Title: Rape
Directed by: Noam Pitlik
Written by: Dennis Koenig
Air Date: January 26, 1978
Previous: Appendicitis
Next: Eviction: Part 1
Guest Starring: Joyce Jameson, Michael Pataki, William Bogert, Linda Dano
"Rape" is the 15th episode of the fourth season of Barney Miller.
One Catherine Lindsay charges into the 12th Precinct and demands help from the detectives. When asked what is the matter, she says she was raped. When a solicitous Barney asks for a description of her attacker, she provides...a framed photograph! Her rapist was her husband!
Because this is 1978, the detectives are boggled by the very notion that a husband could rape his wife. Barney in fact urges Mrs. Lindsay to reconsider, but she insists that she wants her husband charged with rape. An indignant Mr. Lindsay is dragged into the squad room. Mrs. Lindsay continues to maintain that her husband raped her, but it soon becomes clear that what she's really upset about is his failure to show her affection or consider her feelings.
Next to arrive are the lawyers. Mr. Lindsay's attorney Neil Kolchak is dismissive of the whole affair, noting that raping one's wife is just not a crime and that his client can only be charged with simple assault. Next to arrive is assistant DA Leslie Dornan, a woman who is determined to strike a blow for women everywhere by prosecuting Mrs. Lindsay's case. Ms. Dornan's striking good looks, meanwhile, attract the attention of Wojo and especially Harris.
The second wacky case involves a man who reports being held at gunpoint by a priest in confessional. Dietrich connects this to a report of a man dressed as a doctor robbing a patient in a clinic, and theorizes that there might be a single perp who impersonates authority figures. He's proven correct when he and Harris bring in the thief, disguised as a cop.
In personal news, Yemana the compulsive gambler breaks up with his bookie, not because he's turning a new leaf, but because the state of New York has legalized off-track betting.
Tropes:
- Bad Habits: Dietrich quickly concludes that the thief in the church was not some renegade priest, but instead an impostor who dressed as a priest in order to mug a victim.
- Bait-and-Switch: Barney overhears Yemana breaking up with his bookie, saying things like "Besides, I'm a cop! I'd just be fostering organized crime!" Barney, who disapproves of Yemana's illegal gambling habit but has been willing to turn a blind eye, is delighted that Yemana is finally quitting gambling. Nope, Yemana is simply switching to off-track betting.
- Black Comedy Rape: "I didn't want to and he made me!" It's made perfectly clear that Mr. Lindsay raped his wife, but the whole storyline is presented as comedy. When Barney says he needs to get "an opinion" as to whether or not he can even arrest a man for raping his wife, Mrs. Lindsay says "What kind of opinion? It's rape, nobody's for it!" After that line the laugh track plays. The whole storyline is portrayed as silly, especially when the Lindsays reconcile and go home after Mr. Lindsay promises that next time, he'll light some candles and play some music and they can dance.
- The Gambling Addict: Yemana is delighted that he no longer needs to use a bookie to place bets.
- Marital Rape License: Mrs. Lindsay comes into the 12th Precinct and accuses her husband of raping her. This is the cause of much confusion and consternation in the squad room. Once the assistant DA and the husband's defense lawyer arrive, there is a long debate about things like "English common law" and "basic biological laws" giving a man the right to violate his wife, versus the wife's privacy and dignity. The debate is ended when Mrs. Lindsay agrees to drop charges after her husband promises to be nicer to her and more affectionate.
- Perfumigation: The presence of the very attractive Ms. Dornan leads Wojciehowicz to shave, change his shirt, and put on some cologne. She's gone by the time he gets back, but all the detectives notice Wojo's pungent cologne. They all frown, and Yemana sniffs and says "think you ought to change your shirt?" as he and Wojo go out on a call.
- Straw Feminist: The episode doubles down on the patriarchal attitude by painting Ms. Dornan, the lady prosecutor, as overly strident and faintly ridiculous. There are laughs on the soundtrack when she proclaims "When I'm through, there won't be a woman in this country that won't be grateful that we didn't bend under the pressure of convenience!". When Kolchak the defense attorney says that "basic biological laws" give a man the fundamental right to have sex with his wife, she dismisses his reasoning as "macho claptrap."
