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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 28129" data-attributes="member: 23">ROLE CALLFirst off, let me just clarify (rather defensively) that the title is not a misspell.  As the main plot was laid out, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one: A glamorous actress from LA hangs out with Chris and Mary Beth to get a taste of police work to enhance her TV role as a cop. So we have Shannon Tweed playing Vicki Barrington who plays Dee Dee Pearce on N.Y.P.D - a fictitious show. It sounded very knowing and a little cheesy.<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_hX-5cdOK0/UbNgl-hHx1I/AAAAAAAADqI/_dGdJDS38lk/s1600/CL4.JPG" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />In earlier episodes, there have been wry comments about actors being strange, or California being far more laid back than is comfortable for the characters. Those moments have been enjoyable in part because it invites the audience into a little in-joke. But they also serve as a momentary reminder that the viewer, too, is actually watching a performance by actors where many of the scenes are filmed in Los Angeles, even though the characters are in New York. For a moment that's fine. But to have a whole episode built on this very premise. Isn't that fouling the nest? Indeed, this episode is probably as meta as the series has been up to this point. Police show tropes and actors playing cops are discussed in-depth. Chris in particular feels they cheapen what she does. But as she speaks, I can't help but be reminded that she is an actor playing a cop. And then wondering how real cops feel about that. So there's a slightly mind-blowing thing as I watch this fictional show pull apart another fictional show. Right from the start, I did feel a slight agenda going on. Those involved in the production of Cagney & Lacey obviously feel pride in the quality of their show and are aware that it's a step above some of the less thoughtful police shows. So here's their chance to have a bit of a swipe at the lower end of the spectrum while implicitly saying that their show is more real than those others. It's a ballsy move that shows great confidence. But there are hints of snobbery and conceit that go along with it. Up to this point, I'd assumed they were above this kind of stunt. And how much of a statement can this series make about actors playing cops without shooting itself in the foot. Somehow, the very act of producing this episode risks cheapening their series.Yet there's something strangely refreshing about this episode. Despite my reservations, I found myself getting into it. It's probably not Emmy material, but I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Somehow, Chris's cynicism about the exercise and about Barrington's presence buffers any cynicism the viewer may have. It's great fun to see Chris run down Vicki's TV character, Dee Dee, who keeps her gun in her bra ("I fight the producers on that every season", Vicki fires back). We even see Chris imitating Dee Dee's gun-toting pose while reeling off her catchphrase: "Hold it, big boy". It's a moment that pays off later in the episode where Vicki takes it upon herself to draw her prop gun on a fleeing suspect and fire off her catchphrase, causing the perp to stop in his tracks. A slightly silly moment, but I went with it and found myself laughing out loud. The lighter tone feels welcome after the grittier episode that ran before it, although that contrast also has the downside of making Role Call appear even more frivolous than it actually is. While Dee Dee might be TV fluff (Chris actually uses the term "jiggle TV", bringing to mind Rosenzweig's Charlie's Angels connection once again), Vicki is shown to be more substantial and intelligent. I thoroughly enjoyed her relationship with Mary Beth which began awkwardly and quickly became one of common ground and respect. Throughout the episode, Chris's sometimes brutal negativity towards Vicki (I love how unapologetically frank Chris can be) is challenged by Mary Beth, Samuels and David Keeler, and her preconceptions are shown to be keeping her from seeing below the surface.There are arguably two messages at play in this episode that could both serve to defend C&L from detractors:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">We're better than other cop shows and we can mock them right along with you.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If you have an issue TV cops, it's your problem not ours. </li> </ol>More to the point, the episode starts out with option one, then moves to option two. It's a way of the show having its cake and eating it. And while the execution works fine and the resolution is satisfying enough (if predictable), any attempt at putting a message in here feels disingenuous. So my suggestion is to take it on face value and go with it. There's every chance you'll enjoy it.</blockquote>

Verification: Who played Sue Ellen in Dallas?