Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.14 “Diener”

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sundays, I will be reviewing Homicide: Life On The Street, which aired from 1993 to 1999, on NBC! It can be viewed on Peacock.

What happened to the diamond ring?

Episode 5.14 “Diener”

(Dir by Kyle Secor, originally aired on January 31st, 1997)

Still on the outs with Bayliss, Pembleton is forced, by order of Giardello, to work with Lewis. The last time that Pembleton and Lewis worked together, the result was chaos. Lewis didn’t have any patience for Pembleton’s arrogance and Pembleton obviously didn’t respect Lewis as a detective. This time, it goes a bit smoother. Pembleton, thanks to Bayliss, has learned how to work with others and Lewis, having lost Crosetti and seen Kellerman pushed to the edge of suicide, is a bit more sensitive than we’ve seen in the past.

The victim is a rich woman who liked to support struggling art students. Lewis suspects that the killer was one of the students. Pembleton suspects that it was the woman’s brother and his suspicions turn out to be correct. When the woman’s belongings are released by the ME’s office, the brother immediately notices that a diamond ring is missing. But how did the brother know that his sister was wearing the ring when she died?

As for the diamond ring, it was stolen by Jeff (Glenn Fitzgerald), who works in the morgue. It turns out that Jeff has been stealing from the dead for a while. Dr. Cox gets a big scene in which she fires him. He definitely deserved to be fired and I assume that he will also be going to jail. That said, the name of this show is Homicide. It’s not named “Medical Examiner.” I like Michelle Forbes’s performance as Dr. Cox but it’s still hard not to feel that, at least as far as the fifth season is concerned, the show is sometimes a bit too quick to try to force her into every story.

While Pembleton solved there case, his wife considered leaving him. Bayliss tried to warn Pembleton but Pembleton shrugged off Bayliss’s comment. In fact, Pembleton told Bayliss that he’s fine no longer working with him. I nearly screamed with frustration. Seriously, you two — work it out!

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.13 “Have A Conscience”

Posted on June 14, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Luther Mahoney returns.

Episode 5.13 “Have A Conscience”

(Dir by Uli Edel, originally aired on January 17th, 1997)

Mike Kellerman is back on the job but he’s still angry. He’s angry that the U.S. Attorney didn’t officially announce that he had been cleared. He’s angry because he feels that his fellow detectives failed to support him when he was at his lowest. He’s angry because people like Roger Gaffney continue to assume that he’s guilty.

Given how angry Kellerman is, the last thing he needs to get stuck with another case involving the arrogant and apparently untouchable Luther Mahoney. However, that is exactly what Kellerman gets when an Asian shopkeeper is gunned down after trying to chase one of Mahoney’s crews off the corner. Everyone knows that Mahoney is behind the murder but, as always, there’s not enough evidence to take him down. Witnesses won’t talk. No one can connect Mahoney directly to the murder. While the smug Mahoney heads off to a fund raiser, a bitter Kellerman goes to his boat and considers suicide.

Fortunately, Lewis barges onto the boat and keeps Kellerman from shooting himself. This episode reveals a lot about Homicide’s less heralded pair of detectives. Kellerman is desperate for his father’s approval and he has a huge chip on his shoulder. Just the fact that anyone would even consider the idea that Kellerman would ever take a bribe is enough to set Kellerman off and Kellerman does not easily forgivce. Lewis, meanwhile, is still haunted by the death Crosetti.

The majority of this episode is just Lewis talking to Kellerman and Kellerman talking to Lewis. It’s not the most exciting episode of Homicide but it is wonderfully acted by both Clark Johnson and Reed Diamond. While Pembleton and Bayliss appear to be growing apart (with Bayliss spending most of this episode politely ignoring Pembleton while Pembleton solved one of his cold cases), Lewis and Kellerman are now even closer than they were before.

That’s a good thing. Luther Mahoney is still out there and, for whatever reason, Lewis and Kellerman seem to be the two detectives who always end up investigating Mahoney’s crimes. That’s a little hard to believe. With the number of people that Mahoney kills and the size of the Homicide division, you would think at least one Mahoney-directed murder would be investigated by either Munch or Pembleton. Regardless, Luther Mahoney is a great villain and I look forward to seeing where Kellerman’s obsession with taking him down is heading.

