Howdy. As I alluded to at the end of the season, I've been working on an end of the year review of Blue's third season. Because I had a lot of free time shortly after graduation, I got ambitious, so instead of the usual "What I liked/What I didn't" schtick, I've broken things down more. The first part, which follows this intro, takes a look back at each episode to see whether my opinion of it changed over time and under repeat viewing. The second part examines each character/actor. The third features a few miscellaneous comments and a wrap-up. "E.R." Story by David Mills & David Milch Teleplay by David Mills Directed by Mark Tinker [James gets shot, and DA Abrams may let an accomplice walk as part of a deal; Bobby and Diane get back together; Sylvia announces she's "late"] Taken entirely on its own merits, this was a top-notch show, that just goes to show how valuable the real-life cop stories can be (the entire main plot was taken pretty much verbatim - aside from the time-frame - from a real shooting incident, right down to Greg and James' dialogue in the drive to the hospital). Nick Turturro had a rare spotlight role and did a fine job conveying James' increasing panic over not being able to walk again. We also got a rare glimpse of office politics due to the appearance (the only of the season) of DA Abrams. It had some of the best-dialogued scenes of the years (most notably a very frustrated Bobby trying to a get a pants-less mugging victim to tell the truth about what happened). And it served as a nice reintroduction to all the characters - even Upstairs John showed up for a cameo. However, the fact that James' shooting had *no* long-term impact whatsoever - he was absent from the next episode, was merely limping in the third, was back to full strength by the fourth, and never exhibited any emotional or mental difficulty - was fairly irritating. "Torah! Torah! Torah!" Story by Theresa Rebeck & Bill Clark Teleplay by Theresa Rebeck Directed by Donna Deitch [Bobby and Diane interrogate a perverted serial killer; Andy lets the cat out of the bag about Sylvia being pregnant; Greg and Andy go undercover as rabbis to recover a stolen torah] This is a perfect example of why you sometimes do need to watch an episode twice. In starting this project, I figured for sure that either this episode or "Burnin' Love" would still stand out as the biggest clunker of the season. But when I actually sat down and watched "Torah! Torah! Torah!" again, rather than just relying on my memories of it, I actually discovered that I (gasp!) liked some of it. To be sure, I still had problems with it: the stolen torah story still has no payoff other than a tired sight gag, the "blabby Andy" plot has him and a bunch of other characters all acting like idiots, and the interrogation of Squires (the serial killer) is still far too rushed. On the other hand, two elements of the story that I didn't particularly care for the first time, either, really worked for me this time around: the subplot about Stu Morrissey smacking around the man he was "sure" was his wife's killer, and the scenes involving retarded Tommy Wuthrich and his father. While I still think the Morrissey stuff would have worked better if it had been one of the regulars (specifically, Andy) who screwed up, it still played very nicely as a cautionary tale about relying too much on force in the interrogation room. The Wuthrich scenes, while still a bit old hat, featured very touching performances from Robert Clohessy as Tommy and John Schuck as Mr. Wuthrich. In particular, Andy's final advice to Mr. Wuthrich to love the child that's still alive took on a whole added level of resonance with the knowledge of what would happen vis a vis Andy Jr. and Theo. So while I'm still not incredibly enamored of the episode, it's nowhere near as horrible as I originally made it out to be. "One Big Happy Family" Written by Gardner Stern Directed by Michael M. Robin [A serial rape suspect happens to appear in the precinct lobby about another matter; Diane goes to a bar after her father beats her mother again; Greg and Adrianne investigate a wife who keeps trying (and failing) to kill her husband; Adrianne tells Greg that she's gay] This one, on the other hand, definitely dropped in my estimation when I watched it again - I think I gave it a positive review the first time largely because I felt at the time that it was better than the episode before it and I was trying to be optimistic about the season in general. The rapist story had a bunch of gaping plotholes beyond the phenomenal coincidence of him being in the precinct - most