Officers Renko (Charles Haid) and Hill (Michael Warren) rescue odious wanted mass murderer Albert 'The Creeper' Sawyer (Paul McCrane) from a mob of outraged ghetto dwellers. Renko wants to collect reward money for the capture but finds he'll have to wait in line. Public Defender Joyce Davenport (Veronica Hamel) finds herself fighting for the opportunity to represent 'The Creeper' when a media savvy lawyer (Jordan Charney) vies for the opportunity.
Manolo Sanchez (Eloy Casados) - a member of the citizen's mob that detained and beat the psychotic killer decides he wants to be a police officer. When he applies he is rejected due to a past criminal conviction. He becomes belligerent and ultimately violent.
Sgt. Mick Belker (Bruce Weitz) takes his wife Robin to the hospital to have their baby. He overhears a mysterious conversation about an exchange and looks to take down a hospital employee for dealing drugs stolen from a pharmaceutical locker.
As usual we get the interplay of a large ensemble cast placed in a chaotic setting with frequent tension derived from very real life experiences. The insight into these characters takes on an exploration of self esteem. The unemployed guy who gets his fifteen minutes of fame after beating and detaining 'The Creeper' aspires to become a cop and is stung when he is disqualified is but one example.
Then there is Davenport. Initially freaked out by being in the same room as the psychotic killer she later finds herself fighting to keep him as a client when a publicity hound attorney presents himself.
Few shows could boast the kinds of guest stars in almost any given episode that this series was able to. In just this one episode we see Earl Boen, Eloy Casados, Jordan Charney, Jenny Gago, Ray Girardin, Elizabeth Pena, WK Stratton, Jeffrey Tambor and others. The show used a lot of veteran character actors while giving a start to younger actors who would, in many cases, go on to become highly regarded and famous.
Debates on the real setting for the show Hill Street Blues can be settled by a line from this episode that references Michigan Avenue which is in Chicago.
