The A-Team
Beneath the Surface
TV Flash files “Beneath the Surface” as hour 81 of 98 in the TV Flash guide — The A-Team (1983–1987) on NBC, season 4, episode 19, aired 1986-03-04, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S04E19: listed hour 81 of 98 in the The A-Team guide, hour 19 of 23 in season 4. It aired 1986-03-04 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Duke of Whispering Pines” (S04E18). Next is “Mission of Peace” (S04E20).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Faceman attends a reunion of the Angel Guardians Orphanage hoping to impress the one girl he could never get, Rebecca Piper. Little does he suspect that the object of his affection is after his 10.000 dollar reward. Narowly escaping from General Fulbright, Face gets a message from an old classmate's sister involving a fake treasure map he drew 20 years earlier. It turns out Barry, whom Faceman used to scam all the time when they were young, is in trouble. Now an oceanographer, Barry has found the location of a Spanish galleon, the Santissima, which contains the fabled Phillip's Cross.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Beneath the Surface sit in the The A-Team guide?
S04E19 is listed hour 81 of 98 — hour 19 of 23 in season 4, season 4 episode 19.
When did The A-Team S04E19 air?
Beneath the Surface aired 1986-03-04 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Is the violence actually violent?
Mostly cartoon. Scrap-built vehicles, explosions, and bad guys who go down without much blood — action as toy commercial, which is the Cannell joke and the appeal.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Peak 1980s action cheese with immortal casting — Mr. T alone is a cultural weather event. Peppard's Hannibal, Benedict's Faceman, Schultz's Murdock: wrongfully accused commandos, scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem. I love it when a plan comes together. Formulaic in the best popcorn way; pity the fool who missed the theme.
I love it when a plan comes together — still managerial cosplay language, still a group-chat greeting. (I said spoiler-free. The plan is the formula; the formula is the point.) NBC's The A-Team (1983–1987) sent a crack commando unit into Friday-night cheese: George Peppard's Hannibal, Mr. T's B.A. Baracus, Dirk Benedict's Faceman, Dwight Schultz's Howling Mad Murdock. Wrongfully accused, on the run, building tanks out of scrap, never quite killing the bad guys on camera. Lana can keep the gown. This carpet is…
Filed against
- George Peppard as John "Hannibal" Smith
George Peppard's John "Hannibal" Smith made The A-Team's plan come together — 1980s action cheese with immortal casting, wrongfully accused commandos, scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem. Mr. T as a weather event; Peppard as the cigar…
- Mr. T as B.A. Baracus
Mr. T’s B.A. Baracus made The A-Team a cultural weather event in gold chains — peak 1980s action cheese, Peppard’s Hannibal, Benedict’s Faceman, Schultz’s Murdock, wrongfully accused commandos, scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem. I love…
- Dirk Benedict as Templeton "Faceman" Peck
Dirk Benedict’s Lt. Starbuck put a gambler’s grin on Battlestar Galactica, then The A-Team recast the charm as Faceman — 1980s action cheese with a con man’s polish. Two decades of handsome problem-solving, cigars optional. TV Flash files…
- Dwight Schultz as H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock
Dwight Schultz made H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock the wild card on The A-Team — scrap-built tanks, bloodless mayhem, and 1980s action cheese with immortal casting. Hannibal loved it when a plan came together; Schultz made the plan sound…