Heartwarming / The A-Team

For an 80s action series, this show had a surprising number of heartwarming moments.

The Show

General

• Scary Black Man B.A. Baracus, perhaps ironically, got the most heartwarming moments of any of the cast, particularly when he goes into Gentle Giant mode, showing that he can be both the muscle and the heart of the team.
• Face and Murdock's whole friendship is heartwarming when you think about it. Face grew up in an orphanage, and as a result he has serious trust and commitment issues. He's always kind of guarded, but when he's around Murdock he's a lot more willing to let loose and act silly. Murdock also seems to know more about Face than anyone else does - he frequently mentions things that Face likes (his favorite foods, etc.), and he's the only one of the team that you ever see Face fighting with (whether playfully or seriously) onscreen.
  • To be fair, a lot of Face and Murdock's clowning around was due to the real-life friendship between Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz.
• At multiple points during the shows run, they accent the fact that the team has a strict "No man's left behind" policy. And boy do they stick to it. Even when three of them are about to be shot by a firing squad, Murdock does everything in his power to get them back.
  • What makes this even sweeter is that all of the team knows this rule. From "Pros and Cons", where B.A. tries to reassure his opponent/friend that they just have to survive the Forced Prize Fight until the rest of the team arrives, to Hannibal being sure the rest of the team will arrive despite being late in "Bad Time on the Border", to Murdock declaring that he knows the rest of his comrades will come for him in "Bounty", every member of the team is aware he can trust the others to have his back.

Season One

Children of Jamestown

• The team is captured by an insane cult leader and told they will be put to death soon. When he realizes that Amy isn't going to be able to handle the fear of death, B.A. soothes her by promising he'll protect her no matter what. When Amy still looks uncertain, the team realizes she needs a bit more help. Face takes her hand and the team members perform a comforting Team Hand-Stack.
• The relief of the cult's victims, from the nearby farmer to the younger cultists, once they know they're saved.

Pros and Cons

• At the beginning, before he knows what's going on, B.A. has a minor Papa Wolf moment against an old friend, Jase Tataro, who is hiding out after escaping from prison, with only his little brother knowing where he is. B.A. warns Jase that if he wants to mess up his own life, that's his business, but he'd better not mess up his little brother's.

Black Day at Bad Rock

• Hannibal holding B.A.'s hand while he's lying on the table.
• Shortly afterwards, when Face is fretting that B.A. will follow through on his threat to make him pay once he gets better, Hannibal responds, "Face, B.A. loves you...He told me so himself."
• At the end, B.A., who's been grouching at Face all episode for getting him wounded, makes as if to pay him back. Face cringes as B.A. raises his fist...and then B.A. smiles and shakes his head. It gives a lot of credence to Hannibal's reassurance earlier — to say nothing of the fact that B.A.'s smile is absolutely adorable.

The Out of Towners

• Amy describes the trouble the villains are putting the shopkeepers through as she tries to get the team to go through with the job, despite the second thoughts of the clients. (Not that they probably wouldn't have anyway.) After a little thought, the fact that she didn't call the rest of the team to tell them that the potential patrons were having second thoughts was probably to make sure they got there and would see what the villains were doing before they got the news. She also shows a lot of faith in their abilities, despite the shopkeepers' skepticism about the whole thing.
• B.A. has just remarked that if the shopkeepers had told them they didn't want to hire them yesterday, he could have avoided flying...and then he meets a shoeshine boy, who was punched and had his kit destroyed just for getting some polish on one of the bad guys' socks. Instantly, he changes his tune and declares that the small sum the boy can put toward hiring them "will just about cover our fee."
• Face, Amy, and Murdock are using a T.V. to monitor Hannibal in the middle of his stint as a new shopkeeper being offered "protection" by two nasty mooks. Then the T.V. shorts out. Face — the most danger-shy of the group — runs toward the front of the shop.
  Face: We can't leave Hannibal up there with no contact!

One More Time

• While Hannibal's recklessness is partially responsible for the problems of the episode, he also exhibits concern for his men which softens it.
  • When the villains come in to grab the first person to be sent before the firing squad, they choose Face instead of Hannibal^note who was intended to go first (and probably prepared). Hannibal doesn't lose his nerve, but the sound of his voice betrays subtle alarm as he tries to goad the villains into taking him first. When they refuse, he instantly gets the rest of the team moving into the plan, knowing that Face's life is on the line if they can't pull it off quickly.
  • During the battle that follows, Hannibal yells, "Face!" over the noise of the battlefield, as they've lost track of him after the attempted execution. He manages to zero in on him and guide Murdock over to airlift him out.

The Beast from the Belly of a Boeing

• This line from Murdock to B.A.: "I want you to be my role model, someone I can look up to when the purple wobblies start to wobble."
• When Murdock is panicking after being blinded, B.A. promises that he (Murdock) will be alright and that he (B.A.) would get him out of the situation.

Season Two

Diamonds N' Dust

• B.A. comforting and commiserating with Toby over her father's death, as during his own youth, his own father was beaten quite badly and almost died.

Recipe for Heavy Bread

• Lin's past. He was called in as a chef to the head of a prison camp, a fairly good position considering the war was going on — and he risked his position and his life to help the American POWs imprisoned in the camp, including Hannibal, Face, B.A. and Murdock. When you think about it, this also means that Lin is responsible for everything the A-Team has been able to do and all the people they've been able to save. Everything else that happened after the team was sent to the camp was due to a compassionate cook who (being Vietnamese) was supposed to be their enemy.
• This line at the end:
  Lin Duk Coo: A-Team is my best friend. You saved my life.
  Hannibal: No, you saved us.

The Only Church in Town

• Face's and Leslie's last farewell. When he says goodbye, she asks him not to say that as it means someone is leaving, and he will always be in her heart. Then he hugs her. It is so bittersweet and heartwarming that it needs to be seen to be believed.

Bad Time on the Border

• B.A. asking a little lost Mexican girl, "Do you want to be my friend?" and she nods "yes". He picks her up to lift her over the fence, and she clutches his neck. Might make you melt just thinking about it...
• Amy being the one who's most behind the project at the start (besides B.A., of course).
• When B.A. is demanding to know who's going on the mission to help Maria and her mother, Maria sneaks up behind Face and slips her hand into his. He instantly agrees.
• When the rest of the team is prying information out of Prince in the bar, Face chastises him for "making money off of other people's bad luck" and orders him to tell them about the operation because "there's a little girl who B.A. wants to see smile again."
• When Hannibal is dragged out of the Punishment Box too weak to stand, the immigrants hurry over and help him to the closest thing to a pillow they have — an old suitcase. While they probably also wanted to hear if Hannibal's presence meant they had any hope of outside help, it's not unlikely that they also wanted to make sure that this guy in the same boat with them was okay.
• The fact that the women with whom Face was flirting at the beginning agreed to take care of Maria while the team was on the mission. At the end, one of them is shown doing something with Maria and her mother.

The Taxicab Wars

• Face expresses concern that Murdock is going to get distracted with his new superheroic identity and not do his part of the job. Hannibal responds, "I would risk my life with Murdock any day."

In Plane Sight

• Face's scene with Mrs. Hicks is a mixture of charming and tearjerking.
  • Face hears something breaking in the kitchen. When he comes in, she's crying silently. He helps her with the dish she dropped and asks her if she's okay, if she's hurt, and she tearfully says that that's exactly what "Robbie" used to say when she dropped something.
  • When it comes out that Face is an orphan, she asks in quiet horror who sent him cookies during his time in the army and says that it's a crime he had to rely on the mess hall for what should have come from home.
    Mrs. Hicks: Fine boy like you, and nobody sending you cookies.
  • Essentially, Face is an orphan and Mrs. Hicks has just been robbed of her son, so the fact that their interaction could be described as mother/son is adorable.
  • In the final scene, we see Face sitting next to Mrs. Hicks with a tin full of homemade cookies. She probably baked them just for him.
• Hannibal reassuring Murdock that he appreciates his uniqueness and prefers Murdock to be himself when Murdock tries to "conform to a more acceptable norm of conduct" for an episode (after getting tired of B.A. ragging on him all the time) and is completely miserable.

Pure-Dee Poison

• When Drew and his men drive off and the team comes out and finds Murdock on the ground (he was affixing bugs to the undercarriages), Face runs up to him and asks him if he's all right.
• B.A. and Stephanie falling in love, especially when he catches her after she falls, when he reassures her after they're locked up, and when she throws her arms around him and kisses him just before he gets in the van.

Harder Than It Looks

• When other three arrive on the scene and see what they think is Hannibal lying on the ground after being shot, Face calls his name and runs to him. Fortunately, it turns out to be Hannibal's unconscious attacker.

Deadly Manuevers

• Even though it turns out shortly thereafter to be a trap, Murdock stopping to rescue an apparently injured (and whimpering) dog.
• At the end, Hannibal tells Kyle, "Next time you think you want to take somebody out, pal, don't get yourself a good squad. Get yourself a team." Hannibal isn't just bragging on himself; he's bragging on his teammates, in spite of how much of the episode they spent playing Distressed Dudes. As always, Hannibal Smith is proud of his men.

Curtain Call

• Murdock getting shot protecting Hannibal, especially because he doesn't even hesitate.
• B.A. looking after him in particular. While Hannibal and Face do their share of trying to help, it's B.A. who is with Murdock most of the time, cooling his feverish face, talking to him, and urging him to fight for his life.

