"Hill Street Blues" Mayo, Hold the Pickle (TV Episode 1984) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
3 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
8/10
Some new faces on the Hill
Woodyanders27 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Furillo (a fine Daniel J. Travanti) isn't happy about a newspaper article noting his separation from Joyce (sturdy work from Veronica Hamel). Gruff Stan Jablonski (a marvelously cantankerous Robert Prosky) takes over as roll call sergeant. Bates (solid Betty Thomas) goes back to patrol duty with Coffey (likeable Ed Marinaro). Fay (an excellent Barbara Bosson) gets a steady gig on the Hill working for a Victim's Aid Program. Renko (the always amusing Charles Haid) becomes a father for the first time.

Jablonski gets a great cranky introduction. Compassionate detective Patsy Mayo (sweetly played by Mimi Kuzyk) makes for another nice new addition to the show, especially when she admits to Furillo that she's attracted to him. Moreover, this episode astutely captures the messy personal lives of the officers on the hill in a touching and thoughtful manner. Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry are funny as a hapless tourist couple, Gertrude Flynn excels in a heartbreaking role as an elderly woman whose husband gets killed by a robber, and always reliable character actor Tim Thomerson almost steals the whole show with his deliciously slimy portrayal of a sleazy motel owner.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
By the numbers
hmoika27 August 2021
I dunno. I've been enjoying this show with my DVD player.

But when I watched this first episode of the 5th season.... I kept coming up with the same thought throughout the show: here were the characters acting by the numbers.....so familiar in their roles that they were now making one of the most common mistakes: becoming caricatures of themselves.

Maybe it was the script.....or the direction.....or both. I dunno. But I wondered if this was the beginning of the end. After all, too many shoes have become run down after 4 seasons.
2 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
9/10
He Never Cold-Cocked No Woman
Hitchcoc21 July 2021
New characters are added. Lucy goes back on patrol as Robert Prosky's Jablonski assumes the roll call job. He has some really interesting problems which he doesn't wear on his sleeve. The murderer, Celestine, is going to be executed and Joyce is in the middle of things involving his final days. A newspaper story invades the lives of Joyce and Frank. Michael Tucker and Jill Eickenberry (L. A. Law later) are tourists who make a wrong exit and end up getting robbed. They are almost too much of a caricature. Frank uses psychology on a man who murders and tortures an old man in front of his wife.
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed