This week's episode is the third in an ongoing series focusing on individual characters. We had Sully and his buried alive fears, Faith and her aborted pregnancy, and now this week we'll look at Doc and his issues with racism in New York law enforcement and EMS (could there be any, ya think?). For this recap, we pulled some strings and managed to bring in a guest: Johnnie Cochran will be sitting in on the recap with me. Mr. Cochran was able to catch a flight to Austin and come to my duplex to comment on the content of the show as it aired.

Omar: Thanks for being here, Mr. Cochran.
Johnnie Cochran: If that cat scratches, bites, urinates, sheds, looks at me the wrong way, sits on my chest and steals the life from me, or otherwise causes me any physical or emotional distress, I will see to it that your next twenty years' worth of recap money is routed directly to my firm. Are we clear?
Omar: Cosa, go to your room.
Cosa: The Hell did I do?

The episode begins with a few previouslys: Doc helping out a gangsta teenager and telling him that he'd better straighten up or they'll be taking him to the morgue. Doc in bed with the scintillating (and vaguely Rosie Perez-ish) Dr. Morales and talking about how he'd make a great father. Morales, who is totally in love, seems to agree. Doc and Carlos argue over helping kids who are shooting up everybody else. Then, in a weird segue, we go into clips of tonight's episode. It's like previouslys from the future. Doc getting held back by police from treating some shot-up suspects; Doc talking to Morales about whether police might have executed some people. Doc yelling at Ty for no real good reason that we can see right now. Doc trying to tackle Bosco (yay!). Doc arguing with Morales, and an out-of-uniform Doc getting thrown on the hood of his car by police. Didn't I see this same scenario last season on City of Angels? I guess I was the only one.

The episode begins in full with a fuzzy black-and-white memory of a young boy (we'll call him "L'il Doc") coming into a room where somebody, presumably his dad, is lying on the couch, sick. Mom comes in and looks worried. She is calling 911. We're left with L'il Doc looking alarmed at the body in front of him.

The screen goes to snow and then comes up on Doc with the heading "MONDAY." He's wearing headphones and sweats, jogging down the street. He's got quite the funky theme song. It's no Shaft, but it still conveys the "sex machine with all the chicks/shut yo mouth" vibe. Doc is interrupted when he spots two kids, one African-American, the other Opie-American, fighting. Doc breaks it up and says, "Hey, you kids are friends!" as he grabs them by the shirts. He gets them to shake hands and then they walk off, properly shamed. Doc is greeted by a bit of applause from the bagel shop owner, who for no real reason was standing outside to witness the near-tussle. Doc enters the bagel shop and says hello to two cops sitting and having a snack. He talks about the fight with them and then does a gentle mocking by telling the cops that he's actually paying for his food. Ah, the good-natured ribbing. He mocks their ability to walk with those huge bellies. They mock-threaten to come hunt him down and beat him up. Oh, the underlying racial tension is too much to bear.