Partial nudity! Love it!
Previously on NYPD Blue -- Rat Squad, aka IAB, is pressuring the Blue squad to find Denby's girlfriend to prove that they aren't drug mules; Denby gives Di his ex's name; Sip forces a leukemia test on Theo; Di and Ricky move from sitting in a tree to doing it in a tree.
Ricky wakes up in Di's apartment. Morning. Morning. This is a little awkward. How you doin'? Good? Ricky starts with, "Look Di, if I pushed you into anything…" Di says she's a big girl! Ba ha. She means she's an adult, and she can fuck some guy if she wants to and it's not a big deal. Because Kim Delaney is petite. And Di may care for Ricky, but fucking someone right off the bat? Smells like a fling. And there's nothing wrong with getting your fling on. Oy, except Ricky has a girlfriend. Oh well. Heh heh. They both say they enjoyed themselves and the mood switches from awkward to sweet, and a little tender. Maybe even delicious. Di suggests they not tell anyone at work. Duh! Ricky says he cares for her but that "maybe it was a one time only." Di goes, "If you think we can do that," meaning, "Try and stop yourself from wanting me again, you meaty thing, you, and I'll try and fight you off when you come a knockin'." Di offers breakfast, he refuses, he says something about her going to the shower first, and she says, "Get a good look." Okay then! Di walks off to the bathroom, covering her breast coyly, then turns a corner and BOOM, there's her tiny ass. So cute! Ricky does that looking up and groaning thing I've heard men do when they totally look at women's asses.
Whoosh! Subway! Pounding drums! Gritty grit!
Hospital. Sip looks at his watch and grumbles. He hates to wait. So, why draw this out -- it's good news! Red blood cell count is almost normal! THEO DOES NOT HAVE CANCER! No more shots! No more pain! No more grit? Naah. It can't be. He has to come back in six months, "just to be safe." Bum bum buumm!
Sip and Ricky walk up to a crime scene by the river. Ricky has that glowing, "freshly laid" look about him. Sip is practically skipping. They should totally start singing or something, à la Cop Rock. Sip says good morning to a bum. The hell? He even called him "sir!" Dude. This is so not normal. Sip tells Ricky that Theo is okay, and Ricky is happy. Oh, and there's "another dead cabbie -- cabbie shot dead." Robbery? Ricky says, "It's a dangerous occupation driving a hack." Uh. DOY. Ricky and Sip stroll away and Sip says, "You know, it's beautiful down here by the river!" Their minds are so totally elsewhere.
Station house. The moody keyboard music has some strange singing over it. What is that, German? Mary, braless, runs up the steps after Ricky and Sip. She's all like, here's a note I wrote, just check in the box if you still like me. Ricky balls up the paper and throws it at Sip. Mary runs up the stairs, crying. Sip laughs. Well, almost. There are a million people in suits occupying Fancy's office. Fancy looks mildly annoyed. Sip says it looks like "a brokerage firm." Suit fest! Hey, John's got a new haircut. Sip not only notices, but also COMPLIMENTS it. Wink wink! Sip's in a good mood, people! The suit brigade is the limo commission which ponied up a hundred grand to solve the cabbie murder! Limo dude says, "Guys, we got a wack job. It's your case, but we want to share information." Sip says he's into sharing. Ricky and Fancy throw him a look. Hey guys! This week, Sip is in a good mood, okay? Fancy says, "You don't seem like yourself." Sip yells, "I must be somebody!" Ricky explains about Theo. Hey, that's great. Ricky makes a crack about working with the muckity-mucks and tells him about having to go after Denby's ex to clear the squad's name with the IAB. Sip says, "Hey! Nothing bad is gonna happen." "You know this." "I do!" Ricky looks doubtful, and then Sip strolls away, WHISTLING. Oh, you are SO out of character.
Di and Ricky in the coffee room, sitting in the tree. How you doing? How YOU doing? They are both fine, sort of. She says she's gonna meet Denby, and Ricky, all macho jealous, says he'll go instead. Then he puffs up his feathers and scratches the dirt.
The guy that sold out Bobby to IAB sent Di a letter, asking her to come visit at Riker's Island. Woo hoo, prison scene! Di seems flustered. Sip has a sunny spin on even this. He thinks this is some kind of Don "loser ex" Kirkendal connection. Ricky says he'll go in Di's place. Ricky is muy macho this week. It's annoying.
