TV: Charlie's Angels (2011, ep. 6)

The ratings on dead-show-walking Charlie’s Angels has stayed consistent with the last episode (5.57 million viewers for episode 5, 5.31 million viewers for episode 6). I guess there are plenty of people like me who want to see how it all comes to an end.

This week's episode is "Black Hat Angels", written by Douglas Petrie who wrote episode three. The episode opens with the police in pursuit of a man on foot who they then arrest. Turns out the arrested party is Bosely who says he has been framed. Cue the theme music...


Of course, we come back from the commercial with a "24 hours ago" label. Bosley has just received a postcard that is blank, but he recognizes the handwritting (and says nothing). They learn a woman has hired them because an artist client of hers has been kidnapped. This artist has a photographic memory and can reproduce anything. The woman suggests a rival art gallery owner might be involved. After some questionable coercion techniques of the gallery owner, this path seems a dead end. Bosley goes back to the woman, examines her laptop and finds a hard to discover clue among the trash files (remember, he's an uberhacker). That piece of information though points to him as the kidnapper. What?

Of course, someone from Bosley's past is setting him up. Remember this show's m.o. - always use one of the four lead's past to tie into the current adventure. But Bos has so many enemies that it could be anyone. They do find that whoever has stolen his identity has purchased a high priced/high security bank strong box. Time to go check it out. Of course, being high security means he, Abby and the banker manager are sealed in the vault for five minutes. Bos opens the box 1976 (nice nod to the original show's debut date!) only to find a bomb ready to go off (not too original - I've seen this a dozen times before). And a brief audio recording with the bom mentions it was left by someone named "Oswald". Bomb goes boom but they all survive. Uh huh. Right. (eyes rolling)

Bosley realizes this is his old cyber-crime partner whom Bos left holding the bag with the Russian mob. So, this "Oswald" who he never met in person wants revenge. And through some more investigation, they find out the woman who hired the firm is really "Oswald". She kidnapped her own artist friend. Why? Why hire the firm? Bos shows off his cyber skills again, tracks the location where she has her hostage and mounts a rescue. Turns out the guy was being used to make counterfeit plates. The cops show up and arrest Bosley.

So we're now caught up from the start. (A nice writing narrative trick, by the way, that worked pretty well here.)

Eve manages to get Bos away by posing as a cop driver. Using cells phones and iPads, they triangulate "Oswald's" location. They corner the truck, it goes boom with all the fake money, but their quarry has escaped. Charlie is able to clear Bosley of the fake APB and reasons for arrest. Bosley then has to tell the girls about Elizabeth (keeping Charlie's connection to her out of it) and they all feel that the case is closed.

Wrong! "Oswald" goes to visit Victor Sampson, Abby's father, in prison. She offers him a chance to help her unmask Charles Townsend. Victor is very interested.

Damn it, show! Why did your ratings have to go down the tube so fast. We know the show only got its plug pulled after episode 4 aired so we will only see those episodes that were still left to air. That means one or two more tops. We'll never get a resolution to this potential storyline unless, perhaps, ABC and the production company work out a deal to perhaps do a two-hour finale. I doubt that will happen.

Grumble grumble. I hate when we don't get the ending to a story.