Nothing Personal
Directed By: Tim Van Patten
Written By: Bonnie Mark
Giardello finally decides to parcel out Crosetti's old cases. Howard gets stuck with the murder of Erica Chilton, a no-hope case even Crosetti had given up on, and matters aren't helped when Felton, due to his continuing descent into alcoholism, loses a key piece of evidence. Russert invites Giardello to join her for lunch with Amanda (Pamela Isaacs), an old friend of hers, but while Giardello is attracted to Amanda, Amanda tells Russert she's not ready to date again, and when Giardello finds out, he sinks into despair.
This episode contains examples of:
- The Alcoholic: Felton, to the point the rest of the squad tries to point this out to Howard.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Bayliss, Lewis and Munch get called to the bank, they assume there was a problem with their loan. Instead, the bank official wants to tell them their loan has been approved, and they like to give good news to people face to face.
- But Not Too Black: When Russert tells Giardello Amanda isn't interested in seeing him again socially, Giardello thinks this trope is in play, since Amanda, while black, is lighter-skinned than he is. This subplot was introduced at the suggestion of Yaphet Kotto,
as he had experienced the same thing when trying to meet women. - Desk Sweep of Rage: Giardello does this to his own desk after hearing the news from Russert about Amanda's lack of interest in him, which startles everyone.
- Foreshadowing: This won't be the last we hear about the Erica Chilton murder.
- Pet the Dog: Even though Gaffney (who's now in Missing Persons) doesn't want to hear anything about what he's done or hasn't done about trying to find Felton's kids, he does tell Felton it would be better for him to use a private detective, and gives him a couple of names.
- You Owe Me: When Howard tells Felton she needs him to concentrate on the case and not on finding his kids, Felton brings up when Howard said she needed to leave because she needed a break, and Felton covered for her.
