Oscar, Meyer, Weiner

Once you know the history of NYPD Blue, you will pick up on certain things at about this point in season 1. It is at about this point that Dennis Franz (Sipowicz) and David Caruso (John Kelly) essentially separate and are filmed separately for about 90% of the time. We all know that this is because Caruso's ego was completely out of control and Franz had enough of him, so the episodes were written so that the two detectives spend very little time together. You wouldn't even realize this if you have not heard the stories of Caruso's on-set ego issues and temper flare ups. This episode is very good, but misses the "partnership" that Kelly and Sipowicz had, but contains great performances all around. It is also at this point where you can pick up on the fact that David Caruso was really, really, overrated as an actor on this show. If you watch from the beginning of the series, you start to notice that he does the same things over and over again- head tilted when he is being sensitive, and he ALWAYS repeats lines twice. He goes to cuddle or comfort LiCalsi and he says "Come here....come here". He does it so often that is became funny after a while. America ate it up at first and that went to Caruso's head and the rest is TV history.

I remember from many years ago that David Caruso was a real ego filled actor. He really is one dimensional and carried that over for years in CSI Miami. That aside, we have here another brutal mass murder during a burglary of a family. The fact is there are similar murders in the Bronx. Sipowicz is educated by Fancy on racism when he interviews a black man who has been given up by the remaining daughter of the family. Janice continues to be duplicitous with Kelly as he tries to get information. He really does try to dominate the women in his life. His ex- pretty much states this to him toward the end. Martinez continues to do good work. After Andy gets reamed out by the black guy, another case, the theft of an Academy Award from a gay writer sort of gives him a little boost.