Finally, I hope this Pembleton/Bayliss estrangement won’t go on for too long. We just got Pembleton back and Pembleton was finally starting to accept that he could actually handle working with a partner. I get that Bayliss is upset but breaking up Pembleton and Bayliss just doesn’t feel right. They’re just meant to work together.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.12 “Betrayal”

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Kellerman finally clears his name and Bayliss takes the job too personally …. again!

Episode 5.12 “Betrayal”

(Dir by Clark Johnson, originally aired on January 1oth, 1997)

It’s finally time for Detective Kellerman to testify in front of the Grand Jury. At first, Kellerman is thinking of taking the Fifth so that he won’t have to testify about what any of the other members of the Aron squad may or may not have done. However, when Kellerman realizes that another member of the squad has named him in order to try to make a deal with the prosecutor, Kellerman changes his mind. He says that he will testify. He will throw his career away. He’ll do it because he’s not going to let anyone think that he’s a dirty cop. The prosecutor (Rebecca Boyd) is so moved that she allows Kellerman to testify that he never took a bribe but then declines to ask any follow-up questions. Kellerman is cleared.

This, of course, is something that would never happen in real life. A prosecutor declining to ask follow-up questions because she respects the witness? Seriously? That said, if it means the bribery storyline is finally wrapped up and Kellerman can return to active duty, I’m happy.

Meanwhile, Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the death of a teenage girl who was found abandoned on the side of the road. When it’s revealed that the victim was horribly abused, Bayliss — of course — takes the case personally. For Pembleton, it’s just another case. It’s what he does for a living and he knows better than to get personally involved. For Bayliss, it’s a crusade. At the end of the episode, Bayliss reveals that he was abused as a child. He also says that he no longer wants to be Pembleton’s partner.

WHAT!?

Dammit, Bayliss, we just got Pembleton back and now you don’t want to work with him!?

Don’t get me wrong. This was a good episode but it did leave me feeling a bit frustrated. Hopefully, Bayliss and Pembleton will make up soon. The Kellerman bribery subplot went on forever. Here’s hoping the same doesn’t happen with Bayliss and Pembleton’s divorce.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.11 “The Documentary”

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Brodie reveals his film!

Episode 5.11 “The Documentary”

(Dir by Barbara Kopple, originally aired on January 3rd, 1997)

On December 31st, the detectives are gathered in the squad room and waiting for the big ball to drop in New York. The phones have not rung all night but, as Munch keeps reminding everyone, that is soon going to change. Brodie comes in with a VHS tape and shows the detectives the documentary that he’s filmed about them. Finally, we learn why Brodie has been filming random corners of the station for the past few episodes.

I have to admit that I was expecting this to be a clip show and there is one lengthy montage that is made up of scenes taken from previous episodes. But, for the most part, the documentary is all new footage. We watch as Bayliss and Pembleton investigate a murder committed by a mortician who didn’t want people to learn that he was dressing up the dead and posing with them. (Yikes!) All of the detectives take a turn explaining how the Miranda rights work, with their dialogue lifted pretty much intact from the David Simon book that inspired the show. In a parody of Homicide’s signature visual style, the same clip of Lewis and Kellerman walking into a bar is shown three times in a row. At one point, Lewis, Kellerman, and Brodie chase a suspect and run into a Barry Levinson-led film crew that is filming a show called Homicide. “Real cops don’t yell ‘freeze,'” Brodie tells Levinson.

It’s a clever episode, made all the more so by the reactions of the detectives watching themselves on screen. Pembleton confesses to Bayliss that it’s hard for him to watch footage of himself before his stroke because Pembleton doesn’t recognize the young and angry detective that he used to be. All of the detectives object to footage of them joking about their job. As the documentary ends, Giardello asks for the original copy for “safe keeping.” Brodie reveals that he already sold the documentary to PBS. “You can’t show us joking about dead people!” Munch says. “It’s an invasion of privacy!” Bayliss says. Brodie starts to defend himself but then the ball drops, the new year begins, and the phones start ringing.

