Hanson gets an unusual assignment: Harley, a teenager with AIDS, is being bullied and having his civil rights violated because of his disease, so police supervision is necessary to ensure the boy's safety. Initially uncomfortable with this, Hanson bonds with the boy when he realizes they're not so different.
Also, Doug Penhall's ex Dorothy suddenly shows up and moves in with him—at a very inconvenient time for him, since Penhall has just gotten the hots for another, new, girl.
Still considered one of the best and most iconic episodes of the show, for both outstanding acting by Johnny Depp and guest star Phillip Tanzini, and its sensitive (and at the time, accurate) portrayal of an AIDS sufferer at the height of the AIDS panic.
This episode provides examples of:
- Ambiguously Gay: Harley reveals at one point that he contracted HIV through unprotected sex. However, the filming and acting choices give an odd significance to the line and to Hanson's reaction. A modern-day viewer would simply nod and focus on the scene, or perhaps think it a bit strange. But when the episode first aired, there was still a fairly widespread misconception that HIV was a "gay disease" or "only junkies, haemophiliacs, and gays get HIV" note . Harley is either implying that he's gay, or pointing out that part of his ostracization from the community (even, to some extent, his family) is due to people thinking he contracted the disease by being gay, possibly even both. However, a modern-day viewer probably wouldn't pick up on this, as it's well-known that straight and gay people are equally likely to contract the disease. Notably, the episode itself never states whether Harley was infected by a male or female; either as a subtle bit of education that the disease can be contracted by any sexuality or to point out that the disease, rather than how Harley contracted it, is the tragedy (again, possibly both).
- Downer Ending: Harley dies of (complications of) AIDS at the end, and Hanson is shaken up by it because he really got to like the guy and cared about his being mistreated. And on a lesser note, Penhall doesn't get together with the genuinely nice girl but with Dorothy, whom he will stay in an unfulfilling relationship with up until halfway next season.
- Driven to Suicide: Subverted. Harley says his being bullied/harassed by his peers, combined with the knowledge of his impending death, makes him want to end his life. Luckily, Hanson's connecting with him prevents him from doing so.
- Exiled to the Couch: When Penhall's ex-girlfriend Dorothy suddenly moves in with him (without asking), she takes his bed and makes him sleep on the couch. An unusual example in that it isn't because they are fighting but rather because they aren't sure what to make of their relationship at this point.
- Meaningful Name: Harley, before developing Aids, raced motorcycles, and he still rides his bike at very fast speeds in the days leading up to his death from pneumonia. He had even planned to commit suicide by riding his bike off a cliff.
- Tragic AIDS Story: The episode is about a teenage boy who has AIDS (in The '80s, when this was untreatable and a big social stigma). His peers shut him out for it and even try to block his access to school because of it. At the end, he dies from the complications. Hanson is very much moved by this; it is one of his "cases" which emotionally affects him the most note ).
- Very Special Episode: This episode is about Aids, at the time something that was lethal, and a taboo subject.
- Woobie of the Week: This is about a teenage boy that has/is dying from HIV/Aids note .
