(TV Series)

(1983)

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6/10
Sad story addressing teen suicide
rayoflite2431 January 2016
Cry for Help begins with an upset teenage girl (Megan Wyss) phoning her father (Richard Gautier) at work, but he is too busy to speak which makes her even more depressed. Later that day, she is found dead along a roadside and Quincy (Jack Klugman) conducts the autopsy. The police initially suspect that her boyfriend Joby (Thom Bray) may have killed her, but Quincy believes she committed suicide and enlists the help of his girlfriend, Dr. Emily Hanover (Anita Gillette), to conduct a psychological autopsy which will help determine her mental state. When the results point to suicide, it exonerates Joby but further problems arise as he is believed to be suicidal as well.

This is a pretty sad story addressing teen suicide and while it may not be an uplifting or entertaining episode, you have to give the Quincy writers and production team credit for tackling such a complex and difficult problem. I thought they did a decent job of educating the audience on the warning signs, the treatment available to those suffering and delivering the important message that there is always hope and a way to turn things around for the better. The final scenes pack quite an emotional whallop, so you might need to keep Kleenex handy.

Although it may be lacking in a crime or a mystery, overall this is an OK Season 8 episode which addresses a significant problem that still exists in our society today and does so in a competent manner.
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6/10
A relevant subject matter, but it's like the attack of the Quincy twins!
planktonrules8 June 2013
I am happy that "Quincy" attacked the subject of suicide among young adults. Unfortunately, the subject wasn't quite as good as it could have been because of the addition of the new series regular, Dr. Hanover (Anita Gillette). Here is the problem---in so many episodes, Dr. Gillette is just like another Quincy--yelling, making soapbox speeches and crusading. And so, it's a lot like seeing TWO Quincys--and two is at least one too many.

The show begins with a girl phoning her busy father. He's too busy and she hangs up. Sadly, in the next scene, she's dead--apparently the victim of a car accident. But, very quickly Quincy determines it was NOT the case--and she might have committed suicide and her body was dropped there. To make this final determination, a psychological autopsy (the second time this is done in the series) is conducted by Dr. Hanover. She talks to friends and family to create a psychological portrait of the dead girl--and it's obvious she was depressed and suicidal. But what about her boyfriend--he, too, show many of the same signs.

Aside from being a bit preachy, this is actually a decent show. My complaints are mentioned above but the show is timeless due to its theme.
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8/10
As relevant today as it was then...
Rob_P20 September 2008
Teenage suicide. Another hot potato for Quincy to deal with.

The screenplay is formulaic. It's classic for a Quincy episode where there's a very strong moral message. Back when this was aired, the emphasis was to make other people aware of the warning signs that could be the prelude to someone contemplating suicide. Withdrawal, depression, loss or gaining of weight, poor grades, etc. Consider it a huge type of infomercial shown in prime-time to a worldwide audience.

I hope that when folks watch this show, they take the contemporary setting into account. The message is still as important today as it was back then. Young people especially still see suicide as the only way out of the pain or isolation they are experiencing. It's not a message to the depressed person because they are already in the grip of a downwards spiral, it's a blueprint for those around them to see what is happening and take whatever action they can to avoid a senseless and needless death.

It also highlights the indifference of peer groups and their ignorance of the victim's cry for help.

Lastly, it showcases the suffering of the survivors and the family left behind. Those trying to make sense of it all with ill-placed blame. Those filled with survivor's guilt.

It's as powerful a message today as it was then.

There's no point in pussy-footing around this issue, taking time to gather facts and comprehend the nuances when a person is heading towards their own destruction.

Even if you do not believe it possible to talk to that person, let someone else know, a responsible adult. Don't try to take it on as a personal quest yourself. Share the burden with someone older and let them lift it from your shoulders. There are plenty of people who can help in a professional capacity.
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3/10
"Life's a bummer." Another dull & boring moralistic Quincy episode.
poolandrews9 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Quincy M.E.: A Cry for Help starts as troubled & depressed teenager Julie Bonner (Megan Wyss) calls her father (Richard Gautier) who is too busy with his work to talk to her, several hours later & Los Angeles coroner Quincy (Jack Klugman) is examining her dead body at the side of a highway. Back in the laboratory & the autopsy confirms Julie died from a gunshot wound to the chest but the blood pattern at the scene of the crime points to Julie's body having been moved, Lt. Monahan (Garry Walberg) suspects murder & feels Julies boyfriend Joby Kenyon (Thom Bray) is responsible. After questioning Joby claims Julie committed suicide, to try & prove Joby's innocence Quincy's fiancé Dr. Emily Hanover (Anita Gillette) performs a psychological autopsy on Julie to determine her state of mind...

Episode 13 from season 8 this Quincy story was directed by Ray Austin & is yet another really bad heavy-handed moralistic episode that I freely admit I have a strong dislike for, I like Quincy best as a series when there's a murder mystery of some sort & Quincy has to use his detective skills & medical expertise to crack, solve or prove a case & I find these moral episode horrible to watch. A Cry for Help opens promisingly as Quincy is called to autopsy the body of Julie & he has his suspicions that her body was moved & I'm thinking this could be a decent mystery episode but then the truth is discovered within ten minutes & the rest of A Cry for Help focuses on teenage suicide & the uplifting message that no matter how bleak things seem there's always light at the end of the tunnel & you just have to make it there. Please. This is pretty much 50 minutes of my life wasted, Quincy barely features & his annoying fiancé Emily takes center stage as she reels off a stream of very unsubtle statistics like the suicide rate in awkward & very forced sounding dialogue between herself & Quincy as they discuss the case.

This is a totally unremarkable & forgettable episode in every sense, it's almost entirely exposition based with little or no dramatic incident. You know life is full of problems we have to overcome, our parents have to work & you know they have lives of their own too & I just found this whole episode very outdated, misjudged & preachy like a lot of Quincy from season eight. The acting is below par here, Klugman is being relegated to less & less screen time as season eight continues & surely that's a bad thing? It just seems Quincy is being hijacked by some other horrible show I don't like & everything that made it a classic & so enjoyable is fast disappearing, lets face it it's no surprise the network pulled the plug on the show after the generally awful season eight.

A Cry for Help is another Quincy episode that I really disliked, it has none of the factor's which has made me such a fan of the show for the previous seven seasons & is just awful really. Another disappointment in a very disappointing season so far.
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