Two Hundred A Day
Celebrating and analyzing the 70s detective show The Rockford Files
We found 10 episodes of Two Hundred A Day with the tag “tv”.
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Episode 35: The Empty Frame
June 17th, 2018 | 1 hr 30 mins
1970s, 70s, angel martin, art, bloody, helicopter, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, rockford files, status, storming the winter palace, television, tv
Nathan and Eppy discuss S5E8: The Empty Frame. We finally meet Angel's brother-in-law Aaron as he's being feted as the new Police Commissioner - but a cadre of socialist revolutionaries breaks up the party and steals the art of the hosts, John & Jeff, right off the walls! Jim is hired to track down the paintings while the police conduct their own investigation, but each thing Jim discovers leads to new questions. He has to untangle a dense web of motivations to solve this one, an effort hindered by Angel's newly-found position of influence, but aided by Lt. Chapman's fall from grace... it's a great episode! Funny and emotionally impactful, well-structured and full of great characters. Recommended!
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Episode 34: Nice Guys Finish Dead
May 27th, 2018 | 1 hr 31 mins
1970s, 70s, award show, beamer, james garner, jim rockford, lance white, p.i, rockford files, television, tom selleck, tv
Nathan and Eppy finally venture into Season 6 to discuss E7 Nice Guys Finish Dead. Featuring a returning Tom Selleck as Lance White alongside the also-returning James Whitmore Jr as Freddie Beamer, this comedic episode is all about watching these strong, counterpointed characters collide. Jim and Lance are trying to clear Beamer from being blamed for a murder that occurred right in the middle of a PI association conference! While this episode does have a lot of good gags and character work, it feels to us more like an excuse for the series to have a little fun with its own tropes than a fully realized mystery story.
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Episode 33: The Competitive Edge
May 13th, 2018 | 1 hr 31 mins
1970s, 70s, dr. feelgood, green drink, james garner, jim rockford, one flew over the cuckoos nest, p.i, rockford files, television, the alphian way, tv
Nathan and Eppy discuss S4E19 The Competitive Edge. Hired to track down the disappearance of a bank executive by his wife, Jim stumbles upon the secret of an exclusive "health club" The Alphian Way, leading to his own abduction to a rural mental health institution! While leaning a little too hard on the comedic portrayal of the mentally ill, this episode is a tightly-plotted piece with a wonderfully broad cast of character actors, and we find a lot to like inside the fantastical story.
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Episode 32: So Help Me God
April 29th, 2018 | 1 hr 33 mins
1970s, 70s, criminal justice reform, fifth amendment, grand jury, james garner, jim rockford, night rider, p.i, rockford files, social justice, television, tv
Nathan and Eppy are joined by special guest Jess Banks to discuss one of the most memorable, and perhaps influential, episodes of The Rockford Files: S3E7 So Help Me God. Jim is called before a grand jury to testify about a case he knows nothing about, and when he invokes his Fifth Amendment rights he is jailed on contempt of court! This "issue episode" dramatizes the use of grand juries to compel witness testimony and exploit the mechanisms of justice to deprive innocent people of their rights, in a way that is compelling and educational, not preachy. Jess brings in the perspective of an activist for criminal justice reform (among other things!) and really brings a lot to our discussion. Enjoy!
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Episode 31: In Hazard
April 15th, 2018 | 1 hr 30 mins
1970s, 70s, james garner, jim rockford, p.i, rockford files, television, tv
Nathan and Eppy discuss S2E18 In Hazard. Beth has been poisoned! While she recovers, Jim has to find out who did it and why before something more terrible happens. In the process, he runs afoul of an embezzlement scheme gone south, bringing an unhappy mob boss into the picture. A suggestion from a Patreon backer, this is a good solid episode that features all of the elements of The Rockford Files that we appreciate, as well as some truly memorable camerawork from director Jackie Cooper that enhances the story tremendously!
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Episode 29: The Queen of Peru
March 18th, 2018 | 1 hr 30 mins
70s, barbeque, come on, cookmaster, diamond, heist, indiana, james garner, jim rockford, peru, tv
Nathan and Eppy discuss S4E12 The Queen of Peru. Rockford is trying to handle an insurance company client recover a stolen diamond, but things go pear-shaped as the crooks try to pull a fast one and the diamond ends up in... the RV of a family from Indiana? The Wronkos steal Jims grill, where the diamond happens to be, and well things just spiral from there. This comedic episode combines a sparking David Chase script with some great characters, and is rightly considered a Rockford Files classic. We really enjoyed it!
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Episode 28: Local Man Eaten by Newspaper
February 25th, 2018 | 1 hr 29 mins
70s, coop, gossip, james garner, jim rockford, mob, scandal, the proofreader, tv
Nathan and Eppy discuss S5E12 Local Man Eaten by Newspaper. Jim goes undercover at a scandal rag to figure out why his client, a doctor to the famous, has been burgled; meanwhile, a local mob boss is facing pressure from inside the family due to rumors spread by that very newspaper. This episode features two separate storylines that intertwine as the pressure mounts on each side, focusing on the increasing dissolution of Natalie, the woman driving her husband Augie to take over the mob family. This episode doesn't give us as much Rockford as usual but it paints a compelling portrait of the villains of the piece, making it a compelling episode of television and giving us a lot to talk about in our second half!
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Episode 27: Feeding Frenzy
February 11th, 2018 | 1 hr 29 mins
70s, george wyner, ice rink, irs, james garner, jim rockford, mob, p.i., sideburns, statute of limitations, the rockford files, tv
Nathan and Eppy discuss S3E4 Feeding Frenzy. Jim's ex-girlfriend's father has been sitting on a literal pile of money that he accidentally stole, and now he wants Jim's help giving it back without repercussions. However, he's not alone in knowing about the score, and now all the sharks are circling in order to get that half million dollars for themselves! A suggestion from one of our Patreon backers, this episode has a great pace, snappy dialogue and features one of the greatest set-piece hostage exchanges in Rockford Files history - but there are some unclear thematic elements that, while they don't take away from the story, do make it a bit of an incoherent viewing experience. That said, this one is an atypical and well-worth-seeing episode!
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Episode 26: The Dark and Bloody Ground
January 28th, 2018 | 1 hr 41 mins
70s, beth davenport, car chase, copyright law, james garner, jim rockford, tacos, the rockford files, tv
Nathan and Eppy are joined by special guest Emily Care Boss to talk about S1E2 The Dark and Bloody Ground. Featuring the debut of Beth Davenport and excellent action sequences from director Michael Schultz, we have a lot to gush about beyond the slightly-too-convoluted mystery plot that centers on dual identities, obscure copyright law, and love lost in the pursuit of big Hollywood money. In our second half, Emily leads our deep dive conversation into building dynamic relationships AND dynamic action sequences in fiction. Thanks to our Patreon supporters for enabling our first guest appearance!
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Episode 25: I Still Love L.A.
January 14th, 2018 | 1 hr 33 mins
90s, california, james garner, jim rockford, l.a., mob, rodney king, satanic panic, tv, tv movie
Nathan and Eppy celebrate a year of the podcast by discussing the first 90s Rockford Files TV movie, I Still Love L.A. Fifteen years after the end of the original show, we catch back up with our friend Jim Rockford as he tries to (gasp) sell his trailer and leave L.A.! Amidst race riots, fires and earthquakes, Jim takes a case from his attorney ex-wife to discover the truth of the murder of a wealthy socialite. But when one of Jim's childhood baseball heroes turns out to be a possible satanist (!), he has to sort through a sordid web of lies to figure out what's going on and who's to blame. It's an interesting change of pace for us to take on this generation of the show, and we loved how the essential Rockford-ness was maintained. Unfortunately, the actual mystery seemed underbaked, and some of the plot points resonate very differently with us in 2017 than they were probably intended in 1994. That said, this was a fun change of pace for us and we look forward to watching more of these movies!