#71 "2245" (Season 4 #16)

#71 "2245" (Season 4 #16)

Original Air Date: Feb. 5, 1990

Writer: Michelle Ashford & Glen Morgan & James Wong

Director: Kim Manners

Production Code: 16419

Things To Note: Follow-up episode to "Besieged" (#15 & #16)

Opening Theme:

Closing Theme:

LOD:

Regulars:

Friends, Family & Guests: Josh Richman [ Unknown ], George Buck [ Unknown ], Rosie Perez [ Unknown ]

Episode Summary from The 21 Jump Street Episode Guide:

NOTE: Stop with this one if you don’t want spoilers.

Hanson tries to convince a juvenile inmate on death row to appear in a film intended to keep his peers out of prison.

Detailed Episode Review (contains spoilers!):

(NOTE: I am doing these from the FX repeats. Email me with missing scenes & I’ll add them).

Commentary:

Cyndi Glass: Very moving. They brought in this Ronnie character, excellently portrayed by Josh Richmond, to follow up the 2-parter "Besieged:" (#15/16) from the beginning of Season 2. Rosie Perez is entertaining as Ronnie’s shallow girlfriend who can’t bring herself to attend Ronnie’s execution, even though he wrote and asked her to be there. This episode is yet another turning point for Hanson, as he tries to convince Ronnie to help the police deter teenagers from doing what he did by making a video about being on Death Row. Hanson ends up learning the lesson here, though, as he attends Ronnie’s execution, forcing himself to watch as Ronnie is injected and dies. I truly believe that Hanson, having lived four months (May-Sept 1989) in Folsom Prison, can see himself in Ronnie’s shoes, especially since in most cases where a policeman is killed, the defendant gets the death penalty. It could easily have been Hanson in Ronnie’s place, and I think the use of the background music from the Crane/prison episodes is a well-done subtle reminder of this fact. Hanson is compelled to watch, and his emotion fills the room.

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