The character of Grace (Barbara Babcock) returns this week, and she’d been gone so long that I didn’t even make the connection with the episode’s title! She returns with a bit of a shocking change of character, she’s become a nun!

Amazing Grace was written by Robert Ward from a story by Ward and David Milch. It first debuted on 27 November, 1986.

While Grace, sorry, Sister Chastity, wanders the halls of the precinct attempting to bring some spiritual peace to the officers and detectives there, Belker (Bruce Weitz) does some undercover work of the week, and Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) squares off against Councilman Wade (Walter Bobbie) who rails against the uptick in drugs in crime in the city and expects unswerving loyalty from Furillo in his campaign.

And Buntz (Dennis Franz) plays it a little too risky when the undercover bust he’s working on has a violent and bloody outcome for the detective. I was rather shocked that the show went that far, I mean we’ve seen people get shot and more, but Buntz practically loses a finger, it’s a wonderfully shocking moment.

Nothing against Babcock, but I could have gone the rest of the series without seeing the return of her character, Grace and now Sister Chastity is just there to stir up melodrama around the precinct. And she now seems to have set her eyes on Flaherty (Robert Clohessy).

I don’t care for the return of the outrageous level of melodrama, even Belker deserves better than he gets in this episode the only really great stuff was with Buntz.

Falling from Grace sees Buntz recovering from his attack, and Wade has gotten himself into some serious trouble by being involved in a shooting.

Written by Terry Curtis Fox this episode first aired on 2 December, 1986.

While Grace/Chastity begins to revert to her old ways, Goldblume (Joe Spano) is offered a chance to write his memoirs following a successful appearance on a television program. Belker goes undercover in a car shop, and lots of melodrama seems to abound again.

Wade is looking for leverage on Washington (Taurean Blacque) to help blackmail his way out of his situation. And through it all Renko (Charles Haid) and Hill (Micheal Warren) are having problems with a shirt salesman.

Honestly, this one feels like we’re sinking back into melodrama as opposed to good police stories. It’s not quite as engaging as it could be and neither Buntz nor Belker, arguably the strongest police characters on the program are given their due.

The series is filled with great characters, but they all get so mired in this need for television melodrama, which despite how successful the show was at the time, feels strained and dated now.

We’re coming up on the end of it, so let’s see how the series finishes playing out. Lets be careful out there!