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crack_van2006-11-02 08:57 pm
laceymcbain.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2006-11-02 08:57 pm
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The A-Team Overview
I've got the keys to B.A.'s van and we're doing a drive-by rec'cing for the month of November, as a featured small fandom. I love it when a plan comes together!
"In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade into the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them ... maybe you can hire, The A-Team."
Thus begins one of the most recognizable openings in television history. For five seasons, 1983-1987, The A-Team stormed into living rooms, featuring four Vietnam veterans driving around the United States in a recognizable black/red van that seemed to be the equivalent of Snoopy's dog house (they even had a printing press in the back one time). The team defended ordinary citizens against evil, corruption, and not-very-nice people.
The show was formulaic and there were occasionally plot holes big enough to drive the van through, but the characters and their interaction were enough to keep fans entertained and to leave curious fan girls and boys wondering: what do four guys living in a van get up to when they're not on a mission?
The Team History
Unjustly accused of a crime they didn't commit (robbing the bank of Hanoi) – well, they did commit it we learn in Season 5, but they were ordered to – the group has been together since 'Nam. Hannibal, B.A. and Face are all Green Berets, Special Forces. Murdock was their chopper pilot, which makes him Army, not Air Force and not Special Forces. He technically wouldn't have been a part of their "A-Team," but it seems like he was pretty much their regular pilot, the only one crazy enough to fly them. Face was the team scrounger, able to get anything they needed, including a '57 convertible in the jungles of Vietnam ("Holiday in the Hills"). Generally, they seemed to do covert operations that may have been considered insane or suicidal. The team spent an unspecified amount of time in a Prisoner of War camp in Vietnam before escaping.
What's an A-Team?
Truthfully, the writers of the show seemed to know only enough to make them dangerous. In reality, an A-Team (Alpha Team) was usually made up of 12 Special Forces soldiers trained in various specialties. The unit would typically have been made up of sergeants with one commanding officer, and was used for special assignments. Specialized training might include scuba training (which supposedly B.A. and Hannibal have), demolition, languages, weapons, etc. The first episode also describes Murdock as a former member of the Thunderbirds – fans have often taken this to mean he was a member of the USAF Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, but I'm more likely to believe he was assigned to The 118th Helicopter Assault Unit – The Thunderbirds. For a more accurate representation (um, sort of), check out the John Wayne film, The Green Berets.
The Set-Up
The team works out of Los Angeles in the most conspicuous van ever while eluding the military who are still trying to capture them. They're mercenaries for hire, which theoretically means they get paid, but in reality they often take cases just because the cause is just or they find a way to make the bad guys pay their fee. Most shows follow a formula that goes something like this:
A client (often a young/pretty/single woman) makes contact with the team via Mr. Lee (Hannibal in disguise, although we only see him do this in one early episode). The woman's father/brother/uncle/male relative is having difficulty with the mob/competition/bullies/hoods who are putting pressure on their business/farm/store/taxicab company and driving them out of business. The team takes the case – in some instances, Face will have to break Murdock out of the Veterans Hospital first – and they set-up an elaborate plan to thwart the bad guys, usually involving taking over the business in some way. At some point, they'll inevitably get captured and locked in a storage room/barn/garage complete with all the equipment necessary to build a tank/weapon/armored vehicle by which they'll overcome their opposition and save the day. One of the team, usually Face, will be suitably thanked by the young lady who hired them, but alas, ultimately the team has to leave returning to their life on the run.
Main Characters
George Peppard as Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith – The leader of the group, Hannibal is a cigar-smoking, black-leather-glove-wearing, plan-making man. He's the one who gives the orders, calls the shots, and is overly fond of the classic half-pincer movement. He often appears in disguises to meet with potential clients and has a love of the theatrical. He cares deeply about his men and is willing to put himself on the line for a good cause. When things are going well, Hannibal is "on the jazz," high on the adrenaline of the fight. He makes Face do his work, listens to Murdock's crazy ideas with genuine interest, and spends a lot of time saying, "Nice, B.A.". His signature line is: "I love it when a plan comes together."
Dwight Schultz as Captain H.M "Howling Mad" Murdock – Murdock is never given a name beyond "H.M." in the show, but it doesn't matter because on any given day he's someone else. Housed at the Veterans Administration Hospital since the end of Vietnam, Murdock is crazy … or is that crazy like a fox? He assumes various personas in each episode – Captain Cab and his talking sock are particularly memorable – but when the team is in jeopardy he's anything but crazy. In fact, Murdock is sometimes the most focused of the group, capable of doing what needs to be done when the team is in danger. He's the pilot who can fly anything.
Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck – Face is the pretty boy, the one who doesn't like to fight because it might ruin his looks. He's the conman of the group, can talk anyone into anything, and is responsible for running the team's scams, including routinely breaking Murdock out of the V.A. hospital. He's always looking for a way to make money, and is the only one who regularly considers leaving the team for some other life. He's also a ladies man in canon, although ultimately, his first loyalty is to his team. Initially, actor Tim Dunigan was cast as Face because Dirk Benedict was unavailable and Dunigan appears in the two-part pilot episode; however, the chemistry just isn't there and thankfully Dirk Benedict relented and joined the show.
Mr. T as Sergeant Bosco "B.A." Baracus - It's commonly understood that the "B.A." stands for Bad Attitude, and B.A. has lots of that. He's the only one who openly disagrees with Hannibal most of the time, refuses to fly (so they have to drug him), and is fond of hitting people. He's the brawn to Hannibal's brains, and he plays his role well. Despite his impatience with Murdock – "crazy fool" – B.A. has a certain fondness for the "crazy man" and is very protective towards his team. His signature line: "I pity the fool …"
Other Characters
Melinda Culea as Amy Allen (1983) – Known in the show as Triple A, Amy Amanda Allen was a journalist who sought the team's help in their pilot episode. After they help her, she essentially blackmails the team into letting her go along with them on further cases. She writes the stories and they get a token female for the viewing audience. The team is never entirely comfortable with her along, but she serves a purpose, which is mainly to publicize the positive things they do.
William Lucking as Col. Lynch (1983-1984) – The first of the military men who apparently have nothing better to do than to follow the team around trying to catch them for a ten-year old crime. Colonel Lynch is more of a nuisance than a real threat.
Lance LeGault as Col. Roderick Decker (1983-1986) – "I've got you this time, Smith!" Ah, how many times will Decker utter those words? He's persistent, smart, and dedicated. He also learns from his mistakes. He starts out by giving them two minutes to give up – after a few appearances, he's whittled this down to 30 seconds, knowing that if they have too much time, they'll build some contraption and escape. Decker is pure military and believes in his cause; however, he also has a grudging respect for Hannibal and the team, and has no problem rounding up the bad guys the team leaves behind. He comes the closest to catching them, but never manages to keep them. The insinuation that they knew Decker in 'Nam and that he was a ruthless man has provided a lot of fodder for fan fiction as well.
Marla Heasley as Tawnia Baker (1984) – She replaced Amy Allen as the intrepid girl reporter, but whereas Amy was strong-willed and competent, Tawnia was whiny and annoying. No one seemed to want her along, including the team and the fans. She didn't last very long – thankfully – before she was married off, leaving the team on their own.
Jack Ging as General "Bull" Fullbright (1985-1986) – Taking over from Decker in his relentless pursuit of the team, Fullbright also has a respect for the team and actually blackmails them into helping him return to Vietnam in search of his child. Fullbright's final appearance in "The Sound of Thunder" marks one of the best episodes of the series.
Robert Vaughn as Gen. Hunt Stockwell (1986-1987) – In Season 5 everything on the show changed. After a three-episode story arc involving a trial of the team for the famed Hanoi robbery, Stockwell takes over the team, using them as a sort of elite squad to go on covert missions for the government, although it's never really clear who Stockwell is working for. He dangles the promise of a full pardon in front of them, and so the team lives at Stockwell's compound in Virginia, and Murdock – now "sane" – takes on a series of jobs in-between helping out the team. In "The Say UNCLE Affair", Vaughn goes against former "Man from UNCLE" co-star David McCallum in one of the better episodes of S5.
Eddie Velez as Frankie "Dishpan" Santana (1986-1987) – Frankie was supposedly brought in to appeal to a younger, hipper audience who no longer found the 40 year old Dirk Benedict attractive. Yeah, whatever. Like the two women before him, Frankie was never really part of the team, but his knowledge of special effects and explosives served the team well in blowing various things up in Season 5.
Minor Characters Appearing in Fan Fiction
A.J. Bancroft and Ellen Bancroft - They may or may not be Face's father and half-sister, depending on how you like your canon. "Family Reunion" offered viewers the chance to vote on the ending, but two were filmed. The one that aired did identify Bancroft as Face's father.
Trish and Ray Brenner - Ray never appeared on-screen, having the distinction of being already dead in the episode "A Nice Place to Visit," but he and his wife make various fan fiction appearances.
Lin Duk Koo - The POW camp's cook who helped the team escape. "Recipe for Heavy Bread."
Dr. Alan Richter - Murdock's psychiatrist. "The Doctor is Out."
Dr. Maggie "Mo" Sullivan – Although she only had two appearances ("Black Day in Bad Rock" and "Deadly Maneuvers"), the on-screen chemistry with Hannibal makes her a favorite in fan fiction.
Assorted Villains
Certain evil characters who appeared in an episode will turn up in fan fiction. Here are the main ones:
The Reverend Martin James (Children of Jamestown)
Major Douglas "Dougie" Kyle (Deadly Maneuvers)
Tommy Anderson/Angel (Recipe for Heavy Bread)
General Chow (Recipe for Heavy Bread)
Favorite Episodes
Obviously everyone has a different list of favorites, but here are a few of mine. All seasons are now available on DVD in North America.
Classic Team Interaction:
Holiday in the Hills – The quintessential episode with the best plane crash sequence ever. The two-by-four through the window makes me laugh every single time.
Harder Than it Looks – The mission that's a "piece of cake" really isn't.
Wheel of Fortune – Murdock goes on "Wheel of Fortune." What's not to love?
Incident at Crystal Lake – A team vacation doesn't go as planned.
Taxicab Wars – The team takes over a taxi business.
The Knights of the Road – The team takes over a towing business.
Lease with an Option to Die – The team helps out B.A.'s mother.
The Doctor is Out – The team follows Murdock's psychiatrist to South America.
Hurt/Comfort:
Black Day at Bad Rock – B.A. shot
Beast from the Belly of the Boeing – Murdock temporarily blinded
Deadly Maneuvers – team captured, Hannibal poisoned
Curtain Call – Murdock shot
Bounty – Murdock kidnapped
Without Reservations – Face shot
Point of No Return – Hannibal missing
The Sound of Thunder – general Vietnam angst and Murdock shot
Family Reunion – Murdock/Face fight
Vietnam-related episodes:
A Nice Place to Visit
Recipe for Heavy Bread
The Island
The Sound of Thunder * - much darker than usual, this remains one of the best episodes of the show.
Mind Games
The Trial Arc:
Dishpan Man
Trial by Fire
Firing Line
Guest Stars
The A-Team was one of the shows to be on in the eighties. It included guest appearances from stars such as Boy George, Hulk Hogan, Joe Namath, Isaac Hayes, William "the Refrigerator" Perry, and many people who went on to be stars on their own shows, including Markie Post, Della Reese, Claudia Christian, Tracy Scoggins, Dennis Franz, Dana Elcar, etc.
