- Title: Spenser: For Hire – Autumn Thieves
- IMDb: link
For Throwback Thursday we turn we turn our attention back to the mean streets of Boston (or in this case lush New England countryside). While looking for a missing person (Mark Keyloun), Spenser (Robert Urich) stumbles into a museum robbery which will lead him to the Berkshires and a family of thieves both responsible for the theft and in far over their heads with Boston gangsters. Although “Autumn Thieves” features Spenser getting shot and a young man getting beaten savagely, its a surprisingly breezy episode partly due to its beautiful setting and partly do to the thieves’ patriarch (Alfred Drake). For a show that deals with all manner of villains from gangsters to pedophiles, gentlemen thieves turn out to be rather charming.
The episode features several trademarks of the show including showing off Boston and its surrounding area, Spenser going far beyond the scope of his original job and his willingness to go the extra mile for someone who has the love of a good woman. We also get some fun interplay between Spenser and Susan (Barbara Stock) who shows off some superior driving skills on the winding New England roads, and Hawk (Avery Brooks) steps in to offer support when necessary. “Autumn Thieves” is also notable for Daniel von Bargen‘s appearance as one of the hired guns Spenser is forced to kill to protect his client and the thieves.
