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Spenser: For Hire - Episode Guide

Season 1

Promised Land

Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Sep 20, 1985 (120 min)

Promised Land

Spenser is hired by a real estate developer to find his runaway wife, who is mixed up in bank robbery and murder. 

No Room at the Inn

Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Sep 27, 1985

No Room at the Inn

Mobsters plan to escape justice by killing bodyguard Spenser and his charge, a grand-jury witness.

The Choice

Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Oct 4, 1985

The Choice

Spenser rescues a Senator's kidnapped daughter and becomes a celebrity, and the target of two men who kill for the thrill of it.

Children of a Tempest Storm

Episode: 1x04 | Airdate: Oct 11, 1985

Children of a Tempest Storm

Susan agonizes over revealing her pregnancy to Spenser, who has taken in the children of the hit man he killed in self-defense.

Original Sin

Episode: 1x05 | Airdate: Oct 18, 1985

Original Sin

Spenser suspects foul play in the apparent suicide of a novice who left the convent to help the poor in the ghetto fight evictions.

Discord in A Minor

Episode: 1x06 | Airdate: Oct 25, 1985

Discord in A Minor

After a symphony conductor's daughter is kidnapped, bodyguard Spenser is fired, but he finds later that her disappearance wasn't what it seemed.

The Killer Within

Episode: 1x07 | Airdate: Nov 12, 1985

The Killer Within

Spenser is hired to protect a woman's identical twin sister from assassins.

Autumn Thieves

Episode: 1x08 | Airdate: Nov 19, 1985

Autumn Thieves

Spenser is framed for theft after being hired to follow a man who stole a religious museum piece and promised it to two rival buyers.

Blood Money

Episode: 1x09 | Airdate: Nov 26, 1985

Blood Money

A ransom delivery snafu leads Spenser to doubt the existence of a radical group claiming responsibility for kidnapping a corporate executive.

Resurrection

Episode: 1x10 | Airdate: Dec 3, 1985

Resurrection

Spenser tries to save the parole of an ex-prostitute charged with weapons possession.

Internal Affairs

Episode: 1x11 | Airdate: Dec 17, 1985

Internal Affairs

Quirk is suspended over allegations that he tipped off an illegal-gambling ring about a planned raid, and he refuses to speak in his own defense.

Death by Design

Episode: 1x12 | Airdate: Jan 7, 1986

Death by Design

Spenser thinks his client, who is researching designer drugs, is worried about more than missing earrings and the whereabouts of her gigolo boyfriend. 

A Day's Wages

Episode: 1x13 | Airdate: Jan 14, 1986

A Day's Wages

Bodyguards Spenser and Hawk accept blame when security methods fail, but they vow to make a racketeer pay.

A Madness Most Discreet

Episode: 1x14 | Airdate: Jan 21, 1986

A Madness Most Discreet

A former Bolshoi ballerina hires Spenser to recover a tape stolen from her murdered cosmonaut husband.

Brother to Dragons

Episode: 1x15 | Airdate: Feb 4, 1986

Brother to Dragons

Spenser goes undercover at a private high school to investigate heroin use on campus, but discovers something far more serious.

When Silence Speaks

Episode: 1x16 | Airdate: Feb 11, 1986

When Silence Speaks

A deaf woman hires Spenser to find a man she had been corresponding with who had gone missing. 

In a Safe Place

Episode: 1x17 | Airdate: Feb 14, 1986

In a Safe Place

Spenser hunts for an illegal alien whose son is being held as bait by an immigration official. 

Angel of Desolation

Episode: 1x18 | Airdate: Mar 4, 1986

Angel of Desolation

Complications arise after an ex-model hires Spenser to protect her, and her Boston patrician husband is shot.

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

Episode: 1x19 | Airdate: Mar 11, 1986

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

Spenser investigates old friend Sgt. Belson, whose partner, now dead, may have been taking bribes.

At the River's Edge

Episode: 1x20 | Airdate: Mar 25, 1986

At the River's Edge

A 12-year-old girl hires Spenser to find out who killed her sister, whose murder is jeopardizing prospects for an evangelist with political aspirations.

Rage

Episode: 1x21 | Airdate: Apr 1, 1986

Rage

Susan and Spenser get involved in a hostage situation when a killer abducts a teenager who witnessed his crime.

Hell Hath No Fury

Episode: 1x22 | Airdate: Apr 8, 1986

Hell Hath No Fury

A man whose son was killed in a building collapse claims that a political coverup sent an innocent building inspector to prison. 

