Written by James Yoshimura
Directed by Alan Taylor
After the draining and harrowing experience
of the last episode, Homicide could
only become lighter and this episode features some of the funniest moments that
the show would ever do. However, this
episode would be difficult if not impossible to appreciate if this was the
first one that you had seen. Indeed, a new viewer would be lost in all of the
stories that the episode deals with. Bayliss is still getting past the Adena Watson case (or at
least being able to work around it), Stanley Bolander is still carrying on with
his awkward relationship with Medical Examiner Carol Blythe, the retirement of
the second shift lieutenant will not be resolved until the third season, and
Chris Thormann is still recovering from the shooting. Yet all of these stories
add to the richness of what would make the episode unique.
In addition to all this, we get a
great deal of insight into many of the characters. Coming to the forefront is
Al Giardello. We get a sense of his friendship with Jim Scinta, a man who
was probably forced into retirement by
the bosses. During their interactions, we get are first real insights into Giardello’s heritage (Italian-American
and African-American) as well as the neighborhood where he grew up. He seems to
be really close with Scinta, but as the former shift commander notes, this
relationship will not last now that he has retired (though the picture of the
two men together will remain on Gee’s desk for the run of the series).
We also get a sense that even though
a character’s arc may have ended, that doesn’t end the characters story. Even
though Chris Thormann's shooter was
apprehended, Crosetti has not forgotten his friend. Thormann is out of the hospital but still recovering.
In a very effective scene, Crosetti helps clean up his friend after he has an
accident in his bed. We also get a good look at
how Thormann feels about being shot, and about how his wife is
adapting-=- along with the bittersweet miracle of Eva Thormann’s pregnancy. Lee
Tergesen and Edie Falco were relative unknowns at the time of the
series, but we can see the potential in both actors for greatness.
(Tergesen would play a lead role on Tom
Fontana’s next series, Oz and Edie
Falco was catapulted to superstardom for her role as Carmela on The Sopranos). And Fontana
This episode also shows how the
characters get back into the rotation after back-to-back red balls. Pembleton
and Bayliss have the most fun when their
case turns out to be a dog, literally. A police dog named Jake has been found
dead and according to municipal code, it is entitled to the same investigation
as any other human cop. Both detectives know that this case is absurd (the
scene where they question the dog’s trainer
about whether Jake had enemies is hysterical) but eventually the
two of them throw themselves into the
effort and do find out who killed the dog. Like many human murders, this is a
case of mistaken identity; an animal control employee accidentally gassed the
dog thinking that it was a stray. This also leads to a very amusing sequence
when the two detectives spar over the merits of various breeds of dogs (which
eventually leads to a poignant moment)
Of course, a murder doesn’t have to
be absurd to have humorous elements. Howard and Felton are called into
investigate the murder of Ida Mae Keene, a woman drug dealers who was tortured
and killed with strange bullets. This murder is later linked to a crime that
Detective Lewis is investigating. (Like many of the first seasons crimes, it
has its origins in Simon’s book)The main suspect is Pony Johnson, a Baltimore
This is all very amusing but it also features
some very serious themes. One of them is our first insight into the war on
drugs. Pony owns up to being a drug dealer, claiming that it is because of the
state of the economy and everything else, he isn’t scared of jail. We will get
more insight into the drug underworld (some of it subtle; some not so ) but
this is our first real look at how bad things can be in Baltimore
Also
very clear is the levels of pain and grief that comes to those who suffer a
loss. When Clarice Keene learns of her
mother’s death, we witness a very rare explosion of grief as she witnesses her
mother being zipped into a body bag. This is in contrast to the reaction of
William Lyness when he finally admits his culpability in the death of his
mother (a crime in which he gave the killer the bullets, drove him to his
house, and waited outside while he tortured and killed her). Eventually we get
to see his anguish and pain over what he has done, but we feel less sympathy
for him considering his role in the
crime.) As Howard says before exiting the interrogation room, we don’t think
that he is entitled to his tears.
Family
matters of another kind are witnessed when Dr. Blythe’s son goes on a ridealong
with Bolander and Munch. From the start its pretty clear that Danny Blythe is a
troublemaker. He seems to be stoned
throughout the meeting, he takes a very
cavalier attitude towards murder (though perhaps considering his parents that’s
too be expected) and he wants to hear all the details of Bolander and his
mother’s sex life (something Munch is curious about as well.) This is a very
funny sequence. We are also introduced to another manifestation of Munch’s
humor when he reads stories about a nun winning the lottery and a man riding a
horse who was arrested under Kentucky Americana
‘A
Dog and Pony Show’ is too insular an episode
with too many continuing storylines to be considered brilliant. But it
features some of the funniest moments of the season along with some very fine
dramatic work (particularly by Melissa Leo and Jon Polito) The show is beginning to run smoothly
though not in a conventional way.
My score: 4.25 stars.
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