This was a good ensemble episode. If, for some reason, you only wanted to watch the later episodes of Homicide, this would be a good one to start with because the documentary re-introduces us to everyone. Funny, dramatic, and eventually quite emotional, this episode was Homicide at its best.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 5.10 “Blood Wedding”

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Pembleton gets his first case as the primary.

Episode 5.10 “Blood Wedding”

(Dir by Kevin Hooks, originally aired on December 13th, 1996)

A robbery at a bridal store leave public defender Meryl Hansen (Delanie Yates) dead. Meryl was the fiancée of State’s Attorney Ed Danvers. Danvers was with her when she was shot and he’s now obsessed with getting justice. He is not happy when he discovers that Pembleton is the primary on the case. Pembleton is still recovering from a stroke. In fact, this is his first case as primary since he returned to active duty. Meanwhile, Pembleton is not happy with the way Danvers keeps trying to tell him how to do his job.

Meanwhile, Giardello meets with the former members of Kellerman’s squad and asks them if they are planning on naming Kellerman to the Grand Jury. Everyone says that they’re not going to name him …. except for one former detective who explains that, if he names Kellerman, his own sentence will be reduced. Giardello even goes to the police commissioner (Al Freeman, Jr.) in search of help. The Commissioner resents Giardello’s independent streak. He’s not only not going to help, he’s also going to actively make Giardello’s life difficult.

As for Kellerman, he spends his time either sitting on his boat or drinking at the Waterfront or bothering his new lover, Dr. Cox, at work. When he’s informed that the Grand Jury has been delayed until the end of January, it’s another weight on his shoulders.

In the end, Pembleton does find the man who shot Meryl Hansen but, by the time the Julius Cummings (R. Emery Bright) is captured, he’s already disposed of the gun used in the crime. There’s enough evidence to put Cummings away for an unrelated robbery but not for murder. Danvers suddenly wonders if he’s been to quick to compromise as a prosecutor. After Danvers goes to the jail and tells Cummings that he will spend the rest of his life proving that Cummings is guilty of murder, Cummings hangs himself in his cell.

I have to admit that, for once, I actually found the Kellerman stuff to be more compelling than the main story. Don’t get me wrong. Andre Braugher and Kyle Secor were both great. Zeljko Ivanek was excellent and he had a few good scenes with Melissa Leo, who has been rather underused this season. But the main storyline felt more like something one would find on Law & Order than Homicide. Pembleton’s very first case as primary turning out to be a red ball? It was a bit too much of a coincidence to be effective.

The Kellerman stuff, however, gave Yaphet Kotto a chance to do something more than just give out orders. Watching him go from detective to detective and slyly ask them if they were going to name Kellerman was a joy. The scene between him and Al Freeman, Jr. was well-played by both actors.

That said, let’s hope this Kellerman thing gets resolved soon. Lewis needs his partner!

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life on the Street 5.8 “The True Test”

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, a special guest star ends up in the Box.

Episode 5.8 “The True Test”

(Dir by Alan Taylor, originally aired on November 22nd, 1996)

At the end of this week’s episode, Pembleton finds out that he has finally passed his firearms exam and he’s been cleared to return to active duty. Excusing the suspension of disbelief necessary to buy that Pembleton has recovered that quickly from his stroke, it’s a good thing that Pembleton and Bayliss will be working together again. Because, seriously, Bayliss spent this episode acting like an unprofessional ass.

There’s been a murder at the exclusive Larchmont Academy. Fifteen year-old Marshall Buchanan, the only black student at the entire school, has been found on the athletic field, stabbed to death. It’s Lewis’s case but his temporary partner, Bayliss, takes charge. Bayliss is convinced that Marshall was killed by a student and that the killing was racially motivated. Bayliss is rude to the headmaster. He’s rude to Marshall’s 12 year-old roommates. He gets angry in the cafeteria and starts banging his hand on a table while everyone is trying to eat. Lewis finally asks Bayliss what his problem is. Bayliss explains that he grew up near Larchmont. His cousin desperately wanted to go to Larchmont but was rejected because he wasn’t from an old money family. Bayliss has never forgotten the way his cousin cried after getting his rejection letter.

