21 Jump Street: S4E23: "How I Saved the Senator"

Written by Gary Rosen

Directed by James Whitmore Jr.

Airdate: May 7, 1990

Guest Star: Ray Parker Jr. (as himself)

"How I Saved the Senator" opens with a news crew barging in on the chapel - sending everyone for cover. Earlier that day, the Jump Street Unit was working security for a senator and foiled a plot. The reporter confesses she's actually a screenwriter and wants to get everyone's account of what happened. It's a fun take on Rashomon and a showcase for the entire cast. Appropriately, it would the final time all the principals appeared together. 

Ioki's fantasy imagines himself in a Bruce Lee film with elements of the 1970s TV show Kung Fu. Hanson pictures himself in a silent film with Depp doing a dead-on Chaplin imitation. Hoffs is a 1930s nightclub singer, evocative of the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues. Even Sal gets into the act, I guess he's in a slasher film? Penhall spins a 007 yarn, and Fuller reveals himself a fan of Westerns. 

It's hard not to get a little sentimental about this episode. One thinks back to the Pilot when Hanson reluctantly joined the unit, Penhall and the rest believed him too square to make it as an undercover cop. Jenko was the still the captain, lecturing Hanson on the genius of Jimi Hendrix. Seeing them all together one last time four years later, laughing and joking after they've been through the ringer together makes this the closest the series ever came to a farewell episode. 

21 Jump Street: S4E22: "Shirts and Skins"

Written by Larry Barber and Paul Barber

Directed by Jorge Montesi

Airdate: April 30, 1990

Guest Star: Steven Eckholdt (Lance)

Previous episodes of 21 Jump Street dealt with racism; "Shirts and Skins" might one of the more introspective takes. Penhall has infiltrated a white nationalist organization, while Hoffs and Ioki monitor anti-fascists. During a protest confrontation, Hoffs takes some minor injuries. Ioki also gets in a scuffle with some skinheads. He also hears one of the so-called anti-racists make derogatory comments. 

Penhall discovers tension between the skinheads and nazis. The nazis want educated white people in their group who will take power through the democratic process. Lance is being groomed by his grandfather for such a role.

The idea of white nationalist politics going from fringe to mainstream politics is a theme reveals the prescience of the script. Nothing is resolved by the end, but Penhall does expose a murder plot. Hoffs, Penhall, and Ioki all face moments when they reckon with their own attitudes on race. The episode for the most part avoids being heavy handed. 

21 Jump Street: S4E21: "Unfinished Business"

Written by Julie Friedgen

Directed by Daniel Attias

Airdate: April 9, 1990

Guest Star: Geri Jewell (Officer Rebecca Scanlon)

Hoffs is assigned to go undercover at a college where people with disabilities are being assaulted. Fuller is reluctant to assign Hoffs after her recent traumatic experience. Officer Rebecca Scanlon is also introduced; Fuller was her Captain at one time but is reluctant to send her out after she was wounded in the line of duty. Ioki is assigned to back up Hoffs, while Penhall works with Scanlon.

"Unfinished Business" has its poignant moments. Scanlon schools Penhall on working with a person with disabilities, while Hoffs panics and blows her cover. 

The execution is a bit clunky. Penhall makes an uncharacteristic mistake late in the investigation, while the culprit is telegraphed early in the episode. A major theme in the episode is the way people with disabilities are treated with society, reactions ranging from patronizing to contempt. Geri Jewell appeared in recurring roles on Facts of Life and Deadwood; she did not make a return appearance on 21 Jump Street. 

21 Jump Street: S4E20: "Last Chance High"

Written by Michelle Ashford

Directed by Kim Manners

Airdate: March 19, 1990

Guest Star: Diedrich Bader (Paul); Sarah Trigger (Frances)

Hanson and Penhall take on their McQuaid Brothers persona for the final time for "Last Chance High." Both realize they are getting too old to be working High Schools but decide to anyway. They're undercover at a school for kids struggling to socialize. Future Drew Carey Show star Diedrich Bader appears as a gifted, but maladjusted student.

