Surf City picks up quite a bit from last week's episode. A great rebound from Countdown! There were two plots in this somewhat cute, but humorous episode. In the first storyline April Giminski (Kelly Packard) and Manny Gutierrez (Jose Solano) have broken up. He was supposed to escort her to a benefit dinner ceremony honoring her late brother Charlie (Charlie/5th episode 8th season 1997-1998). Manny knew about this a month in advance. He cancelled very close-within two days to the date of the dinner without explanation. April got angry with him and broke off their relationship. She explained that she needed someone of a more mature nature. A far cry from the wanting a boyfriend and a good meaningful relationship. And the whining she displayed to Craig in No Way Out/12th episode 8th season 1997-1998. She tells Craig Pomeroy (Parker Stevenson) about her problems. She seems to team very well on screen with him as the close friend. J.D. (Michael Bergin) is another newcomer who teams well with Craig. April offers to teach him how to operate a Surf Ski (a.k.a.: Sea Do, Wave Runner-the difference is the brand name). She told him that he has been her teacher all Summer and now she could repay him in this way. After the lesson, April who still needed an escort for the benefit, asked Craig to go and he accepts.

With Craig still smarting from his recent divorce, his infatuation with April continues. While on duty, he daydreams in his tower about April coming over to his and telling him that she wanted him and didn't care how old he was. She makes advances at him and they are soon kissing inside his tower, neglecting the beach. He comes out of it suddenly when Captain Mitch Buchannon (David Hasselhoff) is asking him what's wrong. In reality, there is nothing going on between the two. At this point, she has no romantic interest in him at all and he is trying hard not to let his affection for her show.

Trouble started to brew when April taught Craig how to ride a Surf Ski to repay him for being her teacher all Summer. After the two come back out of the ocean after the lesson, Manny sees them together from his lifeguard truck and immediately gets jealous, thinking that they are dating. The binoculars he used to spy on her instead of watching the beach really helped him a lot! Why he was spying on her, I'll never know. He knew that they were no longer an item. Even if they had been, he shouldn't do this. It's stalking, a crime and it will cause him to lose her in the long run. I stress that women don't like being stalked. He later takes his anger out on a punching bag. He sees Craig and tells him off. In a sarcastic way, he first wishes him and April all of the happiness in the world. Craig doesn't know what he is talking about. He said as far as April and him goes, they are through, but not for Craig to pretend to be his friend. Craig tells Manny that he was the only thing keeping him and April apart. He couldn't afford a Tux. Craig fixes him up with one so that he could escort April to the benefit dinner instead.

When it was time for the dinner, Craig wasn't ready. He was in his lifeguard uniform. He tells her that he couldn't make it. April was angry, saying that Craig was worse than Manny. Craig told her that he had a substitute in his place to take her. To her surprise it was Manny! When she was told the problem, Manny said that he should have told the truth in the first place and April said that she should have been more understanding. Well, Manny could have been more understanding. He could have told her the truth in the first place. You can't have a relationship based on lies. It will fail. Manny needs to work on communicating with April a bit more and being truthful. He also needs to not be afraid to ask the other lifeguards to help him out when he needs it. The other lifeguards are the ones whom he is supposed to be able to trust. In a way, this is his extended family.

The second storyline was about Cody Madison (David Chokachi) and Lani McKenzie (Carmen Electra). Cody sees a World Championship bound couple doing tricks on a surfboard. He tells them that he thinks that they are awesome! He later tells Lani that they should do something together as a couple. He was uninterested in the ballet she suggested. He was thinking more of a sport. She suggested bowling. He turned her toward the couple Anna Shisler and Bobby Friedman on the board Tandum Surfing. "Is that us, or what?" He exclaims. Lani didn't think so at first, but gives it a try. Cody introduced Lani to the couple and sets up the time on their day off. They try it on dry land first and then go out into the water while being trained. They do well with Anna and Bobby as their instructors.

Later, when they go out on their own later, it was a different story. Lani claimed that he was crushing her rear when they were paddling out. And then she thought that a surfer was coming toward them. A wave comes and they stand up. He lifts her and they couldn't quite balance on the first try and wipes out! Cody asks her why she quit after only one wipe out! She complained while they carried the board. Her body hurt, and she didn't know where they were carrying the board. He told her back to Anna and Bobby. This storyline gave us a chance to see the couple in their relationship in a comical sort of way. Carmen Electra sounds a bit better than she did in her first few episodes, but still needs a bit more polishing in the acting department. David Chokachi worked very well to support her in this area. The writers are trying to work on making the relationship progress. Based on relationships, both storylines worked well and were pleasant to watch.  My Score: 4 Rescue Cans

Next Review: To the Max