| 99th | Top Syfy programs |
| 23rd | Top programs broadcast by UPN |
| 136th | Top fiction set in Chicago |
| Special Unit 2 | |
|---|---|
 Special Unit 2's intertitle |
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| Genre | Science fiction Comedy-drama |
| Starring | Michael Landes Alexondra Lee |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 19 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Vancouver, BC Chicago, IL |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | UPN |
| Original run | April 11, 2001 – February 13, 2002 |
Special Unit 2 is a short-lived, American sci-fi/comedy television series, filmed in Vancouver, BC and aired on UPN for two seasons from April 2001 through February 2002. The show focused upon the exploits of a top-secret Chicago police division known as Special Unit 2, charged with the task to police the city's large population of mythological beings, known as "Links."
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"Links" are the common monsters from folklore and mythology (except vampires, whose existence is specifically identified as preposterous), and are described as being the missing link between apes and humans (although other human-like species have evolved, for instance gargoyles, who are identified as humanoid descendants of dinosaurs). They live in hiding and/or disguise among the human population. On occasions when Links are seen by humans, they are usually dismissed as hallucinations or optical illusions, except by those who are especially perceptive. Special Unit 2 is the top-secret division of the Chicago police specifically designated to handle Link-related cases. Other units of the police department are specifically ordered to stay out of Special Unit 2's way, which provides a great deal of leeway and access for cases.
Detective Nick O'Malley (Michael Landes) and his newly assigned partner, Detective Kate Benson (Alexondra Lee), are the two central characters. Nick is a maverick veteran in Special Unit 2. His initial callous, jaded and at times cruel demeanor is revealed to be a result of guilt over the loss of his previous partner, Julie, to a particularly vicious Link, The Chameleon, who cut her up into "600 inch-sized cubes." (It would later be revealed that Nick and Julie were having a secret affair.) Kate is one of the rare individuals who acknowledge the existence of Links instead of finding a more acceptable (albeit incorrect) explanation for the traditionally unexplained phenomena that they cause. Her refusal to deny her observations jeopardizes her career as a police officer and estranges her from her fellow officers. Kate's tenacity and conviction leads to her recruitment by Special Unit 2.
Supporting characters include Captain Richard Page (Richard Gant), SU2's commanding officer who sports a fake wooden hand that plays in multiple gags to comedic effect. The unit's liaison with the Link community is Carl (Danny Woodburn), a verbally expressive gnome with kleptomania, a penchant for armed robbery and an antagonistic attitude towards Nick, which Nick returns in kind. The antics of Nick and Carl's love-hate relationship contribute a significant element of humor within the fantasy universe of the show. Carl is completely invincible to everything but a diamond-coated saw and dragon fire/teeth.
Other members of the unit are the technical experts, who provide background, research and technology on various Links. Initially the primary technician is the acerbic Link biologist Sean Radmon (Sean Whalen), succeeded in Season 2 by Jonathan (Jonathan Togo), SU2's obsessively enthusiastic technician who analyzes Link evidence and produces a seemingly endless stream of Link-related inventions with positive glee. Another recurring character introduced in Season 2, is Alice Cramer (Pauley Perrette), who is the Unit's public relations person and acts to convince the press and witnesses that the crimes and strange events committed by Links are merely toxic spills, mass hallucinations, drugged out street gangers, etc. Another recurring character is Jerry (Mike Rad), someone who drifts from job-to-job and occassionally encounters Links. (For example, in the first episode, Carl attempted to stick him up at the store he was working at.)
The unit further maintains secrecy by hiding the physical location of the unit's headquarters behind the facade of a Chinese laundry. The detectives drive unmarked cars and utilize sophisticated weaponry and technology to deal with Link threats.