  B.A.: I ain't gonna let you die, man. You're my friend.

• Murdock (when Decker is closing in) begging Hannibal to leave him and get the rest of the team to safety and Hannibal refusing ("We go out together, or we don't go out at all").
• Face telling Tawnia that it doesn't matter if he gets captured because without the first aid kit, Murdock is dead.
• Hannibal deciding that bringing back Decker is the better of the two options if he can't find Face, Tawnia, and the first aid kit and later willingly surrendering to Decker to save Murdock also counts.
• The closing Montage of moments between B.A. and Murdock, set to "Opposites Attract."

Season Three

Timber!

• B.A.'s friendship with Billy. The boy clearly idolizes him, and B.A. spends a lot of the episode hanging out with him and even giving him rides. His mother says she hasn't seen him this happy since his father's death.
• Murdock encouraging B.A. and waxing poetic about his strength when he starts trying to break the pole to which they've been tied, even if B.A. doesn't appreciate the background noise.

Hot Styles

• After they complete their usual A-Team Montage on a boat, Hannibal and Murdock, fugitives from the U.S. government, fix an American flag on the end and take a moment to salute.

The Big Squeeze

• As Theresa is thanking Face for his and his comrades' help, she mentions how they've restored her father's hope. Gino, who had begun to say that his dream of making it in America had become a nightmare, now says that there are heroes in America...of course, meaning the A-Team.

Road Games

• B.A. being a Friend to All Children to the kids the Sullivans have adopted.

Bounty

• Murdock and Kelly. The entire relationship, but especially the "pretty girl" moment. Murdock asks Kelly where her boyfriend takes her for fun, and she says she doesn't have one. Murdock expresses complete disbelief that a pretty girl like her wouldn't have a boyfriend, which Kelly dismisses, saying she's never considered herself attractive. So Murdock picks up a mirror to show her. Made all the more heartwarming by the fact that Dwight Schultz and Wendy Fulton are still married after being together 30+ years.
• The sheer amount of concern and focus the other team members show when Murdock is in trouble. B.A. spends half the episode wondering whether he's all right and (at least once) implying he'll pound the kidnappers if Murdock is hurt in any way. While Hannibal is less demonstrative, his concern is also clear, such as when he quickly gets to the phone when the van arrives at the gas station, knowing the villain threatened to kill Murdock if he didn't answer. Face, as DJ "The Faceman", spends time on the airwaves trying to contact Murdock after he escapes, calling him "our little lost sheep."
• Kelly sees Murdock fiddling with the radio, trying to find the transmission the others will put out, and she says to stop worrying and that they'll find him. Murdock replies that he knows, and then launches into a description of what they're probably doing — which is a good representation of how well he knows his teammates.
• When the villains call and say they have Kelly, the entire team instantly agrees that they're going back. Hannibal and B.A. especially try to reassure Murdock that it will be all right and they'll save her.

Trouble Brewing

• The A-Team bursts in to rescue their clients, who have been captured by the bad guys and were probably close to being executed. Hannibal puts his arms around both of their shoulders and reassures them.

Season Four

Lease With an Option to Die

• B.A.'s general relationship with his mother. He's furious when he hears that someone broke her arm and demands that Face scam a jet so that they can get to Chicago as fast as humanly possible. Once they get there, the team's resident angry tough guy continues to be very sweet and polite.
• Hannibal asking B.A. if he's all right when he visibly stiffens during takeoff. Recognizing that he's afraid, he casually tells Face that he thinks B.A. needs some "air", which is the code for him to pull out some anesthetic gas that they got, just in case.
• Hannibal's conversation with Mrs. Baracus:
  • B.A.'s mom saying about how she used to worry about B.A. being on the run without any family around him until she received a photograph of him and the rest of the team and she realized that B.A. was with his family.
  • The way she found this out was particularly heartwarming. B.A. sent her that photograph one Christmas with a bow on it — as though he knew she was worrying about him being without his family and was telling her he wasn't alone.
• Also, B.A.'s mom saying at the end of the episode that she would like to adopt Murdock.

The Heart of Rock N' Roll

• C.J. Mack, despite his past, seems to be a pretty good guy. He took responsibility for hitting someone after falling asleep at the wheel without a fight; he was a model prisoner for his entire sentence. As such, it's nice to see him (with help from the team) earn his happy ending.

Blood, Sweat, and Cheers

• Hannibal turning the other cheek for more than half the episode as Jack Harmon keeps lashing out at him. What makes it even more heartwarming is that this doesn't end because Hannibal finally loses his temper, but because Jack finally can't stand being so hateful to a man who's done nothing but try to help.