A man named Rodriguez comes in and yells at John to see Sip. John does his patented throat-clearing gesture, and Sip perks up like a dog that hears the word "walk." This guy is salty. Sip asks Baldwin to sit in as they lead the guy to an interrogation room. Can I just say that this is what the show is all about for me? Interrogation scenes. Well, it is. I don't need bang-bang shoot 'em ups, I don't need bloody crime scenes, I don't need…well, I really do dig the nudity. But this is where truth is told, and fine performances happen. Are you listening, Bochco? What's that? You can't hear me when you're counting all your money? Smug bastard.
Rodriguez's arm is in a sling. He was shot on the job -- he's a cab driver, don't you know. Grumpy, bitter, ethnic -- another great job, Central Casting. So, he tells his story of getting shot, very saltily. Like, "Can we do this!" Baldwin has to be the bad cop since Sip is all Happy Cheerfulstein this week. The cabbie doesn't seem to care that the bullet that was found in the dead cabbie was shot from the same gun that shot him. Baldwin can't believe the guy doesn't care. He describes who shot him, one "obese guy -- but not Big Pun obese." Sip doesn't know how Big Pun is. Of course he doesn't, Big Pun is a RAP artist, from the LATE NINETIES. He was barely famous when he died, outside of NYC anyway. But anyway, the guy that shot Rodriguez is not as fat as Big Pun. Rodriguez picked them up at Elmo's Bar, another fictional NYC landmark. And they were either "crazy or high…why don't you bring these guys in?" Baldwin says wearily, "Why didn't we think of that?" Aww, poor Baldwin.
Elmo's Bar! It looks cool as hell, all in the basement, and dive-y, and old mannish. There's some kind of ersatz Isaac Hayes playing. I love dive bars. The bartender -- Elmo, I presume -- is a stout, early-fifties black man. He seems nice, offers to buy them a round, but totally blows off Sip and Baldwin when they ask about the two shooter dudes. Baldwin gets mad and yells, "Is this what you've got for New York's finest? Cheap house drinks and a hand job?" Oh, goodness me. Sip threatens to test his liquor bottle for bugs, but Elmo still isn't talking. Baldwin threatens to kick Elmo's ass, and Elmo's like, "Is he like that with everyone?" to Sip. Sip says he's trying to get Baldwin in a class for "aggression avoidance." I can't even make a joke, Sip's sunny mood is so ridiculous.
Riker's. Ricky's there with an orange jumpsuit guy. Jumpsuit Guy dances around nervously and says, "I was expecting detective Simone's wife! Oh yeah, you're Sipowicz's new partner! Ha ha!" Ricky looks at him like, "I hate you," but says, "If you want to chat, call Don Imus." NYC pop-culture reference #2! Jumpsuit Guy says Don Kirkendal is spraying crap all over their squad, and whatever can he do to help? "Something could befall this guy?" You mean, night? No. You know, as in kill Don? Would that help? Jumpsuit Guy will go do that because "you guys are right guys." Or whatever. Ricky acts like he smells something foul and leaves.
More of that annoying "indeterminate ethnic" singing accompanies the keyboards as we zoom over to the station house. John says he wishes he could solve the homicide so that Fancy could get his office back. Aww! I love John. He also corralled some guy who came in to talk about the Cabbie Murders away from the Limo people. Sip and Ricky are happy about this for some reason.
Interrogation room. Di is sitting with some black guy in a hat, who is totally ignoring her. The guy is Freddie, and he knows something. But he wants the reward money, yo! Freddie says some dude in a leather hat was bragging to Elmo about shooting a cabbie. Then he says Elmo is a broker that rents guns. Baldwin gives him cash! Then Baldwin gets mad because Elmo was intentionally disingenuous with them. "That don't ring a bell? I'm gonna ring his bell," Baldwin says. Dude, why is Baldwin getting so bent out of shape about this? Sip, still all out of character, says, "Calm down! You gotta roll with the punches." Baldwin's like, "Is that so?" So it is. Sip says, "Take it from me." Oh, BOY.
Ricky visits Denby at CitiWide. Denby makes a few comments about AA and delivering packages until Ricky is hopping back and forth on his feet impatiently. Denby says he's on bad terms with his ex-girlfriend, Lauren, because he threw a hump into her twin sister, Wendy. "Mistaken identity." Oh, boy, Denby is back on the gross pile for me. Ew ew ew. Then he makes a kiss-and-tell comment about he and Diane that cheeses Ricky. Ricky, ever thought about playing your cards a little closer to your chest, dude?
