McMillan And Wife. Episode 11. "Cop of the Year" Enright, a murderer?!
This one has a brilliant opening. Bang! We open on a heated argument between (beloved regular/sidekick) Sgt. Enright and a woman we've never seen before. She is hysterical. They are in a bare empty room (great camera angle). Suddenly she starts shouting as if he is going to shoot her. He's not. But, then, a shot rings out and she falls to the floor... dead. Enright draws his gun, whirling around in confusion.
People pour into the room. We can see a bride in the mix, so it's obviously a wedding, and our hero Stewart McMillan and his wife are part of the group. The credits have a barely rolled when we learn the the woman is/was Enright's wife... and she's dead. With a bullet from his gun!!
WTF?!
This show often opens with a humorous chase sequence that has no baring on the movie to follow. Mostimes you have to wait several minutes before a story starts to emerge. Not this time.
The tale that follows is a real treat. It's a crazy murder, mystery peopled by some extreme characters (Enright's ex-wife - shown briefly in flashback - is a real nutjob) and it positively zips along. The revelation at the end is pretty easy to guess at, but that's does not diminish the enjoyment at all. In fact, it's kinda find to watch Stewart uncover the facts that will lead him to the answer the viewer kinda suspects all along.
John Schuck and Nancy Walker are typically great in their supporting roles, and it's a treat to see John Astin and Martin E. Brooks back on the show again, with substantial roles. Brooks' character is usually an unreasonable hardass so it's refreshing to see him written as genuinely trying to help Mac and Enright unravel the mystery. The fact that he doesn't really think Enright could really be the murderer adds welcome depth to his character.
Then there's John Astin who pretty much steals the show. All of his scenes, with Rock Hudson as an impeccable straight man, are laugh out loud funny. "I feel like I'm convicting him single-handed!" is the funniest line of the entire story.
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McMillan And Wife. Episode 11. "Cop of the Year"
