Review: 'NYPD Blue' - 11/24/1998

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 as good as any other actor 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 truthful take 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.