Title: The Sighting
Directed by: Alex March
Written by: Carol Gary and Reinhold Weege (story), Tony Sheehan (teleplay)
Air Date: May 11, 1978
Previous: Evaluation
Next: Inauguration
Guest Starring: Doris Roberts, Peter Hobbs, Jack Bannon
"The Sighting" is the 22nd episode of the fourth season of Barney Miller.
Wojo is late for work, again, and it's because he was with some girl, again, but it isn't just because of that. As he was headed for the bridge leaving Staten Island, he hit a flat tire. He stopped to fix the flat—and saw a UFO. Specifically, a cigar-shaped spaceship possibly fifteen feet wide, which Wojo saw briefly before it zoomed away into the darkness.
Barney does his best to ignore Wojo's nonsense, but when Wojo calls the Air Force, Barney is not happy. One Captain Donnelly shows up, and assumes that Wojo is a nutcase, which pisses Wojo off. Det. Wojciehowicz is eventually vindicated, sort of, when several other people on the Staten Island bridge report seeing a UFO.
Because Wojo is being crazy enough all by himself this episode, the squad has only one wacky case instead of the usual two. One Harriet Brauer (Doris Roberts) comes into the station and asks the cops to arrest her husband, who has liquidated their bank account and sold all their assets to buy gold. Mr. Brauer, it seems, is convinced that the world economy will soon collapse and paper wealth of any kind will be worthless. This intrigues Harris, who wants to get rich and has a stock market portfolio of his own.
Tropes:
- Alien Among Us: The last scene has Dietrich, in his insufferable know-it-all way, tell Barney and Wojo that many scientists do believe that aliens have visited Earth. According to Dietrich, it's even possible that some of those aliens may have disguised themselves in human form and decided to live among us. Barney and Wojo stare at Dietrich, while he stares at them and grins, and on that note the episode ends.
- Alien Episode: Wojo sees an alien spacecraft on his way to work, and calls the U.S. Air Force to report it.
- Blowing a Raspberry: When Wojo is told "Let's just keep an open mind on this" by Capt. Donnelly, he blows a raspberry in response.
- Curse Cut Short: Wojo as usual. After Capt. Donnelly of the USAF blows him off as a kook, Wojo says "I don't really give a flying—", only for Barney to yell "OK, Wojo!"
- Eye-Obscuring Hat: Captain Donnelly of the Air Force comes into the squad room in full uniform, including a hat with a brim that covers his eyes. A Running Gag has everybody in the squad room in turn bending forward and looking up to get a look at his face.
- Government Conspiracy: Strongly implied. After word comes back that it wasn't just Wojo, but rather a whole bunch of people who reported seeing a UFO over the bridge, Capt. Donnelly calls his superiors. He says "I can't tell them that!" in a panicked way, before turning around and telling the detectives that what Wojo saw was a weather balloon.
- Hot-Blooded: Many Barney Miller episodes had Wojo the hothead going off half-cocked and making something worse. In this one he greatly annoys Barney by calling the U.S. Air Force after seeing a UFO on his way to work.
