Hill Street Blues (TV Series) Moon Over Uranus (1983) User Reviews

Typically on the money episode

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 1 July 2015]

Renko (amiable Charles Haid) gets demoted to traffic duty on a motor scooter due to a minor violation. Goldblume (a fine Joe Spano) can't do much for a scared young woman (a touching performance by Alexandra Johnson) who's afraid of her abusive ex-boyfriend Brady (a frightening portrayal by William Forsythe). Bates (sturdy Betty Thomas) and Coffey (a solid Ed Marinaro) answer a call concerning an unhinged survivalist. Veteran detective Jack (a terrific and heartbreaking turn by Bruce Kirby) goes off the deep end after his daughter gets raped.

The plot line with Goldblume makes a valid point about the limits of the law; Goldblume is unable touch Brady because he hasn't done anything serious yet that he can be convicted for. The stories about Renko and Chief Daniels (a nicely slimy Jon Cypher) offer a wealth of good laughs. Moreover, one can't help but feel sorry for Jack and his need to avenge what happened to his daughter, although his story reaches a bitterly ironic conclusion with Jack shooting the wrong man dead. Jack Starrett has a funny bit as hearty city worker Farley while Dennis Franz delivers a stand-out guest contribution as Benedetto, a brutish undercover cop who gets into a nasty dispute with Renko after Renko gives him a parking ticket.

Say It Ain't So Sipowicz!

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 16 July 2021]

Andy gets into it with Benedetto, played by Dennis Franz. The guy hits him from behind, then punches him as he reels in a semiconscious state. The search for the Daniels rat goes on. A survivalist nut is being kept in jail, awaiting trial, when the tather of a girl who has been raped mistakes him for the rapist and blows him away. Things are starting to go south a bit with Frank and Joyce when she heads to Washington to interview for a job.

I smell a rat.

[Hey_Sweden · 8/10 · 31 March 2023]

It's a typically chaotic time on the Hill. Jack Donleavy (Bruce Kirby, "Stand by Me") is a veteran detective who threatens to lose his cool when his daughter is savagely raped. Goldblume, constrained by the system, is unable to do much for a young woman living in fear of her ex-boyfriend (William Forsythe, "Raising Arizona"). Andy gets demoted to traffic duty after an embarrassing incident; during the course of his first day, he makes the unfortunate acquaintance of a thuggish detective named Benedetto (Dennis Franz, marking his first appearance on the series), when he tries to ticket the guy's car. And a ridiculous farce erupts when Chief Daniels gets bitten by a rat during a walking tour of a particularly crime-plagued area. He claims to have shot the offending rodent, and demands that it be found.

The business with the rat is just part of the ample humor to be found here; when Fay herself is quite properly embarrassed by an incident of her own, she actually tries her damnedest to get a traffic ticket from Andy so she can get in touch with her judge boyfriend. But the humor is tempered with some very serious and unfortunate moments, one involving an eccentric survivalist (Patrick Collins, "Young Doctors in Love") who ends up in the slammer. There's also a brief intense moment of action when it takes the combined efforts of Lucy, Joe, Bobby, and Robin to subdue the rapist. Near the end, I couldn't help but feel very bad for Andy when Benedetto fights dirty during their inevitable confrontation. Franz is superb at playing this despicable antagonist.

At the end, Joyce drops a bombshell on Frank that has the potential to affect their long-term relationship.

As always, the mix of comedy, drama, and action is extremely compelling; other solid guest stars include Karen Carlson ("The Octagon"), and a wonderfully amusing Jack Starrett ("First Blood") as an exterminator. The episode was directed by Christian I. Nyby II, who guided more episodes of the series (12) than any other director (with Gregory Hoblit in second place at 11 episodes).

Eight out of 10.