KNIGHT RIDER FRIDAY: Season 1 Episode 1

Welcome to the 1st ever Friday afternoon Knight Rider Critical Review blog. NETFLIX just made Knight Rider available for streaming so I figured I'd watch an episode once a week and relive the magic with you guys. I watched Season 1 Episode 1 last night and took detailed notes. If you've watched Knight Rider then you know why I'm doing this: Knight Rider is awesome. 

I didn't know before I started writing this blog or watching the show that there's 90 episodes of Knight Rider. That's a lot of fucking episodes guys. I'll be honest. I was thinking maybe a couple dozen but alas I was wrong. In light of this I will not alter my original plan: a weekly Knight Rider blog on Friday afternoon. I like the week-to-week suspense that no longer exists in our ever present binge-streaming-world. The suspense and build up is that much better when you have time to think and reflect on the plot. 

That said, let's jump into Knight Rider: the 1982 action crime drama series staring David Hasselhoff as Michael Long/Knight, a handsome vigilante that drives a Trans Am. But not just any Trans Am. This one has been specially designed to contain the world's best technology in literally all aspects of technology. We're talking artificial intelligence and microprocessors and voice recognition and a nearly indestructible interior. The car's name is KITT. 

Together, Michael Knight and KITT offer a dynamic modern crime fighting duo. Knight Rider is their story. 

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Season 1 Episode 1 begins on a casino floor lobby with our protagonist Michael Long working a security detail for two high-profile technology executives. While on the floor, someone breaks into his client's hotel room and steals some important shit from a safe. Michael's partner (Muntzy) is tipped off on the theft and a brief chase ensues where he's ultimately gunned down by a bad guy named Gary. Michael holds his dying partner in his arms in the casino parking lot as Gary and the other bad guy race away. A distraught Michael then gets in his Trans Am and chases after the car with the bad guys. He is joined by one of the executives he was protecting - a busty blonde named Tanya. 

He eventually catches up to the bad guys who are now parked on a desert highway. They are meeting up with another group of bad guys who are buying the important shit that was stolen from the hotel safe. Alas, Michael has arrived on the scene to recover his client's stolen property and apprehend his partner's murderer. In literally no more than 5 minutes of screen time, we are off to an absolutely electric fucking start. 

That's when all hell breaks loose. Turns out Tanya's been double-crossing Michael this whole time. She pulls out a small handgun and shoots Michael directly in the face, then fuckin LAUGHS about it. I can't make that part up. 

Here's another part I can't make up: Michael Long is not played by David Hasselhoff. It's a completely different guy running around the first few minutes of the show. 

But then he gets blasted in the face from point blank range with a 6-shooter and next thing you know, we wake up in a hospital. You have to see the next part to believe it yourself. 

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So we've got Hasselhoff waking up in some private hospital with some private benefactor. He's really salty about getting shot in the face and his partner getting murdered, but he's actually rejuvenated with his newly profound handsomeness. A true catch-22 that you probably would spend more time thinking about, but Knight Rider doesn't let you. There's no time to ponder themes or really what the fuck is going on in Knight Rider. It just happens so fast. 

Turns out Michael Long was saved by some old rich guy that ends up dying (spoiler) at the end of the episode. It's his lifelong dream, or something, to deliver justice to bad people, and he hand picked Michael Long to do major damage. But since it's now David Hasselhoff and there's a new face, they change his name to Michael Knight. This allows him to seek revenge without being detected - a nice plot wrinkle in line with the plastic surgery revolution of the early 1980's. 

The old guy (before he dies) gives Michael Knight a car. At first glance, it looks exactly like the Trans Am he used to chase the bad guys out to the desert. But alas, it's a different car. A brand new one. A car fit with more technology than most countries on the Eastern Bloc combined. 

Fellas. Meet KITT:

Soak up the acting. Take in the production value. Because from here it really takes off. 

Michael spends the next couple days getting familiar with the cars capabilities. If you're interested, here's the two building a relationship on the road. 

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The whole point is this car is so indestructible and bad ass. It can do anything you want. It is programmed to protect Michael Knight's life at all costs as he is resurrected to chase down the guys that wronged him. Don't ask me how they cram all that tech in there, they just do. 

At this point, it's time to get back on the hunt. So Michael hits the road and ends up joining a demolition derby with KITT because he hears that the derby is being sponsored by the technology executives that double crossed him. The lady who shot him in the face (Tanya) is checking people in at the fucking registration tent!! 

Michael wins the demolition derby and the respect of the locals. He gets closer to those who tried to kill him while also meeting this hot young MILF. I can't remember her name or her brat kid, but apparently her husband was murdered in cold blood. She's pretty cool about it, and I think Michael is piping her at the end. 

We're left with a cliffhanger TO BE CONTINUED which I can't wait to get into. For now I'm just fascinated with the character and the car and the music and how hot some of these babes are. I sincerely think this has some legs. 

I encourage you guys to check out some Knight Rider clips. Meantime I'm giving opening episode a 6.8 because it was a little confusing and hard to follow but I feel like it's going to pick up QUICK. This car KITT has big time potential to do some Zany stuff. 

This has been your first Knight Rider Friday. 

full episode here: