- Rockford ends up regretting allowing an eccentric hippie woman to use his address temporarily, when her ex-boss sends a pair of thugs to retrieve money he put in her care.
- Jim's friend, Sky Aquarian, is an unwitting pawn in a blackmail scheme hatched by the attorney she works for. She is tasked by the attorney, Alan Bayless, to deliver the cash to the blackmailer, but she forgets to do it, and still has the package it came in. The following day she visits Jim at his trailer, saying she is quitting her job, and can she use his address for her last paycheck to avoid bill collectors. He says OK. She says she going to live in a local ashram. The lawyer assumes Sky has kept the money, and he has Jim's address, so he sends two men to get information about her from Jim, but he escapes after they threaten him. Jim then tracks down Sky at a spiritual community, Sunfire Institute, where she recalls she still has the package, which they learn has $30k in it. Jim tells Sky not to tell anyone about it, but she ends up telling the spiritual leader, Gordon Borchards, anyway. As a result, Borchards is able to switch the cash with newspaper, unbeknownst to Jim. Rockford has the package delivered, not knowing it's worthless. The two thugs who threatened him before return again for the money, but he and Sky are able to escape. After some discussion with Sky, Jim realizes Gordon has the money, and is able to get it back. Jim arranges to meet directly with Bayliss to make sure he gets the cash. Rockford sets up the drop-off where he knows a police stake out is. When Jim delivers the package, the two toughs try to abduct him. The police at the stake out assume it's a drug deal so they get arrested.
- A great episode, by equal turns hilarious and poignant. It essentially satirizes the new age spiritual movement and the "hippie dippy" reputation of California. The opening shot has the main character, a real dippy hippy, "Sky Aquarian" meditating in a pyramid-like enclosure on the beach (Doesn't it get hot in there? How can she breathe?) She is an acquaintance of Jim's, and they talk for a while in his trailer. She spouts a lot of new age nonsense and Jim expresses skepticism. She asks that her last check be sent to his address to avoid bill collectors who are at her place. Jim allows it , but this seemingly simple favor lands him a whole lot of grief. It turns out that she has been a typist for an underhanded lawyer, Victor Bayliss. He previously has sent her on an errand to deliver a package to someone, forgets to do it, and still has the package. Unbeknownst to her it contains $30k, a payoff to a witness of a murder that one of his clients has committed . As a result of her contact with Jim, two thugs working for Bayliss try to get to her through him, roughing him up, but he is able to get away. Following a lead, he is able to contact Sky at the Sunfire Institute, a spiritual community (commune?). When she tells him about the package, (it's still in her car) he opens it and they discover the money. He tells her not to tell anybody about it, but she ends up telling the charlatan spiritual leader, Gordon Borchards, during a sensory deprivation "therapy" session called "pre-death". As a result , Borchards is able to steal the money from Jim. (He switches it with newspaper, so Jim unknowingly returns nothing to Bayliss.) The two toughs come back to Jim's trailer to get the real money. Through a clever deception he and Sky are able to get way. Now Jim goes to Sgt. Dennis Becker, his friend on the police force for help. Becker is working undercover at a food stand, trying to bust a gambling ring. Since he is undercover, he can't help him, so he will have to go through regular channels, i.e. Lt. Chapman who is usually on bad terms with Rockford. Nevertheless, he gets Chapman to question Bayliss about the money, who denies everything. The next scene we find the lawyer and his client, a famous musician called "Maceo Prentiss", and the two thugs (who used to sing with Prentiss) are discussing the blackmail scheme. We learn that Prentiss murdered another musician because he believes the musician caused a former girlfriend of Maceo to commit suicide. A witness to the crime, Mack Grunning, was to be paid-off with the $30k. Since Sky failed to deliver the money, they decide that Grunning needs to be killed, for fear of him going to the police. The two henchmen kill Grunning and make it look like a suicide. Chapman investigates the death, concludes it is as it seems, but Jim suspects murder. After a discussion with Sky, Jim follows a lead where Borchards might be. He tracks him down and is able to get the money back after some strong persuasion. Jim now arranges to get the money back to Bayliss directly so there are no mix-ups. Jim works it so the drop is at the same place Dennis is holding the stake out. Bayliss picks up the money, but before Rockford can get away, the two thugs intervene and want to take Rockford "for a ride". Dennis sees the transaction, thinks it's a gambling pay-off going down, and calls in all the undercover officers to make the bust. As a result the thugs and the attorney are all arrested. The final scene happens several months later. Jim happens upon Sky on the street, but now her name is "Hester", she's wearing very different clothing, and she's hawking religious books of another spiritual leader of dubious credibility. Her demeanor is completely changed; before she had a mellow, easy-going, upbeat personality, now she is more serious, and severe. She tries selling Jim one of the books, but he is not buying. He wants to help her out and asks her if she would like to talk over coffee, mentioning that she had expressed interest before in going to school to study art. She rebuffs him, saying that creating art would not align with her new religious beliefs. The final freeze-frame shows his face as he turns away, with a resigned, slightly sad look, as if to say, "I tried." The Sky character seems to be a tragic figure. She has no identity of her own, and follows any charismatic leader who is persuasive or popular enough. We learn she has had four identities; Jane Patten, Ghopi, Sky Aquarian, and Hester. Her completely naive, ingenuous, and uncritical nature (especially for a 40 year old) would even lead one to think she has a personality disorder or some type of mental illness. She is so gullible and oblivious it's hard to see how she even made it to 40. Poor Rockford is caused so much trouble by getting mixed up with her but ultimately his good-hearted nature wants to help her out in spite of all the grief she causes. On the one hand it's a happy ending in that the criminals get their comeuppance. It's a sad one because "Sky" is still deluded, or under the influence of another religious con artist. I would have given the show a 10, but the murder/blackmail plot line seemed a little contrived.
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