Four Guys in a Van – Or How I Discovered Slash
In the winter of 2002, I was feeling nostalgic for things past, and was Googling around for information on television shows I'd grown up with. Imagine my surprise when I found entire archives of stories about The A-Team. Imagine my horror when I discovered that many writers had very particular ideas about what the members of the team got up to when they weren't saving the day. I was initially traumatized by the idea of Face and Murdock getting together, but also somewhat curious, and as I ran out of gen fiction to read, I wandered into the realm of slash. Uncomfortable at first, I read the work of Emma Stark, who made me believe the pairing could happen, and my love of slash was born.
The most popular pairing in the fandom is undoubtedly, Face/Murdock because a) they're young and good-looking, b) they have great on-screen chemistry, c) Murdock is extremely physical and tends to get into Face's personal space, d) they spend a lot of on-screen time together.
Other common pairings include: Face/Hannibal, Murdock/B.A. (although B.A. is a tough character to write well). Basically, you'll find fic featuring every combination of the four characters in twos, threesomes, and foursomes.
Rare, but interesting pairings: Decker/team member, Frankie/Murdock, Stockwell/Hannibal, Stockwell/Murdock.
Common fic themes: non-con and torture, often taking place in Vietnam during the team's incarceration as POWs; post-traumatic stress, nightmares of their time in Vietnam; missions gone wrong; team member captured/kidnapped for revenge.
Critical Acclaim?
Kent Worcester, in his academic article called "And Mr. T. Drives The Car": Reflections on 'The A-Team'" wrote: "The critical consensus seems to be that 'The A-Team' is unadulterated garbage of a particularly pernicious kind," and he includes a description of the show supposedly from a memo from Brandon Tartikoff to Stephen J. Cannell: "Road Warrior. Magnificent Seven. Dirty Dozen. 'Mission Impossible.' All rolled into one. And Mr. T drives the car." Mr. Worcester's article has the distinction of being the only A-Team related article in the MLA database. Alas, the show didn't garner many (any?) awards, but the people who love it, love it with a deep and abiding love, flaws and all.
Web Resources
The A-Team Episode Guide - A list of all the episodes with short plot summaries and guest star information.
The A-Team Shrine - Great resource with pictures, sounds, information, etc. Pictures for this overview were taken from there.
Famous Glitches - A Dutch site that lists some of the best known continuity errors in the show. There are a lot of them.
The A-Team Files - A little bit of everything, including actor updates and some quirky top ten lists, a drinking game, etc. Updated fairly regularly.
The Dutch A-Team Photo Archive - Probably the best web source for A-Team photos.
Fan Fiction Resources
The A-Team Fan Fiction Archive - the main repository of A-Team fiction – gen, het, and slash – on the web. With top ten listings by current month and overall, it makes an excellent place to start reading.
The A-Team Slash Archive - A smaller archive that houses slash only.
The A-Team Storyboard Yahoo Group - This is a list for anyone who loves A-Team fan fiction and wants to share or comment on stories. They welcome authors of all levels of ability who want to receive honest, substantive comments and any commentators who want to give them.
A-Team Fan Fiction on FanFiction.net - Like any archive, you've got to sort the bad from the good, but there are over 500 A-Team fics archived here.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ateamrec - LJ community for A-Team recs.
Anyone with links, suggestions, corrections, etc., feel free to comment. Thanks! If there are 8-10 people who want to volunteer for regular rec'cing duties in this fandom, it could become a fulltime fandom.
"In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade into the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them ... maybe you can hire, The A-Team."
Thus begins one of the most recognizable openings in television history. For five seasons, 1983-1987, The A-Team stormed into living rooms, featuring four Vietnam veterans driving around the United States in a recognizable black/red van that seemed to be the equivalent of Snoopy's dog house (they even had a printing press in the back one time). The team defended ordinary citizens against evil, corruption, and not-very-nice people.
The show was formulaic and there were occasionally plot holes big enough to drive the van through, but the characters and their interaction were enough to keep fans entertained and to leave curious fan girls and boys wondering: what do four guys living in a van get up to when they're not on a mission?
