"1-Adam-12, 1-Adam-12, please respond to a 10-101 ... sighting of tropes seen in this episode":
Bottle Episode: With the exception of the first three minutes, this episode's story takes place in an interview room at the police department.
Broken Tears: Reed, as he phones his wife to tell her why he's not coming home.
Courtroom Episode: In a sense; Reed doesn't appear in a courtroom, but is questioned by Internal Affairs, and a court reporter is present.
Devil's Advocate and Fake Memories: The questions the investigators ask show just how seriously such incidents are taken, to make sure everything that happened is documented. In the end, Reed is cleared.
Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes and Sleepyhead: At the episode’s start, it’s been the end of a long, tiring, frustrating night on the beat for Malloy and Reed, and when they get home, the onset of a restful night’s sleep can’t come soon enough … until a gunshot shatters the windshield … and with that a rude “this night is just beginning” series of incidents for both officers.
Foregone Conclusion: While this episode aired was toward the end of the first season, it was known to most fans that Adam-12 was getting good ratings, and even less sophisticated viewers might have figured out, with advance knowledge of next week's show, that Reed would be back on the force. Most of the drama, then, comes from the interrogation and whether Reed will face any type of punishment. Reed will be 100 percent cleared.
These Hands Have Killed: Reed fatally wounds a teenaged burglar during a shootout, his first such incident in the line of duty. Before he is interrogated by Internal Affairs about the incident, Malloy assures Reed he has also killed and to relax as best as he can. The story goes on to show how seriously investigators take such incidents but keeping the emotions of the involved officers in mind, and knowing that (most) officers – including Reed – don't get a kick out of shooting people, even if it is in self-defense.
