Combat! "Any Second Now" #1.4 (1962) (TV)

My second experience with Combat!, 16 June 2006

In this episode of Combat!, Lt. Gil Hanley (Rick Jason) finds himself trapped under rubble in a church. Atop the rubble sits an unexploded bomb. It's up to a burned out British bomb disposal expert with a hatred for Americans to save the day - and Lt. Hanley.

The only thing I've got to compare "Any Second Now" with is "A Day in June", the only other episode of Combat! I've seen. So, that's just what I'll do - compare the two. "Any Second Now" doesn't fair well. Where "A Day in June" featured an interesting band of guys, each with a chance for some screen time, "Any Second Now" focuses on one of the shows two leads, Jason's Lt. Hanley. And this episode suffers from it. Yes, this episode is well written and contains some decent drama (although it's predictable drama), but without the other characters, the fun is gone. I missed the guys. Even co-star Vic Morrow is only around for a couple of thankless moments.

I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not as good as the "A Day in June". I just hope that the rest of the episodes are more like "A Day in June" and less like "Any Second Now".

6/10