Police Woman (TV Series) Merry Christmas Waldo (1977) User Reviews

All the show's strengths come together for Christmas

[eMTeePeeCestMe · 9/10 · 25 December 2016]

• "Police Woman" has a tendency for uneven results, sadly. Acting, writing, direction as well as how well the basic sentiment of the plot has held up since the 70s can vary drastically even within a single episode. But in the final season, they managed to produce a genuine gem that in a better recalled series would be held up as an annual holiday classic.

• Lloyd Nolan, is perfectly cast as "Waldo," a social security pensioner who casually runs rings around both seasoned local police and the FBI. The opening teaser manages to giveaway all the major plot points, but can't undercut the impact of just how charming it all plays out as you sit back and watch. I won't spoil the experience by over sharing more.

• A handful of the era's goofy bits do a good job of dating the story. Like scenes when the detectives turn to their fancy com-poo-ter to analyze the crime pattern and predict the next crimes. Seem more like wishful thinking than reality even today. And the story point about the old lady who lives on cat food is based on a well intended 70s myth about the plight of the elderly, that fell apart as soon as people realized cat food tins cost more than human tuna cans. But the story's core about the forgotten and the discarded, the old and the poor is as timely in 2016 as 1977. A stand out episode worth keeping a lookout for when (with luck) it airs more regularly during future holiday seasons. Merry Christmas to Waldo, Pepper and you.

Brief Sighting of "Mrs. Kolchek"

[kgraovac · 4/10 · 21 December 2023]

Pepper and Co try and trap an elderly man dressed as Santa Claus who has been committing a series of robberies in order to give impoverished senior citizens a Merry Xmas.

Crime dramas are never as good as when they take a lighter, more frivolous approach to their stories. Since our criminal here is a 75-year-old Lloyd Nolan there isn't gonna be much in the way of foot or car chases or brutish violence. Suffice it to say, Pepper is pretty safe in this one. Crowley is particularly grouchy throughout. Nolan's cause is so noble you kind of want to see him get away with it. Lurene Tuttle has a nice scene as one of the "gift" recipients.

Unfortunately, aside from the message of the problems faced by senior citizens living on meagre pensions, there isn't much here. I did love spotting Mrs. Kolchek from LAVERNE & SHIRLEY among the residents of the Seniors Center in the final scene, but she doesn't have any lines.

Not a must-see, and TBH a pretty dull episode, Xmas or otherwise. 4/10.