Joyce (Veronica Hamel) is showing a new Public Defender, Sharon Fein (Gela Nash) the ropes around the precinct, and J.D. (Kiel Martin) has his eye on her, but she seems to have her eye on Washington (Taurean Blacque).

She’s So Fein was written by Marjorie David and was first broadcast on 6 January, 1987.

While that is going on Belker (Bruce Weitz) is having issues with his latest undercover assignment. He’s to work with Russo (Megan Gallagher) and look like they’re a couple to draw out a perp who has been stealing from romancing couples in the park. He’s uncomfortable because he’s married but there’s definitely a connection between him and Russo.

Fein has problems with procedure when an interview with a suspect goes sideways and he grabs a gun she isn’t supposed to have in interrogation, and takes Joyce hostage!

While most of the precinct, led by Furillo (Daniel J. Travanti) and Goldblume (Joe Spano) try to resolve the hostage situation as it moves out of the interrogation room and precinct to a supermarket, Hunter (James Sikking) as the duty sergeant reminds them they all have their assigned duties.

When the hostage situation is resolved Fein and Washington go for dinner, with her parents, and he realizes she’s using him to show her parents how liberal and progressive she is.

Honestly, if I was her, I’d worry about keeping my job after the whole gun thing, but she was more worried about her parents. I didn’t need that kind of melodrama in my Hill Street. Hopefully as we begin to close on the end of the series we can explore some better issues than that.

A Wasyed Weekend is a bit of a different episode. Written by David Mamet, this episode was first broadcast on 13 January, 1987.

Hill (Micheal Warren) and Renko (Charles Haid) join Jablonski (Robert Prosky) on their rare days off for a hunting trip, that just seems to go sideways every chance it gets, making everyone regret the whole thing.

Goldblume was even supposed to join them, but his day goes just as bad, without any of the hunting added in. He gets kidnapped, and in a nightmarish turn of events is forced to dig what is supposed to be his own grave.

Sure, there’s a lot of melodrama added into the mix, but it’s still a solid episode, the hunting trip and Goldblume’s situation balancing one another nicely.

It’s a bit of a different tale, but seven seasons in, a series should be able to play a little and put its characters in different situations. Even if it’s laced with melodrama. Still, it gave a number of characters, that I really like, a chance to shine. Renko and Hill have always been favourites, and Goldblume is an intriguing character even if I’m not always a fan.

I can’t believe we’re racing towards the series’ end!