"The Enforcer" - First Time Watcher Thoughts - Harry's Got a Partner?!

Okay, so I finally got around to watching "The Enforcer" (1976) last night. This is my first time through the Dirty Harry series, and so far I'm kinda digging it. Harry Callahan is definitely... a character, lol. But this one was different. The big thing for me was the whole female rookie partner thing. That was kinda weird, right? I gotta admit, I wasn't totally sold on Kate Moore (Tyne Daly). At first, she seemed like she was just THERE, but she did get better, and when she started grabbing criminals herself, I was pretty impressed. Did anyone else feel like the terrorists were a little... over the top and cartoonish??? Like, the whole Vietnam vet turned criminal thing felt a little too on the nose. My big question is about the ending. Was it just me, or was Kate's death kinda... anticlimactic? It felt like they built her up only to knock her down quick so Harry could be all broody and avenging-y (not a word, I know). And don't even get me started on the zoo shootout. Like, who shoots it out with a rocket launcher at the zoo? And it wasn't even daytime! Overall I liked it, but do you guys think Kate was a good partner for Harry? Or was her character there just to die and motivate him? And where does this fall in the Harry movies? Are the later ones any good, or should I stop here while I'm ahead?