Original Air Date: May 8, 1996
Captain
Simms worries about the sudden rash of suicides at a
military high school attended by the son no one knew she
had. WARNING: Trying to make sense of this script,
penned by David Carradine, may cause YOU to start thinking
about suicide.
OPH hereby issues this heartfelt
and most extremely humbw apology to David Carradine for the
all the terrible things written about this episode in
earlier versions of the ep guide: apparently it's not really
totally his fault the episode sucks. The original script,
"Boot Camp" was really, really good. Even though Carradine
functioned at various times as creative consultant and
co-producer for the show and ought to have had more to say
about how they trashed the script, and despite the fact that
he kept his name on it even though the filmed version stunk
up the place, the original concept was really good! End of
humbw apology <G>
Almost interesting facts: The original script,
"Boot Camp," was penned by David Carradine and Patrick
Culliton. Culliton, who at least had the good sense to
remove his name from the writing credits, was Mayor Quinn in
"Dragonswing," Matthew Caine's commanding officer in "The
Sacred Chalice of I Ching," and now portrays Sargeant
Hawkins in "Special Forces." Marina Anderson, Carradine's
wife, makes her third appearance on the series. She appears
here as Clancey, the bartender. She was first seen as the
out-of-control Stella in "Rain's Only Friend" during the
first season. She then appeared in the third season as
Mona,the brainless actress in "Flying Fists of Fury." James
Blendick (General Bradford) also appeared in "Retribution"
as Commissioner Frank Cooper. And as much as we may wish to,
let us not forget Michael Bowen, once again playing Macklin,
the survivalist/terrorist/kidnapper/Shakespearean-quoting
psycho from the first season's episode, "Dragonswing."
For of all sad words of tongue or pen,/The saddest
are these: "It might have been!" (Maud Muller) I present
for you a small bit of dialog from the original script as
written by Carradine and Culliton:
SARGEANT'S QUARTERS -- NIGHT Hawkins, Caine and the
Ancient are playing cards. The Ancient is smoking a big
cigar.
ANCIENT:
Gin!
HAWKINS:
Again!? Cripes!
How do you do it?
ANCIENT:
It is a question of
becoming one with the cards. (winks at
Caine)
HAWKINS:
Well, I've had it. How 'bout some
refreshment, huh?
ANCIENT:
Let us join the troops. We
have passes. There might be girls.
CAINE:
A wise idea.
For you. I will take a walk in the
moonlight.
ANCIENT:
Kwai Chang Caine, you are a stick
in the mud.
I submit to you that if they had been able to make
this script the way it was written, the show might have been
picked up for a fifth season! The entire script for "Boot
Camp" was published in Coming of Age #6. Quoted without
permission...direct all lawsuits to Starr Chang Caine,
please <G>