The Team History
Unjustly accused of a crime they didn't commit (robbing the bank of Hanoi) – well, they did commit it we learn in Season 5, but they were ordered to – the group has been together since 'Nam. Hannibal, B.A. and Face are all Green Berets, Special Forces. Murdock was their chopper pilot, which makes him Army, not Air Force and not Special Forces. He technically wouldn't have been a part of their "A-Team," but it seems like he was pretty much their regular pilot, the only one crazy enough to fly them. Face was the team scrounger, able to get anything they needed, including a '57 convertible in the jungles of Vietnam ("Holiday in the Hills"). Generally, they seemed to do covert operations that may have been considered insane or suicidal. The team spent an unspecified amount of time in a Prisoner of War camp in Vietnam before escaping.
What's an A-Team?
Truthfully, the writers of the show seemed to know only enough to make them dangerous. In reality, an A-Team (Alpha Team) was usually made up of 12 Special Forces soldiers trained in various specialties. The unit would typically have been made up of sergeants with one commanding officer, and was used for special assignments. Specialized training might include scuba training (which supposedly B.A. and Hannibal have), demolition, languages, weapons, etc. The first episode also describes Murdock as a former member of the Thunderbirds – fans have often taken this to mean he was a member of the USAF Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, but I'm more likely to believe he was assigned to The 118th Helicopter Assault Unit – The Thunderbirds. For a more accurate representation (um, sort of), check out the John Wayne film, The Green Berets.
The Set-Up
The team works out of Los Angeles in the most conspicuous van ever while eluding the military who are still trying to capture them. They're mercenaries for hire, which theoretically means they get paid, but in reality they often take cases just because the cause is just or they find a way to make the bad guys pay their fee. Most shows follow a formula that goes something like this:
A client (often a young/pretty/single woman) makes contact with the team via Mr. Lee (Hannibal in disguise, although we only see him do this in one early episode). The woman's father/brother/uncle/male relative is having difficulty with the mob/competition/bullies/hoods who are putting pressure on their business/farm/store/taxicab company and driving them out of business. The team takes the case – in some instances, Face will have to break Murdock out of the Veterans Hospital first – and they set-up an elaborate plan to thwart the bad guys, usually involving taking over the business in some way. At some point, they'll inevitably get captured and locked in a storage room/barn/garage complete with all the equipment necessary to build a tank/weapon/armored vehicle by which they'll overcome their opposition and save the day. One of the team, usually Face, will be suitably thanked by the young lady who hired them, but alas, ultimately the team has to leave returning to their life on the run.
Main Characters
George Peppard as Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith – The leader of the group, Hannibal is a cigar-smoking, black-leather-glove-wearing, plan-making man. He's the one who gives the orders, calls the shots, and is overly fond of the classic half-pincer movement. He often appears in disguises to meet with potential clients and has a love of the theatrical. He cares deeply about his men and is willing to put himself on the line for a good cause. When things are going well, Hannibal is "on the jazz," high on the adrenaline of the fight. He makes Face do his work, listens to Murdock's crazy ideas with genuine interest, and spends a lot of time saying, "Nice, B.A.". His signature line is: "I love it when a plan comes together."
Dwight Schultz as Captain H.M "Howling Mad" Murdock – Murdock is never given a name beyond "H.M." in the show, but it doesn't matter because on any given day he's someone else. Housed at the Veterans Administration Hospital since the end of Vietnam, Murdock is crazy … or is that crazy like a fox? He assumes various personas in each episode – Captain Cab and his talking sock are particularly memorable – but when the team is in jeopardy he's anything but crazy. In fact, Murdock is sometimes the most focused of the group, capable of doing what needs to be done when the team is in danger. He's the pilot who can fly anything.
Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Templeton "Faceman" Peck – Face is the pretty boy, the one who doesn't like to fight because it might ruin his looks. He's the conman of the group, can talk anyone into anything, and is responsible for running the team's scams, including routinely breaking Murdock out of the V.A. hospital. He's always looking for a way to make money, and is the only one who regularly considers leaving the team for some other life. He's also a ladies man in canon, although ultimately, his first loyalty is to his team. Initially, actor Tim Dunigan was cast as Face because Dirk Benedict was unavailable and Dunigan appears in the two-part pilot episode; however, the chemistry just isn't there and thankfully Dirk Benedict relented and joined the show.
Mr. T as Sergeant Bosco "B.A." Baracus - It's commonly understood that the "B.A." stands for Bad Attitude, and B.A. has lots of that. He's the only one who openly disagrees with Hannibal most of the time, refuses to fly (so they have to drug him), and is fond of hitting people. He's the brawn to Hannibal's brains, and he plays his role well. Despite his impatience with Murdock – "crazy fool" – B.A. has a certain fondness for the "crazy man" and is very protective towards his team. His signature line: "I pity the fool …"
Other Characters
Melinda Culea as Amy Allen (1983) – Known in the show as Triple A, Amy Amanda Allen was a journalist who sought the team's help in their pilot episode. After they help her, she essentially blackmails the team into letting her go along with them on further cases. She writes the stories and they get a token female for the viewing audience. The team is never entirely comfortable with her along, but she serves a purpose, which is mainly to publicize the positive things they do. William Lucking as Col. Lynch (1983-1984) – The first of the military men who apparently have nothing better to do than to follow the team around trying to catch them for a ten-year old crime. Colonel Lynch is more of a nuisance than a real threat. Lance LeGault as Col. Roderick Decker (1983-1986) – "I've got you this time, Smith!" Ah, how many times will Decker utter those words? He's persistent, smart, and dedicated. He also learns from his mistakes. He starts out by giving them two minutes to give up – after a few appearances, he's whittled this down to 30 seconds, knowing that if they have too much time, they'll build some contraption and escape. Decker is pure military and believes in his cause; however, he also has a grudging respect for Hannibal and the team, and has no problem rounding up the bad guys the team leaves behind. He comes the closest to catching them, but never manages to keep them. The insinuation that they knew Decker in 'Nam and that he was a ruthless man has provided a lot of fodder for fan fiction as well. Marla Heasley as Tawnia Baker (1984) – She replaced Amy Allen as the intrepid girl reporter, but whereas Amy was strong-willed and competent, Tawnia was whiny and annoying. No one seemed to want her along, including the team and the fans. She didn't last very long – thankfully – before she was married off, leaving the team on their own. Jack Ging as General "Bull" Fullbright (1985-1986) – Taking over from Decker in his relentless pursuit of the team, Fullbright also has a respect for the team and actually blackmails them into helping him return to Vietnam in search of his child. Fullbright's final appearance in "The Sound of Thunder" marks one of the best episodes of the series. Robert Vaughn as Gen. Hunt Stockwell (1986-1987) – In Season 5 everything on the show changed. After a three-episode story arc involving a trial of the team for the famed Hanoi robbery, Stockwell takes over the team, using them as a sort of elite squad to go on covert missions for the government, although it's never really clear who Stockwell is working for. He dangles the promise of a full pardon in front of them, and so the team lives at Stockwell's compound in Virginia, and Murdock – now "sane" – takes on a series of jobs in-between helping out the team. In "The Say UNCLE Affair", Vaughn goes against former "Man from UNCLE" co-star David McCallum in one of the better episodes of S5. Eddie Velez as Frankie "Dishpan" Santana (1986-1987) – Frankie was supposedly brought in to appeal to a younger, hipper audience who no longer found the 40 year old Dirk Benedict attractive. Yeah, whatever. Like the two women before him, Frankie was never really part of the team, but his knowledge of special effects and explosives served the team well in blowing various things up in Season 5.Minor Characters Appearing in Fan Fiction
A.J. Bancroft and Ellen Bancroft - They may or may not be Face's father and half-sister, depending on how you like your canon. "Family Reunion" offered viewers the chance to vote on the ending, but two were filmed. The one that aired did identify Bancroft as Face's father.
