Homicide Episode Guide: Fire, Part 1

Written by Julie Martin, story by Henry Bromell and Tom Fontana

Directed by Don Scardino

In keeping with the new style Homicide had gotten, the show would also change introduce another experiment—the two part storyline. Rather than dealing with one crime for a period of weeks, they would be dealt with in two  installments. This was a  big blow to the show, though it never did get rid of carrying storylines over a number of episodes. Unfortunately, these storylines would be more personal, not criminal.

‘Fire’ was the first of three two-parters that it would do in the 1995-1996 season, Unfortunately, in addition to being burdened with that the episode also had to explain a lot of the problems that the squad would face. Bolander and Felton have been suspended for twenty-two weeks (and yes, the number is not a coincidence) and the detectives are facing severe overwork. However, the bosses reaction is not to help Lieutenant Giardello , but to consider firing him for not being able to control his detectives. In her position as captain, Russert has to run interference in order to help Gee but she finds herself clashing with the lieutenant.

In the midst of these problem, Bayliss and Pembleton are called out to investigate an arson-related homicide when a dead body is found in a burned warehouse. They run across arson-detective Mike Kellerman—a youthful, handsome  man who looks more like he belonged on Friends. Looks can be deceiving, however, and we soon learn beneath the boyish, fun-loving exterior is a cagey  and complex detective. We will also see that Reed Diamond, the actor who plays Kellerman, has real depth and emotion to him as well. We soon learn that Kellerman is good at his job when he beats the homicide detectives to the ME and Missing Persons.

As one can probably suspect, Kellerman clashes with Pembleton. This is nothing new, as Pembleton clashes with people with a pulse. And he does not like the idea of having to work this murder with this detectives help. He clashes with him over cause of death, whether or not he died in the fire or was killed before it, the victims character, what leads to pursue. But it soon becomes clear that there is something bothering Frank. He tells Meldrick a story about a father gluing his daughters eyes shut and freezes when helping Bayliss chase down a suspect. At the end of the episode we learn what is bothering him: Mary is pregnant. Not that he is all mushy over it: when he finally tells Tim about it, he swears him to secrecy and continues being ornery.

While Tim and Frank are chasing down one dead end after another, Kellerman is having less luck on the arson front. He sees an informant who doesn’t know who did the job, a witness who says she has information only has designs on him, and his suspicion that the arson was a job for hire turns out to be nothing. (Though not quite: Matt Roland, the would-be beneficiary will return to play a critical role in Kellerman’s career in Season 5.) We do, however ,learn his first quirk  about him, he is trying to quit smoking, something he will be trying to do for most of the year.

We also get some personal stories for the other detectives. In addition to learning Frank is going to be a father, Tim collapses with back pain in the middle of making an arrest—a problem that will bother him for much of the season. And Kay has decided to take the sergeants examine. This spurs Munch to do the same. And Meldrick spends much of the episode wandering around with no partner and no real prospects for one.

Much of the ‘new’ Homicide appears in this episode. The colors are brighter, we are involved in personal issues, we have Tim and Frank chasing a suspect, the series first nude scene and finally another fire  being set. However, there are shades of the old show still present. We have the typical Baltimore criminal who runs away from Bayliss and Pembleton--- because he likes being arrested. We have some of the old style camera-work when we follow the corpse of the victim from the warehouse to the ME’s locker to the funeral home and finally the crematorium—where its fires consume what the first one didn’t. And we have the fact that at the end of the episode the detectives are right back where they started.

‘Fire’ is a successful episode in that it sets the mood for the season to come. But compared to the other season openers, it is more a case of style or substance. For good or ill, the show is more conventional. Its very good conventional but still you expect a little more.

My score: 3.5 stars.