The main plotline follows Frances, an art student, and we learn she kidnapped her baby sister because of abusive parents. Hanson takes a personal interest in the case to Fuller's chagrin, but everything works out ok. 

The episode is mostly a middling melodrama but tempered by some comedic moments. Penhall adjusts to being Clavo's adopted father. Hanson seems fine after being held captive by a death squad in the previous episode! One major difference between the network and streaming eras of television - emotional stakes are taken more seriously these days. 

21 Jump Street: S4E19: "La Bizca"

Written by Lary Barber & Paul Barber

Directed by David Nutter

Airdate: February 26, 1990

Guest Star: Richard Roundtree (Ben Halley)

El Salvadore was going through a bitter civil war (1980-1992), with the Reagan-Bush administration supporting the anti-communist forces often through illegal means - look up the Iran-Contra Scandal.

The civil war was a plot point in an earlier episode from season 4 "Come from the Shadows" when Penhall married Marta to prevent her deportment, which failed to work. Penhall decided to travel with Hanson to El Salvadore to find her. 

They arrive and immediately witness atrocities and eventually get captured by government forces who believe they are communists from America. Freed by the rebels, Penhall learns that Marta was recently killed. In grief, Penhall decides to bring her young son Clavo back to the states.

A downer episode for sure, it feels like another TV show at times. A war themed travelogue and action oriented, "La Bizca" is a tough one to place in the series canon.  

21 Jump Street: S4E18: "Awomp-Bomp-Aloobomb, Aloop Bamboom"

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Jorge Montesi

Airdate: February 19, 1990

Guest Stars: Shawn Levy (Lance); John Waters (Mr. Bean); Jensen Daggett (Ashley)

One could argue the original premise of 21 Jump Street was a joke (undercover High School cops), but the show played everything straight. By season four, 21 Jump Street no longer resisted its own absurdity, it leaned into it. Many consider the fourth season to be the final one proper since it was the last with the principal cast. This episode would be the last carefree pairing of Hanson and Penhall, one last, strange road trip before the show leaves them behind. 

Everyone's uncharacteristically grumpy at the chapel, the squad pesters Fuller for more vacation time. Hanson and Penhall are investigating an explosion near a "radical" college newspaper run by student communists. They follow the editor Lance who hops on a bus to Florida for Spring Break, we learn he's chasing his ex-girlfriend Ashley - a swimsuit model. 

The bus is chartered by an esoteric self-help cult led by none other than cult filmmaker John Waters as "Mr. Bean." Depp had just worked with Waters on Cry Baby, making the cameo feel like an inside joke. They get kicked off the bus and hitch a ride to Florida. The spectacle of college students converging on Florida became a defining image of 1990s pop culture, and 21 Jump Street gets there early.

Spring Break Adventure

Penhall keeps an eye on Lance as they get caught up in a beer pong game. Hanson locates Ashley and they really hit it off, but she eventually reunited with Lance. And Sal shows up at one point - he's also partying at Spring Break? Wasn't he married with two kids, as we saw in earlier episodes. Sal appears almost as a specter, not unlike the way Depp exited the series. 

Morgan and Wong's script joyfully disrupted structure. We get random detours, Hanson and Penhall are drifting more than investigating. Scenes feel incidental, even disposable. The plot is more about movement than narrative. 

Shawn Levy would go on to a big directing career. Jensen Daggett as Ashley also exuded star power here, her claim to fame would be starring in Jason Takes Manhattan. 

Despite all the drift and absurdity, the episode ends on a serious note. Penhall plans on going to El Salvador to track down his estranged wife, a reminder the show still centered seriousness. 

21 Jump Street: S4E17: "Hi Mom"

Written by Bill Nuss

Directed by James Whitmore, Jr.

Airdate: February 12, 1990

Guest Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Wesley Williams); David Raynr (Kip Fuller)

"Hi Mom" deals with drugs and corruption in college basketball. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar guest stars as the beleaguered athletic director at a university reeling from the drug-related death of a star player. 

