Operation Flagship was undertaken at a time when the U.S. Marshals performed their jobs with a lot of flair. What other agency would throw a football party in order to arrest a handful of (mostly) non-violent criminals?
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know Episode Summary
Get ready for a wild ride through the cutesy—and wildly successful—undercover operations of the US Marshals Service in the 1980s, where law enforcement discovered that a little theatrical flair could catch way more fugitives than traditional methods. From the absurdly named Puno Airlines (which stands for "fist" in Spanish) promising fake Caribbean vacations to the truly audacious Operation Flagship—where they created a fake TV station to lure fugitives with free Washington Redskins tickets—this episode reveals how the marshals learned to blend clever deception with comedy, even naming fake contacts things that spell "wanted" backwards. The whole thing culminates in one of the most elaborate sting operations ever, complete with undercover cheerleaders, tuxedo-wearing fake staff, and a convention center full of armed agents ready to make arrests on game day in 1985.
Faces of Death
1978
1h 45m
★ 4.5
"They just kept showing it over and over, like it was a new volume of Faces of Death or something like that. — Josh compares the repetitive slow-motion replay of a sports injury to the exploitation footage in Faces of Death."
— Josh
Knock at the Cabin
2023
1h 40m
★ 6.3
"Have you seen A Knock at the Cabin Door? I have not seen that one. — Chuck asks Josh if he has seen M. Night Shyamalan's A Knock at the Cabin, which Josh has not."
— Chuck
Sea of Love
1989
R
1h 53m
★ 6.6
"the opening scene in Sea of Love with Al Pacino where Samuel Jackson is among the fugitives who were tricked into a meet the Yankees scam. — Chuck explains that Operation Flagship inspired the opening scene in Sea of Love where fugitives are lured with a scam similar to the Redskins ticket sting."
— Chuck
"Have you ever seen Servant, the show he made? No, it's really good. — Chuck recommends Servant, M. Night Shyamalan's TV series, saying it's a really good show worth watching."
— Chuck
"I hated signs, hated signs. Although that was largely because of Mel Gibson's acting. — Josh expresses his dislike of M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, attributing it partly to Mel Gibson's performance."
— Josh
Spirited Away
2001
PG
2h 5m
★ 8.5
"Have you seen the movie Trap, M. Night Shyamalan's vehicle for his daughter's musical career? — Chuck discusses M. Night Shyamalan's film Trap, which was covered on movie podcasts he listens to and describes it as wonderfully bad."
— Chuck
The Fugitive
1993
2h 11m
★ 7.5
"I think that was actually in the fugitive too. — Josh references The Fugitive when discussing the Mr. Zip sting operation where marshals dressed as mail carriers to arrest fugitives."
— Josh
"One of the great, great Simpsons episodes, they had a sting operation where they were giving away a boat. — Josh references a Simpsons episode featuring a sting operation with a free boat, similar to Operation Flagship."
— Josh
The Sixth Sense
1999
1h 47m
★ 7.9
"The Sixth Sense is one of the greatest films of all time. — Josh praises The Sixth Sense as one of the greatest films ever made, showcasing Shyamalan's best work."
— Josh
This American Life
2007
★ 8.7
"Glass and Split. Yeah, I thought all those were pretty good. — Josh mentions Glass as the final film in the Unbreakable/Split trilogy that he enjoyed."
— Josh
Unbreakable
2000
1h 46m
★ 7.1
"I like the Unbreakable movie and the split, the whatever, whatever. — Josh mentions Unbreakable as one of M. Night Shyamalan's films he enjoyed as part of a trilogy."
— Josh
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