Tatum (Ed Asner) has been a cop for decades and so it's not surprising they'd team him up with rookies so he can teach them the ropes. The problem is that his newest partner, Bentley (David Huffman) is a serious problem. Bentley is a know-it-all who doesn't see much value in Tatum's years of experience. He just sees Tatum as a tired and lazy old man who needs to get out of the way and let the younger and more energetic cops get the work done. Through the course of the show, you see that in some ways they both are right. Tatum isn't as good as he used to be and has definitely lost his edge. But Bentley could also be a lousy cop because he is too by the book and too unbending.
This is a very well made episode...which isn't surprising because "Police Story" was a brilliantly made program. Here it dares to talk about aging and how difficult it is for some cops, such as Tatum, whose life IS the job. It also shows it in a very humanistic and realistic manner. Well worth seeing.
This is a very well made episode...which isn't surprising because "Police Story" was a brilliantly made program. Here it dares to talk about aging and how difficult it is for some cops, such as Tatum, whose life IS the job. It also shows it in a very humanistic and realistic manner. Well worth seeing.
