Title: The Kid
Directed by: Stan Lathan
Written by: Tony Sheehan, Danny Arnold, and Chris Hayward
Air Date: March 4, 1976
Previous: The Psychiatrist
Next: The Mole
Guest Starring: Charles Murphy, Angelina Estrada, Arny Freeman
"The Kid" is the 21st episode of the second season of Barney Miller.
Fish brings in a teenager who tried to pick his pocket while Fish was on the subway. After his mother Mrs. Trujillo shows up in the squad room and begs for mercy, Fish lets the boy go. Mrs. Trujillo, a single mom who is still attractive in her mid-40s, and who is obviously lonely, gives a lot of unsubtle hints that she'd like to see Fish socially. That isn't so surprising, but what is surprising is when Fish, who thought he was well past the age of having sexual feelings, finds himself attracted to Mrs. Trujillo as well.
In other news, Eugene Woolen, who brought in $3500 he found on the street four episodes ago in "Fear of Flying', comes back to claim the money, 30 days having passed. Wojo arrests one Victor Newell, a deaf man who used a toy gun to try and steal a hearing aid. And Barney is wearing a cast, because he broke his foot...falling in the toilet.
Tropes:
- Appeal to Familial Wisdom: Yemana once again delivers some odd advice from his grandfather, telling Mr. Woolen that anticipation of success is better than realizing that success, "unless one blows it altogether."
- Bad to the Last Drop: Another instance of the Running Gag about the 12th's terrible coffee. Mr. Woolen the deaf man drinks a cup and says "This is atrocious." Yemana snarks "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."
- Bait-and-Switch: Fish wonders if Mrs. Trujillo's husband couldn't help control their son.Mrs. Trujillo: My husband is no longer with us.
Fish: [sincerely] I'm sorry.
Mrs. Trujillo: I think I saw him over on 14th Street one day! - Brick Joke: The episode ends with Fish observing that his moment of temptation with another woman was long overdue, and mentioning The Seven Year Itch. Barney says "I wish you didn't say that," and stomps back into his office to scratch his itchy foot again.
- Continuity Nod: Four episodes ago in "Fear of Flying", Eugene Woolen brought a satchel with $3500 in it to the 12th Precinct; he was told he could take it if no one showed up to claim it in 30 days. In this episode 30 days have passed and Mr. Woolen shows up again to claim his money.
- The Gambling Addict: Yemana; it was a Running Gag. When Mr. Woolen wonders what he should do with $3500, Yemana says that he can get 20:1 odds on a horse at the race track.
- Inconvenient Itch: Barney is driven to distraction by how much his foot in the cast itches.
- Miranda Rights: Wojo is reading Mr. Newell his rights, but since Mr. Newell is deaf, Wojo is having to scream "YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT" at the top of his lungs. It irritates the other detectives and Mr. Newell is so deaf that even that doesn't work. Finally Barney points out that Wojo has the Miranda warning on a card.
- Money Fetish: Yemana wants to watch Mr. Woolen count out his $3500, because, as Yemana states plainly, "It turns me on."
- Sophisticated as Hell: Yemana, trying to console Mr. Woolen when Woolen realizes he has to wait one more day for his money, delivers another weird piece of family wisdom from his grandfather.Yemana: The anticipation of one's dreams is greater than the realization of one's ambitions. Unless one blows it altogether.
- Thought-Aversion Failure: Fish asks if Barney's foot in the cast itches. Barney says no, it does not. Fish then goes on a little spiel about how usually people who wear a cast start itching, and it's so annoying, and all you want to do is scratch the itch but you can't reach it...and with that Barney's foot starts itching.
