Review of NYPD Blue: Season 2

Introduction

Steven Bochco has quite a history writing and producing television drama in the US. Hillstreet Blues, L.A. Law, Doogie Howser, M.D., Murder One and Cop Rock to name but a few. NYPD Blue first came out around 1993 and was a defining cop show for the 90s and beyond. For starters the audience for this series was more mature and wouldn`t be a typical prime time family. The count of naked behinds on show also put a stop to kids getting to stay up past their bedtime.

This was a different series in its use of camera and storytelling to any other television cop drama. A lot of people felt queasy from the shaky camera movements, but I always thought it more akin to documentary filmmaking and found it a refreshing change from other dramas. To back this up there are strong characters and some interesting storylines too. David Caruso and Dennis Franz made their marks as tough cops with a sensitive side to them, but Caruso was proving not to be the easiest person to work with on set in Season One. He was written out of the series following the trial of Janice Licalsi and an investigation by Internal Affairs.

Being an avid follower since show one, whom on Earth would they get to replace John Kelly (David Caruso)? In steps Jimmy Smits. I had reservations about him before I saw him in action. Previously playing the part of Victor Sifuentes in that other Bochco series, L.A. Law, I thought he was a bit `soft`. So, with me assuming the position of Kelly`s reluctant partner Andy Sipowicz, I wasn`t sure I could accept this new Bobby Simone. I couldn`t be more wrong and his first show was good. It gets better from here on in.

Gradually introducing new characters and letting others mature worked for the series and I think it keeps the audience interested. There are the usual dead body counts in every episode with a fair share of scumbags and psychos. It`s not easy being a NY City cop and it does take its toll in the form of alcoholism and strained relationships. It`s not all doom and gloom as the show does retain its sense of humour.

Carrying on from where Season One left off, here`s a quick episode summary for Season Two. It does contain spoilers so skip ahead to the next section to miss this bit.

Episode Summary:

• Episode 1: Trials & Tribulations
Detective Licalsi wants to plea-bargain and accept a six-year prison term for her actions, but Kelly opposes that — even though it may mean compromising his own integrity. He`s motivated by the realization that he`s still in love with Janice — a fact that leads to his break-up with Robin Wirkus. Meanwhile, Kelly and Detective Andy Sipowicz stake out an apartment building in a neighbourhood, which has suffered a rash of recent robberies.

• Episode 2: "From Whom the Skell Rolls"
Janice Licalsi takes the stand in her own murder trial — with critical testimony. In other developments, the Internal Affairs Bureau investigates Kelly and Sipowicz for their roles in the apprehension and arrest of Officers Guyce and Quint for robbery; and Kelly, Sipowicz, Martinez and Medavoy are involved in the probe of the mysterious murder of a black couple.

• Episode 3: "Cop Suey" (with audio commentary)
In his probe into the killing of an off-duty cop in Chinatown, Kelly reluctantly accepts the cooperation of a Chinese gang leader. Meanwhile, Sipowicz discovers that what was once a spousal-abuse case has evolved into a homicide; and Lieutenant Fancy warns about personal relationships in the workplace after catching Medavoy and Donna in a romantic moment.

• Episode 4: "Dead and Gone"
The future of Detective John Kelly with the force is finally and irrevocably decided. An 18-month-old baby riding in a car driven by one Duane Rollins is shot and killed by a drive-by assailant. Rollins says it was a random shooting, but Kelly thinks Rollins was the intended victim. Sipowicz finds the body of a fellow cop in a compromising position, and at the same time, he tries to balance his personal life between the requirements of Alcoholics Anonymous and his romantic feelings toward Assistant District Attorney Sylvia Costas.

• Episode 5: "Simone Says" (with audio commentary)
Detective Bobby Simone joins the precinct and is immediately assigned with Sipowicz to investigate the mysterious murder of a notorious mobster`s son. In addition, at the precinct, Detective Adrienne Lesniak`s over-the-edge ex-boyfriend, Detective Jimmy Abruzzo, threatens her with a gun; and a woman named Mrs. Davis arrives with suspicions that her husband is molesting their 14-year-old daughter, Allison.

• Episode 6: "The Final Adjustment"
When a chiropractor`s wife is murdered, Detectives Simone and Sipowicz learn that the doctor, Peter Shennon, had been engaged in an affair with his former secretary, Judith Krasky — and the arrow of suspicion points directly at him. Also, while moonlighting for a security company, Martinez becomes attracted to Leticia Beltran, the beautiful Hispanic college student he`s been hired to protect; and a worried woman, Christine Williamson, brings a gun to Simone that she has found in the possession of her 11-year-old son.

• Episode 7: "Double Abandando"
An 11-year-old boy claims he shot and killed a Hispanic in a turf-war incident at school, but Detective Simone senses the kid is protecting someone. Meanwhile, Eddie Reyna, a handsome but unprincipled ladies` man who is HIV positive, becomes a target of one of the women he`s infected; and Donna`s attractive sister, Dana, comes to visit — and causes trouble between Donna and Medavoy.

• Episode 8: "You Bet Your Life"
Simone and Sipowicz investigate the murder of a pregnant woman whose charred remains leave few clues as to her identity or that of her killer. Meanwhile, Sipowicz is deeply concerned when his friend, Dan Breen, is beaten up by Breen`s mentally disturbed son, Danny.

• Episode 9: "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel"
With transsexual Candace La Rue as a material witness, Simone and Sipowicz investigate the murder of a gay-bar proprietor. Also, Dan Breen visits his mentally disturbed son Danny despite Sipowicz` strenuous objections. In other developments, Medavoy investigates a gypsy fortune-telling scam after his elderly neighbour has been bilked out of her savings; and Lieutenant Fancy`s wife is about to give birth.

• Episode 10: "In the Butt, Bob"
In a power play, Detective Arnold Solomon uses his clout to take a case away from Detective Bobby Simone after Simone has arrested a suspected serial killer named Putnam. Meanwhile, Borough Commander Haverill is out to get Lieutenant Fancy by tricking him into lying about the involvement of a top crime boss in a planned armoured-car heist; Detective Lesniak deals with a flasher; reporter Benita Alden makes a play for Simone; and Sipowicz again proposes marriage to Sylvia Costas — this time successfully.

• Episode 11: "Vishy-Vashy-Vinny" (with audio commentary)
Simone and Sipowicz get closer to identifying the "Webster Dictionary" serial killer, despite internal politics, which complicate the investigation. Meanwhile, with stoolie Vinnie Greco as a go-between, Sipowicz and his men go under cover to try to thwart an armoured-car bank heist. Moreover, Lieutenant Fancy, with help from Greco, turns the tables on Commander Haverill.

• Episode 12: "Large Mouth Bass"
Simone and Sipowicz investigate the brutal murder of a young woman; one of the suspects is Derrick Cobb, the girl`s former stepfather. Meanwhile, Simone is concerned that his friend Raymond diSalvo is mixed up in drug dealing at the dance club where he works; and Detective Lesniak investigates handsome con artist Mac McClellan, who is peddling a bogus beauty machine to unsuspecting women.

• Episode 13: "Travels With Andy"
Simone and Sipowicz investigate the execution-style murders of three employees at a fast-food restaurant, while Martinez and Lesniak seek the man who attempted to rape a 78-year-old woman, Mrs. Stevens. In personal situations, Sipowicz and Sylvia disagree on the scope and grandeur of their planned wedding, and Martinez becomes jealous when Lesniak goes to lunch with an old acquaintance, Dr. Paul Druzinski.

• Episode 14: "A Murder With Teeth in It"
Simone and Sipowicz investigate the murder of a pimp, and all clues point to a suspect in their own department, Jerry McCabe, a friend of Sipowicz. Meanwhile, two romantic crises develop: Medavoy`s irrational jealousy causes Donna to think twice about their relationship; and Simone suspects he`s been betrayed in a breach of confidence by reporter Benita Alden.