notably that Curvis (the rapist) attempts to go back and kill a prior rape victim using the exact same MO he used on her previously. The "I Love You to Death"-ish case that Greg and Adrianne worked didn't really go anywhere, and woefully underuitilized the very talented Jon Polito (the husband) in the bargain. And Adrianne's "change" was the start of a really big mess involving the Lesniak character that went on all season long. What saves the episode from dud-dom is the Diane story, which gave her some much-needed background and depth, as well as setting up two very good episodes later on, even if Kim Delaney's performance was lacking, particularly in the infamous "Make love to me" scene. Besides, she would get better. "Heavin' Can Wait" Story by Leonard Gardner & Bill Clark Teleplay by Leonard Gardner Directed by Elodie Keene [Andy and Bobby get increasingly pissy with each other while working the murder of two very young boys] At the time I first watched it, I dubbed "Heavin' Can Wait" a return to first-season form and figured that it would be hard for the writers to top it. I was wrong, as it turns out, but not because the episode declined in quality on repeat viewing - it was as good as before, but a lot of episodes from later in the season were even better. Seeing Andy and Bobby at each other's throats (as equals, as opposed to seeing a drunken Andy yell at Bobby) was still pretty riveting television. The episode's one big flaw, which I pointed out even back then, was the way the reset button got hit at the close - everything was hunky dory by the end of the hour. But the final shot - of a very pained Bobby releasing his pigeons out over the East River - may be one of my favorite images of the entire season. "Dirty Laundry" Written by David Milch & Nicholas Wootton Directed by Mark Tinker [Bobby gets partnered up with a dirty cop being tailed by IAB; Andy tries again to help young Holly Snyder; Upstairs John gives Andy a haircut and approaches Adrianne about joining the Gay Officers Action Coalition] In my initial review, I also dubbed this one a return to first season form, a time when "each crime investigation also carried a moral heft beyond the simple concept of retribution, and the process of police work seemed like a noble but futile fight against a rapidly decaying urban nightmare." And my opinion hasn't changed in the slightest - a terrific episode. Dirty cop Ronnie Drucker was one of the season's most finely etched guest characters. Andy's second futile attempt to get Holly Snyder (who helped him out on a case near the end of the second season) out of the city was still very poignant on second viewing, as was the final scene with Drucker's beeper - the symbol of the turn to crime that led to his death. Add in an appropriately low-key guest appearance by Corin "Parker Lewis" Nemec as Holly's boyfriend, plus some witty byplay between Andy and Upstairs John, and you have a winner no matter when you watch it. "Curt Russell" Story by Bill Clark & Leonard Gardner Teleplay by Leonard Gardner Directed by Jim Charleston [Andy isn't happy to be working the murder of an East Indian woman; Adrianne and Diane investigate a junkie's suspicious drug overdose; Greg and James stumble upon a credit card scam; Diane chafes at Bobby's overprotectiveness] I've watched this one a few times (largely because it was on early in the season), and have discovered that the best way to enjoy it is to just fast-forward through the A-murder plot. Why? Two reasons: 1)It's dull and predictable; and 2)Andy's various ignorant comments about the Indian people, played for humor, don't seem quite so funny in light of "The Backboard Jungle" - how come it's funny (for the audience and the other characters) when Andy makes bigoted quips about Indian people but not when he does the same about black people? The rest of the episode holds up rather nicely as a showcase for the supporting cast, and it features some of the wittiest dialogue of the year, even outside the main plot. (My favorite is still probably Andy's reference to the PAA temp's crewcut: "She looks like Rod Steiger in one of them Roman movies.") James and Greg's case features an amusing guest character in Marv, the meth-head who claims that the two detectives are "in a comic book," and Diane and Adrianne's case features a rather poignant resolution. "Aging Bull" Written by David Mills Directed by Davis Guggenheim [Bobby finds out that his old mentor Patsy Ferrare has Alzheimer's; Steve Richards returns to try to make some money by helping Andy and Bobby solve a kidnapping case] Steve the Snitch's presence still bugs