License To Steele

While protecting millions in jewels, Laura is approached by a dashing and mysterious man who claims to be special agent intent on protecting those same jewels. – from the DVD case.

 

9/10

The pilot episode to introduce us to all the main characters from season 1. This is an episode that I was never able to view until years later on reruns. Somehow I had missed everything but the very end chase through the airport when it originally aired. And when it ran again later in the year I missed it again, much to my chagrin.

Many of the title sequence images and clips were taken from this episode. We get to see Laura and Murphy providing security for some expensive jewels. And Steele, posing as someone else, staking out the transport of the jewels so he can steal them. Brosnan comes across very sophisticated, handsome and dresses smartly. Later he poses as Steele, unbeknownst to Laura and Murphy. Zimbalist is smart, elegant and beautiful as ever. While Murphy is competent and apparently provides the muscle.

There is some mistaken identity, which provides some comic nice relief. A hotel lobby scene somewhat reminiscent of the scene in North By Northwest. The trap set for the murderers is clever, though I doubt the police would find it very as amusing.

Near the end is a reveal of the vehicle the entrepreneur wants to build, and for which he had rented the jewels to get people to come listen to his fund raising offer. They call it something else in the show, but it is in actuality a Vector W-2. I used to have a poster of it in my bedroom at home, and later my dorm room at college.

You can just see the edge of it here in this photo of my freshman dorm room.

A later version of the car, Vector W-8, was used in the movie Rising Sun for a car chase which resulted in the on screen torching of the vehicle after a crash.

All in all, I enjoyed this episode. It was a nice introduction to the characters and flowed along nicely with plenty of intrigue, humor and action.