Episode 84
The Buddy System
(speaking to Mac, Doug, and Judy)
"Good, I see you guys have met already." - Fuller
"Highlight of our day, sir." - Doug
Episode Description | Episode Review | Quotes | Screen Captures
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Two teenage boys, Gavin and Christopher, are walking through the woods to a secret hideout. Gavin sends Christopher ahead to their hideout, and before continuing on, he runs into a man who demands his money. When Gavin is unable to give it to him, the man hits Gavin, who falls and hits his head on a rock, killing him. Christopher, watching from the woods, sees the man murder his friend, and when he takes off, the man finds a tape of classical music that Christopher dropped.
When Doug and Judy walk into the chapel, they see a young man rearranging a desk. Doug offers to help and asks why he's moving the desk. The two spar for a minute, then Captain Fuller vaguely mentions that Mac is their new partner and invites them into his office. He details a case for them, and Mac and Doug spar more.
Mac tries numerous times to befriend Christopher, but with little success each time. Judy, who's a "teaching assistant" at the school, asks Mac if he needs some help, and he says that he's doing fine. At the chapel, Mac and Doug argue over who should interview Christopher's mother (Judy's idea), and Doug, who promises to take very detailed notes for Mac, is chosen. Doug and Judy ask Fuller about Mac, and they decide that he's hiding something, so they make plans to snoop around later.
While Mac tries again to befriend Christopher, Judy and Doug speak with Christopher's mom. That evening at the chapel, Fuller teases Judy and Doug about becoming responsible officers, since they're working on paperwork so they can get it done for the weekend. As soon as he's gone, they race into his office and leaf through his files, searching for the one on Mac. They find it and leave Fuller's office to read it, but the file is basically empty. Mac walks in, and Doug tries to hide the file. Mac asks if the file contains the detailed notes Doug promised him, and when he opens it and sees what the file contains, he's angry that they were trying to snoop about his past, and he and Doug argue again.
The next day, Judy talks Doug into apologizing, and they walk out to the basketball court, where Mac is shooting hoops. Doug stumbles over his apology, and Mac says that he didn't say anything he didn't mean. He challenges Doug to a game of one-on-one, and Doug accepts. They play a really rough game, and afterwards, each has a little more respect for the other, and Mac explains that he was shot by his corrupt former partners, but he couldn't prove anything since he didn't see the shooters, and he'd decided not to depend on anyone but himself. Doug says that cops like that are the exception and not the rule. Mac agrees, saying that in his head he knows that, but in his heart, he doesn't. Doug invites Mac for pizza sometime, and Mac asks Doug for some advice on befriending Christopher. Doug tells Mac just to treat him like a person.
Mac overhears Christopher playing piano at the school and he goes inside and, this time, is successful at befriending his "buddy." Later, the killer overhears Christopher playing piano all by himself. Judy speaks with Christopher's friends from another school, and they tell her about Christopher's hideout near the school. Judy accidentally hurts one boy's feelings when she answers his question about becoming a cop. Mac and Christopher joke as they leave the school, and Mac steers the conversation towards Gavin's murder. Christopher tells Mac enough for Mac to believe that Christopher knows who murdered his friend, but Christopher refuses to say, and he takes off running. A car comes out of nowhere chasing him, and Mac fires at it. The car heads right for Mac, and he jumps out of the way and fires at it again.
Christopher heads for his hideout. Doug pulls up outside the school and Mac climbs into the truck. They take off for the hideout. Doug tells Mac about the hideout as they stop and race into the woods. Mac yells "Police," and the killer, hunting for Christopher, takes off running. Mac twists his ankle, and Doug keeps going after the killer, finally tackling him after a long run. Mac convinces Christopher to come out of hiding with a speech about trusting that applies as much to himself as it does to Christopher.
EPISODE REVIEW (On a scale of 1-5, 5 being BEST): Four and a half stars. I love the interplay between Mac and Doug, especially after the basketball game, when they each feel a little more respectful of the other. I also love the familiarity between Judy, Doug, and Fuller. The story seems to take a back seat to the interactions of the characters, but that's what I like about this episode. Mac starts off at his very worst; he only gets better from here.
QUOTES:
(about Mac moving his desk around)
"Why ya movin' it?" - Doug
"'Cause I like it this way." - Mac
"Good reason." - Doug
"I'm not the loud type." - Mac
(about Mac not being able to befriend Christopher)
"I'll take care of it. I'll turn up the charm." - Mac
"Well, that'll take care of it." - Doug
"I thought this was my case." - Mac
"We think of it as our case." - Judy
"I bet the girls at your old school are really depressed." - Claire
(embarrassed) "Thank you." - Mac
(as they're searching through Fuller's files for info on Mac)
"I don't think this is what you'd call responsible behavior, Doug." - Judy
"Depends on how you define responsible." - Doug
"Actually, I believe it's B & E." - Judy
"Why? I'm not breaking anything." - Doug
(arguing with Mac)
"We're entitled to know who we're working with." - Doug
"No, all you're entitled to know is whether or not I'm a good cop." - Mac
"Jury seems to be out on that." - Doug
"Well, I don't see either of you coming up with anything." - Mac
"All you have to do is make friends with one kid. Doesn't seem to be your strong area." - Doug
"Right, and I suppose you're the goodwill ambassador for this operation." - Mac
"Whatever I do, it's out in the open. I don't have to hide anything I've done." - Doug
"Well, maybe that's because you haven't done anything." - Mac
(after Judy talks him into apologizing to Mac)
"If WE were in the wrong, how come WE're not apologizing?" - Doug
(to Judy)
"Responsible. You're just going to beat me over the head with that word, aren't you?" - Doug
(after the basketball game)
"You play ball in high school?" - Doug
"Yeah, made city honorable mention my senior year." - Mac
"I played football." - Doug
"That's what I figured." - Mac
(when Mac helps him up, referring to Doug dropping Mac during the game)
"Thanks for not dropping me." - Doug
(explaining to Doug about being shot by his corrupt partners)
"...I was laid up for a couple of months, you know, I had some time to do some thinking, made some decisions. First being that I still wanted to be a cop, second that I move out here, and third, that I wouldn't count on anybody but myself anymore." - Mac
"Those guys - they're the exception, not the rule." - Doug
(points to head)
"Up here, I know that, but down here (points to heart) the point hasn't gotten across yet." - Mac
(Judy is talking with Christopher's friends)
"You ever killed anyone?" - First Boy
"How fast does your police car go?" - Second Boy
"Do you ever get scared?" - Third Boy
"Easy, easy, one at a time, guys. Let's see, no I've never killed anyone, and I hope I never have to. My police car can go up to about a hundred and fifty miles an hour, and yes, I do get scared a lot, especially when my police car is going a hundred and fifty miles an hour." - Judy
(walking from the school)
"It's by that guy." - Christopher
"Joplin?" - Mac
"Yeah, him, and one of the songs even has words, so I thought that maybe we could learn it. I could play it, and you could sing it." - Christopher
"Whoa, no, no. You don't wanna hear me sing." - Mac
"Well, sure I do." - Christopher
"No, no, I kinda sound like a frog that's been stepped on." - Mac
"I'll play louder." - Christopher
(to Christopher, who's hiding)
"Real cops are supposed to help people, not hurt them." - Mac
(to Christopher, who's still hiding)
"Sooner or later you're going to have to start trusting people." - Mac
"Why?" - Christopher
"Because if you don't, you're gonna be all alone, and that's one hell of a hard way to go through life." - Mac
SCREEN CAPTURES
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