New York Undercover celebrates 30 years this week. Despite only lasting 4 seasons and season 4 being a serious dud, it is a well revered show amongst the culture. I've decided to highlight the ten best episodes of the series in this blog, so here we go.
10. Digital Underground
In 1995 the internet then commonly known as the world wide web was still in it's infancy, an extreme luxury for anyone to have. New York Undercover was ahead of the curve focusing an episode on the rise of the internet and at the time chat rooms. With Lt. Cooper's daughter going missing after meeting a stranger she met on the internet. The internet is ingrained in our lives now and the same danger resides with meeting strangers online, just now social media is the culprit. Which makes this episode one of the best during it's run.
9. High On The Hog
The first episode of season 2 is a standout amongst the series. It covers a still underrepresented group within the culture, bikers and motorcycle gangs. They are not only Black bikers but they are also geniuses.
The episode also introduces Det. Nina Morenos who partners with Eddie in J.C.'s absence. The series wastes no time getting sparks to fly between those two. While J.C. is still grieving from his fiancée's death and trying to remind everyone how good of a detective he is. Henry Simmons appears in this episode, along with a brief cameo from comedian Debra Wilson, and again this features a subculture within the Black community that doesn't get much love.
8. Student Affairs
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This episode features a topic that is still timely 30 years later, high school violence the reasons behind it and the consequences that come with it. Jealousy, street cred and respect, fighting over females, the haves and the have nots, the list goes on and on. A high school murder leads to Det. Williams and Det. Torres going undercover in a high school where a murder occurred. The episode also starts the storyline of Det. Torres injuries from a previous episode and his slow decline to addiction.
Fredro Starr guest stars in this role as a high school troublemaker (did he ever play any other role?), and Eartha Kitt as a fiery high school principal. The ending also introduced Naomi Campbell as the new love interest of Det. Williams Simone.
7. Brotherhood
This season 2 episode features JC posing as a college freshman joining a fraternity to investigate a murder. While the original suspects appear to be a racist group on campus, Williams must contend with a fellow white officer also undercover he doesn't trust. Privilege, racism, and hatred among your own people are focal points of this episode. As viewers learn throughout the episode, sometimes it be your own people.
6. The Highest Bidder
If you ever wondered why newborn wards are so secure in hospitals, this episode helps explain why. In this season 2 episode, the detectives investigate a black market baby ring. Mom's delivers her baby and is paid handsomely and taken care of to give up the rights to her baby, allowing extremely wealthy families the opportunity to adopt them. It's a very real world issue that in 1995 wasn't talked about enough, this episode showed the lengths some people will go to in order to be parents.
5. You Gets No Respect
This season one episode looking back sadly foreshadowed where rap was headed embracing the culture of violence and beefs amongst artist. It features J.C. going undercover as a member of an old friend who happens to be a rapper. While they try to uncover who murdered another rapper.
Sticky Fingaz with his over the top acting plays J.C.'s friend and rapper Khalil. Yo-Yo, MC Lyte, Treach, Ed Lover and Dr. Dre, and Biggie Smalls all appear in this episode. Which is probably the most direct episode involving the hip hop and rap culture. It also maintains an intriguing whodunit aspect throughout the entire episode.
4. CAT
3.Catman Comes Back
Which leads us to a few 7 episodes later, the final episode of season 1 when Danny Cort makes his return. Released from prison he starts his enterprise back up, but when his brother is accidentally killed by Williams and Torres Cort aims for revenge. Revenge he get's when he murders Det. Williams fiancee Sandy in cold blood. He then tries to frame Williams and play mind games to get him to break. The ending of this episode is tense, and you can't help but feel for Williams who is at his end as the episode closes.
2. The Finals
The final episode in the Danny Cort arc, this season 2 story bring's Ice-T back to wreck more havoc on Det. Williams life. It's even more damning as the episode unravels just how psychotic and a mastermind Danny Cort is. He will stop at nothing to make Det. Williams pay for his brother's death, and goes as far to cause tension in his friendship with Det. Torres and kidnap G and Chantel to drive Williams even crazier.
The final minutes of the episode you feel the sigh of relief Williams feels, while also saying damn to yourself since Ice-T wouldn't return to steal the show.
1. ManChild
This episode get's me every damn time I don't care how many times I watch it. Not only is the plot of this particular episode so sad and real, 2pac's Dear Mama playing continually throughout the episode just hit's you. The plot features G's friend Mouse who commits a murder attempting to appeal to older kid's he deem's cool. When the table's are turned and the hunt is on Mouse he use's G as a cover, but not for long.
The fact that Mouse was a good kid with bad influences, happens all to often in this life in all walks of life. I think that's what really hit's home, he was looking to be accepted by the wrong group who didn't care for him. The fact G experiences the situation at a young age, and tries to understand why everyone isn't loyal to their friends is crushing too.
Best episode of the series in my opinion hands down.
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