Title: Chinatown: Part 1
Directed by: Danny Arnold
Written by: Frank Dungan and Jeff Stein
Air Date: February 4, 1982
Previous: The Clown
Next: Chinatown: Part 2
Guest Starring: Joanna Barnes, Fred Sadoff, Leonard Stone, Chao Li Chi, George Murdock
"Chinatown: Part 1" is the 11th episode of the eighth season of Barney Miller.
The episode begins with Harris on the phone with his literary agent; Harris continues to struggle with the writer's block that has plagued him since he wrote his Roman à Clef novel "Blood on the Badge". Dietrich is irritated that Harris is spending his time in the office on his literary career instead of their case, a gang-related murder at The Jade Palace restaurant in Chinatown. The waiter, Victor Ling, is in the squad room but refuses to admit that he saw or heard anything.
Wojo has a case involving a wealthy widow, Mrs. Caroline Fitzjames, who had a pearl necklace worth $40,000 ripped right off her neck by a mugger. Lt. Scanlon from Internal Affairs (George Murdock) is in the squad room to screw with the detectives as usual, but he is distracted by the pretty lady.
The third case concerns one Sidney Botnik, arrested for breaking into a waffle house. It turns out the waffle house was his own restaurant, but the IRS seized it for failure to pay back taxes. He gets no mercy from Mr. Walker of the IRS, who comes by the squad room to take custody of Mr. Botnik.
Meanwhile, the cops are concerned that Mr. Ling, witness to a gangland killing even if he won't admit it, may be in danger. So it's decided to take him into protective custody, and put him in a hotel room. With Harris and Dietrich. Who thus have to live together. For a month.
Tropes:
- And Starring: George Murdock gets "Special Guest Star" credit.
- Continuity Nod:
- One of many, many, many references to "Blood on the Badge". Harris still hasn't gotten past his writer's block.
- Lt. Scanlon comes into the room and smarmily asks Dietrich if Dietrich has been to any rallies lately. That's a reference to Season 6 two-parter "Dietrich's Arrest" in which Dietrich is arrested for going to an anti-nuclear protest.
- Scanlon then taunts Wojo about the paternity suit, which was Season 8 premiere "Paternity". When Wojo says that the suit was dropped because as it turns out Wojo is sterile, Scanlon says he knows that, but he just wanted to hear Wojo say it.
- Idle Rich: Wojo can't begin to understand the life of a pampered wealthy person like Mrs. Fitzjames and asks her how she fills her time. She says rich people sleep around a lot.
- Internal Affairs: One of the periodic appearances of Lt. Scanlon, mortal enemy of the 12th Precinct. He doesn't even have a complaint this time. Instead he's just come by to piss the detectives off.
- Intimidating Revenue Service: The merciless Mr. Walker, who seized Mr. Botnik's restaurant. Mr. Botnik admits that he hadn't kept up with his payment plan, but when Barney asks Mr. Walker for mercy he categorically refuses, saying that he's going to make an example out of Mr. Botnik.Mr. Botnik: He's trying to ruin my life!
Mr. Walker: That's my job. - Multi-Part Episode: A two-parter in which Dietrich and Harris have to hole up in a hotel room with an inconvenient witness.
- Oddball in the Series: One of only thirteen episodes over the entire eight-season run of Barney Miller to have a scene outside the squad room. Namely, the last scene, in which Dietrich and Harris are sniping at each other while stuck in the hotel with Mr. Ling.
- Smithical Marriage: A platonic example. Dietrich decides to book the hotel reservation as "the Smith brothers", despite the fact that he's white and Harris is black.
- The Triads and the Tongs: The murder at the restaurant had to do with a crime gang called the White Dragons. Wojo warns Harris and Dietrich to take care as "those Tong gangs" are real killers.
- To Be Continued: At the end of the episode, although there's a short stinger showing Dietrich and Harris in the hotel with Ling, sniping at each other.
- Writer's Block: By his own admission, Harris hasn't been able to write anything since "Blood on the Badge".
