User Reviews

It's really a fantastic episode with lots of action as Laura and Remington face off against a very intelligent and determined adversary (Major Descoine) intent on exacting his revenge on Laura's Remington Steele--before he actually existed as a person.

Major Descoine first stages an accident where Remington Steele accidentally kills a man. From that point on, he sets up a near perfect frame, seemingly always one step ahead of Laura and Remington as they attempt to solve the mystery, all while being doggedly pursued by LAPD's Detective Jarvis.

The frame is so strong that even Laura begins to have her doubts about Mr. Steele's involvement. As Detective Jarvis begins to close in, she and Mildred risk everything to help Mr. Steele, who then finds proof that it is a frame, only he still has no idea who it could be. He mentions cutting her loose, so she doesn't go down with him, a suggestion she rejects. Before he leaves her, he makes a comment about a coin they retrieved from a safety deposit box, a comment which moments after Mr. Steele leaves, makes her realize who their mysterious antagonist is-Major Descoine. It's too late though, Mr. Steele has left and after evading Detective Jarvis and his undercover officers, is picked up by none other than Major Descoine himself. Using a shotgun, Major Descoine holds him hostage and explains the purpose of the frame up, an act of revenge for Laura's Remington Steele catching he and his wife Lily in a crime that later caused Lily to kill herself. Nevertheless, he presents Mr. Steele with a chance to live and prove his innocence if he can get to a location in a near impossible time. Laura figures out that Descoine is taking Mr. Steele to the acid baths (where Descoine's wife committed suicide) and she catches up with Mr. Steele and they get there in time. They meet with Descoine who gives them a chance to prove Mr. Steele's innocence by retrieving a key in a block of ice thrown into the acid. With seconds to spare before the ice melts, they retrieve the key. While Mr. Steele is proven innocent, Major Descoine escapes and taunts them at the end of the episode, implying they haven't seen the last of him.

It's a very action-packed episode, well written and a bit more serious than funny, but still has its comedic moments. We see Mildred impersonating an IRS officer (her previous job) and snaps from her fearful unwillingness to a hard-nosed IRS agent and back again. Detective Jarvis is great as well, obviously referencing another famous LAPD detective (Columbo) with his bumbling demeanor hiding a razor-edged wit determined to nab Remington Steele.