In the Heat of the Night (TV Series) Stranger in Town (1989) User Reviews

Different suspects

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 19 January 2021]

There's a difference of opinion between Carroll O'Connor and Howard Rollins on whom to focus on as a prime suspect in the death of a prostitute from the Bottoms in this episode.

Rollins thinks that Maceo Walker who is a strong arm guy and would be pimp to Sparta's working girls.

On the other hand that homicide coincides with he arrival of Eric Pierpont who is filling in as a short order cook at Lois Nettleton's cafe. There might be a bit of a personal angle for O'Connor here.

All I can say is to some degree both are right.

Socially Reprehensible

[pioneer64 · 1/10 · 4 August 2021]

I'm not sure where to begin here. First, the portrayal of Black characters in this episode is morally inexcusable: every Black woman in this episode is a prostitute, and a couple of them are awful mothers, as well. Thus, Black femininity is irrevocably linked to the "Jezebel" stereotype of the hyper sexual Black woman, and one who doesn't care about her kids, at that.

Secondly, the acting is just terrible, and not just from guest stars: Howard Rollins' performance in this episode is akin to listening to nails on a chalkboard. What is more, his character's obsession with "saving" just one of the prostitutes in the episode-despite there being an entire neighborhood devoted to the world's oldest profession-demeans and dehumanizes all of the other sex workers in the episode. Why, I want to know, are the irredeemable and unworthy of "salvation?" And why must these women be saved? I'm all for Rollins' character putting away the local pimp so he can no longer extort money from the women doing the actual work, but why must he spend the entire episode demeaning sex workers and the work they do?