Schlockmania's Favorite Episodes From POLICE STORY: SEASON 2 - Part 2
As stated in the first half of this overview, Police Story brought a new realism tothe depiction of police officers. However, that did not mean the show everskimped on the excitement one expected from cop shows of the era. In fact, Police Story frequently found a cleverway to mix the staples of the traditional cop show - chases, stakeouts, gunplay- with a complex understanding of cop psychology and practices that gave thosetraditional elements a new level of dramatic stakes.
With that in mind, here's another six episodes worthseeing from the second season of PoliceStory. Even the ones that focus more on procedure than psychology addunique little nuances that make them worth watching.
CaptainHook:'70s t.v. regular David Birney gets a memorable showcase in this episode, whichfocuses on the troubles that handicapped officers face. Officer Waldron(Birney) loses his hand in a situation with a package bomb. He works hard toretrain himself for a return to the field but discovers the brass aren't eagerto have him out there. The script effectively mixes underdog story elementswith a realistic portrayal of the physical and mental traumas that an officerhandicapped in the field faces. Birney does stellar work and gets ace supportfrom Kim Darby as a sympathetic woman who falls in love with him and RichardEgan as a handicapped lieutenant who aids the officer in his fight to return toactive duty.
IncidentIn The Kill Zone: This episode reconfigures The Caine Mutiny for the policedepartment: a group of skilled, dutiful S.W.A.T. officers find themselves inperil when they are put under the guidance of "King" Sherman (JamesFarentino), a new leader with a lack of experience, a big ego and badleadership instincts. Jan-MichaelVincent is the defacto leader within the officer group and finds himself pushedto the point of mutiny. This is a great episode where the dramatic elements areas punchy as the S.W.A.T.-oriented action scenes and there's also a daringmessage about the disengagement between the department's bureaucracy and theconcerns of the men in the line of fire. It also provides a good reminder ofwhat a fine actor Vincent was - and Farentino is equally impressive as theoverconfident would-be leader who cracks under pressure.
Headhunter:the Internal Affairs department gets its own spotlight here. Don Murray playsStiles, a sergeant in the I.A. who is put in the difficult position of investigatinga veteran officer (Howard Keel) accused of indecent exposure while drunk. Saidofficer gets fired but Stiles decides to investigate the case again when thewitness (Michael Anderson Jr.) confesses to a murder. This episode is unique inhow it shows the complexity of the internal affairs gig, one that weighsheavily on the cop who has to pass judgment on their fellow cops. Murray playshis role with conviction and Keel brings gravitas to the role of an aging,troubled cop who finds himself in the crosshairs. The script also moves intounique psychological territory in its second half as Stiles explores thedisordered mind of the troubled witness.
TheMan In The Shadows: this episode starts in traditional Police Story mode: veteran officer Dolan(Robert Forster) takes on a new partner in younger officer Cruz (RichardYniguez), prompting an easygoing debate over how to deal with informants asthey try to pick up the trail of major drug dealer rumored to be moving intolocal narcotics traffic. Things take a grimmer turn as the two officers facepressure from their hard-driving supervisor (John Ireland) and deal with thecrafty, sometimes lethal moves of their opponent. It goes to some dark placesin its final act, bringing in a noir-ish fatalism that Forster is perfectlyequipped to handle. There's also an interesting final scene that suggests thereis an ongoing cycle in police work. Yniguez does fine work here, particularlyin the final scene, and Barbara Luna is likeable as a top informant.
WarGames: one of the most enjoyable things about watching Police Story is the array of cool '70scharacter actors that pop up in each show. This particular episode is agoldmine in that regard. Marjoe Gortner and Michael Parks go undercover to weedout white supremacists trafficking in illegal military weapons in their privategun club - and said gun club includes Neville Brand, John Davis Chandler, MillsWatson, John Quade and Murray Hamilton, who steals the episode as the wealthyparanoiac benefactor funding the group (he greets the cops by shooting amachine gun near them!). You even get Robert Ginty and Dick Miller in bitroles. As for the episode itself, it's more action-oriented than usual andblends its tough, anti-racism theme with equally tough machismo from its cast.
TheWitness: Don Meredith returns as Jameson in an episode thatfocuses on the robbery squad dealing with a string of pharmacy robberies aswell as a motorcyclist thief called "Easy Rider" who specializes inrobbing bars. It benefits from a tight script that blends action, police workand some humor about the day-to-day lives of the cops, including one who has acold he can't shake and another one who has trouble getting to work on time.Editor-turned-director Edward Abroms gives it crackerjack pacing that's as goodas any cop feature film you car to mention - and Meredith is a fun lead, withnice support work from Michael Cole as his cold-addled partner and JamesMcEachin as an amusingly mouthy robbery victim who offers to be a witness incourt.