• Episode 15: "Bombs Away" (with audio commentary)
Simone and Sipowicz investigate Vartan Illiescu, a disgruntled immigrant who may be a terrorist bomber; and someone bent on revenge assassinates serial killer George Putnam before he can come to trial. Meanwhile, Medavoy`s relationship with Donna deteriorates after he makes the mistake of asking for advice from Donna`s sister Dana.

• Episode 16: "UnAmerican Graffiti"
Simone and Sipowicz investigate the brutal murder of a teenage tagger who painted graffiti in Little Italy. Meanwhile, Donna decides what to do about her relationship with Medavoy; and Sylvia gets mugged, and then reveals a dark secret to Sipowicz.

• Episode 17: "Dirty Socks"
Detective Simone tries to persuade emotionally fragile Joyce Novak, a material witness in a double-murder case, to testify before the grand jury. Meanwhile, Sipowicz is horrified when he`s assigned to investigate the murder of an elderly woman — the owner of a candy store where he worked as a child.

• Episode 18: "Innuendo"
Simone and Sipowicz try to track down a killer who took to the streets on a shooting spree that began with the murder of a waitress and felled two cops and three civilians before it ended. Meanwhile, Lt. Fancy intercedes on behalf of his hot-headed police-officer brother Reggie in a face-off with Reggie`s white commander, Sgt. MacNamara.

• Episode 19: "Boxer Rebellion" (with audio commentary)
Detective Simone finds himself attracted to the undercover cop, Diane Russell, who helps him pull off an elaborate sting to trap an arsonist; Sipowicz gets emotionally involved when a woman he persuaded to testify in a robbery case is murdered; and Martinez discovers that Lieutenant Fancy literally pulls no punches when the two of them spar in preparation for a departmental boxing tournament.

• Episode 20: "The Bookie and Kooky Cookie"
Trying to find the killer of a gambling bookie, Simone and Sipowicz get help from an unexpected source; mentally unstable Joyce Novak, witness to a previous murder, charges Simone with sexual misconduct after he spurns her advances; and Sylvia Costas and a reluctant Sipowicz begin religious counselling in preparation for their marriage.

• Episode 21: "The Bank Dick"
A terminally ill infant proves the vital link between Simone and Sipowicz and a serial rapist; Simone suspects that Russell might be hiding a serious problem; Medavoy considers reconciling with his estranged wife; Irvin solicits Simone`s help after he and his lover are assaulted — by police; and Sipowicz asks a personal favour of his partner.

• Episode 22: "A.D.A. Sipowicz" (with audio commentary)
Intent on getting a confession, Sipowicz capitalizes on a case of mistaken identity; when Fancy`s brother is falsely accused of soliciting a bribe, Simone uncovers the truth; Russell`s hangover results in a close call during a street sweep operation; and the squad throws a bachelor party for Sipowicz, whose prenuptial jitters permeate the precinct.

Video

Presented with a 4:3 fullframe video transfer, this is how NYPD Blue was made back in the day. It has minor amounts of grain but the fast cutting and rapid camera moves offset any of the lingering grainy stuff. It`s also a bit soft with detail not as sharp as it would be had this been a PAL made series but these really are minor niggles. It looks fine everywhere else with no problems in terms of smearing or damage. It looks as I remember the show on Channel 4 almost ten years ago.

Audio

Presented with a Dolby Digital 4.0 soundtrack it sounds good. It was originally broadcast in Dolby Surround and the real impact was Mike Post`s opening rhythmic percussion theme. It`s no different here, and while there`s no distinct separation on the rears, the sound is still effective. Music and ambient sound effects sound good without distracting. Dialogue is firmly in the centre and I rarely had to reach for the subtitles.

Features

Easy to navigate menus that remain consistent with Season One, each disc features four episodes with extras on the last disc. This gives us a whopping 22 shows.