the hell out of me - though I'm beginning to realize that it's more because I don't like Paul Ben-Victor, the actor who plays him, than anything in the writing - but the rest of this episode stands up incredibly well. The kidnapping storyline plays nicely outside of Steve's presence, and I noticed a neat connection to the Patsy Ferrare story the second time around - the frustration of the victim's security chief (an ex-FBI agent) over no longer being effective struck me as a fairly clear parallel over the way time has passed Patsy by. And in terms of character work for Bobby, this one may have done more than the entire second season combined - we learn a lot about his background, what makes him so quiet (he gets it from his father), and we see him again unable to help a sick loved one (like his late wife). And the final comparison between Patsy and the homing pigeon - which never forgets where it's going - is still a real heartbreaker. "Cold Heaters" Story by Bill Clark & Theresa Rebeck Teleplay by Theresa Rebeck Directed by Adam Nimoy [A tip from a friend in prison puts Bobby at odds with Internal Affairs Sergeant Martens; Fancy and Andy go the extra mile to keep a family man from going to jail for manslaughter; Medavoy helps settle a dispute between two actors] The second great Bobby episode in a row, and a big honkin' spotlight on the oft-neglected Lt. Fancy, to boot. What's not to like? We also get to see Bobby in a bit of an unsympathetic light in that terrific scene between him and Martens. It's a shame that this was Martens' final appearance of the year, as I'd love to see what's done with him now that he's no longer a two-dimensional "bad" guy. In addition, seeing Fancy and Andy working with such synergy had an added zing, knowing that their blow-up in "The Backboard Jungle" was right around the corner, and Greg's case was still very entertaining. "Sorry, Wong Suspect" Story by Bill Clark & Gardner Stern Teleplay by Gardner Stern Directed by Michael M. Robin [Andy and Bobby investigate a possible murder in Chinatown with some help from Harold Ng; James and Adrianne have to work together on a robbery case; James finally wins over Adrianne; Greg moves out on his wife for good and moves into the bunk in Anti-Crime] As big a disaster as the James/Adrianne romance turned out to be, this was the one truly endearing part of it, featuring Nicholas Turturro at his most charming. Adrianne's confusion, while troubling (is this tower of jello the same person as the no-nonsense detective we saw last year?), was touchingly played by Justine Miceli. The final scene in James' car would have served as a nice storybook ending, enabling the writers to send both characters off in new directions, occasionally mentioning that they're seeing each other (like the way the Bobby/Diane romance has been played lately). But I can't put the fault of what came later on this episode. I still feel the same about the rest as I originally did: the main murder plot was a bore that wasted an appearance by Harold Ng, and Marie's seduction of Greg was silly but fun. "The Backboard Jungle" Story by William L. Morris Teleplay by David Mills Directed by Mark Tinker [Andy gets in trouble after calling a murder eyewitness a "nigger"] Time for me to eat some crow. Here's one of the opening lines from my review: "Wow. But they damn well better follow up on all of this, or I'll lose all faith in the show." Well, we haven't heard a peep from Brother Kwasi since this episode, and until Andy started drinking, his relationship with Fancy wasn't altered in the slightest. And yet I'm more devoted to the show than ever. Man, am I a sucker. :) Seriously, much like "E.R." (another David Mills script), I can't really place blame on this episode for the lack of follow-up in subsequent scripts. Besides, it's occurred to me that A)David Bloom's notebook alone wouldn't have made for much of a story; B)Even if Kwasi went to the press, the most that would likely happen is a public roasting for Andy - the murderers in the case were caught, after all; and C)Fancy has always known that Andy's a bigot - he was too much of a profesional to let it interfere with their working relationship before, and why should that change now? And, on its own, "The Backboard Jungle" is still fabulous television. While not as emotionally stirring as the Andy Jr. arc near the end of the season, it was certainly the most thought-provoking episode of the season, and maybe of the series. "Burnin' Love" Story by Bill Clark and Leonard Gardner Teleplay by Leonard Gardner Directed by Perry Lang [Andy and Bobby try to keep the