Baldwin slams Elmo into a chair in the interrogation room. Elmo has on a hysterical 1970s rust-colored leather jacket. Way to go, Central Costuming. Sip and Baldwin interview Elmo. Baldwin is getting MAD! He keeps threatening to beat Elmo! The way Elmo sees it, it would be wrong to say who his gun rental customers are! Because of the Second Amendment! Renting guns is a PUBLIC SERVICE! Sip says that he knows Elmo takes a cut of the robbery money brought in by those guns, and that he could go to jail. Duh! They make him write down the name of the shooter and where he can be found, and then they make Elmo wait.
Effortlessly, Sip and Baldwin apprehend a guy in a leather hat, knocking over a homeless guy's shopping cart. But the Leather Hat Guy was in jail the night the cabbie was killed. Oh, police work, are you ever done? Baldwin rights the homeless guy's can-filled cart. Aw.
Ricky comes in and reports to Di. He got the girl's name from Denby, and hated the Riker's Island Jumpsuit Guy, who offered to have Don whacked. Di exhales and goes to talk to Denby's ex-girlfriend.
Fancy's office. The Blue cops give Leather Hat Guy over to the limo brigade, even though they know he didn't shoot the cabbie last night, but they don't say anything about Elmo, who Sip says "is stuck in the '70s and has been lying to us either intentionally or by omission all day." So they want to go to town on him, is what they're saying.
Sip and Baldwin skip into the interrogation room where Elmo is waiting. Sip smacks Elmo upside the head. Yes! That's what everyone likes to see. Elmo says he gave them Leather Hat Guy, so what's the big deal? Baldwin asks, "Who'd you rent the gun to LAST?" Elmo protests weakly, then gives up a dude named Hector, a "crazy Nicuraguan cat." Baldwin and Sip are like, here's the plan, and the funky keyboard starts up.
Boom, the whole Fifteenth Squad and Elmo are hanging out -- I mean staking out -- in Elmo's Bar, waiting for Hector. Medavoy finally pops up. Aw, Baldwin says he's unforgettable. That's what he is! In walks Hector, and hey! It's the grumpy cabbie! He pays Elmo for the gun, and wham. Sip, Medavoy, Ricky, and Baldwin all draw their guns. Hector is covered, but one patron won't move out of the way. The grumpy cabbie fires, shattering a pitcher, but Sip nails him. Grumpy cabbie down! Call an ambulance. Medavoy does. Good for him.
Di visits some apartment. It's the home of Lauren Skye. Di asks her to tell the IAB what really happened upstate with Don and Denby and Jill's son that horrible week. Lauren is a strung-out druggie-looking girl who has a bad memory, but "will say anything [Di wants]for a hundred bucks." She was so loaded the week she was in Canadegeuia, she can't remember if she was there with Denby and Don and Kirky's son or not. Thanks for nothing, junkie whore!
Station house. Sip calls home to talk to Theo. Medavoy says, "That was enough excitement for a year." Dude, are you saying that's all we get? One lousy shoot-'em-up? He has to be kidding. Baldwin says he likes Sip like this, and Sip goes, "Aah." This has to be the most trite scene ever. Ricky and Di have a huddle with their lawyer, Cohen. Di says the girl is no use. Cohen, the world's most boring Blue extra, says a jury might have voted for them a few years ago, but now, with Diallou and Central Park, it's not so likely. There could be "career damage." Duh! They need to prove that their story is right and that Don's is wrong. Di and Ricky look bummed. Ricky takes off for the night.
And it is nighttime, in Ricky's apartment and the rest of the gritty, gritty city. Mary and Ricky push their forks around. They have full, barely touched glasses of wine. She asks about the IAB. He gets snappy and won't tell her anything. She says she just wants to be a part of his life. He sys he appreciates that, but he acts like the opposite is true. Then, he gets a page from Riker's Island, leaps out of his chair, and tells her to "go home, or whatever you want." Dude, break up with her already. It's cruel not to.
Riker's Island. Orange Jumpsuit says Don is dead! Then he says, "I took care of him," but he can't say more than that. Ricky says he said he heard Don got shanked in the shower, and that Jumpsuit Guy is a prick, and that he was taping these conversations, and that Jumpsuit Guy is a weaselly little scumbag. Open the gate!
Ricky visits Di -- no Don, no case! Di heard! Whew! They're both breathing heavy. Huff! Jill's better off with Don dead, right? Right. "Um, am I keeping you from something," Di says. Ricky says he'd rather be here. Di says, "Then be here." Woo hoo! They're gonna do it again!
Sip reads in bed, rubs his eyes, smiles, then goes to look in on his boy. I get misty just seeing Sip in his PJs. A warm hug and kiss pass between them, and the screen blurs. They snooze together. Katie moves in her sleep, then wakes up, happy to be a family.