Trish and Ray Brenner - Ray never appeared on-screen, having the distinction of being already dead in the episode "A Nice Place to Visit," but he and his wife make various fan fiction appearances.
Lin Duk Koo - The POW camp's cook who helped the team escape. "Recipe for Heavy Bread."
Dr. Alan Richter - Murdock's psychiatrist. "The Doctor is Out."
Dr. Maggie "Mo" Sullivan – Although she only had two appearances ("Black Day in Bad Rock" and "Deadly Maneuvers"), the on-screen chemistry with Hannibal makes her a favorite in fan fiction.
Assorted Villains
Certain evil characters who appeared in an episode will turn up in fan fiction. Here are the main ones:
The Reverend Martin James (Children of Jamestown)
Major Douglas "Dougie" Kyle (Deadly Maneuvers)
Tommy Anderson/Angel (Recipe for Heavy Bread)
General Chow (Recipe for Heavy Bread)
Favorite Episodes
Obviously everyone has a different list of favorites, but here are a few of mine. All seasons are now available on DVD in North America.
Classic Team Interaction:
Holiday in the Hills – The quintessential episode with the best plane crash sequence ever. The two-by-four through the window makes me laugh every single time.
Harder Than it Looks – The mission that's a "piece of cake" really isn't.
Wheel of Fortune – Murdock goes on "Wheel of Fortune." What's not to love?
Incident at Crystal Lake – A team vacation doesn't go as planned.
Taxicab Wars – The team takes over a taxi business.
The Knights of the Road – The team takes over a towing business.
Lease with an Option to Die – The team helps out B.A.'s mother.
The Doctor is Out – The team follows Murdock's psychiatrist to South America.
Hurt/Comfort:
Black Day at Bad Rock – B.A. shot
Beast from the Belly of the Boeing – Murdock temporarily blinded
Deadly Maneuvers – team captured, Hannibal poisoned
Curtain Call – Murdock shot
Bounty – Murdock kidnapped
Without Reservations – Face shot
Point of No Return – Hannibal missing
The Sound of Thunder – general Vietnam angst and Murdock shot
Family Reunion – Murdock/Face fight
Vietnam-related episodes:
A Nice Place to Visit
Recipe for Heavy Bread
The Island
The Sound of Thunder * - much darker than usual, this remains one of the best episodes of the show.
Mind Games
The Trial Arc:
Dishpan Man
Trial by Fire
Firing Line
Guest Stars
The A-Team was one of the shows to be on in the eighties. It included guest appearances from stars such as Boy George, Hulk Hogan, Joe Namath, Isaac Hayes, William "the Refrigerator" Perry, and many people who went on to be stars on their own shows, including Markie Post, Della Reese, Claudia Christian, Tracy Scoggins, Dennis Franz, Dana Elcar, etc.
Four Guys in a Van – Or How I Discovered Slash
In the winter of 2002, I was feeling nostalgic for things past, and was Googling around for information on television shows I'd grown up with. Imagine my surprise when I found entire archives of stories about The A-Team. Imagine my horror when I discovered that many writers had very particular ideas about what the members of the team got up to when they weren't saving the day. I was initially traumatized by the idea of Face and Murdock getting together, but also somewhat curious, and as I ran out of gen fiction to read, I wandered into the realm of slash. Uncomfortable at first, I read the work of Emma Stark, who made me believe the pairing could happen, and my love of slash was born.
The most popular pairing in the fandom is undoubtedly, Face/Murdock because a) they're young and good-looking, b) they have great on-screen chemistry, c) Murdock is extremely physical and tends to get into Face's personal space, d) they spend a lot of on-screen time together.Other common pairings include: Face/Hannibal, Murdock/B.A. (although B.A. is a tough character to write well). Basically, you'll find fic featuring every combination of the four characters in twos, threesomes, and foursomes.
