PICKET FENCES: CHANGING OF THE GUARDS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of off-beat dramas that often focuses on social issues as it chronicles the lives of Rome, Wisconsin, residents, including town Sheriff Jimmy Brock; his wife Dr. Jill Brock; their three children, Kimberly, Matthew, and Zachary; and his two deputies, Kenny Lacos and Maxine Stewart.
Jimmy recruits Laurie Bey, the criminal also known as “The Dancing Bandit,” to help the police investigate the case of the missing mayor, Ed Lawson, as part of her required 3,000 hours of community service. Maxine objects to bringing in Laurie, but Jimmy says he’s “willing to be ridiculous.” While Laurie begins working on the case, Jill is approached by Reverend Novotny, asking if she wants to take over as temporary mayor of Rome. Jill is opposed to the idea. At the Lawson household, the police find a slew of answering machine messages from Marcia Lawson, Ed’s wife. They find the dead body of Ed Lawson in the freezer. The police take his body into custody; his head falls off as its being carried away.
Maxine and Kenny make out in their police car while staking out the Lawson residence. Wambaugh catches them in the act just as they all spot Marcia Lawson walking by. They take her in for questioning, while Wambaugh is on hand to “defend her rights.” The police question her; she says she had just returned from a trip to the Caribbean. Laurie believes she is lying. The police bring Marcia in to identify Ed Lawson’s body.
Laurie determines that Marcia was planning to buy a yacht using the money from Ed Lawson’s life insurance policy. The case goes to trial and Wambaugh seems to make light of the situation. Judge Bone allows several weeks for the D.A. to construct a case. Jill confers about the selection of a temporary mayor. Much of the case evidence points towards Marcia as the killer of Ed Lawson, and also places her as the culprit of the earlier murder of George Putnik. D.A. Littleton offers to drop the case to sentence Marcia to twelve years in prison, but Wambaugh counters this offer and takes the matter to court.
During the trial, Wambaugh casts aspersions as to the competence of the members of the investigation, from the coroner’s history of mis-diagnosis to Maxine and Kenny’s romantic entangling, etc. Out of court, D.A. Littleton is enraged at the police’s misconduct. While privately talking over the case, Marcia asks Wambaugh if she can refuse to testify. She admits to killing Ed and George and says the reason that she doesn’t want to testify is that she has a book deal about the murders in the works, and she wants her story to stay consistent. She advises putting up no defense: either they will win, or the prosecution will win and she will appeal, calling for an incompetent defender. Wambaugh is disturbed by this proposal.
Jimmy lines up his officers and gives them an angry speech about how they handled the case. He vows to whip the department into shape and isn’t afraid to excise those that don’t live up to his new standards. Wambaugh visits Judge Bone and asks to withdraw himself from the case, but Judge Bone won’t allow it. He reveals that Wambaugh’s behavior in court serves to inform him of who he believes is guilty or innocent, thus Judge Bone knows that Wambaugh believes Marcia is guilty. He believes he senses a conscience beneath all of Wambaugh’s characteristics and orders him to give Marcia “the best defense [he] can,” lest he be disbarred for not doing his job.
In court, D.A. Littleton appears to be gaining ground as both the prosecution and defense rest their cases. Judge Bone calls Wambaugh into his office and berates him for seemingly betraying his promise. Jimmy engages his officers in their new physical fitness regimen. Jill talks with Kimberly in the mayor’s office about who she feels would make a good mayor. She laments how Rome seems to have “lost its spirit.” Wambaugh delivers his summation, claiming he made no defense because the prosecution’s case was not worth it. He notes: “only if we do our jobs does the truth come out.”
Jill brings Laurie aside and asks her to serve as mayor of Rome to work off her community service requirement. Laurie, speechless, accepts. The jury finds Marcia not guilty on both murder charges. Wambaugh, distressed at the outcome, goes to be by himself but Judge Bone finds him. He reveals that the child molester that Wambaugh eulogized last month was his son. He commends Wambaugh for being able to see the basic humanity in people beyond their labels. The episode ends as Judge Bone tells Wambaugh that despite everything, he is a good man. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 10, 1995 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:46:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:60653
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1992-1996
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David E. Kelley … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Michael Pressman … Co-Executive Producer
- Michael Nankin … Supervising Producer
- Ann Donahue … Supervising Producer
- Alice West … Supervising Producer
- Geoffrey Neigher … Producer
- Jonathan Pontell … Producer
- Robert Breech … Producer
- Steve Robin … Associate Producer
- Arvin Brown … Director
- Stewart Levin … Music by
- Tom Skerritt … Cast, Sheriff Jimmy Brock
- Kathy Baker … Cast, Dr. Jill Brock
- Costas Mandylor … Cast, Officer Kenny Lacos
- Lauren Holly … Cast, Officer Maxine Stewart
- Holly Marie Combs … Cast, Kimberly Brock
- Justin Shenkarow … Cast, Matthew Brock
- Adam Wylie … Cast, Zack Brock
- Fyvush Finkel … Cast, Donald Wambaugh
- Kenny Connell … Cast, Carter Pike
- Don Cheadle … Cast, D.A. John Littleton
- Ray Walston … Cast, Judge Henry Bone
- Marlee Matlin … Cast, Laurie Bey
- Phyllis Lyons … Cast, Marcia Lawson
- Cecil Hoffman … Cast, Laurie's Interpreter
- Dabbs Greer … Cast, Rev. Henry Novotny
- Debra Christofferson … Cast, Sylvia
- Nick Toth … Cast, Walter Kent
- Marilyn Fox … Cast, Foreperson
- Natalie Strauss … Cast, Marie
- Susan Dexter … Cast, Helen
- Gary Cervantes … Cast, Reporter #1
- Ed Koch … Cast, Himself