Directed by Larry Shaw
Airdate: April 19, 1987
Guest Stars: Billy Jayne (Mark Dorian); Steve Antin (Stevie); Traci Lind (Nadia); Ray Abruzzo (Mario); Robert Miranda (Mr. Landers)
"America, What a Town" follows two storylines: Hoffs is assigned to supervise Polish exchange student Nadia who is enthralled with American culture, while Hanson and Penhall investigate a High School car theft ring. The light tone of the episode combines social commentary on late Cold War culture, while the car theft plot allows Hanson and Penhall to display their skills. Ioki plays a peripheral role in both stories, romancing Nadia and getting his rental car blown up (it's a long story).
When Jenko assigns Hanson and Penhall to the car theft case they balk at first, but he points out the millions of dollars of losses to insurance companies, eliciting no sympathy from Hanson who complains of the high premiums on his Mustang. Enrolled in a large car repair class with "garage philosopher" Mr. Landers, Hanson establishes a rapport with talented students Mark and Stevie who rebuild cars with ease. These scenes charmingly evoke Christine and Grease.
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| Welcome to the Garage |
Upon investigation of the car theft, it's discovered Mark and Stevie are stealing cars, stripping them for parts, giving them to used car dealer Mario, buying them at an auction, then rebuild and sell the luxury cars making a huge profit. Mark and Stevie have ambitious ideas of starting their own garage business after High School, using their scheme to finance the venture.
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| The scheme is revealed |
Meanwhile, Hoffs realizes supervising Nadia is presenting challenges. Nadia is aggressively flirting with every guy she meets, including a sports car dealer and a movie producer. When Ioki is brought in to help out Hoffs, he falls for Nadia's wiles. Nadia seems to have a genuine love of American culture, jousting with a history teacher on Cold War politics and being enthralled with the utopia of '80s capitalism - the Mall. Later, she confesses to Hoffs she wanted to meet an American man willing to marry her so she could stay in the country.
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| Current Events Discussion |
The glasnost nature of the Nadia's story captures a snapshot in time as the Cold War was showing signs of thawing by the late 1980s, coding American consumerism as the ultimate secret weapon. The auto shop class scheme storyline was clever, you almost feel bad when Penhall and Hanson had to make the arrest. Clearly those guys had skills, their knowledge of cars and astute business acumen portended a bright future, but indulging in car theft took it too far. If there is a link between stories, one a sort of triumphal view of Reagan era America, the other somewhat counters it with the entrepreneurial spirit running amok.
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