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Forgotten Television: The White Shadow Season 2, Episodes 19–21 (Out at Home, The Russians Are Coming, The Hitter)

Joe and Carlos recap Forgotten Television’s look at The White Shadow season two episodes 19–21. In “Out at Home” (Feb. 19, 1980), Ken Reeves is chosen to run the athletic department, creating tension with veteran baseball coach Charlie “Pop” Brady; the episode highlights New York teaching stickball, references Rod Carew’s salary, and features Meshach Taylor as a hippy-like coaching candidate, while Brady’s backstory includes the Negro Leagues and the color barrier. Episode 20, “The Russians Are Coming” (Feb. 26, 1980), uses a Soviet basketball visit and rule disputes to explore Cold War culture, Abner Goldstein’s resentment as a Russian Jew, and a defection plot involving press coercion; they note actors Jonathan Gries and Chris Mulkey and writer Joshua Brand’s later work. Episode 21, “The Hitter,” centers on Gomez hiding abuse from his father amid gambling, cockfighting, and day labor, with Bubba Smith appearing and Reeves confronting the father.

00:00 Show Intro and Setup
01:24 Out At Home Plot
03:52 Rod Carew and Stickball
06:30 Brooklyn Dodgers Memories
07:27 ESPN The Ocho Tangent
10:12 Casting and Negro Leagues
12:34 Russians Are Coming Setup
17:29 Cold War Context and Propaganda
19:44 Defection and Freedom
20:44 People Are People
21:17 Press Conference Twist
22:15 Cast and Cameos
23:44 Writers and Show DNA
24:34 Episode 21 The Hitter
26:00 Cockfighting and Gambling
27:15 Day Labor Reality
29:26 Bystanders and Abuse
30:25 Machismo and Culture Talk
33:29 Gritty LA Then and Now
37:51 Coach Steps In
38:24 Wrap Up and Farewell