Title: Bus Stop
Directed by: Noam Pitlik
Written by: Reinhold Weege, Chris Hayward, and Danny Arnold (story), Tony Sheehan, Danny Arnold, Reinhold Weege, and Jerry Ross (teleplay)
Air Date: October 14, 1976
Previous: Quarantine, Part 2
Next: The Election
Guest Starring: Florence Halop, Candice Azzara, Joe George, Philip Bruns, Sal Viscuso, Howard Honig
"Bus Stop" is the fourth episode of the third season of Barney Miller.
A bus crashed into a building! It turns out that the bus was hijacked by an industrious mugger who was in the process of robbing all the passengers before the bus crashed. Among the outraged victims are Mr. Strand, the bus driver who thinks he's going to take the blame; Mrs. Pierce, a surprisingly horny old lady who is attracted to Wojo; Mr. Cranston and Miss Lambert, who are having an adulterous affair; and Mr. Quentin, who is complaining of a sprained neck but wasn't robbed.
Meanwhile, Wojo is depressed after failing the sergeant's exam for the fourth time. Fish is out with his hemorrhoids, so Detective Arthur Dietrich is filling in. Everybody is surprised when Fish comes in for work.
Second appearance of Steve Landesberg as Dietrich, who was first seen way back in episode 2-12, "Fish". Dietrich would soon become a regular.
Tropes:
- And Starring: Steve Landesberg gets "And Steve Landesberg as Detective Arthur Dietrich."
- Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Mrs. Pierce the Dirty Old Woman says that she's worried the hijacker's friends might come and take revenge if she testifies.Mrs. Pierce: They'll come in the middle of the night. They'll tie me up. They'll tear at your clothing.
Barney: Ma'am, you're letting your imagination get the better of you.
Mrs. Pierce: That's all I got left, captain. - Bait-and-Switch: Barney carps at Yemana for his sloppy filing after Yemana can't find "the Hinman report" under either H for Hinman or A for Armed Robbery. Yemana finally digs it up, Barney asks "what was it under?", and Yemana answers "Some magazines."
- Continuity Nod: Another reference to Fish having hemorrhoids, first mentioned in Season 2 finale "The Mole".
- Dirty Old Man: Dirty Old Woman in the person of Mrs. Pierce. She catches Wojo by surprise when she says "I like my coffee good and strong. I bet you like it that way too." She waxes nostalgic about her late husband's "thighs like granite". On the way out the door she tells Barney that "the big one" (Wojo) has her number.
- The Disease That Shall Not Be Named: Once again there are jokes about Fish having hemorrhoids and once again no one says the magic word "hemorrhoids". Barney comments about Fish having a medical issue, which prompts Wojo to laugh and ask if it's "the one where he can't sit down too good."
- Donut Mess with a Cop: Both averted and played straight. Dietrich, who disapproves of doughnuts and other fatty foods, relates statistics about cholesterol and fat as Yemana and Fish defiantly bite into donuts and crullers.
- Insurance Fraud: Mr. Quentin keeps rubbing his neck and complaining of a sprain, but also says that he was not robbed by the hijacker. Barney eventually figures out that Quentin wasn't on the bus and was planning to commit insurance fraud.
- The Mistress: The main reason Mr. Cranston doesn't want to give a police statement is that he'd have to admit he was on the bus with his mistress, Miss Lambert. Miss Lambert is growing impatient at Mr. Cranston's unwillingness to leave his wife, and says that she might like a trial, because "I've never seen him in the morning."
- Newhart Phone Call: The episode opens with Yemana giving someone directions to the 12th Precinct. It's the building with all the blue-and-white cars out front, parked by expired meters but without tickets.
- Noodle Incident: Dietrich's Mysterious Past would become a Running Gag. In this episode he casually mentions that he studied medicine for nine months. Barney asks "What happened?" and Dietrich mildly replies "Nothing, I became a cop."
