One of the main reasons I loved this show so much was because of the great contrasts between the two main characters.
Also, as I watched the show I became more and more aware that each of the characters were not quite as they appeared to be. Both of them had very definite personality types but as the show went on it became more and more clear that each of them were anything but 2-dimensional. Where one seemed hard and militaristic, he showed underneath that he was vulnerable and - to a certain extent - incapable of dealing with the effects of changes in his life, without help. The other seemed a typical enthusiastic academic who did not exactly belong in the world of the tough cop, but it shows episode by episode that he has an inner strength, and flexibility that enables him to not only operate well within the environment of police work but also to help the tougher cop with his own problems. They fit together like a hand in a glove and I have rarely come across such a well-fleshed out and dynamic friendship in any other similar shows.
Also, as I watched the show I became more and more aware that each of the characters were not quite as they appeared to be. Both of them had very definite personality types but as the show went on it became more and more clear that each of them were anything but 2-dimensional. Where one seemed hard and militaristic, he showed underneath that he was vulnerable and - to a certain extent - incapable of dealing with the effects of changes in his life, without help. The other seemed a typical enthusiastic academic who did not exactly belong in the world of the tough cop, but it shows episode by episode that he has an inner strength, and flexibility that enables him to not only operate well within the environment of police work but also to help the tougher cop with his own problems. They fit together like a hand in a glove and I have rarely come across such a well-fleshed out and dynamic friendship in any other similar shows.