Remember when “The West Wing” used to be a good show? Well, it did. So did another NBC/John Wells show – “Third Watch.” It’s a series about New York City cops, paramedics and firefighters. Originally it was focused on the characters and their interactions. The emergencies were portrayed as realistic or at least plausible. You really felt invested in the characters and cared how they evolved. In the past couple of years however, it’s drifted into a sensationalistic action series with goofy plotlines.

One of my favorite early episodes was just on, so I thought I’d share a couple of great scenes. The A plot of the episode centers around Officer Sullivan – a veteran of the police force who is accused of planting evidence in a case that’s several years old. At this point in the series, Sullivan is the father figure, a cop who’s been around the block but has kept clean. He has unique perspective on policing. In his words “We’re out here to make a difference.” When these charges surface it’s a shock for the viewer – there’s no way he could’ve done this. Most of the episode you’re wondering how he’s going to prove his innocence to the IAB. The B plot focuses on paramedic Caffey. Early on, he and his partner arrive at a residence to find a woman with end-stage lung cancer who is having trouble breathing. Caffey soon recognizes this woman as a former teacher – the only one who could reach him as a teenager and prevent him becoming a petty criminal. Later he visits her at the hospital, and confesses to her how she saved him, and asks if there’s anything he can do in return. She has just one request – she’s tired of suffering and is ready to die. Caffey struggles with this request, finally deciding he just can’t do it, more for personal reasons than legal consequences.

The following clip features the final two scenes. It starts with Sullivan talking with his partner Davis, who has just dropped by to let him know that the charges were dropped. Sullivan is recounting the case is question.