“I thought I could handle my brown.” – Det. Peralta

Stacy Keach is an old, gruff, hard-drinking, casually racist journalist who visits the precinct for an article he’s writing. Peralta turns into a stoked fanboy because the old-timer is the author of a 1970s cop book that he loves. Keach was great and game for anything in this episode. I watch lots of American Greed on CNBC, so I’m biased.

Peralta and Santiago go to a bar with him, but Santiago leaves Peralta with him after she can’t take Keach’s racial insensitivity. To impress him and show he’s not a “hair bag,” Peralta tries to keep up drinking with him. While stupidly trying to work the next day hungover, he finds out from the geezer he lobbed drunken insults at Sergeant Holt. The journalist wants to use his quotes for the news article, and Peralta’s freaked out about Holt finding out. Peralta even punches the old fart after he insults him in the sauna. Holt finds out and sends Peralta home, but Santiago saves the wise-ass detective by telling Holt that Peralta hit the journalist because he said a gay slur about Pope. All is saved. Don’t worry. I’m sure Peralta will forget this sweetness, learn nothing and return to being an 8-year-old making cock jokes in no time. His grandma calls him Pineapples.

The episode’s only b-plot was Jeffords and Boyle’s attempt to prep the tough Diaz (complete with a ladie’s room wardrobe makeover) before a court testimony. Michael Scur and Daniel J. Goor created Parks and Recreation and this show, and Diaz is sort of this show’s April Ludgate in that she really doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her and she’s awesome.

What did you think?