In Full Command

When the commissioner is in the hearing and he starts pulling out the papers of the wrongly used complaint form, it's like in the Shining when it turns out Jack Nicholson has just been typing the same line over and over again.

I know the movie came after this episode. Don't know if the book did, but if it did, whoa! And then there is the slow burn of watching the men around the table look at each other, and then at one point the commish looks to be chewing on a paper and he gets up and starts babbling.

And then Kojak does like a post-mortem diagnosis thing and those scenes were kind of the followup you were shouting at the screen during The Shining. Cool, psychological episode.

In the series finale Telly Savalas as Lt. Theo Kojak has a real thorny issue to deal with. He's been working an organized crime case with a woman informant played by Susan Tyrell and these things are never by the numbers. Still patience is required.

But it's Kojak's patience that is getting tried. One of the chiefs from 1 Police Plaza is jumping into the case and screwing it all up. As he outranks Kojak you can only do so much maneuvering around him. Even Dan Frazer as Kojak's immediate superior Captain McNeill can't help him that much.

Danny Thomas in a departure from his usual comedy roles plays the chief who is like a fifth wheel on an automobile. It seems years ago he was a young policeman of promise who rose rapidly through the ranks. But sad that the police bureaucracy can be unforgiving. He offended a prominent politician and his meteoric rise to the top was stalled. So he's been hanging around for years waiting for a chance to redeem himself.

He sees this case as his opportunity and his interference is both resented and counterproductive. But how do you handle it.

Thomas is wonderful in the part and believe me I can cite some examples of police who also got waylaid in their careers for similar things. What Thomas should have done was take the hint and retire, but he was too proud and too stubborn to do it.

After the case is concluded the coda finale with Kojak and Thomas at a police inquiry is superbly acted and staged. Shades of The Caine Mutiny as another reviewer said.

A really good finale to a fine series.

Danny Thomas was a real life friend of Telly Savalas, so it's not too surprising that Thomas appears in this final episode of the original "Kojak" series, playing an eager and really annoying Assistant Chief Inspector.

When the show begins, Kojak finds some bodies in an alley. These are just a few of the victims which have been found lately...and they're all members of a particular mob. Could a mob war be brewing? Well, Kojak and his men have a hard time getting to the heart of the matter because a self-aggrandizing Assistant Chief Inspector (Thomas) is trying to take over Kojak's case in order to make a name for himself...and, hopefully, be promoted to Chief Inspector. But the guy isn't competent...he's just a hindrance to the investigation. His assistants, also, seem to have no idea what they're talking about, as they, too, have been off the street way too long. Can they STILL manage to solve this case despite these problems? And, can Kojak hold his tongue when the Assistant Chief Inspector is so nasty towards him?

I think the purpose of this episode is to solidify how great and effective Kojak and his men are...which is a nice send off for the series. All in all, a very good episode...and a great way to end the series. However, be forewarned. The ending, though very good and reminscent of "The Caine Mutiny", it's pretty painful to watch.

By the way, there's an unintentionally funny scene about seven minutes into the show. Kojak is meeting a woman in the snow. But it doesn't take a genius to notice that it's not snow but foam that's been sprayed everywhere. It is VERY obvious.