Hey, Bayliss, you know what?

Big freaking deal. None of that matters!

Your cousin wasn’t accepted?

Oh, boo hoo. That has nothing to do with the case!

Usually, I like Bayliss and, even more importantly, I like Kyle Secor’s performance as Bayliss. But, in this episode, Bayliss was just kind of whiny. Pembleton would have told him to knock it off. Lewis just ignores him.

Bayliss is right about one thing. The murderer is a student, a 17 year-old sociopath named McPhee Broadman. (Seriously, Homicide, you couldn’t have come up with a less on-the-nose name?) McPhee is a sociopath who is looked up to by a bunch of the younger students. His mother (Sagan Lewis) is a judge and therefore, he thinks he’s untouchable. McPhee is played by a young Elijah Wood and Wood, it must be said, gives a chilling performance as the young murderer. Towards the end of the episode, a smirking McPhee confesses to the crime. Even after hearing him confess and say that he wants to kill her, McPhee’s mother still immediately starts making plans to defend him and to suppress his confession.

And she’ll probably succeed. Bayliss has an obvious personal issue with McPhee. And, as far as I could tell, neither Bayliss nor Lewis bothered to Mirandize him before interrogating him. Way to let a murderer back out on the streets, guys!

Seriously, thank God Pembleton is back.

As for Kellerman, he is still on restricted duty but he did buy Dr. Cox a drink at the Waterfront and it’s kind of easy to see where things are heading with those two. But if Pembleton can recover from a stroke in eight episodes, Kellerman can beat those bribery charges. I have faith.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life on the Street 4.22 “Work Related”

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh my God, this episode….

Episode 4.22 “Work Related”

(Dir by Jean de Segonzac, originally aired on May 17th, 1996)

At first, the fourth season finale of Homicide: Life On The Street feels like a typical episode of Homicide.

Lewis, having just returned from his honeymoon, obsesses on a case in which a man was killed by a bowling ball dropped from an overpass. Kellerman doesn’t feel that the case can be solved. The murder was just too random. Lewis, however, refuses to let it go. As Kellerman soon deduces, Lewis doesn’t want to go home because he and his new wife are already fighting.

Meanwhile, Bayliss is frustrated by Pembleton’s refusal to act like a sentimental new father. While Bayliss talks about the wonder of life, Pembleton coldly talks about how expensive it’s going to be to raise a child. It’s the typical Bayliss/Pembleton dynamic. Bayliss wants his partner to open up. Pembleton wants to keep things strictly business. Bayliss wants to find the deeper meaning of every event. Pembleton wants to remain rational and focused on doing his job. They’re both spiritual men, in their way. It’s just that Bayliss is a seeker whereas Pembleton is a man on a mission.

Bayliss and Pembleton investigate a shooting at a fast food restaurant. It doesn’t take much of an investigation to realize that the shooter was a recently fired employee and that his accomplice was a friend who still worked there. When Pembleton and Bayliss get the friend into the box, it seems like it’s going to be an easy investigation.

That’s until Pembleton suddenly yells out, grabs his head, and has a violent seizure. He collapses into the lap of a venal defense attorney who quickly shoves Pembleton away. Pembleton is rushed to the hospital. He’s had a stroke. The rest of the Homicide squad sees a comatose Pembleton lying in bed. But the viewer has seen the inside of Pembleton’s mind, where Pembleton is currently lying in a coffin and screaming to be released.

Agck!

I knew this episode was coming. Ever since I started reviewing Homicide, people have told me about the stroke episode. That said, it still took me by surprise when Pembleton collapsed. Pembleton has always been the strongest character on the show, the one who never lost control and whose mind could unravel any alibi and solve any mystery. Pembleton crashing to the ground, helpless and unable to speak, was not easy to witness. Andre Braugher was a great actor and he proved it in this episode.

That was how the fourth season ended, with Pembleton lying in a hospital bed and Giardello trying to keep the squad focused on doing their job while Bayliss — poor Bayliss! — found himself once again trying to understand the cruelty of fate. It was powerful, it was disturbing, it was sad, and I think it was the type of thing that only a show as good as Homicide could have pulled off.