Hanson poses as a tutor, Penhall joins the wrestling squad, and Fuller assumes the cover of an African American studies professor. They discover widespread drug use among the athletes, including evidence of point shaving for cocaine money. There's a real "ripped from the headlines" style to the episode.

The script recalls earlier seasons of 21 Jump Street when the series was more of a procedural. There's definitely a getting long in the tooth feel as well, everything seems routine. Real "senior year" vibes to this episode. 

21 Jump Street: S4E16: "2245"

Written by Michelle Ashford, Glen Morgan, and James Wong

Directed by Kim Manners

Airdate: February 5, 1990

Guest Stars: Josh Rickman (Ronnie); Rosie Perez (Rosie); Troy Mallory (Reggie)

In one of its bleakest episodes, 21 Jump Street focused on the death penalty. Young criminal Ronnie is on death row for murdering a cop (and member of the Jump Street Unit - Reggie). The character of Ronnie appeared in the two-part season 2 episode "Besieged" as an aspiring gangster. Since his imprisonment, Hanson regularly visits Ronnie who requests that he attend his execution.

We get flashbacks to the crime spree Ronnie and his girlfriend Rosie embarked on. We get scenes of his interactions with the prison chaplain - and his hopes of getting a reprieve. The actual sequence depicting the lethal injection is about as bleak as it gets. The episode ends with a visibly shaken Hanson staring into the camera. 

The script avoided being overtly for or against the death penalty, but one walks away feeling the entire process is barbaric and ghastly. Debates raged about the death penalty when I was in school, but it seems most American are fine with it these days. A bold episode at this late juncture in the series. 

21 Jump Street: S4E15: "Back From the Future"

Written by David Stenn

Directed by Peter DeLuise

Airdate: January 29, 1990

Guest Star: Michael Bays (Officer John Cogan)

21 Jump Street went Sci-Fi with "Back from the Future." Set in 2037, an archivist with the police department interviews former members of the Jump Street unit who are now in advanced age. 

The episode is a blend of highlights from previous episodes and reflections from the main cast in bad old age makeup. It's lovely to think everyone stayed close in the future -and to hear the characters talk about each other, something we rarely got in the series. All speak of Hanson as guarded and secretive, ironically, he was the only one who stayed with the department his entire career. Hoffs became a Senator, Penhall a preacher (?), and Ioki a martial arts teacher/immigration advocate.

"Back from the Future" works as a goofy entry in the series, it even leans into some of the mythology developed over four seasons. 

I was never a fan of the film reboots released in the 2010s, they just leaned into a one-joke premise. A true reboot of Jump Street in the 2020s, would be more in tone with shows like Adolescence, a grim interrogation of youth, technology, and nihilism.  

(As a bonus, the closing credits contain rare outtakes from the series)

21 Jump Street: S4E14: "A Change of Heart"

Written by Michelle Ashford

Directed by Jan Eliasberg

Airdate: January 15, 1990

Guest Star: Katy Boyer (Megan)

Fuller and Hoffs go undercover at a High School to investigate the murder of a popular teacher who was a lesbian. 21 Jump Street rarely explored sexuality, so this episode is a rare exception.

Hoffs befriends Megan, who she suspects of having a crush on the teacher who was murdered. In one scene, Megan kisses Hoffs, who reacts with guarded compassion. Megan's struggling with her sexuality, but the investigation leads to her mom.

TV would evolve a lot in the 90s and beyond in its handling of gay themes and characters. While the episode treats Megan's character with sympathy it does lean to its lesbian coded crime as taboo. To Fuller's credit he does express a progressive view for its time and avoids the obvious homophobic jokes that was common for TV of that era. 

A subplot involves Fuller considering a relationship with a younger teacher he meets at the school - even shaving off his beard for a mustache. When Fuller awkwardly asks Hoffs if she would date a guy like him, she's like "why is everyone trying to date me." 

"A Change of Heart" is more of a drama than a crime story, indicative of the series searching for new avenues in what would be its final season as a network show. 

