The Mod Squad ( Episode 18) "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light"

The Story: Pete, Linc and Julie move into a beach side home to protect Janny Willis, a blind-woman who was recently attacked near the ocean. Her assailant doesn't realize she is blind though and is convinced Janny can ID him, a fact which makes her a virtual moving target for the Squad to protect.






The Crew: "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light" finds Earl Bellamy returning to the director's chair for The Mod Squad and he delivers his typically confident, if not overly exciting, touch to it. Also returning to the fold is writer Edward Lakso, who had previously penned the solid Season One episodes "Shell Game" and "The Sunday Drivers". Sadly Lakso's work on "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light" isn't as memorable as it was on those previous two episodes and the episode can't be counted as one of Season One's better hours.






The Guest-Stars: Perhaps the most memorable thing about "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light" is getting the chance to watch Clarence Williams III act with his real-life wife Gloria Foster. The Chicago born Foster, who sadly passed away in 2001, was already nearing forty when she shot her first Mod Squad episode but she only had a few screen credits to her name, including a role in the Burton-Taylor vehicle The Comedians and an episode of I Spy. The talented Foster would soon become more in demand and her credits after The Mod Squad would include everything from The Cosby Show to The Matrix!
"A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light" also finds the incredibly prolific Virginia Gregg making a memorable appearance as Janny's care-giver Helen. A former radio actor and personality the Illinois Greg would appear in hundreds of television shows and films before her death in 1986, with her last gigs being uncredited voice-work in both Psycho II and Psycho III.
Lou Krugman, Beverly McKinsey, John Milford and Hank Patterson round-out the list of guest stars for "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light".







The Verdict: A decent if not overly dynamic season one episode of The Mod Squad, "A Hint of Darkness, a Hint of Light" benefits greatly from the performance of Clarence Williams III and the chemistry he has with guest star Gloria Foster. Since this is a clearly Linc driven episode there is relatively little for Michael Cole and Peggy Lipton to do so it never sparks in the way that the best of The Mod Squad episodes do. Still, this isn't a bad entry in the series and, outside of being a bit draggy in spots, it makes for fairly compelling viewing. The episode would spark a sequel of sorts with "Return to Darkness, Return to Light", a 1970 episode that would find Foster reprising her role as Janny Willis.

The Mod Squad (Episode 19) "The Uptight Town"

The Story: When Captain Greer goes missing, our young squad traces him to an isolated desert town where they are greeted by hostility, mistrust and prejudice at every turn.




The Crew: Earl Bellamy is back in the directors chair for "The Uptight Town", one of the best episodes from The Mod Squad's first-season. Working from an insightful and sharp script from the pens of Tony Barrett and Harve Bennett, Bellamy delivers an exciting, intense and smart episode of dramatic television. With his assured and inventive direction guiding the lightning paced "The Uptight Town", Bellamy proves himself as the idea filmmaker to deliver Barrett and Bennett's subtle, but powerful, discourse on the prejudice often levelled against against minorities and the young. "The Uptight Town" is not only a great Mod Squad episode, but it is a splendid example of how it was a series not afraid to tackle the topical issues of its day.




The Guest-Stars: "The Uptight Town" has several notable costars, including Donna Baccala (who would end up in Peru just about a year later for Dennis Hopper's legendary The Last Movie). Baccala is joined by the talented but troubled Barry Brown, an up and coming actor who made several notable appearances in film and television throughout the seventies before tragically committing suicide in 1978.





Two instantly recognizable faces will be future-Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. and prolific character actor Cliff Osmand. Cult-film icon Jason Evers also makes a great appearance as the sheriff of the mysterious town who clearly has something to hide.




The Verdict: "The Uptight Town" is a flat-out awesome episode of The Mod Squad and it is easily one of the highpoints of Season 1. After the lackluster "A Hint of Darkness, A Hint of Light" it was a real return to form for a series that was really beginning to find its footing as one of the great shows of the late sixties and early seventies.