Furillo (a fantastic Daniel J. Travanti) rounds up a slew of street gang leaders following a brutal and bloody barroom massacre at a sleazy nightclub. LaRue (nice work from Kiel Martin) goes undercover in a holding cell in order to get a confession out of fearsome arsonist Murray the Torch (a formidable portrayal by Richard Foronjy). Belker (Bruce Weitz in fine fierce form) befriends the loopy Captain Freedom (delightfully played by Dennis Dugan), a self-styled caped and costumed superhero crimefighter. This particular episode is notable for the introduction of Captain Freedom, who was without a doubt one of the single most colorful and memorable minor comic relief characters to ever appear on the show. Sure, this dude is totally bonkers, but Dugan brings a sweet innocence and wide-eyed optimism to Captain Freedom that's both amusing and endearing in equal measure (Captain Freedom's batty big speech to Belker about his mission to rid the world of wrongdoers is absolutely priceless). Moreover, it's really something to see an irate Furillo in full-blown aggressive no-nonsense mode; his sense of frustration over things going violently awry is quite powerful and affecting. The stuff about the barroom bloodbath is very potent and upsetting: In a truly startling twist, the perpetrators of the appalling bloodbath turn out to be three sociopathic teenage boys who did it simply for kicks. Lucy Bates (an excellent Betty Thomas) has some strong scenes consoling a female rape victim and Hunter (a deliciously droll James B. Sikking) has a few funny moments proposing to Furillo his typically gung-ho approach to handling the barroom massacre. Victor Campos contributes a sterling turn as the crime scene investigator who gives Furillo the thorough rundown on all the horrible facts about the bar massacre. A superior episode.
4 Reviews
Brutal
Hitchcoc12 July 2021
The centerpiece for this episode is a vicious attack on a group of people in a bar. The perpetrators, obviously part of a street gang, do things to their victims that I hesitate to mention in this review: rape, sodomy, and, ultimately, murder and more. Furillo has had it and puts every resource into play, including calling summit meeting of the various street gangs. He begins to see the sanctity of life and that there are elements on the hill that are beyond the pale. There are other things involved in this episode, one being a guy dressed in a tacky homemade superhero costume, who calls himself Captain Feedom. He and Belker begin at odds, but as he speaks, he begins to have a gentle respect for life that is attractive. The problem is he thinks he came from Mars.
Stop this criminal act, or I shall be forced to use violence!
Hey_Sweden17 July 2021
The main story thread here: a trio of evil miscreants, clearly gang members since they wear colours, go on an ugly crime spree in a bar. Frank, sickened by the aftermath, vows to use any means necessary to find and punish those responsible. To do this, he will stage another summit with gang leaders so he can get their attention. J. D. Goes undercover in a prison cell in the hopes that he'll hear another character (guest star Richard Foronjy) make a confession - and gets an unpleasant surprise due to the presence of a child molester in another cell. And Belker makes the acquaintance of Captain Freedom (guest star Dennis Dugan), a deluded but sympathetic self-styled vigilante who fancies himself a superhero.
Captain Freedom had unintentionally interfered with an arrest, and while Belker is at first disgusted with the guy, he comes to like him once he gets to know him, and appreciates his outlook on life. Dugan is excellent as this sincere character who is clearly not playing with a full deck, and easily won this viewers' sympathy. The massacre at the bar takes a serious toll on Frank (this viewer had never seen the character THIS angry before), as he hates the idea of this level of evil taking place on his turf. And yet, Frank is able to once again able to offer Fay a shoulder to cry on, as she mourns the loss of Hal. Not that the whole episode (written by Michael I. Wagner) is entirely grim: there's some amusing nonsense when Hill & Renko keep having problems with their ride. At one point, their horn won't shut off, and they show up at Belkers' undercover operation, which causes him great distress. HE gets pretty mad, too, in this episode, but we expect that from him. 'The World According to Freedom' has a sweet wrap-up as Frank decides to give his son a call.
Also featuring the late Trinidad Silva, in his recurring role as gang leader Jesus Martinez, and Victor Campos, as a crime scene investigator.
Directed by Jeff Bleckner, a TV veteran whose credits include things like 'Boston Legal', 'Castle', and the Peter Benchley adaptation 'The Beast'.
Eight out of 10.
Captain Freedom had unintentionally interfered with an arrest, and while Belker is at first disgusted with the guy, he comes to like him once he gets to know him, and appreciates his outlook on life. Dugan is excellent as this sincere character who is clearly not playing with a full deck, and easily won this viewers' sympathy. The massacre at the bar takes a serious toll on Frank (this viewer had never seen the character THIS angry before), as he hates the idea of this level of evil taking place on his turf. And yet, Frank is able to once again able to offer Fay a shoulder to cry on, as she mourns the loss of Hal. Not that the whole episode (written by Michael I. Wagner) is entirely grim: there's some amusing nonsense when Hill & Renko keep having problems with their ride. At one point, their horn won't shut off, and they show up at Belkers' undercover operation, which causes him great distress. HE gets pretty mad, too, in this episode, but we expect that from him. 'The World According to Freedom' has a sweet wrap-up as Frank decides to give his son a call.
Also featuring the late Trinidad Silva, in his recurring role as gang leader Jesus Martinez, and Victor Campos, as a crime scene investigator.
Directed by Jeff Bleckner, a TV veteran whose credits include things like 'Boston Legal', 'Castle', and the Peter Benchley adaptation 'The Beast'.
Eight out of 10.
One of the series' best episodes
yaornw14 August 2021
This is one of those episodes you never forget. So many iconic moments for the series and characters and a great snapshot of the series at its best. It also introduces Captain Freedom, a fun comic relief, but it's the brutal murder at the heart of it that really touches you to the core. Daniel Travanti is Frank Furillo at his best here with strong support from the rest of the cast, especially Trinidad Silva, Joe Spano, and Michael Conrad. An unforgettable episode. If you see one episode, this is the one. Truly great television.
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