09.00 Notes From The Underbelly
09.30 The Unusuals
10.30 Barney Miller
Notes From The Underbelly. Season 2, Episode 3. "Heather's Visit" Lauren's sister visits.
A story which has nothing to do with the premise of the show. Any sitcom could do this one. And Notes does nothing special with the idea.
Peter Cambor raises a few good laughs, as Andrew tries very hard to keep up with his sister-in-law's need to party-hearty.
The Unusuals. Episode 6. "The Circle Line" A cop shows up with amnesia, did he commit a murder? Meanwhile Delahoy and Banks (best cops on TV right now) must deal with identity theft.
Delahoy is just gonna haunt me when this short-lived gem of a series is finished. His journey towards death is an example of the way fiction comes into our lives and allows us the chance to vicariously live through the most extreme of situations. And Adam Goldberg has never done better work. He is fantastic.
There are two threads connected to Delahoy in this one: he is seeing a vision of his high-school sweetheart, and his identity is stolen by a man who (in his eyes) has made a better go at making a good life for himself than he has.
Conor Leslie made a great impression as the high school sweetheart (vision). In one scene she appears as every person in the room! But her best moments are in the final scene, as Delahoy stands in the snow and stares into the house of the man who is now living his life under his name. Both Leslie and Goldberg are great here.
Barney Miller. Episode 6. "Stakeout" The gang go on stakeout, from an empty apartment.
A change-of-pace episode. Normally the show never leaves the squad room, but this story is set completely in an empty apartment. Normally the show's stories come from the criminals and victims who cross paths with the regulars, but the people in this episode are not connected to crime, just a variety of folks who live near the apartment Barney and his men are using.
The style of comedy is a bit different here, too. The show is pushing towards farce with this episode. Lots of crazy interruptions, and an ending where Barney rushes from the building with nothing but a towel wrapped around him.
Fish gets a strong/serious storyline and Florence Stanley makes a fantastic debut as his wife. But, while I really enjoyed it, it just didn't feel like an episode of Barney Miller.
Highlight? The Unusuals (Delahoy)
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Wed, Jun 17, 09 - Notes From The Underbelly, Unusuals, Barney Miller
