Medium-High

One confirmed

Just two

Combed back and neat. Looks freshly washed

No Dietrich in this episode

Jan's Notes: The Two for One Raid aka Adventures in Babysitting
12 April 1999

The patrol are looking for the spot where a bunch of ammunition was dropped by parachute. They attack a house with a small contingent of German soldiers who, when they see the patrol coming at them with '50s blazing, stand there like a bunch of storefront mannequins. Absolutely no survival instinct at all.

After throwing a grenade into the house, the patrol stops and waits for the fireworks. Nothing. So they turn around and drive up to take a closer look. Nope, the house is still standing. Moffitt states the obvious: "If the ammunition was there, it would have been blown sky high." Then suddenly a figure comes staggering out the door and collapses on the sand. Tully starts to run towards the person with his big knife drawn, but Troy calls him back. Then Troy, Moffitt, and Hitch approach the person, who is wearing Arab garb. When they turn him over, they discover that he is just a kid. A blue-eyed, blonde kid but nobody seems to notice that. They assume he is an Arab boy.

Moffitt checks the kid over, still does not notice his blue eyes or blonde hair. He attempts to communicate with the kid in a whole range of languages but the kid does not answer. Sort of reminds me of a little terror I used to babysit. Of course we don't know if he tried German. Troy is trying to figure out where the ammunition was dropped and decides to try another spot a few miles over. Now Hitch, Troy, and Moffitt are standing around talking; Tully is sitting over the kid with his big knife drawn staring down at the kid and he doesn't notice the blue eyes and blonde hair. Then Troy walks over to talk to the kid and crouches down right beside him and he doesn't see it. Are they all suffering from sun blindness? Or are they just all colour-blind? The kid looks like a poster boy for Nazi youth!

Troy figures that they can't leave the kid so they put him in the jeep. The kid grabs a handful of sand and when the guys conveniently go stand in a circle away from the jeeps, the kid drops the sand into the fuel lines. Why do the guys go stand in a circle? Was it time for the group hug?

So off they go, but they don't get far 'cause of course Troy and Hitch's jeep starts coughing and sputtering and stalls. Up goes the hood and Tully comes over to check it out. Tully is puzzled 'cause everything checked out in the morning, but Troy barks, check it again. So Tully starts to troubleshoot the engine, and everyone else has to crowd around him blocking all his light. I don't know a single mechanic who would stand for that. And he has barely looked at the engine when Hitch asks him what the trouble is. Tully responds, "Give me a moment and I'll tell you." Good for you, Tully. You should have told them all to back off also and give you some light. So while the guys are standing around watching Tully do his thing, the kid steals the other jeep.

Troy gives chase and actually manages to grab hold of the back of the jeep, but the kid shakes him loose. Then the kid stalls the jeep so he starts firing the '50 at Troy. Troy pretends to have been hit to fool the kid and then when the kid starts firing at the other guys, who finally arrive (without the rifles from the jeep Tully was working on, I might add), Troy jumps the kid from the side. It is at this point that they make the discovery that the kid is not an Arab but a German. Guess the Iron Cross around the kid's neck is what got the point across. Finally!! Though why Moffitt did not see it when he was examining the kid for injuries early on I don't know.

Troy and Moffitt question the kid and find out the following information: He is sixteen years old, his mother is dead, and his father is Colonel Frederick Sneider who just happens to be commanding the convoy slated to pick up ammunition that the Patrol is supposed to destroy; that is, if they ever get there.

Tully in the meantime is still working on the Jeep. At least he doesn't have Troy and Moffitt peering over his shoulder anymore, though Hitch still finds it necessary to keep a close watch on things. After Tully has cleaned the sand out of the fuel line, Troy has him and Hitch tie the kid up and stick him in the back of the jeep. Tully seems a little exasperated with the kid. Of course, the kid was responsible for the sand. Babysitting isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Now comes a real great scene, especially for Tully lovers. Tully, who by the way is wearing no shirt under his jacket again allowing for some sneak peaks at his chest, stands by the Jeep while Hitch starts it up. When it start up just fine, Tully gives a little smile and swagger, then walks over to his jeep whistling. The best scene of the episode, in my humble opinion.

Patrol continues on its way to the alternate drop zone where, yes indeed, there is the ammo plus the convoy. Troy isn't too pleased about this. I don't know why. They have attacked convoys before with superb results. Tully isn't fazed by the news at all. He just states, "Well now, two for the price of one," which lightens up Troy's mood a little bit. The kid tries to warn his father but Tully sticks an oily rag in his mouth and puts a stop to that.

Troy is not too happy about the possibility about making an orphan out of the kid so he decides that he will try to remove the father from the action. We learn at this point that Troy lost his own father when he was around the same age so he has a great deal of empathy for the kid. Moffitt tries to talk Troy out of it but is unsuccessful. Moffitt makes an interesting comment about Troy doing what he would not allow Moffitt to do, jeopardize the mission for personal reasons. Excuse me but didn't Moffitt go running off to find his father despite Troy's orders to the contrary. How quickly they forget.

Anyway, Troy goes off to get Colonel Seidner. Of course, none of the other Germans notice Troy hauling their Colonel away nor do they seem to miss him at all. Troy brings back the father and then the Patrol goes to blow up the ammunition. Again the Germans make sure they are all standing up in the open to make things easier for the Patrol, though a couple do try to fire back at them. A couple of grenades and the ammunition and convoy are history.

Afterwards, Colonel Seidner is reunited with his son. Touching family scene and they go live happily every after in a comfortable POW camp. The colonel definitely didn't seem to be too upset at the idea of not having to fight any more.

By the way, did anyone notice that Troy's gloves changed colour half way through the episode?

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