• Audio Commentary on six episodes, "Cop Suey", "Simone Says", "Vishy-Vashy-Vinny", "Bombs Away", "Boxer Rebellion" and "A.D.A. Sipowicz". Overall the audio commentaries aren`t bad, but they are hardly the most engaging commentaries around. There are lots of quiet moments with technical advisor Bill Clark and director Mark Tinker. Clark, experienced former officer provides plenty of background to the stories that take place and makes for interesting listening, but he doesn`t talk incessantly. Conversely writer/executive producer David Milch has a bit more to say and while he`s interesting to listen to, the commentary isn`t riveting.

It would be a good idea to have some sort of indication that there are extra features pertaining to a particular show when it`s selected. As it is you need to look at the back of the box to know where the audio commentaries are.

• Season Two: A Season of Change (57:26) - The cast and crew talk about season 2, show-by-show, and look at all the things that occurred. It`s a shame that Jimmy Smits doesn`t make an appearance, but it`s still very interesting. This is the best supplement on the disc.

• The Music of Mike Post (7:25) - The opening 60-seconds of the main title with its hard sounding percussion married to its distinct visual style sums up NYPD Blue to a tee. Mike Post is a long time Bochco musical collaborator having composed Hillstreet Blues, L.A. Law, Murder One and now NYPD Blue amongst a slew of Bochco productions. Here he talks about the origin of the main title theme as well as covering his previous work. It`s an interesting if short featurette.

• Wedding Bell Blues (7:36) - The final episode of the season where Andy finally weds Sylvia is the focus of this featurette. Actors Dennis Franz (Andy) and Sharon Lawrence (Sylvia) talk about their improbable relationship without getting overly sentimental. This is a nice little extra.

• "Simone Says" Script to screen comparison - This is broken down into three scenes, `Sipowicz meets Simone`, `Sylvia meets Simone` and `Simone and Sipowicz bond`. I didn`t think much of this feature. First you can read the script and then you see the scene play out. There`s nothing new to glean here and this extra is a bit weak.

The one-hour supplement is good and NYPD fans will, like me, lap it up! Subtitle wise we get English and French subtitles. Like Season One, Season Two`s six discs comes packaged in three slim double DVD keep cases.

Conclusion

It`s harder to maintain a successful and award winning show from year to year. How does one maintain the high quality already shown in the first year? With cast changes such as the exit of David Caruso, and the introduction of a couple of new faces, the storylines had to be good enough to transition the audience into accepting change. There was never any doubt as the season wore on that it was improving with better actors and characters. (This was also the time when I became smitten with Kim Delaney (Diane Russell), but we don`t need to go into that).

Of course I`m a fan of the show and while other cop shows come and go, NYPD Blue still has what it takes. There`s only one other cop show worth watching and that`s set on the west coast, The Shield. There are similarities between both in terms of filmic style and some tough characters, but The Shield is more relenting with its Vic Mackey (the brilliant Michael Chiklis) character. NYPD has what feels like a genuine grimy NY City feel to it and the locations make a lot of difference to what otherwise could be seen as average storylines. Add the very good casting and all in all I think this is one of the most compelling shows created. I can`t believe that after almost ten years, I can still get suckered into liking the characters as much as I do.

In terms of character it`s nice to see the other sides of hard-nosed cops such as Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and his relationship with lawyer Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence). This is one of the nice elements of the series and doesn`t get all mushy. Add in other relationships between Simone and Russell (one of the most passionate onscreen relationships I`ve ever seen) and other officers` family and private lives and it proves to be a good mixture of elements just ticking over. It helps to keep things away from homicide after homicide on each show so it feels like a good balance.

Script wise, each show is grim with scumbags and a fair amount of homicides to deal with. Pile on the dry humour and it makes for a good recipe. The extras included here are better than average, though the audio commentaries are not something I`ll attempt to listen to again.

Season Two packing in six discs with each show running around 45-minutes lends itself to marathon back-to-back viewing sessions and it`s really good to have everything at your fingertips. Season One is a top notch set, and having Season Two reminds you why, as a fan, you bought into the whole thing. Recommended.