The case itself is an average one-- on the trail of narcotics robbers. However, the entry is really noteworthy as one of the few attempts to dramatically humanize Friday away from the cold police professional. He kills a man in the course of an attempted arrest. It's his first on-the-job fatality and he's suffering some anguish. Just happening to be at the station house is the series' early fling with a romantic interest, Ann Baker (Dorothy Abbott). She provides much needed solace, putting events in perspective and allowing Friday to recover. Her last line is a memorable one for a series not known for existential musings. Somehow I didn't like this effort, maybe because it doesn't fit with the established persona, or maybe because Webb the actor is not very good at soft emotions. Anyhow, I'm glad the series dropped both the romantic interest and the personal angst, even though their loss adds to Friday's "robocop" image that modern day hipsters love to poke fun at.
Note too, the presence of Gil Stratton Jr. as the young father. He can also be seen as one of Brando's improbably playful bikers in The Wild One from that same year. Later on he was a constant presence on Los Angeles area TV as a sports reporter. I guess he found a good way to support the baby.