14

#14 "In The Custody Of A Clown" (Season 2 #1)

Original Air Date: Sept. 20, 1987

Writer: Clifton Campbell

Director: Kim Manners

Production Code: 16203

Things To Note:

Opening Theme:

Closing Theme:

LOD:

Regulars:

Friends, Family & Guests: Joshua Miller [ Brian Sheffield ], Barney Martin [ Edison Coulter ], Lillian Lehmann [ Unknown ]

Episode Summary from The 21 Jump Street Episode Guide:

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

The Jump Street unit discovers that a boy who was being used as a pawn by his feuding parents faked his kidnapping with the aid of his grandfather to get away from his parents.

Detailed Episode Review (contains spoilers!):

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

Commentary:

John DeCarli: This is really the perfect sort of episode to open the second season. It has a little bit of everything. It has a mostly comedic tone, but still manages to inject a serious subject (parental kidnapping) into the proceedings. Everyone is involved in the case. On the personal side, we meet Hoffs' parents. It also has some excellent guest stars, including the great Ray Walston, who looks like he's warming up for his Emmy award winning role as the judge in "Picket Fences."

The writing is smart and forward moving. The directing here (the always excellent Kim Manners) is also first rate-especially in those quick cuts between Hanson, Ioki, and Penhall questioning the parents and the schoolkids. I also like that barely visible little cross that says "RIP Brian Sheffield" when the $600 is returned with "Bozo's ear"-a nice detail.

Interestingly, we see another instance where Hanson and Penhall are willing to break the rules in order to do the right thing. The old "by the book" Hanson from the first season is becoming a distant memory. Fuller recognizes this, but still (rightly) gives them a two day suspension. After all, he's someone who needs rules in order to function.

Most importantly, it looks like everyone is having fun here. A lot of the outtakes featured at the end of #70 "Back from the Future" come from this episode. This is also the episode where Hanson dons a dress and a wig- several years before Depp did the same thing in "Ed Wood." And did DeLuise improvise that kiss at the end of the courtroom scene? I think so.

Overall, a very good start to the second season.

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