A partial list of Links encountered by SU2 in the course of the episodes include a trash-talking Gargoyle, the scheming Pied Piper posing as a children's television host, the homicidal Sandman, Jack The Ripper and deadly snake-haired Medusa, all revealed to be criminals in these particular cases. Most of the monsters are portrayed as behaving rather human-like, forming urban communities. Considering this, it can be noted that SU2 does not always treat suspects respectfully.
| # | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | "Unaired Pilot" | N/A | ||
| 1 | 1 | "The Brothers" | John Kretchmer | Evan Katz | April 11, 2001 |
| 2 | 2 | "The Pack" | Oscar Costo | James Krieg | April 18, 2001 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Wraps" | Terry Windell | Joel Surnow | April 25, 2001 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Web" | John Kretchmer | Sara Israel | May 2, 2001 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Waste" | Oscar Costo | Joel Surnow | May 9, 2001 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Depths" | John Kretchmer | Joel Surnow & James Krieg | May 16, 2001 |
| # | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "The Grain" | David Straiton | Jack Bernstein | October 3, 2001 |
| 8 | 2 | "The Skin" | Oscar Costo | William Schmidt | October 10, 2001 |
| 9 | 3 | "The Years" | John Kretchmer | Evan Katz | October 17, 2001 |
| 10 | 4 | "The Invisible" | John Kretchmer | Scott Nimerfro | October 24, 2001 |
| 11 | 5 | "The Eve" | Oscar Costo | Josh Lobis & Darin Moiselle | October 31, 2001 |
| 12 | 6 | "The Rocks" | Jim Byrkit | Martin Weiss | November 7, 2001 |
| 13 | 7 | "The Drag" | John Kretchmer | Harry Victor & Dan E. Fesman | November 14, 2001 |
| 14 | 8 | "The Beast" | Paul Abascal | Paul Bernbaum | November 21, 2001 |
| 15 | 9 | "The Wall" | David Straiton | Jack Bernstein | November 28, 2001 |
| 16 | 10 | "The Straw" | Rod Hardy | Martin Weiss & Scott Nimerfro | January 16, 2002 |
| 17 | 11 | "The Love" | Oscar Costo | Paul Bernbaum | January 30, 2002 |
| 18 | 12 | "The Piper" | John Kretchmer | Dan E. Fesman & Harry Victor | February 6, 2002 |
| 19 | 13 | "The Wish" | Michael Lange | Jeff Braunstein | February 13, 2002 |
Kate: Put that gun away.
Nick:Okay,right after I shoot him.
Nick:Would you get back in the car?
Carl:Try asking nicely.
Nick:Please get back in the car before I beat you senseless.
Kate:You enjoyed killing that thing,saving my life was secondary.(Nick smirks)Okay,you're supposed to disagree with that.
Kate:What are you two so happy about?
Nick:We just saved some guys life,killed some vicous murdering links,and blew up something big.I'd call that a pretty good night.
Nick:How do we kill'em?
Sean:Can't kill'em O'Mally,cause they're already dead.
Nick:You know what I mean.Can we shoot'em?
Sean:No internal organs to disrupt.
Nick:Ah,we'll light'em on fire?
Sean:Not internally flammable.
Nick:Drown'em?
Kate:how many ways of hurting things can you think of?
Captain Page:Sean Random - our resident link biologist.
Sean:Yeah,and Sean would be the youngest full professor at the university of Chicago,only Sean opened his big mouth and tried to tell everyone the truth and now this is the best job Sean can get.
Nick:You said the stun gun would knock that thing out for one hour.One hour!
Sean:It's possible we didn't...fully appreciate...the mummy's background.
Nick:Ok,forget the stun gun,I want a C-4 grenade.I want a bazooka.I want an anti-tank missel.
Nick:I detected a little hormonal action between you an detective Scott.
Kate:What you detected was two cops focused in the same murder.
Nick:So your not denying it.
Kate:denying what?There's nothing to deny.
Nick:There were hormones bouncing all over the parking lot,one of them almost hit me in the eye.
Kate: (tries the door) Locked.
Nick: (shoots lock) Unlocked.
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