Homicide Episode Guide: Fits Like A Glove

Written By Bonnie Mark; tory by Tom Fontana and Julie Martin

Directed by Ted Demme

            The middle part of the three episode shows how things have begun to change on the show. Ten minutes into the episode, the detectives learn that the murder of Katherine Goodrich  is not an isolated  incident when a second body is found in a similar place (a dumpster behind a church ) stripped naked wearing white cotton gloves.  Homicide has just  premiered its first serial killer. Considering that murder is the business of the show, maybe this shouldn’t come as a shock but it might strain some sensibilities that Baltimore would be home to so many of them. This isn’t evident right now.  

            Another change will happen when we learn that Gaffney  has made a critical error in securing the crime scene. We see the mans true colors as he demonstrates to  Russert that he is not only a racist but a sexist when she reassigns the case.  After this example Gaffney is gone from the homicide unit. Unfortunately, like the proverbial bad penny, he will turn up again.

             The case is reassigned to Frank Pembleton who almost immediately has to deal with the murder of Jennifer Lundy. Like Goodrich, Lundy is another good Catholic (she was in charge of the pediatrics at a local hospital). The only difference between the two murders is that with Lundy, the killer took the trouble of washing her face. This leads  Pembleton to make the leap that the killer is Catholic. It’s a little hard to buy, but Andre Braugher ,as we know, is a great salesman.

            During the episode, we also get some more insight into Frank, particularly in a conversation he has with sister Magdalena. He reveals that he was raised in New York in a Catholic boarding school--- something that may have saved him from ending up on the streets. He longs for the safety and surety of those earlier days. He empathizes with the victims because of their religion, but he also identifies with the killer because (like him ) he has lost his faith  Sister Magdalena asks Pembleton if he believes that this killer is pure evil, and though he never answers its clear he is considering it.

            The world has not stopped because of the murders. The episode, which begins hours after the last one, shows Felton and Russert in the afterglow of sex.

Furthermore, its pretty clear that this isn’t a fling; the two of them have been at this for a while. They eve talk about going on a trip together. But its pretty clear that this relationship probably won’t work out. Part of it is because Megan is from a very different social class than Beau, but mostly  it has to do with his devotion to his kids.  In one of the more uncomfortable scenes, Beth tries to seduce Beau by luring him over to see the kids. He doesn’t want to work things out  with her (but then considering  her actions in the last episode, including the destruction of a good suit) and he is very angry when he learns that he has been deceived. Howard isn’t much happier when she learns who her partner has been sharing a bed with, partly because this puts her in an awkward position with Beth but mainly because she can see the dangers of this relationship.

            Despite the murders, Lewis and Munch are taking their time out from their jobs to get the liquor license for the bar. Bayliss doesn’t pay much attention to this, and it is this inattention that puts the entire enterprise at risk when he is flagged for having an arrest for gambling. Lewis and Munch are understandably pissed but nevertheless take the time to mock  Tim for his crime of perjury and possible prison time.

            Much of the humor comes from this situation, but we get some from the case. Particularly when someone comes down to evidence control to buy Katherine Goodrich’s white-cotton gloves. As we soon find out Mr. Fuchs is a self-described ‘entrepreneur of the macabre, and he is particularly interesting in buying the gloves because he expects their market value to go up when the killer is caught. It is from him that we learn that the killer has an even further reach than we thought as he has killed five other women as far away from Montana.. Bolander and Pembleton are particularly bemused particularly when  they learn that this man has been talking with men like David Berkowitz and Jeffrey Dahmer. It’s a little hard to believe that someone like this would show up but such characters do exist in the real world

            And now the press had really begun to circle. Matt Rhodes has been chomping at the bit over the killer of Goodrich and is preparing to go public with the white cotton gloves on the news. Only a flat out lie from Russert manages to keep the story from TV--- at least for twenty four hours. (Ironically they will have located the killer by then, but  Rhodes will get his exclusive without the help of the Baltimore P.D.)

            The episode ends with the news that things are going to get even worse when the police turn up a third murder victim in exactly the same scenario Technically, one could make the argument that ‘Fits Like A Glove’ hasn’t brought us much closer to finding the killer. But this is a trademark of what made Homicide exceptional. They knew how to draw out a story without the viewers getting bored. We’re  getting closer and this primes us for the climax that will set us on its ear.

My score: 4.25 stars.