Log 142: As High As You Are (Episode 11, Season 2)

Episode 37

Synopsis:

In this action-packed episode, there's no time for "lion" around as Pete and Jim rescue an injured suspect, confront an angry gang, and remind a crime victim that the law works for everyone. The episode ends with Pete's favorite type of call.

The Story:

Hey, remember that baby that Jim's wife had a few weeks ago? Well, Jim has decided that his boy should have a dog. He has started researching the subject.

He's so engrossed in this book, he doesn't hear Pete asking him if he's coming to roll call.

Wait, a minute! What happened to Queenie, the dog he and Jean had back in "Log 132: The Producer"? Did they get too overzealous in giving away her puppies and give Queenie away, too?

And while we are on the subject of children and dogs, let me tell you a story about "The Time I Met Kent McCord"™. I have an eight-year-old son, who has been begging me for a dog for years. I have steadfastly refused. I have a husband, a son, a blog, and two jobs; I don't need another responsibility. He says he will take care of the dog, but I know some of it will fall on me. Before I left for Kansas City, he told me to ask Kent if he could get a dog. I told him I would and if Kent said it was a good idea for him to get a dog, I would give in. He's a smart kid, he knows his mother would do anything Kent McCord says. 

So, when I was hanging out with Kent at his comic-con booth, I said, "I have a strange question. My son told me to ask you if he could get a dog." Kent laughed and I explained the whole situation. He told me that he had been through the same thing with his kids, they said they would take care of the dog they begged for, but did not. He advised we wait until my son is older before getting a dog.

The whole time this was happening, my son was sending me texts from his iPod Touch wanting to know if I asked him yet and telling me to record his answer. I didn't go that far, I felt I had already pushed my luck by asking such a bizarre question. He was not happy with the answer and he has not given up. Now he keeps asking me if he is old enough yet for a dog.

Anyway, back to our story. Jim believes every boy should have a dog, that's why he's reading the book. He also thinks it could be useful in their work. Let's say he and Pete find a dog like the one pictured in the book, they would need to describe it. They couldn't just say it was big, white, and furry.

"I'd say it was an Afghan hound,"states Pete.

"You've read the book?"

"No, I used to be a boy."

After the canine quips have quieted, they hit the streets. They pull over a red car with a broken taillight. 

Thanks to the Monkees, I know what a GTO looks like. It is one of two classic cars I can immediately identify.

 While Reed inspects the driver's license and registration, Malloy calls in for wants on the car. (It's license plate number is LXI-483, that's two times in two episodes that they've used that number!) Reed notices that the car does not belong to the driver, the man explains that it belongs to a friend who lets him borrow it.

There are no wants on the vehicle, but Malloy knows this man is lying. He tells him to step out of the car, and assume the position (hands against the car, feet back, and spread 'em).

When he tells Reed to turn off the car, Reed notices there is no key in the ignition. Malloy tells him to open the trunk and he then learns what his more experienced partner already knew, the car has been hot-wired.

"Better read up on cars, that boy of yours might want wheels some day."

Their next call is a 459 silent at 3121 Lincoln Drive. There is a one hour delay on the man.

3121 Lincoln Drive is the address for E.G.T. Enterprises, a warehouse full of hospital supplies and drugs.

When they get out of the car, Malloy tells Reed to lock the car. I don't ever recall them locking the car before or at least Malloy making mention of it.

The front door is locked, whoever set off the alarm didn't go in that way. They go around to the back door. That door is also locked.

With both doors locked, Reed thinks that whoever is in there must be a magician. Malloy's been here before and knows there is another way inside the building, a skylight.

Want further proof that Malloy is the most super of super cops? Check this out, he opens this lock with his bare hands!

"A fortune of merchandise inside, protected by a ten cent lock."

There's no one in sight when they enter the warehouse. But, there is evidence that they are not alone.

This cabinet is open and it's narcotic contents are scattered all over the floor. 

They hear a crash and quickly take cover behind some merchandise. When they hear the suspect singing, they train their guns on a pile of boxes across from their vantage point. He's hard to see behind the cartons, his head barely clears the top of the boxes.

Reed thinks that the mystery man can't be more than four feet tall.

Malloy knows, "He's a lot higher than that."

