Written by Paul Bernbaum
Directed by Kim Manners
Airdate: May 24, 1987
Guest Stars: Liane Curtis (Lauren Carlson); Scott Schwartz (Jordan); Byron Thames (Dylan)
"Bad Influence" splits the difference between a hard-edged storyline about a High School student engaged in sex work, while the other story follows two teens who steal $12,000 from a broken ATM and go on a spending spree.
Hoffs and Ioki are assigned to the High School with the suspected prostitution ring. Boys at the school are gossiping about one Lauren Carlson, a girl who will allegedly provide sex for money. Hoffs befriends Lauren who seems focused on her studies. Meanwhile, Ioki revisits the humiliations of gym class and hears more rumors about Lauren in the locker room.
Hanson and Penhall are assigned to track down two missing teens Jordan and Dylan. Both latchkey kids, their negligent parents fear the worse. The episode follows them as they run up hotel bills, buy motorcycles, and attempt to enter a strip club. Eventually, they are located at an arcade impressing girls and are arrested for grand larceny (making them to even cooler to the girls). Back at home, a Hollywood screenwriter wants to tell their story.
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| Busted at the arcade |
Ioki confirms Lauren is involved in prostitution when he sets her up for a sting, while Hoffs connects her activities as a front for a burglary ring, she provides security codes to her stepfather who rob the houses, while enabling her mom's drug habit. Hoffs reveals to Lauren she's a cop and wants to help her out of her situation. They break up the burglary ring, but Lauren has left town. Hoffs reflects how Lauren was used by everyone, including her.
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| Fuller and Hoffs discuss undercover ethics |
The parallel story approach made for a fast-paced episode. Few of the stories so far have explored the ethics of undercover work. While the operation stopped the crimes, it also failed to help Lauren, an innocent teen forced into an awful situation. As Fuller tells Hoffs, "we're police officers, not social workers." Depp and DeLuise have comedic chemistry by this point, which would become one of the endearing hallmarks of the series.
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