Airwolf: Season 3 Episode 19 Break-In at Santa Paula
Hawke breaks into a Central American prison in order to save a dead friend's son.
Series Index
Characters/Groups
Stringfellow Hawke - Jan-Michael Vincent
Michael Coldsmith Briggs III - Alex Cord
Caitlin O'Shannessy - Jean Bruce Scott
Captain Mendez - Pedro Armendariz Jr.
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
Detailed Synopsis
A limo drives up to Santini Air and Eleanor gets out. She walks up to Dominic and Caitlin O'Shannessy and asks to speak with Stringfellow Hawke. She walks up to Hawke and they speak for the first time in 15 years, the day of Eleanor and Hawke's friend Mike's funeral. Hawke tells Eleanor he thought Mike could have been someone if he had never married Eleanor and Eleanor tells Hawke that Terry Haines is in a Central American jail. She asks Hawke to help get Terry out of prison and then tells Hawke, Dominic and Caitlin how Terry was framed for transporting drugs and sentenced to 14 years in Santa Paula prison. She tells Hawke that Terry has a heart condition and Hawke at first refuses to do it, due to its illegality. Dominic thinks it is a bad idea, but Hawke feels he owes it to Mike.
In Santa Paula, Dominic and Hawke fly a helicopter near the prison before landing. At the prison, Senders, Joaquin and Morales approach Terry and Gentry. Senders tells Terry that Gentry, who is constantly coughing, is going to get them all sick and needs to be killed. Captain Mendez walks up to the group and Senders and his friends walk away. Terry tells Mendez he wants Senders kept away from him and Gentry and Mendez tells Terry not to give him orders. Terry asks to speak to Comandancia Garcia and Mendez taps Terry in the stomach with his metal baton and tells him that he is in charge of the prison. Terry then bribes Mendez to leave him and Gentry alone. Mendez holds out the candy bar Terry gave to him as a bribe to Paco and then drops it on the ground, forcing Paco to grab for it from the other side of the prison gate.
Hawke, Dominic and Eleanor survey the prison with binoculars and during the evening make their plans on how to rescue Terry. Afterwards Hawke and Eleanor talk and she tells him what she did after Mike's death. Mendez walks into Garcia's office and Hawke is inside. Hawke tells Garcia that he is Terry's uncle and wants to see him and Mendez takes Hawke to see Terry. While Hawke is handing Terry cigarettes and Candy he also asks him how often Terry is in the prison yard. Hawke tells Terry that tomorrow at 1:15 he will land a helicopter and pick up Terry. As Hawke leaves, Mendez threatens that if he spreads any bad news about the prison, then Terry will get hurt. Hawke has another meeting with Dominic and Eleanor and they lay out their final plans. Terry tells Gentry about the plan and Senders and his friends walk up to Terry and Senders tells Terry that Gentry needs to die and Terry tries to bribe him. Senders then threatens to kill Terry too if he doesn't murder Gentry that night in bed. Senders doesn't believe Terry can do it and tells Morales to kill Gentry. Hawke and Dominic land Airwolf in the prison yard and are swarmed by prisoners, but Terry is not where he is supposed to be. Hawke gets out and is captured and yells to Dominic to fly away.
Hawke is beaten and then questioned by Mendez. Mendez thinks Terry must be connected either financially or politically. Hawke is thrown into a cell with Terry and Gentry and refuses to speak with Terry when Terry tries to speak with him. Dominic, Caitlin and Eleanor have another meeting and Dominic comes up with a plan to get inside the prison. Dominic and Caitlin dress as a priest and a nun and go to the prison. They convince Garcia and Mendez to take them inside the prison. When Dominic and Caitlin leave, Mendez convinces Garcia to go and report the incident to the capitol himself. Hawke takes one of Terry's candy bars and gives it to Paco. As Paco walks away to eat it, Hawke looks at how the electricity is set up around the prison. Terry tries to explain what happened to Hawke, but Hawke doesn't want to hear it. Dominic and Caitlin are let into the prison and Dominic walks up to Hawke and Terry and drops cigarettes and candy bars. Hawke tells Dominic he has a plan, but will need help. Caitlin walks up to Senders and after he threateningly grabs her, Mendez threatens to throw him in the hot box. Mendez tells Hawke that if he doesn't tell him who he is by the time Garcia returns, then he, Terry and Gentry will be killed.
Terry tells Hawke how Gentry helped him learn how to survive in prison, as Hawke rips the copper wiring from a fan. Hawke asks about Terry's heart condition and Terry doesn't know what Hawke is talking about. Terry asks Hawke if his father was like Eleanor, and Hawke tells him he was a stand up guy. The next day in the prison yard, Hawke stands by the gate, while a car drives up. Caitlin and Eleanor get out of the car, causing a distraction in the prison. They ask Paco for directions and Hawke connects the copper wiring to the prison lights and then places the other end on the metal fence. Mendez notices the wiring and Gentry grabs him and yells he is dying. Terry throws sand in Senders face and runs away. Hawke offers Paco a candy bar and as Paco sticks his hand in the gate, he touches the side of the metal, electrocuting himself. Hawke takes Paco's gun and shoots Mendez in the shoulder while Gentry takes Paco's keys and unlocks the gate. Dominic arrives in Airwolf and starts shooting at the prison while Hawke, Terry and Gentry steal a truck and drive out of the prison. Hawke drives towards a helicopter that Caitlin is flying and Eleanor is in and they all get in and fly off. Back at Santini Air, Eleanor tells Hawke that Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, Archangel told her the FIRM can help get rid of Terry's conviction. Eleanor tells Terry it is time to go, but Terry insists he go with Hawke to fly Gentry back to Texas. Before leaving, Eleanor hugs Hawke and thanks him.