21 Jump Street: S4E13: "Research and Destroy"

Written by Gary Rosen

Directed by Jefferson Kibbee

Airdate: January 8, 1990

Guest Star: Ping Wu (Sangwa); Grant Heslov (Elliot)

The Jump Street unit investigates synthetic drug production at a high-tech university in this fourth season episode. The cold open shows how the university is producing potent drugs that are hitting the streets, more common than you think.

Hanson's struggling to be convincing as a science whiz, Ioki uncovers a Chinese spy ring, while Hoffs must fend off nerdy students. Penhall must've been on vacation. 

The campus setting worked well for the episode. Hanson gets the attention of a CIA recruiter who lurks around campus. Meanwhile, Ioki helps a Chinese student avoid trouble for speaking out against the Tiananmen Square crackdown the year before. He threatens a female Chinese student with arrest for espionage if she refuses to leave the country - harsh. Meanwhile, the synthetic drug plot moves in a predictable path.

Despite the serious moments, the comedic turns are the highlight of the episode. By this point, Depp was probably counting the days until he could be freed of the series.

21 Jump Street: S4E12: "Things We Said Today"

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Tucker Gates

Airdate: December 18, 1989

Guest Star: Keith Coogan (Kyle DeGray); Shannon Doherty (Janine DeGray); Lisa Cutter (Cheryl)

On "Things We Said Today" 21 Jump Street seemed to anticipate LOST by 15 years! Of course, I write in jest. The episode uses a flashback structure to provide more of Ioki's backstory, specifically his early days on the Jump Street squad.

The cold open has Ioki getting help up at a gas station by a young man demanding, "Do you remember me?" The young man is Kyle, who a few years before, explicitly dated as 1986, had his life derailed after Ioki befriended him while working a High School drug case. Kyle and his sister Janine were suspected of dealing drugs, but as it turned out, their parents were the masterminds. Kyle turned his parents in, then he and his Janine were put under foster care. He felt manipulated by the justice system as his entire family unraveled

Fuller demands Ioki close one of his early cases during a flashback. 

Three years later, Ioki manages to fight off Kyle who holds him at gunpoint. Afterwards, Kyle is convicted of assaulting a cop. Ioki feels guilty and responsible for Kyle's dilemma, tries to help, but nothing gets resolved. We learn that in 1986, Ioki was in a serious relationship with Cheryl, but he ended it due to his own insecurities. Now in 1989, he attempts to contact Cheryl only to learn she's now married and expecting a child. There's even a bizarro dream sequence with imagery of street violence, Reagan, the Challenger explosion, and the Vietnam War. 

"Things We Said Today" resembles the third season episode "Swallowed Alive" when Hanson and Penhall had to reckon with the consequences of undercover work. It was good to see Nguyen get a strong storyline, a tale full of resigned remorse. Glen Morgan and James Wong consistently delivered strong scripts for all the characters. 

Fans of the series nitpick this episode because it skewed the series timeline, suggesting Fuller took over the program in 1986, a year before the series debuted on air in 1987, although Captain Jenko (Fredrick Forrest) is also referenced. I attribute this to writer's laziness, TV in this era was less concerned with canons and making sure timelines squared up correctly. 

21 Jump Street: S4E11: "Parental Guidance Suggested"

Written by Sam Bushwick, Glen Morgan, and James Wong

Directed by Jeffrey Auerbach

Airdate: December 4, 1989

Guest Star: Jay Underwood (Rob Daniels); Lenore Kasdorf (Pam Daniels); Paul Gleason (Mr. Daniels)

The Jump Street squad is on stakeout duty in the heart of suburbia trying to nail a theft ring. But during the stakeout, Hoffs notices some possible domestic violence at the house next door. The episode's a hybrid of Rear Window and Disturbia.

The story weaves between the hijinks of Penhall and Ioki trying to steal free cable to relieve their boredom, as Hoffs and Fuller agonize over what to do about the abuse. Paul Gleason (Breakfast Club, Die Hard) is the violent father, while his son Rob must deal with the brunt of his physical and verbal abuse. Hoffs befriends Rob at the school, and tries to persuade Fuller to do something, but ethically they cannot interfere.

After Mr. Daniels goes missing, Fuller decides to ger involved. They suspect Rob might've murdered his father, after he confessed to having such fantasies to Hoffs. When Mr. Daniels returns, the abuse starts again, but Hoffs and Fuller stop Rob when he attempts to drown his father after he passing out. 

The episode takes a turn into psychological melodrama, as Fuller reveals he grew up with an abusive father, leading to his distant relationship with his own son Kip. The script avoids getting into whether Hoffs and Fuller committed an ethical breach by getting involved in a case they were not assigned. But the Hitchcock influence on the episode makes this a curiosity in the 21 Jump Street canon.

21 Jump Street: S4E10: "Wheels and Deals Part Two"

Written by Thana St. John

Directed by Jefferson Kibbee

Airdate: November 27, 1989

Guest Star: Mickey Jones (Bobo); Ray Baker (Raymond Crane)

Back in the network era, "crossover" episodes were more common, shows in the same universe joining forces for a story. "Wheels and Deals" began as a story on the ill-fated Booker series starring Richard Greico that aired for one season on Fox. Working as a fixer for a Japanese conglomerate after leaving Jump Street, Booker was on the trail of corrupt billionaire Raymond Crane, who's left a litany of crimes in his wake. Hitting a dead end in his investigation, Booker returned to Jump Street to call in some favors. 

Crane was traced to a motorcycle gang he runs for kicks so Penhall, Fuller, Ioki, and eventually Hoffs joins as a tough talking biker girl. If the Booker episode was a grim tale of betrayal and murder, the second part takes a comical left turn. Crane takes a racial swipe at Fuller, which was a bonehead move. Ioki does some dirtbike racing and wipes out, while Penhall seems to be channeling Brando from The Wild One. Booker makes a token appearance in one scene. 

"Wheels and Deals" plays mostly as a lark. Apparently, the crime rate is declining in Metropolitan since the Jump Street Unit has time to work on a sideline case. Hanson holds down the fort at the Chapel and works on his pinball skills. Not a memorable episode and the crossover execution felt off, but the interplay between the characters makes up for it. Also, always nice to see Mickey Jones appear, character actor and legendary drummer for the likes of Bob Dylan and Kenny Rogers. 

21 Jump Street: S4E9: "Mike's POV"

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Jorge Montesi

Airdate: November 20, 1989

Guest Star: Donovan Leitch Jr (Mike); Robin Lively (Helen); Vince Vaughn (Bill)

21 Jump Street experimented with the procedural structure of the series. "Mike's POV" is told from the perspective of a student doing contract kills for money. The episode's cold open has Mike killing the wife of a teacher. Mike simply wants to be popular, have a cool car and a girlfriend. Hanson and Penhall are working the case, but we only see them in their undercover guises, no scenes of them discussing the case. 

Penhall saying farewell to the 1980s.

The episode maintains a chillier and pulpier tone than usual. Penhall tries to offer counsel Mike as a coach at the school (getting too old to be believed as a student), while Hanson's adopted a dark poet persona. It's as if Depp is prepping to work in a Tim Burton film. Like teen movies of the era, Say Anything or Pump Up the Volume, the episode marks a shift from the erstwhile films of John Hughes to the more jaded landscape of the 1990s. There's a well-choregraphed fight at the end when Hanson must arrest Mike, adding to the cinematic atmosphere.

Been hanging out with Tim Burton?

Vince Vaughn makes an early appearance and Robin Lively of Teen Witch and Karate Kid III fame plays Mike's crush. 

Vince Vaughn and Robin Lively

A real gem of an episode from late period Jump Street, totally in synch with the changing attitude of youth-oriented films associated with the multiplex generation. 

