Thoughts on two episodes of Cagney & Lacey

 

via Tenor

"Sergeant Cagney, you knew the cost of reporting this type of crime. The effect on your career, the adverse publicity, the effect of being put on trial even though you're the victim. Isn't that correct?"
"I was painfully aware of how high the cost would be for me."
"And yet, despite all this knowledge, you still decided to bring these charges. Can you tell us why?"
"... I thought of the women that I had cajoled into, uh, coming forward with phony reassurances that everything would be alright. And I thought about my career. I'm gonna be on the police force for the rest of my professional life. And I didn't know how I could ever ask a woman to ... testify against a piece of dirt who had raped her ... if I didn't have the courage to go through with it myself."

There was no senior year slump for Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly. Each was excellent, on her own or paired, in "Don't I Know You?" and "Friendly Fire." While I regret that the episodes I watched didn't include more police work from Christine (Gless) and Mary Beth (Daly), the acting and writing more than make up for it. 

Christine's date with Brad (Jack Bannon) ended at her door, with plans to attend a Knicks game, a kiss and Brad appearing at accept her wishes to take things slow. There was even a commercial break, so you could be fooled into thinking that nothing was going to happen. Before I go further, let's talk about the fascinating subject of casting against type. Bannon played many roles over his career, but I suspect most of the audience remembered him for Lou Grant. It might have been shocking for some viewers, that a familiar face played someone capable of raping a series lead and exhibiting psychotic behavior, including repeated threats of murder. The rape accuser being a policewoman who keeps a gun in her bedroom drawer is a cornerstone of the defense's case. Her alcoholism, being a single woman and father's death are also used against Christine.

"What am I doing here, Mary Beth?"

"You're taking care of yourself."

"No ... scratches and no bruises. Hell, the doctor said I'm gonna be 'just fine.'"

"You don't have to have bruises."

"Well, a couple of sore wrists and a little semen don't add up to much."

"You were ... you were raped, Christine."

*Christine recounts what happened. It's unambiguous; she submitted out of fear for her safety, not consent.*

"You did what you had to."

"'So, what do you think, detective? You got a solid case here?' How many date rapes have we seen ever get past prelim.?"

Between the rape and the verdict, Christine faces a lot of well-intentioned comments and deeds, along with a couple that aren't so altruistic. Christine has to insist to Mary Beth that she doesn't need her to be on guard duty outside the apartment. Later, after going to confession and having bought a bottle of scotch, Christine gets support from her AA partner. Christine's recovery status ends up working in her favor, since a blood test proves that she hadn't had a drink on the night of the rape, putting Brad and his attorney, Nettles (H. Richard Greene), further on the defensive. Nettles first tries to cop a plea, but Christine's not having it. She's already pissed off about her and Mary Beth being removed from a case because she may be too distracted. "You" ends with the cops planning to argue for their case back and "Fire" climaxes with Brad being found guilty.

"I was remembering about what his body felt like when he was a baby. He was solid, Christine, solid little arms. You know, Alice is soft. You know, but, but, Harvey Jr.'s arms around my neck when he was little was the sweetest feeling. ... Course, then he turned into a string bean. He was lucky, though, he never had to go through bad skin. Never had a pimple. See, I had them, Harvey had them, but Harvey Jr. never did. Never did. He was all arms and legs, of course, but, uh, his face was always clear."

"Fire" concludes Christine's date rape story, but gives equal importance to her partner's troubles. In "You," Harvey Jr. (Tony La Torre) is so depressed about getting dumped that he won't talk to his parents. Prior to that, the young man hung out with grandpa (Richard Bradford), who walked out when Mary Beth was a girl. Following "You," Harvey Jr. entered the Marines and in "Fire," he's declared missing after a botched training exercise. Harvey (John Karlen), Martin and Christine remain hopeful, while Mary Beth alternates among bewilderment, alienating those around her (including slapping son Michael (Troy Slaten) when he asks if she thinks Harvey Jr. is dead), reminiscing (like the one and only time she hit Harvey Jr. or studying "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" in college) and of course, experiencing deep, religious-level guilt.

