Airwolf: Season 2 Episode 10 Once a Hero
Hawke recruits a team to rescue Saint John from a Laotian prison camp.
Series Index
Characters/Groups
Stringfellow Hawke - Jan-Michael Vincent
Michael Coldsmith Briggs III - Alex Cord
Caitlin O'Shannessy - Jean Bruce Scott
Gary Wallace - Thomas Callaway
Charmaine Beaucaire - Cathie Shirriff
Government Official - Eddie Wong
Bandit King - Professor Toru Tanaka
Bandit Leader - Richard Lee-Sung
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
Detailed Synopsis
Stringfellow Hawke is walking through Chinatown when he is followed by a group of three men. He is surrounded by the men, but saved by Tommy Liu who tells the men to leave. They go into a bar, where Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, Archangel is sitting at a table and Loo is standing next to him. Loo demands two thousand dollars and after Hawke pays him, Loo hands him an envelope with photographs, including one that appears to show Saint John. Archangel tells Hawke that the prison camp is run by a warlord in Laos. Hawke thanks Archangel and Tommy warns Hawke that Laos is heavily armed. Hawke shows Dominic the photos and suggests a plan to form a unit to help break out Saint John. They go to the All County Dirt Bike rally to recruit Kearns. Kearns is at first hesitant to go, but agrees in the end. They then go to the Convention Center to hear a speech by Gary Wallace. Dominic doesn't think Gary will join them, but Hawke tells him they need him in order to get visas with his political clout. After his speech, Gary walks into his office and tells Hawke, he can't go along with his plan as he doesn't think it can be done. Hawke tells him he doesn't have to apologize and as he, Dominic and Kearns are leaving, Gary tells them he will join them.
Hawke shows Kearns and Gary a miniature representation of the prison camp. Gary asks how Hawke plans on taking out all the guards and guard towers and Hawke shows them Airwolf. Dominic in Airwolf then does a demonstration of its fighting abilities. Hawke and Dominic take Airwolf over the prison camp and use their cameras to record the camp before flying into the camp. The prison camp guards shoot at Airwolf and eventually Hawke flies Airwolf away. In Bangkok, Thailand, Hawke and Dominic wait for Kearns and Gary to arrive so they can store their gear before meeting Chin Mou. As they are eating, Gary starts to get noticeably paranoid. Charmaine Beaucaire walks up to their table and kisses Hawke and Hawke introduces "Chin Mou" to Dominic, Kearns and Gary. Hawke, Dominic, Gary and Charmaine start removing the lids of the crates holding their supplies. Kearns arrives and they remove their weapons and Hawke tells everyone thanks. There is a knock on the door and Kearns and Gary hurry and get the weapons loaded onto the truck while Charmaine stalls the Government Official at the door. Charmaine opens the door and the Government Official walks in with two military personnel. The Government Official asks what they are transporting and then comments on their truck. Kearns starts the truck and Hawke punches The Government Official when he tries to stop Kearns. The others get into the truck and drive off as the government personnel shoot at them.
They park the vehicle in the jungle and cover it with brush. Hawke, Charmaine, Gary and Kearns walk through the jungle, while Dominic flies overhead in Airwolf. They find some punji sticks in the ground and Hawke notices Bandit Leader pointing a rifle at them. They are then surrounded by other bandits and taken hostage. They are brought before the Bandit King and made to kneel. The Bandit King asks if they are mercenaries and Hawke jokes and says they are combat Archaeologists. The Bandit King insults Charmaine and Hawke threatens that if the Bandit King doesn't show better hospitality, he won't do business with him. Hawke offers to pay the Bandit King for knowledge on where any American POW's are and then shows the Bandit King some money. As Hawke goes to give the Bandit King some money, he puts a knife to his throat and takes him hostage. They put the Bandit King in a jeep and drive off. They then push him off into the river and continue to drive away. At night in camp they make a toast to Saint John and Dominic walks up. The next day before they enter the camp, Gary hesitates until Hawke calls his name. They sneak into the camp and then into the prisoner barracks, but only find Laotians in it. Gary wants to leave, but Hawke insists they let the Laotian prisoners out. Gary starts panicking and has a flashback to when he was a prisoner in Vietnam. He admits to Kearns that he told the Vietnamese guards about the escape tunnel Kearns had dug while they were both prisoners. Gary tells Kearns, he thought by coming on the mission to save Saint John, he could make up for betraying Kearns. Kearns points his rifle towards Gary and fires it, killing a guard that was walking in, but also alerting the camp.
Hawke and the others are pinned down and he calls Dominic on the radio for air support. Charmaine points out to Hawke that the guards are pulling a different group of prisoners out and putting them into a truck. Dominic arrives in Airwolf and starts killing the guards. Hawke and the others lead the Laotian prisoners into the jeep and then Kearns, Charmain and Gary drive off. Dominic destroys most of the base in Airwolf and then picks Hawke up. They chase after the truck with the prisoners. The truck with Kearns and the others comes under machine gun nest fire and they take cover. Gary charges at the machine gun nest and is shot. He then pulls the pin of a grenade and charges at the machine gun nest when they reload and blows himself and it up. Hawke shoots at the truck and the guards run away. Hawke and Dominic land Airwolf and Hawke runs to the back of the truck. He asks for Saint John and Roach tells him the other American prisoners were taken away. Kearns and Charmaine arrive in the jeep and Hawke tells them Saint John wasn't in the truck. A jet starts firing at them and they transfer the American prisoners into the jeep with the Laotians. Hawke get into Airwolf while Kearns and Charmaine park the jeep in the jungle. Hawke and Dominic then shoot down three jets. Hawke uses the loudspeaker and tries to send a message to Saint John that he is coming back. Hawke, Dominic and Kearns return to the United States and attend Gary's funeral. Kearns invites Hawke and Dominic for a beer, and after initially telling him no, they agree to have a beer with him and Dominic tells a saying about those that drink with friends never put on weight.