![[The Original Unofficial NASH BRIDGES]](../../grf/nbtitlesmall.gif){kind=small}
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"TRACKDOWN" Bringing Back Russ October 26, 1996 |
This is another Rotunda episode, part of the stash of episodes shot last season. The appearance of special guest star William Russ makes "Trackdown" almost write itself. Russ is a strong character actor carrying all kinds of heavy baggage. Russ is consistently cast as the mysterious and cunning mercenary / assassin in such series as WISEGUY and, of course, MIAMI VICE among others. His appearance almost guarantees a storyline linked to the rebellious culture of the 1960s and the Vietnam War as the assassin with a conscience. These were the truly patriotic young men who fought what they believed to be a just war only to find themselves turned into amoral killers by their corrupt masters. Russ often plays tortured souls who try to atone for their horrible acts, very much like the series THE EQUALIZER, with Edward Woodward as the tortured spy trying to atone for his sins. The NASH BRIDGES version is a little more watered-down, this being the 1990s, twenty years later and lots of derivative stories later.
The other storyline involving Evan Cortez and Bryn Carson develops nicely into a comedy of errors and disjointed timing relating to the theme of the 1960s culture in the 1990s. The anti-war fugitive Leland McGuire is out-of-time and out-of-place - this story is almost pushed to the background as Evan lusts after the young woman Tiana he is surveilling. The pretense comes falling down like a precariously built-up house of cards as the real playwright shows up, resulting in Bryn Carson pretending to be Tiana, then the forgotten fugitive shows up and everybody must assume their true identities. The circumstances are truly funny, with the Bryn Carson character (played by Mary Mara) receiving a big boost in character development. Mary Mara has been added to the regular opening cast credits and this is good news. "Trackdown" is one of the better NASH BRIDGES episodes.
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