"I shouldn't be around anybody. (It's) not good for people to be around me. ... Don't, Harvey, please don't touch, because, uh, you could catch it. The killer touch. The one that kills her babies."

"Stop it, Mary Beth."

"I can't stop anything. Harvey, missing means dead. Missing means they didn't find his body yet, that's what missing means. God has taken my son because he's punishing me."

"That's crazy."

"I wanted it all. You, and the job, and the kids, and the house, and the college education. And the microwave. Greedy. Greedy, like the fisherman's wife in that story, in that kid's story where there's a magic fish and he gives her three wishes. And first, she wants out of the hovel. And then she wishes for a palace. And then she wants to be God. Bang. She's back in the hovel, Harvey. ... She wanted too much. So did I. That's why God has taken my boy."

The rules of television gave me an idea of what to expect. Martin is once again being a father to Mary Beth? Good. She's gonna need it. They'll be able to support each other through grieving. In one of the episode's sweetest moments, Mary Beth feels Martin's hair before mentioning how Harvey Jr. had thick hair, even as a baby. Christine was vindicated by the jury? That's another strike against Mary Beth. No way is Cagney & Lacey going to have two happy endings. The phone rings. Mary Beth listens and stunned, hands the receiver to Harvey Sr. He listens for a second, and "... Harvey." Mary Beth lets out a deep, multi-emotional sound, Harvey Sr. smiles, the music swells and if I wasn't tearing up already ... "Oh, my son." Hugging, stroking of Harvey Sr.'s hair and a freeze frame of the greatly relieved Laceys. Well, rules are made to be broken ...

"It's all lies, you know, all that stuff about us being in control? It's just crap! Why do they say that to us? ... It's so stupid. I couldn't stop Charlie from dying. I can't stop myself from wanting to have another drink. Hell, I don't even control over my own body. I mean, any bastard could just walk in and have his way with me! *slams locker* ... Damn it, it is my body! He had no right. ..."

"Tough times, partner."

"Couldn't be tougher. ... I thought I was braver than this. I thought I was so -- solid. I also thought I was a good mother."

"Mary Beth ..."

"The thing I wanted to be most in this world, was a good mother."

"You did the best you could with what you knew then."

"Not good enough. ... No one could have asked any more. Not good enough."

"Mary Beth, guilt goes nowhere. This is something I have learned. It paralyzes. Just forget about it." 

"It's eating me, Chris." 

"I know. I know it is. And Mary Beth, even you are not that powerful. You did nothing to make this happen."

Thoughts:

-- "Tell Harvey Jr. to keep his chin up. There are lots of fish in the sea. And girls."

-- Awards Watch: Tyne won the Emmy for "Fire," while Sharon was among the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominees. Gless also received Cagney & Lacey's last major Golden Globe nod in 1989.

-- Behind the Cameras: "You" was the last episode for director Sharron Miller and writer Kathryn Ford. "Fire" was one of the last episodes for frequent director Reza Badiyi and the last for writers Shelley List and Jonathan Estrin.

-- Hey, It's 1988!: Martin says his business is just beginning to recover from Black Monday ("Fire").

-- For all of my respect of TV tropes, I am going to ding Cagney & Lacey for including exactly what was expected at one point in "Fire." Mary Beth's drying glasses. Naturally, she ends up throwing one.

-- During lunch in "Fire," Mary Beth observes that Nettles' eyes look like Charles Boyer's in Gaslight. "You know that one on Murder, She Wrote? She was in Gaslight also." That line's funny because Murder, She Wrote and Cagney & Lacey both aired on CBS, because Angela Lansbury and Tyne Daly each won Tony Awards for revivals of Gypsy and because ...

-- Next: Murder, She Wrote. On deck: Lincoln.