I love the camaraderie and mutual respect between Stone and Keller in this series. In virtually all detective shows of this kind, even to this day, the tired cliché is employed where the older, higher-ranking partner is the only intelligent one and solves every case. The younger guy is there to do some legwork, come to stupid conclusions and just generally highlight how clever his superior is.
But in "San Fran," both men are smart and work in tandem in every aspect. They actually discuss things and come to conclusions together, rather than the senior dismissing the junior's ideas or telling him to shut up. And they both have so far had their fair share of case-cracking ideas.
This is illustrated beautifully in this episode when Keller voices his suspicion that Stone's old acquaintance could be more involved in the murder than he's being letting on. Knowing that Stone is fond of the journalist, he promises to offer no more theories if this hunch turns out to be wrong. Stone instantly makes it clear that, whether he's right or wrong, there is no way that Keller should ever hold back on giving his observations and opinions on the case. Keller turns out to be right, as we already knew.
I have to admit, though, that even towards the end of season 1, I've still not become used to seeing Michael Douglas so young!