The case for Stanley Bolander and John Munch:

Dave C. writes:

As much as I love Kay Howard, who was my favorite character in Homicide and whose interplay with Beau Felton I enjoyed, I have to say that my favorite partnership was the John Munch/Stanley Bolander team. These following examples show the reasons why I think this is so.

• Stan needling "De-tec-tive MUNCH" for his slacking off on the Jenny Goode case, dismissed as a roadkill and therefore not worth Munch's precious time (so he thinks).
• Munch "confessing" to Jenny Goode's murder in a sarcastic attempt to get Stan off his back, followed by a rant against Stan's smoking his cigar while they eat, to which Stan says its still got its little cover on which Munch cites as practicing "safe smoking".
• The Big Man telling Munch to "Gimme a quarter", for which Munch hopes that doing so will finally make him shut up about Jenny Goode.
• Stan telling Munch about a plane trip in which he almost had sex "iguana style" with a woman.
• Munch advising Stan not to get flowers for Dr. Blythe because they're a needless expense in today's market (so true).
• Munch moaning about his first break-up with Felicia, and trying to dissuade Stan from seeing Carol with various lectures on why all relationships are doomed to fail, to which Stan refuses to hear because he's not a real partner like Mitch was.
• Stan blaming Munch for his poor clearance rate and shoddy policework at the Cole/Lowe shooting, comparing him to the incredible Mitch.
• Munch venting about the idiotic street name of Aliceanna and Anne, to which Stan tells him to get a banjo and go bungee jumping instead.
• Munch bitching to Stan about a Nun winning the lottery and reading newspaper articles about the more ridiculous examples of Kentucky's drunk driving laws.
• Munch's pro-drug rants to Stan, who wants to know if HE gets high, which Munch refuses to answer.
• Munch's anti-County Music and anti-Elvis rants to Stan, who defends the King because Elvis got a postage stamp, to which Munch replies that Ted Bundy would get one too if they thought it would sell.
• Munch convincing Stan to keep his appointment with the counsellor by ranting about the loss of his partner in a crowded restaurant.
• Munch gloating to Stan about his happiness with Felicia and viewing the Big Man's bitterness as a prelude to becoming an old guy in the park feeding pigeons all by himself.
• Munch bitching about the whole fish incident which caused Felicia to throw him out, then turning indignant because the Big Man is actually too busy (for a change) to have dinner with him.
• Munch mourning his final break-up with Felicia while enduring Stan's "happiness phase" at the double-suicide scene.
• And finally, Munch trying to ruin Stan and Kay's double date with another woeful lament about the futility of love.

Sadly, they drifted apart for much of the Third Season, as Munch spent more time scheming with Lewis and Bayliss to buy their new bar while Bolander disappeared into the scenery, even AFTER the infamous shooting incident. Despite a few moments, this partnership was all but buried under the growing dominance of the Frank & Tim Show (which I actually liked, but when they're the ONLY ones shown all the time, what other choices were there?). And with Ned Beatty's regrettable departure, the Munch & Bolander Team was gone forever.