Up until season five, episodes of "Police Story" were hour-long episodes. For some reason, in season five and the short season six, they decided to make movie-length episodes...all essentially two-parters. How else the series changed, I'll just have to discover when I finish up the series.
This show is about one police unit which is REALLY a mess. The guy in charge has become a raging alcoholic, one old timer is about to blow-up with the least provocation, one officer has become dangerously paranoid, one is sleeping with his partner's wife, and more! It's a real case of the walking wounded and how much this mirrors real life police forces, I can only guess. Trying to keep all this together is the Sergeant (David Janssen)...and it sure doesn't look easy. How long can he keep trying to keep everyone functioning until he, too, is a raging mess?!
This episode has a LOT of familiar faces. I assume this was a way to make the double-length episodes easier for fans to accept. But it also offers something unusual. Normally, "Police Story" is more pro-cop...helping the public to appreciate them and their work. Occasionally, the show deals with problem cops or cop problems. But I have never seen one where so many of the officers are complete screwballs...dangerous to themselves as well as the community they serve. It really is shocking to see so many seriously wounded cops in the show. This is not necessarily a bad thing...but a surprising one.
Overall, a very, very good episode...but I would REALLY love to know how police officers felt about this one when it debuted. Did it seem accurate? Could they relate to the issues brought up here? I assume they probably can, as PTSD and other mental health issues must be rampant with these folks.
