Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)

"Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)"
Police Squad! episode
Frank and Ed having lunch
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 4
Directed by	Paul Krasny
Written by	Nancy Steen Neil Thompson
Original air date	March 25, 1982 (1982-March-25)
Guest appearances
William Shatner (special guest star) Joyce Brothers as herself Spencer Milligan as Eddie Casales Bonnie Campbell-Britton as Lana Casales K. T. O'Sullivan as Mimi Du Jour

"Revenge and Remorse (The Guilty Alibi)" is the fourth episode of the television series Police Squad!. It was directed by Paul Krasny, written by Nancy Steen and Neil Thompson, and produced by Robert K. Weiss.

Plot

The episode starts in a courthouse at night. A person (of whom only the feet are visible) enters, moves up to the room of Judge J. Oliver Maxwell, and replaces the normal gavel with a different gavel. When Maxwell uses it the next day at a hearing, it explodes, killing the judge.

Lieutenant Frank Drebin drives to the headquarters, where his boss, Captain Ed Hocken, tells Frank that seven recently released criminals were sent to prison by Judge Maxwell, making this a possible revenge killing. One of them is Eddie Casales, a bomber who was arrested seven years ago. Ed and Frank decide to pay Eddie's ex-wife, Lana Casales, a visit. Lana has not spoken to her husband since the two divorced, but says that he hangs around Club Flamingo a lot, with a chorus girl named Mimi Du Jour.

That evening, Frank and Ed go to Club Flamingo to ask Du Jour some questions. She tells them that last night, during the courthouse bombing, Eddie was with her at the movies to see On The Waterfront. While questioning Mimi, Eddie walks in, his alibi does not agree with Mimi's, and Frank and Ed eventually leave. The next afternoon, Drebin goes to the lab to see what Ted Olson has come up with. Olson says that the bomb from the courthouse was made from common household chemicals, which means that anyone with a high school knowledge of chemistry could have made the bomb, ruling out the work of a professional. The same person who placed the gavel-bomb is then seen setting a bomb in a car. The next morning, a man gets into the car, and as soon as the ignition is started, the vehicle explodes.

Act II: Richard III

Act II: Richard III

Frank, Ed and Officer Norberg inspect the explosion site. The victim's name was John Symington, a trial lawyer who used to be an assistant district attorney and prosecuted Eddie. Just when they are about to leave, they find a matchbox from Club Flamingo, and so they decide to question Eddie but are unable to gain anything against him. When Frank goes home afterwards, he receives a phone call from Du Jour. They meet at the club, and Du Jour confesses that Casales' alibi was false, but she does not know where he went instead. She also mentions that Eddie left Lana, and not vice versa.

Back at headquarters, Frank calls Lana Casales and offers her police protection, which she rejects, as she is leaving town that night. After getting a suspicion, Frank and Ed are outside Mimi's house, waiting for the bomber to come for her. The culprit arrives and is revealed to be Lana. Her attempt to blow up the neighborhood proves unsuccessful when Eddie dismantles the bomb, and Lana is arrested.

Epilogue

At the end of the episode, Frank tells Ed that Eddie actually was in Milwaukee watching a baseball game, but did not want to tell anyone about it due to parole violation issues. Both men decide to let the case rest.

Recurring jokes

• Tonight's special guest star: William Shatner. As the opening credits roll, Shatner is seen seated at a restaurant table when machine gun fire suddenly begins to riddle the area around him. Shatner pulls out a gun and fires back, killing his attacker. He then sips some wine but begins gagging and choking, and collapses while pointing to his dining companion.
• Next week's experiment: "...I'll show you why women can't play professional football."
• Johnny's next customer: Dr. Joyce Brothers, asking about the Cinderella Complex.
• Freeze frame gag: Norberg comes in to ask Ed about some files, then noticing the freeze frame, tries to find a good pose.

Cultural references

This is the second Police Squad! episode to refer to On the Waterfront, after Ring of Fear (A Dangerous Assignment).

External links

• "Revenge and Remorse" at IMDb