Dr. Hoof and Mouth

Bobby & Renko are forced to arrest a grieving father (Frank McRae, "48 Hrs."), who's just lost his family in a hit-and-run, when it's revealed that he has outstanding warrants. Patsy successfully helps to bust the handsy dentist, Dr. Rose (Sandy McPeak, "The Osterman Weekend"), but is furious when the ever-sleazy J. D. enjoys watching the videotape evidence of the bust. Lucy must say goodbye to Fabian (Zero Hubbard, 'Tribes') when his birth mother Vivian (Beverly Hope Atkinson, "The New Centurions") straightens up and gets clean.

'Dr. Hoof and Mouth' is another top-notch episode with some good laughs and lots of dramatic peaks. For instance, Jablonski makes good on his promise to the cops of the Station, and lends an ear to Belker, who's lost his apartment because his building is being torn down. Your heart just goes out to Lucy, who you know really made a good home for Fabian, but who knows that she would be fighting a losing battle trying to maintain custody. Guest star McRae delivers a heart-breaking performance. I also thought it was nice when J. D. offers as sincere an apology as he can make to Patsy (who had smacked him earlier!). Even the dentist does seem genuinely contrite after he's caught dead to rights, having struggled with this "problem" of his for a while.

One of the best things about 'Dr. Hoof and Mouth' is spotting future Oscar winning lead actress Frances McDormand as Connie Chapman, who at this point was intended to be Joyces' replacement as public defender.

Other excellent guest stars include Garrett Morris of 'Saturday Night Live' fame as a very indignant (!) tire thief, and Richard Venture ("Scent of a Woman") as a man with a history of drunk-driving.

All in all, this is another solid episode from the seasons when this series was still firing on all cylinders.

Eight out of 10.

As is usually the case, we have some interesting plot events. Belker has finally be rejected by Robin and shortly after that is evicted from his apartment. Howard buys a used RV and finds it is in bad need of repairs. Garrett Morris plays an edgy tire thief who is caught stealing the tire and gets indignant when caught. Patsy goes undercover, allowing that orthodontist to sexually assault her while J. D. records with a telephoto lens. Of course, he ends up showing this tape to other guys. A more critical case involve a man with a checkered past having his family killed by a hit and run driver. The man who killed them is a person with numerous DUI's. But there is a sad end to this. Also, Joyce is offered a big promotion.

I know this isn't the most well-known or beloved episode of Hill Street, but it's by far my favorite. It's one of the most well-written and acted episodes of the series. They hit all these fascinating little character notes, they called back to previous story threads, they had laughs and some of the most powerful dramatic moments of the entire series. All in this one run-of-the-mill episode. Very rewarding viewing.