Mind Games

• The other three members of the team saying goodbye to Face.
  • Hannibal, in spite of advising him against trusting the situation, puts an arm around his shoulders and tells him any of them would be excited if they got the opportunity he's apparently gotten.
  • B.A. and Murdock actually hug Face.
  • As Face is hugging B.A., he asks him to look after Hannibal and Murdock after he's gone.
• Despite Face disassociating himself from them and suffering from a bad case of Acquired Situational Narcissism most of the episode, when he gets kidnapped by Chow's men, the rest of the team immediately springs into action. The idea that they might not want to risk themselves to save him never even occurs to them.

Uncle Buckle Up

• In an odd way, it's really cute how Hannibal has a soft spot for The Wizard of Oz^note He lists the Cowardly Lion's roar as his favorite roar and genuinely seems to be interested in and happy with the prospect of getting a role in a children's show, unlike some adult actors.

Wheel of Fortune

• Face and Murdock screaming and jumping around like two young brothers after Murdock wins the game.
• While it's never expressly stated, it seems that Murdock chose most of his prizes — a chest of 100 very fancy cigars, a year's supply of car wax, and a luxurious water bed — with his teammates in mind

The Duke of Whispering Pines

• Hannibal needs to melt down one of B.A.'s gold necklaces as part of a plan. B.A. at first refuses, saying that necklace has a very special meaning to him. It's soon revealed that the necklace was a Christmas gift from Murdock.
• B.A. and Jason Duke have a quite peaceful relationship for old rivals. They even act as Bash Brothers during the final fight, and at the end of the episode, Duke gives B.A. an MVP trophy he won, saying he deserves it.

Season Five

Family Reunion

• Most of the episode.
• Even Face and Murdock's fight is this, because in a strange way, it shows just how much they really care about each other.
  Murdock: There's one thing about you and me that I've always liked, and that's our fights. Cuz we don't have to...stumble over our - our lips...apologizing.
  • The fact that their whole fight is only two minutes long speaks volumes about how deep their friendship runs. Of course, when you've been on the run with someone for fifteen years, after fighting a war and going through a Vietnam prison camp together, even the most serious fight can't really be expected to last very long.
• Face tells Murdock that he was "always the one he thought he could count on", which is a slightly surprising line, and implies that the two of them have an even closer friendship than has been previously suggested.
• The finale. Murdoch confirms to Face that the witness they had been guarding was indeed his father. Face approaches the man's daughter who is grieving by his graveside, knowing that he will never get to know his parent. But now he puts his arm around his newly discovered half-sister, fulfilling every orphan's dream of finding his long lost family.

Without Reservations

• As jarring as it is, Murdock's fury serves as a heartwarming reminder of how much the happy-go-lucky Cloud Cuckoolander cares about Face and how much he hates seeing him hurt.
  • Murdock's concern when Face is shot. The look of pure hatred he gives the man responsible...shudder.
  • Then at the end when Murdock finally gets his hands on the guy who shot Face, relentlessly pounds him unconscious...and then continues pummeling him. The others literally have to pull him off. It really shows what Murdock is capable of when someone he cares about is hurt, seeing as he's usually the least violent of the team. You do not want to get on Murdock's bad side.
• The tag scene for that episode is also quite cute. Murdock brings Face a 'get well' pizza...aaaww.

The Movie:

• At the start of the movie, Hannibal holds up BA to hijack his van, and notices BA's Ranger tattoo. BA warns Hannibal not to talk shit about his old battalion, and joins in when Hannibal recites the Ranger Creed as a Trust Password. And when Hannibal asks for his help to rescue a brother Ranger, BA jumps in with no hesitation. BA may be a thug right now, but deep down inside he still believes in the cause.
  • And later, after they rescue Face, he starts half-playfully giving BA a hard time about how he helped with the rescue after Hannibal shot and carjacked him. BA shows Face his Ranger Tattoo, and he immediately thanks him for his help.
• After finding out they've been betrayed by General Morrison, they ask, "Could you ever do that to us?" Hannibal replies "Never in a million years." In the extended edition he adds: "I'd rather be shot by a firing squad first."
• During the court martial, Hannibal tries to take full responsibility so the others can get off easier. The others all immediately refuse to accept the offer to be tried separately.
• When the team are in a tank falling out of the sky and it looks like they're heading for a decidedly fatal crash-landing, Murdock has time to let the others know It Has Been an Honor.
  Murdock: It's been an honour, gentlemen! The greatest ride is the last ride!
• When Face is doubting his plan towards the end of the film, Murdock points out that he's got the most on the line here and he's still putting his faith in Face, before reassuring him that whilst he's crazy, he's not that crazy.