Title: Landmark: Part 3
Directed by: Danny Arnold
Written by: Frank Dungan, Tony Sheehan, and Jeff Stein
Air Date: May 20, 1982
Previous: Landmark: Part 2
Next: none
Guest Starring: James Gregory, George Murdock, Meshach Taylor, Oliver Clark, Stanley Brock, John Dullaghan, Jack De Leon, Ray Stewart, Mari Gorman, Carina Afable, and several others
"Landmark: Part 3" is the 22nd and last episode of Season 8 of Barney Miller. It is also the last episode of the three-part series finale, ending the show's eight year run.
It is the last day of business for the 12th Precinct, now that the building has been sold to developers, but there is still crime going on in New York. Dietrich and Wojo respond to an alarm at a pharmaceutical company, and come back with one Carl Elbling, a research scientist who has stolen his own samples. It turns out that while Mr. Elbling has found a cure for a rare disease, his bosses at Willard Pharmaceuticals won't produce it, because the disease is too rare and there's no money in it.
The second wacky case starts with a Con Ed man who reports to Harris a series of thefts of manhole covers. Harris goes out and arrests Melvin Jackson, a petty criminal who was selling the manhole covers for scrap. Harris is disappointed that Mr. Jackson didn't have any exotic, interesting motive that Harris can use for a book.
Mr. Jackson is the last man the 12th Precinct ever arrests. Barney gets everyone's orders and a melancholy day is made even sadder when he finds out that the 12th is getting completely dissolved, with the detectives and uniform cops getting scattered all over New York. Some of the news, however, is good: Barney gets that promotion to Deputy Inspector that he's been wanting for years, and Officer Levitt, who has spent five years grousing and complaining about his lack of advancement, is finally promoted to plainclothes detective. Dietrich gets a more neutral reassignment to a precinct in Upper Manhattan. Wojciehowicz is unhappy to hear that he is being transferred to Roosevelt Island and the K9 unit. When Harris learns that he has been transferred to Queens, he quits on the spot, saying that he'll be a writer full-time.
Finally it's time to say goodbye. As quitting time approaches the detectives are surprised to be greeted by many of their old friends from times past: Lt. Scanlon from Internal Affairs, Ray Brewer the wino who turned his life around and joined the Salvation Army, gay couple Marty and Darryl, loud-mouthed businessman Bruno Bender and his put-upon wife Naomi, Mr. Roth and Mr. Lukeather (the blind man and homeless man Barney matched together in an apartment), and even a criminal, Arthur Duncan ("I'm out on bail."). Inspector Luger and his new wife Perlita are there as well to bid everyone goodbye.
After the guests leave, the regulars remain: Barney, Harris, Dietrich, Wojo, and now Sgt. Levitt. Everyone expressed their esteem and affection for each other, and then the gang walks out, leaving only Barney. He takes a last look around and remembers more old friends, via old clips: Chano (a detective in Seasons 1 and 2), Fish (Seasons 1-3 and the beginning of Season 4), Yemana (Seasons 1-5, until Jack Soo died of cancer), and surprisingly, Wentworth (a female detective played by Linda Lavin who was only in five episodes). Finally, Barney walks out the front door to the office, and Barney Miller comes to an end.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Luger calls Levitt "Levine" twice. This was a Running Gag for years that sets up a Running Gag Stumbles joke at the end (see below).
- And Starring: James Gregory gets his "Special Guest Star" credit for the last time.
- Blind Mistake: The return of Mr. Roth for goodbyes allows some last blind mistake jokes, as Mr. Roth waves in the wrong direction and then sticks his hand out the wrong way for a handshake with Barney.
- Call-Back: Many notable recurring characters from the show's run stop in to say goodbye. Then at the very end Barney stops to remember old colleagues who left long ago.
- Camp Gay: Marty, camp as ever. Bruno Bender the loudmouthed reactionary takes a look at Marty and says "Hey, butch up!"
- Cry into Chest: After everyone else says goodbye, Levitt turns to Barney and says "Captain, I, uh—", and then buries his face in Barney's chest and sobs.
