The pilot episode of "The Streets of San Francisco" was a TV movie shown the week before "The Thirty-Year Pin"--and this pilot was a bit of a disappointment when I watched it. While the first half of the show was quite good, the ending of the pilot was just insane. So, it's good that this was followed up by a very good episode.
"The Thirty-Year Pin" begins with a veteran police officer (Edmund O'Brien) walking into the middle of a robbery. Before he can react, the perpetrator shoots him and when help arrives, it sure looks as if this guy won't pull through. However, Mike (Karl Malden) is an old friend and won't let the guy die--and stays with him on the way to the hospital--forcing him to remain conscious. This veteran policeman might just pull through--and Mike is determined to find the gunman. However, not surprisingly, Mike is not objective and rushes into the investigation like a bull in a china shop. Can he keep his cool and can his partner (Michael Douglas) work with him to complete the investigation? Overall, this is a good episode--a decent plot, some nice supporting cast members (with Tim O'Connor, Eileen Heckart and David Opatoshu offering support along with O'Brien) and some nice character development. Let's hope subsequent episodes follow this pattern and not that established in the pilot!