This episode, like the pilot, is still a whole lot of fun - though the clichés and soapy plotlines continue to lean towards melodrama, rather than the gritty police show I was hoping NYPD Blue would be. Episode 1x2 again charts David Caruso's love life, as his Detective John Kelly grapples with whether or not to pursue his affair with Amy Brenneman's Officer Licalsi amid the ongoing divorce proceedings with his wife, played by Sherry Stringfield.
Far more interesting is Dennis Franz as Detective Sipowicz, who is starting to heal from the wounds he sustained in the pilot. He's now staying away from alcohol and has been put on desk duty for a bit by Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel). But that old Sipowicz anger remains even as he hobbles around the precinct with a cane; will his feud with Alphonse Giardella (Robert Costanzo) get him right back in the ER?
Another stereotypical but nonetheless compelling subplot involves Brent Jennings as Ephraim Daniels, a father who is angry at a judge for not putting away the man who killed his son. David Caruso must defuse a standoff when Daniels takes the judge hostage.
This is purely by-the-numbers stuff, though there are some decent one-liners, the jerky camerawork is cool, and Detective Sipowicz remains a finely wrought character played with compelling vigor by Dennis Franz. His presence elevates the entire show - without it, the show would be a lot less than the sum of its parts.
Far more interesting is Dennis Franz as Detective Sipowicz, who is starting to heal from the wounds he sustained in the pilot. He's now staying away from alcohol and has been put on desk duty for a bit by Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel). But that old Sipowicz anger remains even as he hobbles around the precinct with a cane; will his feud with Alphonse Giardella (Robert Costanzo) get him right back in the ER?
Another stereotypical but nonetheless compelling subplot involves Brent Jennings as Ephraim Daniels, a father who is angry at a judge for not putting away the man who killed his son. David Caruso must defuse a standoff when Daniels takes the judge hostage.
This is purely by-the-numbers stuff, though there are some decent one-liners, the jerky camerawork is cool, and Detective Sipowicz remains a finely wrought character played with compelling vigor by Dennis Franz. His presence elevates the entire show - without it, the show would be a lot less than the sum of its parts.
