It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on my progress through the recently released Cagney & Lacey DVD box set. I’m more than halfway through the 22 episodes of the second season, and definitely feel that the show is beginning to hit its stride. The quality of the storylines continues to improve, and there’s lots more character development with each ep, particularly in terms of the Cagney character (played by Sharon Gless). She’s now becoming recognizable as the person I liked so much when I was a kid.

Anyway, I’ve now finished watching episodes 2×11-21×15, which were called “Hopes and Dreams,” “The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All,” “Affirmative Action,” “Open and Shut Case,” and “Jane Doe #37.” Here are some random thoughts and reactions about these programs.

– I felt that “Open and Shut Case” and “Jane Doe #37″ were the strongest eps out of this bunch. Both of them tackled women’s issues and showed a softer side to Christine underneath that tough exterior that she hides behind. Loved that she cried over the dead homeless woman in JD37, while insisting that she could never end up like that.

– “The Grandest Jewel Thief of Them All” and “Affirmative Action” were good for different reasons, namely because both of those eps showed exactly how career-minded, driven, and ambitious Christine is most of the time.

– Lacey is really a nice counterpart to Cagney. Their differences are starting to stand out in starker contrast in these eps, and Lacey is definitely emerging as the sold, stable, dependable, competent detective that I remember. It’s strange to think that she and Cagney are about the same age on the show because this character comes off as so much more mature than Cagney. Often I feel as though Lacey is a 20-year veteran of the force while Cagney is just a rookie.

– Aside from “Hopes and Dreams,” the supporting cast of Isbecki, Petrie, and LaGuardia didn’t have much screen time in this block of eps. I can’t say that I missed them or anything, but surely they get more to do later on, right? Otherwise, I doubt that I’d remember them as clearly as I do!

– I like how the writers have slowly shown Cagney becoming more and more comfortable with the entire Lacey family, to the point where she’s getting Christmas presents from them, coming over for dinner with her boyfriend, and knocking on their door at 3 in the morning after her apartment has been broken into.

Overall, these were some pretty good eps and I’m looking forward to finishing up the seven remaining shows (plus the featurettes) on this first DVD release!