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Review:
NYPD Blue
By Rick
Ellis,
November 24th, 1998
The hardest
thing we do in life is letting go of the ones we love. Death is
a natural progression, and it's not as if it's unexpected. And yet,
when we stand there at the end, and watch the pain and sadness and
loss in the eyes of our loved ones, there's no greater tragedy.
The departure
of Jimmy Smits from NYPD Blue has ironically turned into
a positive for the show. This season's first episodes have dealt
primarily with his illness, and it's transformed the show into a
stunning showcase for everyone involved. Smits has always played
Bobby Simone as a somewhat distant, reserved man, but his quick
collapse has turned that entire characterization around. More than
any other role he's ever had, Smits has been able to show that he's
one of the finest actors working today.
Simone started
the season by realizing that he was seriously ill. He was short
of breath, so much so that he found himself having to be helped
from a crime scene. And the story arc that followed has exposed
everyone around him to the inevitable struggles that take place
when someone you love begins to die.
There's the
hope, the recriminations, the frantic searching for a cure, or even
just a temporary release from the pain. As the weeks went by, he
battled infections, heart disease, and eventually underwent a heart
replacement. His once vibrant body withered under the constant assault.
And as Simone
struggled, his friends and family did the expected, and rose to
the occasion. Diane (Kim Delaney) was stunningly brilliant every
week, as she wrestled with her declining number of options.
She wanted
to be strong for Bobby, but had trouble handling the unfairness
of it all. It's been a remarkably truthfultake on the situation,
and her final scenes with Bobby are as honest and painful to watch
as anything I've seen on television.
But the entire
cast has been magnificent. Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) has been unable
to deal with his pain, and has lashed out at everyone around him
for weeks. But when he seems unable to go on, he finally finds some
peace, ironically because of his ex-wife.
In the midst
of Bobby's decline, she shows up at the station house, asking for
Andy's help in fixing a DUI ticket. Seeing her, he realizes that
his life could be so much worse, and that the best we can ask for
are people who need us and love us despite ourselves.
His big scene
from the episode, standing in the station, slowly sobbing over Bobby,
is a reminder of just how powerful an actor he can be. It's impossible
to imagine anyone else in the role of Sipowicz. And at that moment,
you understand why his wife Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) loves him.
He's a good man at heart, and those are the people who feel the
most--whether or not they can admit it even to themselves. Sipowicz
doesn't love often, but when he does, he loves deeply. And in the
end--standing at Bobby's deathbed--his simple soft kiss on the forehead
says more about love than a dozen Celine Dion CD's.
Other strong
performances came from Gordon Clapp and a returning Bill Bochtrup.
And the interaction between the two main doctors was compelling,
as they battled back and forth about whether or not Bobby had a
chance for survival.
But in the
end, the episode belonged to Jimmy Smits. The best actors find a
way to make you forget that they're acting. And Smits was so strong,
that I completely forgot I was watching television at all. In his
final moments, as his body finally surrendered, I didn't remember
that he was acting, or that this was just a television show. As
his life slipped away I thought of my Mom, and how I had watched
her lose this same battle a couple of months ago. And I cried, because
it seemed real to me somehow. There aren't many shows that I remember
once they're over, but I'll carry this one with me for a long time.
I'm going to
miss Bobby Simone.
THE CAST:
Jimmy Smits..........Bobby Simone
Dennis Franz.........Andy Sipowicz
James McDaniel.......Arthur Fancy
Nicholas Turturro....James Martinez
Sharon Lawrence......Sylvia Costas
Gordon Clapp.........Gregory Medavoy
Kim Delaney..........Diane Russell
Andrea Thompson......Jill Kirkendall
GUEST STARS:
Bill Bochtrup
Brad Sullivan
David Barrera
Lola Glaudini
Debra Monk
Jack Blessing
David Kriegel
Teleplay: Nicholas Wootton
Story: Steven Bochco & David Milch & Bill Clark
Director: Paris Barclay
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