- Title: Spenser: For Hire – Discord in a Minor
- IMDb: link
“Don’t ever give up you who are for anybody, ever”
For Throwback Thursday we turn we turn our attention back to the mean streets of Boston. “Discord in a Minor” begins with the kidnapping of the teenage daughter (Barbara Garrick) of famous conductor (Paul Shenar) under Spenser‘s (Robert Urich) protection. Despite being fired, Spenser refuses to let the matter rest (a common theme in the show and the novels which inspired them) and continues to search for the missing girl. His investigation leads to classic Spenser heavy Joe Broz (Raymond Serra) whose screw-up son Jimmy (Neill Barry) just so happens to be both the the missing girl’s boyfriend and the person driving the van involved in the kidnapping.
Believing it to be a story of star-crossed teens from the opposite side of the tracks, Spenser is shocked to learn the true reason behind the fake kidnapping. Although the father denies the incestuous claims, and offers an alternative explanation for his daughter running away, Spenser puts his father in Cathy and, while dealing with the situation as best he can, calls in Susan (Barbara Stock) to offer emotional support to the young woman. When the conductor’s first thug fails to best Spenser, the conductor attempts to hire Hawk (Avery Brooks) to take care of the problem permanently. His actions not only lead Spenser to find the girl’s missing mother (Patricia Elliott), but also force Hawk to face a harsh truth about his past which will lead to an overdue reckoning concerning the job he did for the maestro years before. The episode offers some strong character moments including Spenser’s words of advice for Jimmy and glimpses of the darker side of Hawk’s personality.
Great show and great review!