by surprise after receiving a phony emergency cable in Europe from someone claiming to be Kris. Eager to investigate, Jill soon hooks up with an old friend (Horst Buchholz) developing a new car engine targeted by enemies. "Angels in Springtime" capitalizes on a creepy suggestion of lesbian incarcerators running an expensive spa for women. "Haunted Angels" is a spooky tale of a young man's demanding spirit being channeled, from beyond the grave, through a terrified woman. It could be real or it could be a scam; only the Angels can find out. "Counterfeit Angels" finds a trio of bank robbers claiming to be Kris, Kelly, and Sabrina; the girls fight for their innocence. Finally, a great episode from its era (1979), "Disco Angels," gets the ladies exactly where they belong: on a dance floor.--Tom Keogh