Snow Job

I've always enjoyed Richard Stalh's deadpan comedic delivery. So having him as the department store accountant was a treat. All the one time cast were excellent. Their reactions to the big pile of cash bundled up was hilarious. Behind bars stick up man played by Jeffrey Kramer attempting to stick up Richard Stahl was brilliantly done.

As mentioned there was an armored car strike but still the police holding a store's over $200,000 seems quite preposterous.

Third episode, "Snow Job" is the best yet. The precinct is colder than the winter outside, with Yemana answering the phone "Nanook speaking," while Barney needs a cup of coffee to sit in. Fish comments on a wife beater found in a bar on 3rd Ave. (Fish: "he looked worse than she did!" Barney: "she'll never press charges!" Fish: "she won't, but HE will!"). Wojo takes responsibility for over $200,000 from Siegel's department store, which astonishes a petty crook (Jeffrey Kramer) attempting a failed stickup behind bars. Ron Feinberg plays flasher Lyle W. Farber, caught in 10-degree weather, who is advised by Barney to call his lawyer: "I AM a lawyer!" Complications ensue when Farber goes to the men's room and tries to commit suicide by sticking his finger in the light socket and his foot in the toilet bowl (Fish: "I didn't know he was that tall!"). A call to the morgue is put on hold, as Barney successfully performs CPR to keep the victim alive. The first Bellevue attendant (Reid Cruickshanks, repeating the role in "Escape Artist") congratulates Capt. Miller on a job well done: "I think you saved his life, and I know you broke his ribs!" (Farber made one return appearance in a third season episode, "Noninvolvement"). Making his series debut is Paul Lichtman (first of five), best remembered in the role of custodian Beckman, here playing Charlie, the Bellevue attendant holding the oxygen, amazed to see Wojo's money lying around (Charlie: "what's all that money on the desk?" Fish: "payday!" Charlie: "I didn't know cops made that kind of money!" Fish: "we're very good cops!"). Richard Stahl (first of three) plays Siegel's accountant Gross, whose job is to retrieve the $200,000, if he can recover the missing $5000!

Just watching all of these episodes for the first time. Started earlier in the day and am curious how a show that was nominated for 29 Emmys does not get the same attention that some of the other 'classics' do.

Three episodes in I can see an outline starting to form. This is now two episodes in a row where there has been one A and one B story working alongside each other. The dead of winter trench-coat flasher is a funny antagonist, and the officers having to keep money overnight because of an armored car driver strike makes the audience start to feel what it's like to be a cop in New York City. There are some good foundations being established here, and I am interested to see how it continues to develop.

One pattern I have noticed early on is this is now the 2nd episode shot entirely in the squad room. I wouldn't think that would be interesting television, but good writers have been able to pull it off so far.

Rating: 26/40

In this wintertime episode, the temperature inside the precinct is even *colder* than the temperature outside. While the detectives wait for engineering to do something about this, a self-loathing flasher (Ron Feinberg, "A Boy and His Dog") is brought in, only for the guy to attempt suicide in the john. And Wojo agrees to babysit the payroll for Siegels' department store, and a problem arises when some of the money goes missing. Barney himself is considered for a promotion, although he tries not to make a big deal out of it.

While not as out-and-out funny as the previous episode, 'Snow Job' does have some good laughs. What's impressive is how breathlessly the cast delivers their one-liners and witticisms. Detective Yemana answers a phone call with "Nanook speaking", for one thing. Jack Soo has another great deadpan moment when he quips "Sorry." to a coroner (who had been put on hold). One of my favorite moments had a young stick-up artist (Jeffrey Kramer, Deputy Hendricks in the first two "Jaws" movies) boggle at the cash spread out on one of the desks, and by reflex, tries to stick everybody up, despite being behind bars and not having a gun!

Towards the end, there is another good twist when the temperature in the precinct goes way UP, and now the detectives are sweltering!

Seven out of 10.