Rare, but interesting pairings: Decker/team member, Frankie/Murdock, Stockwell/Hannibal, Stockwell/Murdock.
Common fic themes: non-con and torture, often taking place in Vietnam during the team's incarceration as POWs; post-traumatic stress, nightmares of their time in Vietnam; missions gone wrong; team member captured/kidnapped for revenge.
Critical Acclaim?
Kent Worcester, in his academic article called "And Mr. T. Drives The Car": Reflections on 'The A-Team'" wrote: "The critical consensus seems to be that 'The A-Team' is unadulterated garbage of a particularly pernicious kind," and he includes a description of the show supposedly from a memo from Brandon Tartikoff to Stephen J. Cannell: "Road Warrior. Magnificent Seven. Dirty Dozen. 'Mission Impossible.' All rolled into one. And Mr. T drives the car." Mr. Worcester's article has the distinction of being the only A-Team related article in the MLA database. Alas, the show didn't garner many (any?) awards, but the people who love it, love it with a deep and abiding love, flaws and all.
Web Resources
The A-Team Episode Guide - A list of all the episodes with short plot summaries and guest star information.
The A-Team Shrine - Great resource with pictures, sounds, information, etc. Pictures for this overview were taken from there.
Famous Glitches - A Dutch site that lists some of the best known continuity errors in the show. There are a lot of them.
The A-Team Files - A little bit of everything, including actor updates and some quirky top ten lists, a drinking game, etc. Updated fairly regularly.
The Dutch A-Team Photo Archive - Probably the best web source for A-Team photos.
Fan Fiction Resources
The A-Team Fan Fiction Archive - the main repository of A-Team fiction – gen, het, and slash – on the web. With top ten listings by current month and overall, it makes an excellent place to start reading.
The A-Team Slash Archive - A smaller archive that houses slash only.
The A-Team Storyboard Yahoo Group - This is a list for anyone who loves A-Team fan fiction and wants to share or comment on stories. They welcome authors of all levels of ability who want to receive honest, substantive comments and any commentators who want to give them.
A-Team Fan Fiction on FanFiction.net - Like any archive, you've got to sort the bad from the good, but there are over 500 A-Team fics archived here.
ateamrec - LJ community for A-Team recs.Anyone with links, suggestions, corrections, etc., feel free to comment. Thanks! If there are 8-10 people who want to volunteer for regular rec'cing duties in this fandom, it could become a fulltime fandom.
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regular
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slashy twins
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Wow strange how your past comes and bites you on the arse.
laters.
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I think it's a great fandom with a lot of talented writers, so it's nice to see some of them have migrated over to LJ too. It tends to be a list-based fandom still.
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Waves*
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I rarely missed an ep of the show - I'm looking forward to investigating the archives.
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Holiday in the Hills – The quintessential episode with the best plane crash sequence ever.
Hannibal: Where'd did you get this bird?
Murdock: I clipped it off the rental plane repair line.
Hannibal: It would be ridiculous for me to think it had been fixed.
Murdock: Of course it wasn't fixed. They start to miss 'em once they've been fixed. You gotta get 'em before they're fixed.
Murdock: Colonel, this thing's got the glide characteristics of a free-falling safe.
Should I be concerned I still remember so much dialogue? *g*
I simply landed without benefit of lift or thrust!
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" Imagine my horror when I discovered that many writers had very particular ideas about what the members of the team got up to when they weren't saving the day. I was initially traumatized by the idea of Face and Murdock getting together, but also somewhat curious, and as I ran out of gen fiction to read, I wandered into the realm of slash."
Yep, that sums up the trauma of innocent minds entering the dangerous waters of slash for the first time... and we all know how it turned out for you and for all the friends you lured toward the dark side of fan fiction with your siren song, O evil temptress!
Anyway, thanks for the overview, made me feel like going back to read some "A-Team".
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But I do still enjoy the show - it makes me smile.
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