- Door-Closes Ending: The episode and the series end with Barney walking out the front door and closing it behind him.
- Face Palm: Everyone is still reeling from the bad news that they're getting split up when Dietrich says "Who tells Harris he's going to Flushing Meadows?" Barney, who obviously will be the one to do it, buries his face in his hands.
- The Fellowship Has Ended: Barney, who had been anticipating that the detectives would get sent somewhere together, is unpleasantly surprised to find out that his men are being scattered all over New York.
- Finale Credits: The regular closing credits featured a stock photo of the Manhattan skyline as the theme played. The finale instead featured the freeze-frame on the squad room, with no music, only applause as the credits rolled (said applause runs the entire length of that segment, including the ABC Television Center taping credit with final 1982 Four D Productions copyright, and final Four D Productions logo).
- If My Calculations Are Correct: When the clock strikes six Barney looks at his watch and says, "According to my calculations, the 12th Precinct has ceased to exist."
- Internal Affairs: Lt. Scanlon, who spent years trying to find something to nail Barney and his men for, is one of the people stopping in to say goodbye. After Scanlon reminisces about trying to catch the men of the 12th for various misdeeds (with a pointed look at Wojo The Casanova when he cites "moral turpitude"), Scanlon congratulates Barney on his promotion to Deputy Inspector—and this is how Barney finds out.Lt. Scanlon: [irritated] And I had to be the one to tell him.
- Mail-Order Bride: One last call back to the season 8 episode where Luger sends away for a mail order bride and gets the lovely Perlita from the Philippines. While they seem to have settled into happy domesticity, Luger expresses some strain about being married to a good-looking woman half his age: "I can't keep up!"
- Manly Tears: Luger is wiping tears from his eyes as he takes the photo of his old squad from Barney's office and indulges in one last maudlin memory of his old colleagues Brownie, Foster, and Kleiner.
- Multi-Part Episode: The third part of the three-part series finale.
- Pun: Dietrich resists going out to respond to the alarm at the pharmaceutical company, saying he'd rather stay and work on the manhole covers case. When Barney orders him out, Dietrich says "OK, I'll put a lid on it!"Dietrich: It's the last day, I wanna use them up!
- Wojo reacts to the news that he'll be in a police dog unit by saying he'll "probably get stuck with some old bitch."
- Raised by Wolves: In the last scene, Dietrich offhandedly confesses that he was raised by wolves. He's probably joking (although with Dietrich's Mysterious Past, you never know), but he then goes on to explain that he doesn't fit in with other people well and that the rest of the squad made him feel comfortable.
- Running Gag Stumbles: When Luger visits the guys before the precinct closes, he calls Levitt "Levine" again—this was a Running Gag pretty much ever since Levitt joined the cast in Season 3. Levitt angrily responds, "For the last time, Inspector, it's Levitt! Officer Carl E. Levitt!" Luger then delivers the news of Levitt's long-sought promotion to plainclothes: "Correction... Sergeant Carl E. Levitt. You report to Capt. Murtaugh, Detective Squad, 73rd Precinct."note
- Stock Sitcom Grand Finale: Follows the template. The building has been sold, leading to the squad being broken up and and the characters reassigned to other precincts around the city. Additionally, both Barney and Levitt get long sought-after promotions, to deputy inspector and plainclothes detective respectively. Luger gets married. An array of recurring characters (Bruno Binder and his wife, Marty and Darryl, Ray Brewer, others) turn up to wish the detectives farewell. The show ends with Barney, alone in the office, looking around and wistfully remembering Chano, Fish, Wentworth, and Yemana, before leaving.
- Take This Job and Shove It: Harris reacts to the news that he is being transferred to Queens by shouting "I quit!". When a frustrated Harris rants that he can just be a full-time writer, Barney agrees with him. Since it's the series finale we never find out if Harris follows through.
- Thanking the Viewer: After the final freeze frame, the credit "Goodbye and thank you from all of us at the old One-Two" pops up on the screen before the credits roll.
