User Reviews

Quincy M.E.: Sleeping Dogs is set in the small American town of Mill Falls where L.A. coroner Quincy (Jack Klugman) is testifying in the trial of Henry Muller (Brion James) a thuggish bully who is accused of murder, it's a pretty straight forward case as indisputable evidence points to Muller. However two key witnesses are pressurized by Muller so one doesn't even turn up to testify while the other lies on the stand, without the witness testimony the case is dismissed & Muller goes free. Quincy talks to the local Sheriff Frank Ollano (John Anderson) to try & get a retrial when a phone call comes in to say Henry Muller has been shot dead in a local store, the Sheriff & Quincy rush over there & find Henry shot six times. Even though it's a clear case of murder six different men all claim to have fired one bullet so who fired the fatal one? Quincy is determined to find out but finds Henry's past victims start covering up for one another...

Episode 6 from season 8 this Quincy story was directed by Georg Fenady & is a great murder mystery, the sort of Quincy episode which we haven't had during season 8 so far. Sleeping Dogs just gets back to the classic Quincy formula where a crime or murder is committed & he has to use his medical skills & knowledge to uncover the truth, it's a simple yet effective plot for a show & this is the first time in season 8 that Quincy has had a good old fashioned murder to solve. I liked the small town setting, the basic murder plot is pretty good & the killer isn't too obvious either, there were also some nice touches of humour that have been absent from season 8 & while there is a social message about justice & not ignoring a problem it isn't rammed down our throats every two seconds & actually adds to the story rather than distracts from it. Overall this is easily the best story from season 8 so far, a season which I haven't enjoyed at all, until Sleeping Dogs anyway.

This episode moves along at a nice enough pace & isn't as dull as those purely social or moral issue driven stories. Distinctive screen 'heavy' Brion James puts in a good performance as the villain as he did in many films, he appeared in many big budget Hollywood films including Blade Runner (1982) which was released in the same year this originally aired.

Sleeping dogs is a welcome return to form for everyones favourite coroner, having said that I feel Sleeping Dogs is the exception in season 8 rather than the rule.

Pathetic small town that won't stand up to a disgusting bully, then the bully is killed, everyone takes credit and the townsfolk (including the LEO) go to extreme lengths to keep Quincy, on his extracurricular high horse trying to do detective/police/superman work, from figuring things out (call in the state police already). In the end a women, who certainly *looks* like a decent, attractive, well dressed, nice person, disses everyone and says the bully was a "real man" (he was an a$$hoIe). A pathetic commentary on everything and everyone with no redeeming value and no even mildly worthwhile humans anywhere.