Knight Rider Catches Another Wave

Have you ever seen that Batman episode where the Joker challenges him to a surfing contest?  He’s dressed in his full bat-gear only he’s got bright yellow baggies on over his tights and he’s hanging ten in typical beach movie style — you know dip your arms from side-to-side as if trying to keep your balance while standing still in front of a bad rear projection of a wave?

That was the only thing missing from this week’s surf-themed episode of Knight Rider, “Knight of the Iguana.” Hey, put down that “I told you so,” brutha, I loved it the first week, the second week and I still love it. And apparently, I’m not alone, since NBC has given the show the go-ahead on four more episodes.

This past week Mike was tasked with hitting the beach in order to track down a missing government agent, and, it turns out, missing missiles! Since neither Mike nor Sarah can surf (can you believe it), Zoe has to go along to help cement Mike’s cover. Oh the awkwardness of the two of them pretending they’re a honeymoon couple, when Mike is really too much of a gentleman to sleep in the same bed as Zoe — well, at first. Cause, come on, wouldn’t you bed down next to your partner if it meant not blowing your cover and thus increasing your chances of living to see tomorrow?

Mike and Zoe and KITT meet up with a beach bum, Skylar Rand, who turns out to be ex-military and at the root of the whole missing missiles crisis. Seems he and his buddies were dishonorably discharged but it looks like there’s more to the story then that — a lot more, since just before he’s hoist on his own petard, he tells Mike that he recognizes him from Afghanistan. But before that Skylar takes Mike surfing in the roughest waters around then promptly punches Mike thus depriving me of my Batman-esque fake surfing sequence that I was sure I was going to get.

What we do get is hunky guys fighting, pretty girls in bikinis, cute water gun fights in a bazillion dollar lab, smart missiles, smarter cars and KITT turns into a submarine then drives up out of the ocean and on to the beach.  How much does that rock?

Again, I say, watch it with your brain off. It’s cool 80’s action on a modern-day budget and I’m looking forward to having at least four more episodes.  Thank you, NBC.

“Knight of the Iguana” Episode 105 — Pictured: (l-r) Smith Cho as Zoe Chae, Justin Bruening as Mike Traceur — NBC Photo: Adam Taylor

And here’s a look at that Batman sequence in case you haven’t seen it.