Next week, we begin season 5. I’m almost scared to see what happens.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 4.7 “Thrill of the Kill”

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Sundays, Lisa will be reviewing Homicide: Life On The Street, which aired from 1993 to 1999, on NBC! It can be viewed on Peacock.

This week, Homicide explores the theory that, when it comes to twins, there’s always an evil one.

Episode 4.7 “Thrill of the Kill”

(Dir by Tim Hunter, originally aired on November 10th, 1995)

Pembleton and Bayliss are working with the FBI to try tack down Newton Dell (Jeffrey Donovan), a Florida man who the FBI believes has committed a series of murders up and down the interstate. He’s in Maryland now, driving a stolen truck. Pembleton and Bayliss are able to catch him, though not before three murders have been committed in their jurisdiction. However, in the Box, Newton insists that he was not the murderer. He says that the murderer was someone who was traveling with him but he refuses to give out the name. He says he can’t betray the murderer. Even when it’s pointed out that his fingerprints were found at the crime scenes, Newton insists that that the murderer wasn’t him.

Bayliss thinks that Newton is trying to set up a insanity defense. Pembleton doesn’t care. His job is to catch people who commit murder and, as far as he’s concerned, he’s done just that. Besides, Newton Dell’s story doesn’t make any sense. Why would his fingerprints be all over the crime scene if he wasn’t the killer? Why has every witness provided a description that roughly fits Newton Dell?

Strangely, neither man seems to remember that Munch earlier mentioned that Newton Dell has a twin brother.

Yes, you read that correctly. This week, Homicide — a show that started off as a very realistic and gritty crime drama — present us with a murderous twin!

Miles Dell calls the department and lets them know that he can’t let his brother go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Soon, all of the cops are pulling up outside of a convenience store. Miles (also played by Jeffrey Donovan) is waiting for them. In the store, a dead clerk is sprawled out on the floor. So, that’s another murder that occurred because Pembleton and Bayliss somehow overlooked the evil twin theory!

The entire tone of this episode feels different from every episode that preceded it. With this episode, we hear the tortured inner thoughts of Miles Dell, we get some random slow motion, and we finally get an ending that is so over the top that it feels like a dry run for CSI or Criminal Minds. Yes, Bayliss and Pembleton do have their usual philosophical debates about the nature of evil. This is definitely a Homicide episode. However, it’s also a Homicide episode that shamelessly embraces the melodrama. There’s not a subtle moment to be found in this episode. It’s a weirdly entertaining episode but it’s still somewhat jarring to watch. This is one of those episodes that was obviously made to keep NBC happy. One need only compare it to something like Doll’s Eyes to see how different this episode was from what came before it.

Again, it’s an entertainingly trashy episode. Bayliss and Pembleton are enjoyable to listen to. Jeffrey Donovan was entertainingly over-the-top as both Newton and Miles. That said, I hope this episode was just a one-off and not a sign of what’s waiting for me over the rest of the season 4.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 3.18 “In Search of Crimes Past”

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Giardello sets a dangerous precedent.

Episode 3.18 “In Search of Crimes Past”

(Dir by Kenneth Fink, originally aired on April 14th, 1995)

A woman (Felicia Shakman) takes Colonel Barnfather hostage, pointing a gun at his head and demanding that Bolander reopen the investigation into a murder that occurred sixteen years ago. Bolander was the primary on the murder and the man that he arrested is scheduled to be executed in just a matter of hours. The woman with the gun is the man’s daughter. Russert wants to bring in the hostage negotiators but Giardello instead orders Bolander to take a look at the files and the evidence and to try to see if he arrested the wrong man.

I’m not really sure I buy Giardello’s response. Giardello claims he has no choice but actually, it seems to me that Giardello is setting a dangerous precedent. In Baltimore, if you think a relative has been wrongly convicted, you can apparently just take someone hostage and demand the case be reopened. I’m not sure those are the rules that anyone wants to set.

Now, of course, it turns out that Bolander did arrest the wrong guy. It perhaps would have been more interesting if Bolander had look at the files and said, “Yeah, I got the right guy,” but then this episode wouldn’t be able to make a statement against the death penalty. Bolander realizes that he made a mistake and also that the actual murderer is a man who committed suicide that very evening.

