Title: The DNA Story
Directed by: Noam Pitlik
Written by: Rich Reinhart and Jaie Brashar (story), Rich Reinhart (teleplay)
Air Date: December 13, 1979
Previous: The Judge
Next: The Dentist
Guest Starring: Jack Kruschen, Kay Medford, A Martinez, Raymond Singer, Stefan Gierasch
"The DNA Story" is the 10th episode of the sixth season of Barney Miller.
Wojo is late for work yet again, causing Barney to go out on a call himself. Barney and Dietrich are summoned to a medical research lab to respond to a burglary. The doctors report the theft of an autoclave and other medical equipment, but one of them, Dr. Rubin, is oddly jumpy. His colleague Dr. Burlson tries to shut him up, but eventually Dr. Rubin blurts out the truth: the burglar also stole some cultures of recombinant DNA—cultures which could be infectious.
In the other wacky case a Mrs. Kamen comes into the precinct to report her husband missing. She isn't sure just how long he's been missing: a month, maybe? When a puzzled Harris asks why she doesn't know when her husband disappeared, she says he hasn't exactly disappeared, he's been replaced by an identical impersonator.
Tropes:
- Comically Missing the Point: Mrs. Kamen, as proof of her accusation, gives Harris pictures of her husband a year ago and a few days ago. When Harris said "These men are identical," Mrs. Kamen says "And you thought it was just me, huh?".
- Designer Babies: Dr. Burlson is excited about the possibility of "creating a whole new superior race of... really nice people!"
- Noodle Incident: Mrs. Kamen says "Ask him about his perversions!", but the audience never learns just what Mr. Kamen was doing differently in the bedroom.
- Oddball in the Series: The only episode in the whole run to include a scene in the bathroom, when Mrs. Kamen goes in there to hide and Harris has to talk her out.
- Ripped from the Headlines: This episode about a potential leak of infectious material from a research lab aired one year after an infamous smallpox leak from a research lab
in England, which led to the death of a medical photographer, the last person in the history of the world to die from smallpox. - Replicant Snatching: Mrs. Kamen is convinced that her husband has been replaced by an impersonator or robot, mainly because her husband has been trying new things in the bedroom after decades of their sex life being "the same".
- Straight Man: It was a sort of anti-Running Gag that Barney was just never funny. When Harris explains Mrs. Kamen's delusion, Barney says "Have you checked for pods?". A stone-faced Harris says "That's not funny," even though minutes before he made the exact same joke to Mrs. Kamen herself. Moments later Barney asks if Harris has called the husband and Harris says "Which one?". After Barney glares at him Harris says "Barney, it's just different when I do it!".
- Swapped Roles: Wojo finally shows up to work so he's there when Barney brings in the doctors. Then the whole exchange plays out with Wojo asking Barney "So what's the story?", and Barney explaining, rather than the other way around as usual.
- These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: As Dr. Burlson is leaving the squad room he discusses this with Barney.Dr. Burlson: I know what you're thinking! We're tampering with nature. Invading God's domain. Ushering in a brave new world.
Barney: No.
Dr. Burlson: Sure, what's it to you?