The suspect's movements are strange and neither one of the officers can figure out what he is doing. They both move to get a better look. He stops singing and starts talking to himself. "No more singing, you shouldn't sing when you hurt. Shouldn't play games, either." Their singing suspect knows he has company.

"There somebody out there," cries the suspect when he hears Malloy moving about. 

Malloy makes a move to close in on the man. He takes a step forward and is surprised to feel broken glass under his shoe. He looks up to see that the glass has come from the shattered skylight. With Reed covering him, Malloy runs across the warehouse and confronts the man.

"Hold it right there, mister!"

Except, this mister does not hold it. He keeps right on shooting up while he introduces himself. 
"Hi, I'm Herbie. Who are you? What day is it?"

"I'm a policeman and it's Saturday."

According to Herbie's logic, it can't be Saturday. That's the day he came in here and the police weren't supposed to show up until Monday, so it has to be Sunday. (Sure, that makes sense.)

Herbie, who is alone and unarmed, sells drugs. He broke into E.G.T. to garner supplies for his business. I'm not sure how he planned to get in and out of E.G.T., but he ended up falling through the skylight and landing on the concrete floor. It's a good thing Herbie was breaking into a medical supply warehouse, because he broke his leg when he fell. He was able to find a wheelchair for transportation, narcotics to dull his pain, and lightbulbs to keep himself occupied. He's been playing a fun game with lightbulbs where he throws them up in the air and lets them crash to the floor.

Reed and Malloy start wheeling him towards the door, but Herbie doesn't want to leave without his painkillers. He wants them to just the drugs up on his lap.

Malloy tells him, "Where you're going, they wouldn't let you keep it anyway."

They have some trouble getting him to where he is going, though. A carload of unhappy thugs in blue shirts block their exit through the back loading dock.

Correction: four thugs in blue shirts and Marco Lopez in a green shirt.

The leader of the gang has a score to settle with the police and has picked Pete and Jim as an outlet for his anger. The leader, Will Davis, is upset because his brother was shot in the back by a cop and ended up "a cripple". 

Pete and Jim are aware of what happened with Will's brother. Donald Davis was arrested for burglary and assault on a night watchman. The officers who arrested Davis made two mistakes. They ignored his withered hand, which made it easy for him to slip out of the cuffs, and they missed the knife he had in his sock. Davis stabbed the officer that helped him out of the car.

Pete and Jim had just driven into the parking lot and their lights hit the officer as Davis was sinking his knife into him. Davis then stole the gun out of the officer's holster. When he stood up, the officer's partner shot him.

Jim rode with Davis in the ambulance, all he kept was saying over and over was, "I blew it".

He blew what would have been a three-year sentence into a life sentence.

Will Davis thinks Pete and Jim are lying about the events that led to his brother's injuries. He refuses to move his car and let the officers reach their car.

An hour must have passed since they first arrived at E.G.T., because the owner, Ben Owen, has arrived. He's understandably upset and wants "these bums" off his property and Herbie out of his wheelchair. Pete explains that they can't take Herbie out of the chair. This does not please Mr. Owen.

"Look, pal, if he ain't outta that chair in one minute, I'll throw him out!"

Owen goes inside and quickly comes back out. He's furious about the broken skylight and tries to pull Herbie out of the chair. Pete forcibly stops him from manhandling Herbie. The frustrated officer roars that Herbie has a broken leg and can't stand. He angrily explains that when they arrest an injured man, he is their responsibility. Owen doesn't see Herbie as a man, though, he only thinks of him as a criminal.

 "He's a suspect and the law works for him the same way it does for you. Now if you further injure that man by picking him up, he's gonna be your responsibility."

Malloy instructs Reed to go to the car and call an ambulance. Will Davis must have had a change of heart, he tells his gang to get in the car and let Reed pass.

Davis, impressed with Malloy's fair treatment of Herbie, begins to believe the officers' story about his brother. 

"Maybe you're learning, Davis," responds Pete.

"Yeah, I'm a long way from being convinced. Let's just say,  I got some reasonable doubts. See you around, Malloy."

Well, that was intense. Their next call is a 415 at 1104 West Garden Street, I hope this unknown trouble is a bit more "fun".