While that’s going on, Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the death of an elderly woman who appears to have slipped and drowned in her bathtub. Her husband (Barnard Hughes) seems to be heartbroken. Of course, the husband actually killed her. He has fallen in love with another woman and he killed his wife so that he could be with her. I preferred this storyline to the Bolander one, just because it featured a lot of Pembleton/Bayliss scenes and a good performance from Barnard Hughes.

Finally, Munch hired a new bartender. He didn’t bother to tell his partners beforehand but how could Lewis and Bayliss possibly complain about Munch hiring Jerry Stiller to tend bar? (Technically, Stiller was playing an Irishman named McGonical.) This was a minor but likeable storyline, mostly because of Jerry Stiller’s likably bizarre performance.

So, this was yet another good but not great episode. The Bolander storyline was a bit too melodramatic for its own good. It’s not the sort of thing that would have happened during the show’s first two seasons, back when the whole point was to be realistic. But that Bayliss/Pembleton storyline featured the show’s two most compelling characters doing what they did did best. This episode was not perfect but it held my attention nonetheless.

Retro Television Review: Homicide: Life On The Street 3.14 “Dead End”

Posted on June 22, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, the elusive Glenn Holton is captured but is really the shooter? Read on and find out!

Episode 3.13 “Dead End”

(Dir by Whitney Ransick, originally aired on February 3rd, 1995)

There’s a truly remarkable moment in this week’s episode of Homicide.

Glenn Holton (Steve Hofvendahl) has finally been arrested and is sitting in the Box. Holton is the pedophile who is suspected of murdering a child. Last week, Felton, Bolander, and Howard were all shot while trying to serve a warrant for his arrest. Bayliss and Pembleton are interviewing him, attempting to get him to confess to shooting the detectives.

At first, Holton is adamant that he did not shoot anyone. But as Pembleton and Bayliss shout at him and tell him about all the things that are going to happen to him as a sex offender in prison, Holton’s demeanor starts to change. He becomes desperate and confused and suddenly, he confesses to shooting the detectives. The only problem is that the story Holton comes up with doesn’t match the facts of the case. He claims that he shot the detectives on the roof of his apartment building. He claims they were coming at him. When asked what type of gun he used, Holton says it was just some gun that he bought on the street. The more Holton talks, the more obvious it becomes that, while he did murder the child, he didn’t shoot the detectives.

It’s an interesting scene because it shows just how easy it could be to get a false confession out of a suspect. It’s left ambiguous as to whether or not Holton was lying because he preferred to be sent to prison for shooting a cop instead of killing a kid or if maybe Holton actually had deluded himself into thinking he was the shooter. If Bayliss and Pembleton hadn’t asked him follow-up questions about the shooting, Holton probably would have been charged with the shooting. He did, after all, confess.

Holton’s going to jail for murder but the shooter is still out there. Who fired the gun? I suspect I know, just because next week’s episode features a special guest star. But we’ll talk about that next week!

The interrogation scene was the highlight of this week’s episode. Still, I enjoyed the scenes of Munch working with Bolander’s ex-partner Mitch and struggling to hide his jealousy. (Bolander is always complaining that Mitch was a far better partner than Munch.) I was a bit less interested in this week’s Russert plot. Megan was told to investigate whether or not Giardello was at fault for the detectives going to the wrong apartment. She discovered Giardello did approve and initial the warrant without double-checking the address. Giardello was prepared to take the blame but Russet instead lied and claimed that, because of budget cuts, she and Giardello were both often rushed into signing things without getting a chance to fully examine them. I’m not sure that’s a particularly good excuse but it worked.

At the hospital, Howard woke up from her coma. Bolander is still in his coma and was not present during this episode. (From what I’ve read, Ned Beatty was apparently not happy with the whole shooting storyling, feeling that it went against the realism that was supposed to be Homicide’s calling card.) Lewis and Felton had a heart-to-heart about what it’s like to lose one’s partner. It was an effective scene, even if Felton has become a bit of a one-note character.

This was a good episode and a marked improvement on last week. I look forward to seeing how things conclude (or if they even do conclude) in the next episode.