Depressing alcoholism story filled with plot holes Dying for a Drink begins with Dr. Asten (John S. Ragin) asking Quincy (Jack Klugman) to reevaluate an autopsy conducted by Dr. Lorraine Linderman (Ina Balin) after a mistake is identified and she has been exhibiting erratic behavior due to alcoholism. After correcting the autopsy report, Quincy and Dr. Asten lighten her duties and try to get her to talk to them about what is bothering her, but she refuses and abruptly takes a leave of absence. Desperate to help his colleague and friend, Quincy consults with someone in personnel who identifies the problem as alcoholism and gives him advice on how to help Lorraine.
This is a pretty bad episode filled with problems. First of all, how in the world did some non-clinical worker in the personnel department manage to diagnose Lorraine with alcoholism without even knowing or meeting her? Not even Quincy or Asten, both doctors working in close proximity to Lorraine on a daily basis, were able to figure this out but somehow a personnel department worker did? Lorraine's behavior could have been attributed to any number of things including drugs, depression, or any number of illnesses, but somehow this woman eliminates all of that without even an examination. Then later when this all-knowing personnel worker confronts Lorraine she makes a comment saying "I had to look at your medical file" to which Lorraine replies "That is none of the county's business" which is absolutely correct. Wouldn't this be a violation of her privacy as Lorraine had not authorized a third party to look at her medical records, and again, you're personnel and not a doctor! Stupid all around! I further found Quincy's scene chastising the other coroner lab workers for the way they reacted to Lorraine to be completely out of line. Considering that he couldn't even figure out what was wrong and didn't know what to do about it either made this come across as very hypocritical.
I would say that the only highlight of this one for me was another guest starring appearance by Ina Balin, who gives her all in these Quincy performances even when the script is poor. I live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and would be remiss if I didn't mention in one of these reviews that Ina Balin grew up in this area and attended the Montessori Children's Village boarding school for several years, so it is nice to see someone raised locally appearing so frequently in the series. Otherwise, this is a pretty depressing and sloppy episode with no crime or mystery featured, and while it does address an important problem, it does not do so in a competent manner. Don't look for a cheery final scene at Danny's either if you watch, as the abrupt conclusion is just as much of a bummer as the rest of the story.