This lady, Mrs. Killian, the superintendent's wife, has called the police.

She is played by Fran Ryan, who I know I've seen before, I just can't think of where.  According to her IMDB page she was in practically every TV show in the '60's, '70's, and '80's. 

Mrs. Killian was with Walter, walking past the apartment occupied by Mrs. Langborne and her baby. Suddenly, Walter fell over. She thought he had an attack due to his high cholesterol.

"Well, who's Walter?" asks Pete.

"My dog!" exclaims Mrs. Killian.

Since Walter didn't have a cholesterol-induced attack, he must have fallen over because he sensed there was a lion inside the Langborne's apartment.

"You mean a 'lion' lion?"

That's what she means. She's never seen the lion, but she's heard it and Walter has sensed it. Anyway, she want's it gone. Right now, the Langborne baby is in there alone with the lion. Mrs. Langborne left about ten minutes ago. 

Oh, boy! It's an animal problem. Pete just loves those. Remember Arthur the snake and the lady who wanted him to get on a horse?

At first Pete is going to call animal regulations, but they decide to handle it themselves when they hear the baby cry.

Pete will go into the apartment. He instructs Jim to cover him and stop the lion, with his gun, if it comes out.
Since there is a baby involved, Jim thinks it will be better if there is no shooting. He volunteers to enter the apartment.

I'm surprised Pete is OK with shooting a lion. He should know how to control the animal from his days as a zookeeper.

Jim enters the apartment. When Pete goes through the door, he is shocked by what he sees his partner doing.

"Are you out of your mind?"

"He's just a big pussycat."
According to Jim, the lion is harmless; he's been declawed.

Mrs. Langborne comes rushing in, yelling, "Don't shoot him, please!". Even though she left her baby with a lion for a babysitter, she's not a bad mother, she went out to get milk for the baby.

Mrs. Killian then enters the apartment yelling that she wants the Langbornes out. She told Mrs. Langborne when she moved in that babies and pets were not allowed in the building. But she seemed nice, so they let her move in with the baby. (Wow! Housing laws were a lot different in 1969.) Mrs. Langborne couldn't leave Sandy, that's the lion, in New York with a man she divorced so she snuck him in the apartment.

A large animal and bickering women, Pete is having the time of his life.

Sandy was given to the Langbornes as a gag gift after their apartment was broken into three times. Where does one get a lion to give as a gag gift?

Mrs. Killian wants Sandy out by six o'clock or the Langbornes will have to go. Jim suggests that Mrs. Langborne contact a zoo to take Sandy. 

She hates this idea, she thinks Sandy will die in a zoo.

The threat of homelessness must have made Mrs. Langhorne change her mind. Because, we next see Pete and Jim in the car discussing the good fortune of the zoo that got a free lion. Jim thinks they are lucky to have gotten a declawed lion, too, they are hard to come by. Without its claws, Sandy couldn't hurt a flea.

"What happens if he decides to use his teeth?"

"Uh, you're not gonna believe this, Malloy."

"After today, I'd believe anything."

"That lion's teeth, I never even thought about them."

The End

I'm gonna keep it short this week. I like parts of this episode better than other parts. I like the cute part with the dog book at the beginning. The joke about the Afghan hound is funny. But, Milner's comic timing is better than McCord's in that scene. I like the scenes in the warehouse. It's fascinating to see them move in tandem, covering each other, as they search for the hidden suspect. I like what Pete says to Owen about the law working for both the victim and the suspect. I like that the last call made Pete uncomfortable, that is always fun to see.

Here's what I didn't like. I was confused by the Davis gang. At first I thought they were associated with Herbie, when that was shown to not be true, I didn't know why they were there. I suppose they were in the story to show how suspects are treated differently depending on the situation. A suspect who threatens an officer's life will be subdued with lethal force, if necessary. A suspect who is injured, will be protected from further harm. This just seemed like a confusing way to make this point. 

I also did not like that Reed was made to look like a fool. I do not believe for a second that a police officer, trained to assess the danger in every situation, did not think about the risk posed by a lion's teeth. Anyone with an iota of common sense would know that a lion's teeth are sharp and dangerous.

So, I give "Log 142: As High As You Are" a rating of:

Do you agree? See you next week! KMA-367