Season 2

An Eye for an Eye

Episode: 2x01 | Airdate: Sep 27, 1986

An Eye for an Eye

Spenser loses his home and his livelihood when Boston reclaims its firehouse and the new assistant district attorney takes away his license on blackmailing charges.

Widow's Walk

Episode: 2x02 | Airdate: Oct 4, 1986

Widow's Walk

Spenser tries to forget about Susan, who has left him and Boston, and tries to protect a widow whose fishing fleet has been plagued by "accidents."

White Knight

Episode: 2x03 | Airdate: Oct 18, 1986

White Knight

After accepting a boxer's managerial contract as payment of a debt, Hawk finds himself at odds with a major politician.

Rockabye Baby

Episode: 2x04 | Airdate: Oct 25, 1986

Rockabye Baby

Spenser helps a woman who wants to keep her newborn son rather than lose the child to its mobster father.

And Give Up Show Biz?

Episode: 2x05 | Airdate: Nov 1, 1986

And Give Up Show Biz?

Spenser runs interference for a young amnesiac with a talent for stand-up comedy and a killer on his trail.

The Long Hunt

Episode: 2x06 | Airdate: Nov 8, 1986

The Long Hunt

Spenser travels to Maine to help hunt down an escaped murderer, but the tables are turned when the man's father stalks Spenser. 

Home is the Hero

Episode: 2x07 | Airdate: Nov 22, 1986

Home is the Hero

Rita hires Spenser to investigate a troubled teenager.

One If by Land, Two If by Sea

Episode: 2x08 | Airdate: Nov 29, 1986

One If by Land, Two If by Sea

A friend of Spenser's is shot and killed while portraying Paul Revere during a Revolutionary War re-enactment.

Shadowsight

Episode: 2x09 | Airdate: Dec 13, 1986

Shadowsight

Spenser tries to find the connection between a 12-year-old's nightmares and the real-life murders they foretell.

The Hopes and Fears

Episode: 2x10 | Airdate: Dec 20, 1986

The Hopes and Fears

A 13-year-old boy and a pregnant woman glimpse the face of the leader of a masked gang robbing Spenser's neighborhood at Christmas time.

Among Friends

Episode: 2x11 | Airdate: Jan 10, 1987

Among Friends

Hawk is the main suspect when Lt. Quirk is shot, due to a recent fracas between the two.

I Confess

Episode: 2x12 | Airdate: Jan 17, 1987

I Confess

A man who witnessed the murder of a bank officer is now confessing to the crime.

Murder and Acquisitions

Episode: 2x13 | Airdate: Jan 24, 1987

Murder and Acquisitions

Spenser investigates the apparent suicide of a philandering financier about to turn state's evidence to bring down insider trading.

Personal Demons

Episode: 2x14 | Airdate: Feb 7, 1987

Personal Demons

A woman involved in the fight against hunger in Africa hires Spenser to prove that an administrator is stealing millions in contributions. 

Mary Hamilton

Episode: 2x15 | Airdate: Feb 14, 1987

Mary Hamilton

Spenser helps a young woman search for her father, but has to convince Rita and the police that she is innocent of two attempts on her father's life.

Trial and Error

Episode: 2x16 | Airdate: Feb 21, 1987

Trial and Error

Rita has a solid case against a pimp suspected of murdering a teen-age hooker, but Spenser thinks the man is being framed.

One for My Daughter

Episode: 2x17 | Airdate: Mar 7, 1987

One for My Daughter

Spenser and Hawk protect a man who owes money to men of dubious ethics.

My Brother's Keeper

Episode: 2x18 | Airdate: Mar 14, 1987

My Brother's Keeper

Vietnamese expatriates hire Spenser to find a recluse who wrote a manuscript about the war.

The Road Back

Episode: 2x19 | Airdate: Mar 21, 1987

The Road Back

Spenser is wounded during an assassination attempt on a state senate candidate and may lose the use of his right arm. 

If You Knew Sammy

Episode: 2x20 | Airdate: Apr 4, 1987

If You Knew Sammy

Gunfire greets an author and self-proclaimed vigilante at a promotion stop in a Boston bookstore.

The Man Who Wasn't There

Episode: 2x21 | Airdate: May 2, 1987

The Man Who Wasn't There

Rita and her old college friends are reunited when a fictional person they created 20 years ago is found dead in his apartment.