father of a murder by arson victim from interfering in their investigation; Greg gets involved in a high stakes poker game while guarding a bookie under a death threat] Zzzzzzzz....oh, I'm sorry - was I supposed to be watching this episode again? Must've dozed off. :) Actually, "Burnin' Love" probably wasn't that horrible. It's just that nothing really happened. None of the ongoing subplots were advanced, which isn't necessarily bad in and of itself. "The Backboard Jungle" and "Hollie and the Blowfish," two of the season's best episodes, were almost entirely self-contained, but those shows featured some fantastic character work for Andy (in the former) and Bobby (in the latter). Here, we had Our Heroes Solve a Murder Case, with a sprinkling of Greg playing poker here and there for a little (read: very little) color, and nothing else. And while Bobby's interrogation of Johnny Arcotti was one of the cleverest of the season, one well-written scene does not an episode make. "These Old Bones" Written by Theresa Rebeck Directed by Donna Deitch [Diane's abusive father is murdered and her mother and brother are the two prime suspects; Andy and Greg work an 8-year old murder case with a victim that nobody misses] The parallels between Diane's tragedy here and Andy's at the end of the season are striking. Diane, supposedly the weak-willed character, managed to stay sober where Andy didn't. Kim Delaney still has moments in this one where I remembered her soap opera background (particularly her scenes with her brother), but was, for the most part, quite effective at playing a character extremely on edge. The introduction of ADA Cohen, a character I hope gets more screentime next year, gives the episode bonus points, as does the quirky B-plot with Andy and an apartment-hunting Greg. "A Tushful of Dollars" Story by Bill Clark & Nicholas Wooton Teleplay by Nicholas Wooton Directed by Elodie Keene [Diane clashes with ADA Cohen while trying to get a plea for her mother; Andy and Bobby get help from the mob in their search for the killer of a mafioso's son; Diane and Greg get frustrated while trying to get the son of a murder victim to give them a crucial piece of evidence] The first time around, I was very impressed by the clever parallels between all three stories and the overarching theme about the relationship between cops and lawyers. I still find that fairly nifty, but what struck me most on repeat viewing was how much better Kim Delaney had gotten as an actress since her first appearances on the series. The final scene, where she questions her ability as a detective and wonders whether she'll ever be able to move beyond her childhood traumas, hit all the right notes. And Bobby's confrontation with ADA Cohen near the end may be the most unsympathetic portrayal ever of "Saint Bobby." Good stuff. "The Nutty Confessor" Story by Bill Clark & Gardner Stern Teleplay by Gardner Stern Directed by Mark Tinker [Bobby's murder suspect pretends he's crazy; Adrianne's personality becomes decidedly unpleasant after she and James finally have sex; Greg and Diane investigate the shooting of an adulterous doctor] This is yet another one that gets more troubling on second view because of later ramifications with Adrianne. The initial scenes, with James and Adrianne bumbling around before finally doing the deed, are still fun - though with the shock value gone, not as fun*ny*. And the central plot, in particular Andy's playacting in lock-up, is still one of the most entertaining (if not particularly moving) of the season. But lord did they slaughter the Lesniak character in this one (more on this in the section on the characters). And the B-case with Greg and Diane didn't play any better the second time around. "Head Case" Story by David Mills & Bill Clark Teleplay by David Mills Directed by Randall Zisk [Bobby and Andy interrogate a psycho with a messiah complex who decapitated his college professor; James gets to help out porn star Vanessa Del Rio; Andy Jr. announces that he's going to become a cop] This is one of the few that really moved up in my estimation on second viewing (and it's the only Lesniak-as-psycho episode not to move down). My original complaint - that, because Andy and Bobby are hardened old pros, we didn't really get a sense of how disturbing some of the situations really were - still holds true for some of the scenes, but a whole bunch of moments stand out. Bobby tries to settle the female uniform's nerves as they examine the corpse, for instance (though I wish there was a way to have had that character tagging along for the whole investigation, to provide