Title: The Prisoner
Directed by: Noam Pitlik
Written by: Reinhold Weege, Wally Dalton, and Shelley Zeldman
Air Date: October 19, 1978
Previous: The Accusation
Next: Loan Shark
Guest Starring: James Gregory, Jeff Corey, Peggy Pope, Henry Jones, Bruce Glover
"The Prisoner" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of Barney Miller.
The Gossipy Hens of the NYPD have apparently spread the news of Barney's troubled marriage far and wide. Barney is shocked when Inspector Luger shows up and tells him that command staff is sending over someone to talk to him about his marriage. That someone turns out to be a senior officer as well as a Roman Catholic chaplain—Barney isn't Catholic.note
Meanwhile, there are the usual two wacky cases. Harris reviews a recent burglary and feels that it matches the MO of a repeat offender, Harold Newbound. Harris is irritated when Dietrich smugly points out that Newbound died in 1976. Soon however Harris is vindicated when they catch the burglar, who is revealed to be the late Mr. Newbound's widow, Frances.
The second case involves Wojo arresting one Harold Timmons (veteran character actor Jeff Corey). Mr. Timmons, an ex-con, was arrested for possession of a firearm, which was in violation of his parole. It turns out that Mr. Timmons was paroled just two weeks ago after serving a 30-year sentence, and he was carrying the gun on purpose, as he wants to go to jail.
In other personal news, lifelong bachelor Inspector Luger has gotten engaged to a woman named Agnes, but she keeps pestering him with phone calls, and he's clearly having second thoughts.
Tropes:
- Actor Allusion: Mrs. Newbound looks around the squadroom and says "Oh, this place looks so familiar! It's like I've been here before!". It turns out that Mrs. Newbound once came there to bail her husband out, but it was also Peggy Pope's third appearance on Barney Miller, as different characters.
- As the Good Book Says...: Father Clement extols the virtues of marriage by quoting Genesis 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife." Then he busts out an Unusual Euphemism (see below).
- Continuity Nod: Another reference to Barney and Liz being separated. The NYPD sends over a chaplain for counseling.
- The Ghost: Inspector Luger's fiancee, Agnes, who keeps calling the 12th to find him, but is neither seen nor heard. Eventually a panicky Luger leaves the building.
- Good News, Bad News: Luger's announcement that he has "good news and bad news" (it's all bad) leads to the following exchange between Harris and Dietrich.Dietrich: Those "good news bad news" jokes kill me.
Harris: But you're not going to tell me one.
Dietrich: No. (Beat) That's the good news. - Not Used to Freedom: Some bittersweet comedy from Mr. Timmons, who deliberately let himself be seen with a gun so he could get arrested and go back to jail. He explains to Wojo, saying that he last made a decision on his own thirty years ago "and that one wasn't very good."
- The Old Convict: Mr. Timmons, who spent 30 years in jail and is so thoroughly institutionalized that he deliberately violates his parole so he can go back.
- Serious Business: Barney is shocked when Luger tells him that the NYPD is sending someone to talk to him about his separation. Apparently the brass is very sensitives to personal disturbances in the lives of commanders.
- Unusual Euphemism: Father Clement means well, but his questions to Barney are awkward, like how he asks about Barney's sex life with Liz. After Father Clement quotes Genesis 2:24 about how a man "shall cleave unto his wife," he says "Any problems cleaving, captain?".
- Verbal Tic: Inspector Luger has a weird habit of throwing an extra syllable into his fiancee's name, consistently calling her "Ag-a-nes."
