| "The Spa Who Loved Me" | |||
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| Sledge Hammer! episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 22 |
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| Directed by | Jackie Cooper | ||
| Written by | Tino Insana, Robert Wuhl | ||
| Original air date | April 28, 1987 | ||
| Guest stars | |||
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Robin Leach, Mary Woronov, Lance LeGault, Michelle Russell, Patti Tippo |
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of Sledge Hammer! episodes | |||
"The Spa Who Loved Me" is the 22nd episode of the television series Sledge Hammer! and the final episode of the show's first season. It originally aired on ABC in the United States on April 28, 1987. The title is a parody of the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.[1]
The episode begins with an introduction by Robin Leach, who informs the viewers that the production staff is desperate for ratings in hopes for a second season. He promises sex, violence, rock and roll and a cliffhanger ending before closing his speech with Hammer's famous line, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
An army truck carrying top-secret cargo is stopped by a roadblock in the form of women in bikinis playing a game of volleyball. When the soldiers tell the women to leave the premises, one woman throws the ball at them. The ball explodes, releasing gas that knocks out the soldiers as the women put on masks and steal the equipment.
Back in the precinct, Trunk congratulates Hammer for thwarting a bank robbery with poetry, to which he throws his gun out the window. Doreau then approaches him and kisses him, to which Hammer wakes up from the nightmare.
Upon arriving at the precinct, Hammer sees that Trunk's office is locked with a poster of the police captain and a "Do Not Disturb" sign pasted on the door. Wanting to know what is going on, he shoots the doorknob and storms in. He sees Trunk and Doreau with General Mills (Lance LeGault) and another soldier. Gen. Mills informs Hammer that a nuclear warhead has just been stolen by female terrorists and also points out that the soldier in the room is a traitor, having slept with one of the women in exchange for the warhead information. Not knowing who to trust, Gen. Mills went to Trunk for help. Using her skills in counter-terrorism, Doreau gets the description of the woman the soldier slept with and has a photograph of her printed. Upon seeing the photo description, Officer Daley (Patti Tippo) identifies the woman as a member of the Jill Taylor Fitness Center.
Hammer goes to the fitness center to directly question Jill (Mary Woronov), who explains to him that the woman he is looking for is a client, but she has no further information on her. After exhausting him with her workouts, she hands him her files. Upon returning to the precinct, Hammer finds out that Jill gave him a false address. Doreau then goes undercover as a fitness client. Meanwhile, Gen. Mills receives a tape from the cloaked terrorist leader, who demands $1 billion in ransom. Gen. Mills tells Hammer and Trunk that the governor refuses to meet with the terrorists' demands. Doreau calls Hammer and tells him that the spa has closed early. Seeing that something has come up, Hammer heads for the spa while Doreau is caught by one of the instructors.
A news team arrives at the precinct, demanding answers from Trunk. Gen. Mills and Trunk attempt to cover up the story, but to no avail, as the terrorist leader appears on TV and announces that they will detonate the bomb in one hour unless they receive their ransom.
Upon arriving at the spa, Hammer is cornered by two female bodybuilders, who bend his gun and tie him up with Doreau over a boiling hot tub. The terrorist leader reveals herself to the duo as Jill Taylor and informs them that once the ransom is paid, she will continue to threaten to detonate the bomb for more money. She orders her henchwomen to lower the duo closer to the tub as she returns to the studio to broadcast additional demands such as more episodes of Moonlighting. As Hammer and Doreau are being lowered, Trunk and his men barge in, ordering the henchwomen to free them. Hammer, Doreau and Trunk then storm into the studio to arrest Jill, who tells them that the bomb is set to explode in five minutes. The officers search desperately until they finally find the warhead inside the hot tub. With only seconds remaining, Hammer utters the words, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing," and makes an attempt to disarm the bomb.
The city is consumed by a mushroom cloud.
The remains of the city are seen as Trunk yelling, "HAMMER!!!" can be heard. The episode ends with the words "To Be Continued...Next Season?".
Creator Alan Spencer did not expect the series to be renewed for a second season and planned this episode as a going-out with a bang. He saw inspiration from the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove and the 1960s British TV series The Prisoner.
In the scene where Hammer, Doreau and Trunk arrest Jill, Trunk says, "Your show's been canceled!" Hammer replies, "You talking to me?" This is an allusion to the episode possibly being the end of the series.
Despite replaying the final moments of this episode, the second season opener "A Clockwork Hammer" does not continue from that point on. Instead, a disclaimer reveals that season 2 takes place five years before the explosion, or so it claims, as continuity discrepancies would show this to be a joke.
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