some contrast with the detectives). Rodney's confession, while it may not have visibly upset the detectives, sure as hell creeped *me* out the second time around (must've had too much decaf that first night :)). And the scene where the victim's mother breaks down in Andy's arms after finally coming to grips with her son's death really only hit me this second time. Add in one of the more entertaining subplots of the year (James and Vanessa Del Rio), as well as a very lovely tableau of the whole Sipowicz family at the end, and you've got another good show. Oh, and I finally figured out that "This is a large nation" is really just another way of saying, "Different strokes for different folks." I feel much better now. :) "Girl Talk" Story by Bill Clark & Theresa Rebeck Teleplay by Theresa Rebeck Directed by Perry Lang [Andy clashes with a female detective who once got a promotion he felt he deserved; James and Diane have very different views on a date rape case; Andy gives Andy Jr. his first lesson in policework] At the time, I dubbed "Girl Talk" as "Blue at its best." In retrospect, that was a bit of an overstatement - my judgement was a bit clouded by how much I loved the final scene between Andy and Andy Jr. - but this is still a solid episode. I'm still very gratified to see a bit more emphasis on the female characters, even though I found myself siding largely with James this time around - while Diane turned out to be correct, she was being very unprofessional for refusing to even consider that the man might be telling the truth. And knowing now that Wanda DeJesus (who played Det. Escobar) is Jimmy Smits' longtime girlfriend gave Diane's minor bit of jealousy over Escobar's friendship with Simone an added kick. "Hollie and the Blowfish" Story by Bill Clark & David Simon Teleplay by David Simon Directed by Davis Guggenheim [Bobby reteams with his old snitch Ferdinand, who's contracted the AIDS virus; Diane is assigned to a taskforce whose leader cares more about overtime pay than solving crimes; James and Greg deal with an "invisible" murder suspect while investigating the death of a santero priest] This was the last Bobby-heavy episode of the season - "We Was Robbed" and "He's Not Guilty..." were both ensemble pieces, and everything in between was primarily an Andy showcase. And as a stand-alone episode, this one ranks almost as highly as David Mills' "The Backboard Jungle" (coincidentally, Mills used to David Simon's writing partner). We're introduced to two wonderfully-drawn guest characters. The dichotomy between Ferdinand Hollie and Ray Kahlins (the correct spelling, btw) stood out even more when I had time to really do a deep analysis of the episode (as opposed to the 1 a.m. rush job I ordinarily do for reviews). Ferdinand the thief has honor, keeps his word, does favors for friends, and goes out of his way to keep anyone but the bad guys he robs from being hurt, while Kahlins, ostensibly the good guy, lies frequently and doesn't care about solving crimes and dispensing justice so long as his overtime pay keeps rolling in. And Giancarlo Esposito was absolutely fantastic as Ferdinand - I sure hope he gets at least an Emmy nomination for it. The episode also featured the best use to date, IMHO, of Kim Delaney; for once, I never had a moment's doubt about her believability as a cop, and the wiseacre attitude, featured briefly in previous episodes, really seemed to suit her. About the only part of the episode that didn't hold up extremely well on second view was the "invisible man" subplot, where a lot of Nick Turturro's speeches really came off as awkward exposition this time around, and the muted comic payoff seemed more disappointing. Still, it's nice to see something different attempted every once in a while, and besides, the rest of the episode is so fantastic that a somewhat weak B- story really doesn't bother me too much. "We Was Robbed" Story by Bill Clark & Leonard Gardner Teleplay by Leonard Gardner Directed by Mark Tinker [Andy and Bobby stick up two mobsters to keep them from finding a bug planted in their club; Diane helps out Donna's hairdresser; James finally tells off Adrianne; Andy Jr. gets another lesson] A lot of people complained about "We Was Robbed" when it aired, saying it was a big letdown after the previous week's intense episode. I wasn't one of them, as I thought the main plot was a hoot (Did I just say "hoot"? Mental note: you're back in Jersey now.). It was still fun on second viewing, but, more important, I think I realized why the show decided to go with a light-hearted episode so late in the season: there were such