Title: Identity
Directed by: Noam Pitlik
Written by: Tom Reeder
Air Date: March 1, 1979
Previous: Open House
Next: Computer Crime
Guest Starring: Don Calfa, David Clennon, Jack Somack
"Identity" is the 19th episode of the fifth season of Barney Miller.
Poor Mr. Cotterman the store owner has been robbed for the fifth time, but this time the cops of the 12th, specifically Wojo, finally caught the thief! Wojo was simply walking by when he caught the perp, one Calvin Kendall, pointing a gun in Mr. Cotterman's face. Mr. Kendall is strangely jittery, more so than one might expect of a perp arrested for armed robbery. He also seems strangely fuzzy about basic details of his own life, like which branch of the armed forces he served in.
Mr. Kendall, growing frantic at the prospect of jail, hands the detectives a number and asks them to call a man called Monahan. They do, and Chester Monahan, Justice Department Counsel, shows up. It turns out that Mr. Kendall's name isn't really Kendall. He's a hoodlum who testified against some bad guys and was given witness protection and a new identity. If he goes to jail he'll be discovered and killed.
The second wacky case involves a Mr. Baskin, an air traffic controller who snapped under the strain and pulled out a gun so he could direct traffic on the subway. Mr. Baskin nearly shot Harris, but Dietrich knocked his arm. Harris now feels himself indebted to Dietrich, and is not at all happy about it.
Tropes:
- Continuity Nod: Another appearance for Mr. Cotterman, the local store owner who keeps getting robbed.
- Dramatic Gun Cock: Harris recounts how Mr. Baskin pointed the gun right at him and "cocked the hammer" before Dietrich knocked Mr. Baskin's hand away as Mr. Baskin pulled the trigger.
- Hypocritical Humor: Desk Sergeant Kogan informs Wojo that Harris and Nick have been shot at and starts relaying the circumstances before saying that they're all right—Wojo yells at him that he should have said that right from the start. Then Barney comes in and Wojo tells him, phone still in hand:Barney: Are they all right?!
Wojo: They were checkin' out this disturbance—
Barney: Wojo!
Wojo: Yeah, they're fine—Kogan? Kogan? Kogan'll fill you in on details. [holds out the phone in embarrassment] Soon's as he finishes laughin'. - I Owe You My Life: Harris says "I owe you a debt which I will never be able to repay...but I'm gonna try like hell." He then gets increasingly frantic as he offers Dietrich various rewards, like theater tickets, or an invite to Studio 54, or finally a check for $100.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: A threat. Mr. Monahan manages to get Mr. Kendall off the hook for armed robbery, but obviously isn't very happy about it. He says at the end that if Mr. Kendall screws up again he will have to be moved...to Kansas.Mr. Monahan: One more time, and we're transferring you to Kansas. You know what's in Kansas? Wheat.
- Take That!: Mr. Kendall describes Billings, MT as "kind of like Cleveland with sheep."
- Unusual Euphemism: Lampshaded with one of Harris's infinite euphemisms for the bus to Bellevue. He says of Mr. Baskin that "I booked him on a loco-motive," then starts giggling and says to Barney, "You didn't think I had another one in me, did you?".
- Witness Protection: The A plot has the cops of the 12th surprised to find out that their armed robbery suspect is actually enrolled in the witness protection program.