Song of Orpheus

Episode: 2x22 | Airdate: May 9, 1987

Song of Orpheus

A prison inmate with a grudge against Hawk hires outside muscle to rub him out. 

Season 3

Homecoming

Episode: 3x01 | Airdate: Sep 27, 1987

Homecoming

Susan's return distracts Spenser, who's protecting an informant from the mob.

My Enemy, My Friend

Episode: 3x02 | Airdate: Oct 4, 1987

My Enemy, My Friend

Spenser and Hawk come to blows over the protection of a young murder witness. 

Heart of the Matter

Episode: 3x03 | Airdate: Oct 11, 1987

Heart of the Matter

Forced into medical retirement, Quirk requires round-the-clock protection from a vengeful ex-convict.

On the Night He Was Betrayed

Episode: 3x04 | Airdate: Nov 1, 1987

On the Night He Was Betrayed

Spenser helps an old friend, an alcoholic priest who tries to help homeless teenagers, when he gets involved over his head.

Sleepless Dreams

Episode: 3x05 | Airdate: Nov 8, 1987

Sleepless Dreams

Spenser becomes obsessed with an apparently suicidal woman after a chance encounter on the street.

Consilium Abditum

Episode: 3x06 | Airdate: Nov 15, 1987

Consilium Abditum

Susan fights her professor's sexual harassment, but when the threat turns violent, she welcomes help from Spenser and Hawk.

Thanksgiving

Episode: 3x07 | Airdate: Nov 29, 1987

Thanksgiving

Spenser and Susan interrupt their Thanksgiving trip to Plymouth when an old Army buddy is arrested for murder. 

Gone Fishin'

Episode: 3x08 | Airdate: Dec 6, 1987

Gone Fishin'

A romantic weekend for Spenser and Susan turns into Shakespearean tragedy when two lovers seek protection from a dangerously overprotective father.

Child's Play

Episode: 3x09 | Airdate: Dec 20, 1987

Child's Play

A sniper takes some shots at Spenser and Susan, and a young boy ends up dead in the crossfire.

Skeletons in the Closet

Episode: 3x10 | Airdate: Jan 3, 1988

Skeletons in the Closet

Spenser and Hawk square off when each pursues a corrupt judge's stolen diary.

The Siege

Episode: 3x11 | Airdate: Jan 10, 1988

The Siege

Susan and an injured Hawk are trapped inside a post office when a disgruntled postal worker takes hostages.

Arthur's Wake

Episode: 3x12 | Airdate: Jan 16, 1988

Arthur's Wake

When his ex-partner is mugged with several thousand dollars on him, Spenser reluctantly investigates his mentor's possible ties to the mob. 

To the End of the Line

Episode: 3x13 | Airdate: Jan 23, 1988

To the End of the Line

After Belson's niece dies of a drug overdose, Spenser and Hawk must keep him from going on a killing spree.

Play It Again, Sammy

Episode: 3x14 | Airdate: Jan 30, 1988

Play It Again, Sammy

Sammy Backlin calls Spenser for protection when he's being hunted by a 'vicious horde of bloodthirsty assassins'.

The Big Fight

Episode: 3x15 | Airdate: Feb 6, 1988

The Big Fight

In trying to help his former boxing trainer, Spenser must enter the ring for a battle with a man he once sent to prison. 

Substantial Justice

Episode: 3x16 | Airdate: Mar 5, 1988

Substantial Justice

Spenser protects a theater owner from gangsters, but begins to suspect she's not as innocent as she appears.

Company Man

Episode: 3x17 | Airdate: Mar 12, 1988

Company Man

Spenser tracks down dynamite missing from a construction site, while Susan hopes to avoid an explosion of emotion by keeping a secret. 

Watercolors

Episode: 3x18 | Airdate: Mar 19, 1988

Watercolors

Spenser protects a child artist after the child witnesses a mob execution while painting in the forest.

Hawk's Eyes

Episode: 3x19 | Airdate: Mar 26, 1988

Hawk's Eyes

Hawk is blinded in an explosion and depends on Susan for protection, while Spenser stays one step behind a radical political group. 

McAllister

Episode: 3x20 | Airdate: Apr 30, 1988

McAllister

Spenser and a tenacious lawyer defend a black Naval officer accused of killing his white captain's daughter.

Haunting

Episode: 3x21 | Airdate: May 7, 1988

Haunting

When someone claims to have been the subject of a missing-child search, Spenser reopens the case that cost him his badge.

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