21 Jump Street: S4E8: "Stand by your Man"

Written by Michelle Ashford

Directed by Daniel Attias

Airdate: November 13, 1989

Guest Star: Ken Olandt (Evan)

The episode begins with Hoffs being promoted to Detective as the unit is pursuing a designer drug lead at a prestigious medical school. When one of the male students sexually assaults Hoffs, her career is put into jeopardy.

Hoffs was always the most professional officer in the unit, and she had to deal with vulnerabilities her male colleagues never had to face. There were many episodes when she was working undercover and a student would develop a crush on her - usually played for laughs. 

When Hoffs develops chemistry with medical student Evan, they share a brief kiss, but she makes it clear she's only interested in being friends. At a party later that night he assaulted Hoffs, claiming she gave consent. But she did not. The issue of consent is at the center of the episode, rare for the 1980s. It also deals with the judgement and intrusive questions Hoffs faces, any woman faces, after making a rape accusation. Why did she wait so long? How did she conduct herself with Evan, giving him the wrong idea?  

Hanson proves himself to be a worthy ally in the episode, offering quiet emotional support. Fuller also tries to support Hoffs, but his fatherly manner towards alienates more than it helps. When word gets out about the rape accusation, everyone acts differently towards Hoffs, either patronizing or awkward. 

'Stand by your Man" refuses a neat conclusion. Evan gets a slap on the wrist for his sentence due to his wealthy connections. Neither does he seem to believe he did everything wrong. Holly Robinson gives a good performance, given a rare moment in the series which required a complex performance. Credit must also be given to the script written by Michelle Ashford. Most fans prefer Jump Street when it's a good time show, but the questions and themes in this episode remain relevant over 30 years later. 

21 Jump Street: S4E7: "Out of Control"

Written by Thania St. John

Directed by Mario Van Peebles

Airdate: November 6, 1989

Guest Stars: Christine Elise (Quincy)

Hanson is assigned to investigate a string of robberies connected to a group of thrill-seeking students. Mario Van Peebles returned and once again brough a cinematic style to the episode. 

Hanson bonds with student Quincy, played by Christine Elise who leaves an impression, the de facto leader of the group. There are two tense scenes: students swap cars while speeding on the road and they like to play chicken with a rollercoaster.

Fuller chastises Hanson for going along with these stunts. Even Penhall and Ioki feel he took things too far. Once again, Hanson talks about quitting. We also learn Ioki is struggling with pain pill addiction.

The story's a bit thin, but the stylistic sequences more than make up for it. 

21 Jump Street: S4E6: "Old Haunts in a New Age"

Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong

Directed by Jefferson Kibbee

Airdate: October 30, 1989

Guest Stars: Pamela Adlon (Dori); Ian Abercrombie (Lemieux) 

In the Halloween themed episode "Old Haunts in a New Age", the Jump Street cast gets to relax and lighten things up for a change. Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong, the episode is full of allusions to classic horror and Sci-Fi. The story follows Hanson and Penhall as they investigate a string of arsons at a high school, while the squad back at the chapel discovers a literal skeleton in the attic. 

The episode's cold open follows High School student Dori who seems to be present at all the fires, the sequence is stylistic and set to a New Wave soundtrack, very similar to how Millennium (1996-1999) would begin its shows (Morgan & Wong also wrote for that series). Hanson and Penhall observe goings on at the High School and find no clues, they rule out Dori but are intrigued by her claims of having visions. 

Nice homage to Spielberg

While driving at night Penhall is overcome by bright lights like Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters in a fun scene. After the skeleton is found at chapel, they consult a Ouija Board and invite a crank medium. No one seems to be around at the precinct, are we back to the clubhouse of season one?

The climax happens at the Halloween school dance. Hanson goes as Travis Bickle, I'm sure that was Depp's idea. Depp even seems to be having fun for a change. Even "Blowfish" makes an appearance, it's been a while. 

"Old Haunts in a New Age" is a treat for fans of the series. It taps into the absurdity motif running through the fourth season. The tone of this season is not unlike the senior year of high school; everyone can let loose and have some fun (although there will be serious episodes). 

Final Report: A minor Halloween classic of the 1980s TV canon.