Some thoughts on "Hammer Time," the May 5 episode of NYPD Blue, after, as usual, the credits and a quick summary: -------------------------------------------------- Story by David Milch & Bill Clark (one of whom taught at Yale) Teleplay by Meredith Stiehm & Nicholas Wootton (one of whom went to Penn) Directed by Mark Tinker (don't know where he went to school, but he did win that Emmy) SUMMARY: Andy's first day back after surgery starts with a shooting that leads him to suspect a crack-addicted mother of murderering her daughter, while Bobby has a missing persons case of his own when an elderly tenant in his building goes missing -- and Henry Coffield looks like the most viable suspect. ----------------------------------------------------- I'm trying very hard not to begin every review between now and season's end with a reference to Jimmy Smits' impending exit, but it's damn hard not to, especially since the two episodes so far since the announcement have gone to considerable lengths to keep Simone and Sipowicz separate -- which, long-memoried viewers may recall, is roughly what happened with Kelly and Sipowicz towards the end of the first season. Interestingly, our heroes each found themselves working a missing persons case, but the details of each case -- and the approaches of the two leading men -- kept them from seeming redundant. Each case had a personal hook beyond the crime itself, but I think there was a lot more meat to Andy's case than to Bobby's, which was essentially an excuse to put Bobby and Henry together again -- not that this is a bad thing, of course. Let's start with Andy. A few times in the past, the show has gotten a case of selective amnesia when it comes to past traumas. James got shot, and within three episodes was so healthy you would never know he had nearly been paralyzed. The same mistake is obviously not being made with Andy, as we see the pain he's in in excruciating detail. The sequence where he wet himself reminded me of a bit from "Closing Time," where an already tense interview exploded when a drunken Andy fell asleep; just when I was already feeling nervy about the fate of the little girl, Andy goes and has a humiliating accident. Though I do think the later attempt to tie Andy to the girl by saying Crack-Mom killed her for poor bladder control was a bit much, that initial sequence ranged from shocking (the discovery), to painful (Andy in Fancy's office) to poignant (Medavoy loaning Andy his pants) to, surprisingly, funny (Andy *in* Medavoy's pants). And beyond the one accident, Andy's delicate condition was never forgotten, as he needed Sylvia's help just to get his shoes on and off and as he grimaced while trying to help the father figure out how to pay for his daughter's funeral. (A very nice touch, in light of Andy's own experience at burying a child.) Another highlight of this story was the chance to see, for the first time all season, Sylvia the DA in addition to Andy's Wife. I've seen some rumors floated in the press that Michael Buchman Silver's presence will be increased next season, and at first that made me suspect that Sharon Lawrence wouldn't be coming back full-time, since having two regular DAs is redundant and she likely wouldn't want to be tied down just for the in-the-kitchen stuff. But for one episode at least, we saw that it's possible to use both Leo and Sylvia effectively -- and it was especially gratifying to hear someone, at last, stick up for the guy. As for the return of the comedy stylings of Simone & Coffield, like I said above, it felt like an excuse to put two actors with great chemistry together rather than an actual story, but with these two, I don't mind it every now and then -- especially since this will likely be the last time. Bobby, through reasons I'm sure he still can't fathom, has found this sad little weasel added to his life, and over time, it looks like he's made som peace with it. In the early days of last season, nearly every word out of Henry's mouth made Bobby want to smack him. Over time, he's developed a level of wary patience and even, at times, affection for the creep. While there are a lot of reasons why I'll miss Jimmy Smits when he's gone, one of them is certainly the end of one of primetime drama's oddest occasional couples. (By the way, the reason I say it felt like an excuse more than a story is because it tried to set itself up as a mystery, yet only gave us two suspects -- one of whom every viewer having seen any of Henry's prior appearances would know couldn't have done it.) In fact, the true sign of a very good episode is that I can really raise one complaint (two, if you count the double-urination quibble, which isn't a big deal), although the scene in question drove me nuts. I'm speaking about the meeting of minds -- if you can call it that -- between Naomi and Dolores. On the plus side, I grow to like Dolores more each week, as she comes across as the most normal and realistic PAA this side of Upstairs John. Also on the plus side, (Warning: sexist comment coming) Naomi looks damn fine in uniform. On the minus side, that scene continues an awkward Blue tradition of having characters relate personal details of their lives to near-total strangers without any prompting whatsoever. It may happen from time to time in real life, but not with the frequency that it does on this show. Plus, when you couple this scene in with the Upstairs John cameo a few weeks ago, I'm starting to wonder when Donna, Geri Turner, Lucy Kinley and the lady with the crewcut stroll in to give Dolores -- and, therefore, the viewer -- neat and tidy updates on their life post-15th squad. Some quick thoughts before I go: -As I'm sure many know, the dead girl's father was played by Richard Brooks, the actor formerly known as ADA Paul Robinette on Law & Order. Speaking of guest stars, Steve Antin made what was, by my fumbling recollections, his sixth appearance as Detective Nick Savino, who conveniently investigates every incident involving Bobby's building. (Speaking of which, there've now been two murders in that building in under two years; ya think the tenants might start asking for rent concessions?) -With two cases split between the three leads, there's not much left for the supporting cast to do, so Nick Turturro and Andrea Thompson apparently got the week off. I hope this doesn't prompt another round of "Where's Martinez?" messages. -They're really going to an effort to toughen up Diane, aren't they? This is the first incident I can recall where she started using physical threats -- or, at least, the threat of Andy getting physical -- in an interrogation. -Speaking of trends, this is the second episode in a row with a lengthy wordless sequence (this week, the discovery of the body in the suitcase; last week, the toss of the skel-billies' hotel room). I do like them, because they shake things up stylistically, though I wouldn't want them to get overused (see the obligatory music videos on Homicide). -Another nice little touch in the Bobby story; the running gag where Edith's nephew kept banging his head on the windowsill, a problem I, as a tall guy, can empathize with. I wonder if this was scripted or something dreamed up when the actor sat down on that bench. That's it for this week. In case you're worried, we've still got two new ons to go, including the 90-minute season finale. See ya in the funny papers... Alan Sepinwall * e-mail: sepinwal@force.stwing.upenn.edu NYPD Blue page: http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/~sepinwal/nypd.html RANDOM QUOTE: "Sex in the hands of public educators is not a pretty thing." -Daniel Stern, "The Wonder Years"