Homicide Episode Guide: The Old and The Dead

Written by Randall Anderson; story by Henry Bromell and Jorge Zamacona

Directed by Michael Fields

                                  ‘Homicide’ may have handled the shooting of the three detectives in atypical fashion. But they handle the detectives return in a typical  TV way. Even although Stan Bolander took a bullet in the head and Kay Howard took one in the heart less than a week ago, yet here they are returning to work less than a week later.  Not only is this dramatically cheap, its misses a great opportunity to get drama out of the long recovery process. (Then again, maybe the writers hurried the detectives return because they didn’t know  if they would be back next year.)

           That complaint aside ‘The Old and the Dead’ is a very effective  episode of the series, mainly because it focuses the attention on  Ned Beatty in a Bolander centered episode, the first that we have had since ‘Crosetti’. Even though his recovery is fake, Bolander’s reactions to what has happened--- the shooting, the possible brain damage, his concerned that he can still function as a detective---- are genuine.  And though its hard to believe that the Baltimore P.D would let a detective go back to working cases as a primary their first day back (look what  Felton needed to go through in ‘Law and Disorder’ or what Howard has to go through in this episode) his concerns of being a good detective are very valid. At first, we see his shakiness---- at the crime scene, at the ME’s office with the victims son ----- but it soon becomes clear (especially in his  interrogation scene with the young killer) that his mind is still intact.

                                 The psychological effects are a different story. He still isn’t sleeping well and he reflecting on how his life has gone. When he turns up at Munch  apartment it is pretty clear that he has some philosophical problems. He is concerned about what will be left of him when he dies. That he doesn’t really have anything and there is going to be any sign that he existing when he dies. This troubles him.

                                 The other detectives shot are still managing to readjust themselves. Felton  is back on the job and is actually more on the ball than usual when he helps uncover a case of fraud with a man death. Howard is still pissed that she isn’t out on the street when Beau and Stan are. But she’s even more upset when she finds that her desk has been moved  She shows a superstitious attachment to it that seems a little childish. She then proceeds to show that she is still a good cop even behind a desk when she solves one of Pembleton’s case without leaving the office.

                                 Though the main focus of the episode is Bolander, something  central to the Homicide squad takes place. When the plumbing for  the  department goes down the toilet, it leads to what becomes a government scandal when Gee learns that Colonel Granger has been hiring his relatives to fix the plumbing and probably is getting kickbacks.  The scandal comes out because of Giardello and as a result Granger retires. Customarily the next man on the ladder moves up and Barnfather becomes  Colonel, a position he will hold until the series ends. But to his shock and dismay, Gee is promoted to captain despite his thirty years in the department. The promotion instead goes to Russert who only became a lieutenant six months ago. Now it turns out this game of the able man not getting the promotion is something that happens frequently in the police department But we wonder if there might not have been other reasons. Maybe the department knows what Gee did, and is not happy  for his helping create the story. Bad press bothers the bosses much more than actual wrongdoing. But did Gee piss off someone higher  up the food chain. We can’t say for certain but given what happens a year from now and what Gee finds out from the Commissioner when  he sees him, its not impossible.

                                 It is a real shame that Ned Beatty and Daniel Baldwin left the show after the season ended. This episode clearly shows that they  still had some real great moments still in them. As it is, ‘The Old and the Dead lingers as a rarety a great episode of Homicide without Andre Braugher or Kyle Secor at the center. There’s still good stuff left in these old pros.

My score: 4.5 stars.