Title: Altercation
Directed by: Alan Bergmann
Written by: Tony Sheehan
Air Date: April 9, 1982
Previous: Old Love
Next: Bones
Guest Starring: Miriam Byrd Nethery, Todd Susman, Rod Colbin, Robert Pastorelli
"Altercation" is the 18th episode of the eighth season of Barney Miller.
Dietrich brings in one Miss Wakefield, who was mugged right outside the 12th Precinct building! Miss Wakefield, who has an oddly spacey manner, goes through the mug books and succeeds in identifying her mugger, Edward Guthrie (Robert Pastorelli in his first acting credit). The cops retrieve her purse from Guthrie's apartment, and discover something startling: a sheaf of news story clippings about Barney Miller. It turns out that Miss Guthrie is a stalker, albeit a harmless one, who has been following Captain Miller and adoring him from afar for many years. (That's why she was outside the building.)
The other case involves a drug dealer arrested on Wall Street. The dealer, Mr. Hackett, turns out to actually be a stockbroker who was selling off his excess stash.
Both cases take a back seat to personal business. Harris has apparently gotten over his long-term case of Writer's Block and is about to sign a deal for another book. He is on the phone to his agent when his archnemesis, sleazy lawyer Arnold Ripner, strolls into the squad room. Ripner, who won a $375,000 judgment against Harris, taunts him about now owning Harris's artwork and threatens to attach his future earnings. Finally, Harris punches Ripner in the face, a rash act that threatens not only his own career but Barney's possible promotion to Deputy Inspector.
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Jewish: This episode has the last of a few random mentions of how Barney is Jewish, as Miss Wakefield says she sent a check for David's bar mitzvah.
- Continuity Porn: A lot of Continuity Nods, maybe because the series was winding to a close.
- The last reference to the almost series-long arc about Harris's writing career and his Roman à Clef "Blood on the Badge". Ripner winds up admitting that after attorney's fees and taxes and such, Harris's artwork was all he has left from the judgment.
- When Barney mentions his wife Liz, Miss Wakefield catches him off guard by saying she's glad that Barney and Liz are back together. That was a story arc in Seasons 4 and 5 where the Millers separated for a while.
- Speaking of Liz, Barney fields a call from Liz about how David wants his own apartment, despite being only 17 years old. Barney asks "Didn't we just go through this with Rachel?", and is shocked to learn, "Seven years ago???" That was the fifth episode of the series, "The Courtesans", in which 17-year-old Rachel was pestering her parents for a new apartment.
- There's another reference to Barney's long-sought promotion to Deputy Inspector, which had occasionally been mentioned for years. This isn't even the first time that it's suggested that the wacky antics of his detectives have hurt Barney's prospects; the detectives apologize to Barney about precisely this in Season 6 finale "Fog".
- Among the clippings in Miss Wakefield's purse is a story about "Police captain jailed in courtroom dispute." That was two-part episode "Contempt", in which Barney went to jail for refusing to tell a judge the identity of a confidential informant.
- Death Glare: Harris is shooting a pretty murderous one at Ripner after punching him in the face.
- Drunken Master: Suggested with Mr. Hackett, who despite having a drug problem is apparently a good stockbroker. When he tells his boss Mr. Wheeler that he'll get sober, Mr. Wheeler expresses his support and then says "But wait till I ask."
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: An angry Harris responds to the thread of Ripner suing him again with "They won't suck another nickel out of this bad motor scooter."
- I Never Said It Was Poison: Barney is startled when Miss Wakefield says she's glad Barney and his wife got back together. Turns out, she's his stalker, although she's harmless.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The confrontation between Ripner and Harris ends with Ripner admitting that he lost all the money he got from Harris to attorney's fees. Harris cackles with laughter at hearing that and the tension is broken.
- Stalker with a Crush: Miss Wakefield is mugged outside the precinct building. She seems strangely attentive to Captain Miller. It turns out that she has been stalking Barney since Patrolman Miller stood up for her against some bullies back in 1966; the reason she was outside the precinct building is that she was following Barney around. She's a benevolent stalker, telling Barney not to worry if he ever notices her following him.
- Stealth Insult: Although it isn't all that stealthy. Harris mentions that he's writing another book, but tells Wojo not to worry about being in it again, because "I pretty much exhausted your character's opportunities in my first book."
- What the Hell, Hero?: Barney launches into an angry rant where he yells at Harris for punching Ripner and says Harris never considers the consequence of his actions. When Harris answers that he's the one who will be going on light duty and he's the one who'll be put up on charges, Barney says that actually he, Barney, will be the one missing out on a promotion to Deputy Inspector. Later Barney apologizes to Harris for thinking about himself.Harris: Look, Barney... it's just, things were going so well. I mean, the book deal and everything else, and then he shows up and starts talking about re-opening the lawsuit, attaching my earnings? Suddenly, Barn, I saw the whole thing starting over again, and I had to do something to stop it!Barney: The best you could come up with was a punch in the mouth?Harris: I ruled out my revolver.Barney: Harris, this is not funny. If just once in your life you would stop and consider the consequences of your actions before you took them, things like this wouldn't happen.Harris: Take it easy, Barney. I mean, I'm the one who punched Ripner, and I'm the one who has to pay the price. I'm the one who goes on modified duty, and I'm the one who goes up on charges.Barney: And I'm the one who's up for Deputy Inspector!Harris: But enough of me.
