Furillo (the always superb Daniel J. Travanti) finds fellow police captain Lou Hogan (an excellent performance by Robert Hogan) guilty of gross incompetence and negligence when it comes to running his precinct correctly. LaRue (Kiel Martin in fine smarmy form) and Washington (smoothly played by Taureen Blacque) apply for the same position outside of the precinct. Goldblume (a solid Joe Spano) and Belker (a pleasingly scruffy Bruce Weitz) work undercover as ice cream vendors. Furillo's moral dilemma with Hogan's ineptitude gives this episode considerable substance as the central story explores the necessity for a police captain to be on top of everything that happens in his station. Moreover, Hogan gets a remarkable scene in which he takes his fellow police captains to task for hanging him out to dry at a roast for Chief Daniels (Jon Cypher). Hunter (a deliciously droll James Sikking) has a hilarious altercation with a greasy spoon waitress and there's some really funny business concerning a cow trapped on the fifth floor of an apartment building. Larry B. Scott contributes a stellar guest turn as an underage robber who has a tense stand-off with Goldblume. And the closing line for this episode is a real shocker.
3 Reviews
Sad but Predictable
Hitchcoc14 July 2021
There are several focuses here. Most important is a hearing on the failure of Captain Hogan to keep his precinct under control. Frank and two others are the panel investigating him. He feels he should be ok because he trusted his people to do the right thing, and they betrayed him. Other issues involve a fifteen year old grabbing a little girl and holding her at gunpoint. A huge Angus bull on the third floor of a tenement with no way to get him down. And the roasting of Chief Daniels on his twenty-five years in the force. The ending is expected but still impactful.
Don't have a cow, man.
Hey_Sweden5 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Among the story threads of this typically engaging episode: Frank and two others sit on a panel investigating the Jefferson Heights precinct, and its captain, Lou Hogan (Robert Hogan, a longtime TV veteran). Hogan is quick to defend himself, claiming that he was straight and that it was his whole department that let him down. Andy, Bobby, Lucy, and Joe visit a tenement where a resident has snuck in a cow scheduled for slaughter. This leads to some real guffaws as the question of how to remove the cow from the building comes up. And Frank & others attend the roasting of Chief Daniels (who is celebrating 25 years with the police force), which is soon disrupted by a drunk and distraught Hogan.
It's guest star Hogan that adds some real weight to this gripping script; although the final outcome of the episode is no shock, it's still very sobering. It adds an interesting touch to an episode that is often heavy on the humor (with Joe, who has a relative who's a comedian, displaying a knack for comedy). One serious moment is derived from friction developing between Neal and J. D. when the former is offered a job that the latter wanted, and another very appealing one takes place when Mick realizes that he forgot his beloved Ma's birthday, and Joyce promptly gives him some of her jewelry. (When he objects, she says that he can simply reimburse her for the cost of replacing the jewelry. This leads to what can only be described as the ultimate Belker compliment: "You're about as far removed from a dirtbag that there is.") One sequence that is especially effective is when Henry once again shows his talent for negotiation, when a teenage robber (Larry B. Scott, "Revenge of the Nerds") tries to rob an ice cream truck, and then takes a hostage.
All of this is going down during an oppressive heat wave in the city, so tensions are already high among the citizens. Frank even unloads on Fay when she arrives and begins complaining about yet another of her problems. Naturally, he does calm down and lets her know that he *does* have her back, even if they aren't married anymore.
Also guest starring Andy Romano ("Under Siege" 1 and 2), and Leo Rossi (the "Relentless" film series) as a Hollywood actor visiting the Hill to research a role. Directed by Jeff Bleckner ("White Water Summer", 'The Beast').
Eight out of 10.
It's guest star Hogan that adds some real weight to this gripping script; although the final outcome of the episode is no shock, it's still very sobering. It adds an interesting touch to an episode that is often heavy on the humor (with Joe, who has a relative who's a comedian, displaying a knack for comedy). One serious moment is derived from friction developing between Neal and J. D. when the former is offered a job that the latter wanted, and another very appealing one takes place when Mick realizes that he forgot his beloved Ma's birthday, and Joyce promptly gives him some of her jewelry. (When he objects, she says that he can simply reimburse her for the cost of replacing the jewelry. This leads to what can only be described as the ultimate Belker compliment: "You're about as far removed from a dirtbag that there is.") One sequence that is especially effective is when Henry once again shows his talent for negotiation, when a teenage robber (Larry B. Scott, "Revenge of the Nerds") tries to rob an ice cream truck, and then takes a hostage.
All of this is going down during an oppressive heat wave in the city, so tensions are already high among the citizens. Frank even unloads on Fay when she arrives and begins complaining about yet another of her problems. Naturally, he does calm down and lets her know that he *does* have her back, even if they aren't married anymore.
Also guest starring Andy Romano ("Under Siege" 1 and 2), and Leo Rossi (the "Relentless" film series) as a Hollywood actor visiting the Hill to research a role. Directed by Jeff Bleckner ("White Water Summer", 'The Beast').
Eight out of 10.
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