tough times ahead, with Andy Jr's death and Andy's fall, that keeping us on emotional edge for weeks would just be too much. As for the rest of the show, I came to appreciate the Donna story more, particularly the way she ran the situation for Diane. This was the kind of thing that should have been written for Donna every so often so she had more to do than hand out phone messages. But Adrianne still seems like a pod-person - fortunately, this was the last episode where she would behave this way. "Auntie Maimed" Story by Bill Clark & Nicholas Wootton Teleplay by Nicholas Wootton Directed by Michael Watkins [Sylvia gives birth; Bobby collars the wrong man in a murder case; James and Greg get into an armed stalemate with a murder suspect; Donna contemplates taking a job with Apple; James breaks up with Adrianne; Andy Jr. hangs out at the precinct for a day] Even more than the two episodes that followed it, this one was almost too painful to watch again. Why? Because all the joy of that final scene - in particular Andy and Andy Jr's embrace - feels rather empty with the knowledge that this would be the last time we saw Andy Jr. alive. But the emotional rollercoaster of the final five minutes still dominate the rest of the episode, which features an interesting, if familiar, A-story, as well as a very welcome end to the James/Adrianne romance. "A Death in the Family" Written by Michael Daly Directed by Mark Tinker [Andy falls off the wagon after Andy Jr. is killed trying to stop a bar stick-up; Bobby has to decide whether to kill the two perps if he finds them; Donna quits her job to go work at Apple] This one is a classic. From the innocuous opening scene about Andy's pictures of the baby all the way to the final shot of Andy rapping the bar for some more drinks, this one really takes you through an emotional wringer. Franz, Smits, and Lawrence (in her two brief scenes) were all extraordinary. If anything, the episode gets better with repeat viewings. "Closing Time" Story by Bill Clark & David Mills Teleplay by David Mills Directed by David Rosenbloom [Andy refuses everyone's help as he hits rock bottom; Bobby's conscience is satisfied when he winds up killing Andy Jr's murderers in self-defense; the new PAA is friendly but incompetent] I said it at the time and I'll say it again: I've watched an obscene amount of TV in the past 22 years, and I don't think I've ever seen a better hour of it. Wow. "He's Not Guilty, He's My Brother" Story by Bill Clark & Bob Glaudini Teleplay by Bob Glaudini Directed by Michael M. Robin [Andy and Bobby try to get a perp to sign a statement that would keep his brother out of jail; a murder suspect won't sign a statement until Greg gets him some medicine; Andy finds God during Theo's "churching" ceremony; Greg gets a new apartment; Upstairs John announces his transfer; Fancy has had enough of the new PAA; Bobby and Diane decide to take some vacation time together] I want to clarify some comments I made in my initial review. I had two different sorts of complaints about the sequencing of this episode: 1)That it took place immediately after "Closing Time," without giving us enough time to watch Andy get back into the swing of things; and 2)That it was the season finale, but didn't really feel like a great capper for the season. Going back over that review, it sounded more like all my complaints involved #2, when, in fact, #1 was just as important. Had there been an episode in between "Closing Time" and this, the Selness brothers story, which ends on a rather hopeful note, probably would have worked quite well, but the fact was that Andy was too on the ball too quickly for my liking. As for the rest of the episode's attempts to end the season on an up note, some worked and some didn't. Greg's quest to find happiness like Donna told him to, as exemplified by his new apartment and flirtation with Ann Maguire, was a lot of fun, and I hope it signals the start of a new path for the character. And Upstairs John was sent off with an appropriate amount of camp, though a token mention of his cop boyfriend (if not an actual appearance) might have been nice. But the final scene with Bobby and Diane still comes out of nowhere, and the B-crime still lacks anything resembling a payoff. You win some, you lose some. Alan Sepinwall * e-mail: sepinwal@force.stwing.upenn.edu Homepage: http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/~sepinwal/ NYPD Blue page: http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/~sepinwal/nypd.html (NON)RANDOM QUOTE: "This is a large nation." -Nicholas Turturro being philosophical, "NYPD Blue"