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Screencaps for Ep 4.02 added

I have just added theĀ screencaps for The Glass Dart Board to the episodes' page. Newly promoted Captain Joseph Keely, an old companion of Mike, and his force is challenged by a sniper who randomly fires at the Balboa Towers, a new high-rise office building in downtown San Francisco, killing innocent people. Soon after, the building's manager receives a ransom demand in the amount of a million dollars - threatening him with more attacks and dead people in case he would not fulfill the claim. Homicide designs a broadly conceived observation of the building, however, the new Captain (who is rather a formalist among the force) interferes by applying his own tactical approaches - which is much to Mike's dislike since Keely also moves personnel from the streets and observation spots back to headquarters for research. Keely wants the department to systematically identify and catch the assassin by using 'PERT - Program Evaluation and Review Technique', a method he developed. This is much in contrary to the regular street and observation work pursued through Mike's operation, and the intermediate results aren't convincing either. The disagreement between the two former companions is getting even worse when Keely intervenes in a nightly chase which finally leads the police to lose the scent of the sniper - but following this decisive blowback, Keely pulls back from operations decisions and clears the way for Mike and Steve to go ahead. It turns out that it's not a former employee of the company that actually raised the building or of the hundreds of businesses based in the office towers - but a man who was forced to sell his property to the company which designed and built Balboa Towers and is now seeking payback. Homicide is on a race against the time as Truax already announced additional shooting and possible victims within the next few hours.

This episode has got a nice variety of downtown filming locations - most of which are still existing. In the opening scene, Mike picks up Steve at his house on telegraph hill. They are crusing down Union St towards Washington Square, and passing by Two Embarcadero Center at Sacramento and Front Streets, just before we see Truax shooting at One Embarcadero Center from a rooftop which turns out to be at 500 Sansome Street when he leaves the building. He then changes location, parks his car on California just off Front Street, and enters a building for another rooftop shooting. This area was demolished and rebuilt in the late 1970's, the block east of California and Front houses the office tower at 101 California Street nowadays. Mike and Steve are talking to 'Balboa Towers' (i.e. Embarcadero Center) manager Eli Mason in his office on an upper floor of Two Embarcadero Center, and Truax moves on to the Vaillancourt Fountain for his next shooting on the building (the stairway leading right 'into' the sculpture is still there today). By night, Truax parks his car at the intersection of Clay and Davis Streets, firing at Two Embarcadero again. Following the failed chase due to Captain Keely's decisions, Mike has a debate with him on Ferry Plaza, and the following day Truax fires at Two Embarcadero from a hotel room at the Hyatt Regency. The failed ransom pay & bust takes place at Golden Gate Park, and being on Truax' trail, Mike and Steve are asking questions at the architects' office which is housed in former ferry boat 'Klamath' moured at Pier 5. They are finally arriving at Truax's aparment which is located on a dead end of Green Street - actually just one block away from Steve's apartment.

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Some design elements taken from the official CBS/Paramount DVD release - with thanks! :)