Teleplay by Joy Lusco; story by James
Yoshimura
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
With
the airing of the second part of ‘Fallen Heroexs’, more comes to a conclusion than season 6. It
is the end of the Mahoney saga that began two years ago, it is the resolution of he shooting of Luther
Mahoney that has dogged the squad since a year ago; and it is the end of Mike
Kellerman and Frank Pembleton’s careers on the police force. We also know that this is the last episodes
of both Andre Braugher and Reed Diamond as regulars, and in many ways it is the
end of how Homicide proper used to
work. But let’s deal with this one event at a time.
Gee’s
declaration of war on the Mahoney’s following the shooting up of the squad
room a few hours earlier, is followed
through. The homicide detectives round up every Mahoney player they can find,
smash in every Mahoney stash house, haul in every corner. None of this,
however, can hide the fact that visible fractures are now appearing in the
squad. Stivers and Falsone have a
squabble over Paul’s apparent ability to stay calm while they operate on a
crime scene. Kellerman and Lewis are now
visibly sniping at each other, and Bayliss and Pembleton--- the guts of the
unit--- are starting to get angry about how to approach the job. (In a very out
of character display Bayliss whales on an interviewee) And the fragile bond that held Kellerman,
Lewis and Stivers together about Luther’s shooting finally cracks. Not
surprising, the one who breaks is Stivers, the one person who has never felt
completely right with the shooting.
We
don’t see the full effects of this until halfway through the show. The squads
effort to find Georgia Rae have been fruitless, not breaking until they follow
a flimsy lead that finally leads them to the last of the crew. Even there is no
satisfaction for the Baltimore
At
the hospital, Frank demonstrates the fear for Tim’s safety and compassion for
his partner that he never displayed on the job.
However, Giardello--- now realizing the sin in his own house--- pulls
Frank aside and demands that he go back over Luther’s shooting and find the
truth. It is hard to tell what has a greater effect on Frank --- not being able
to be with his partner in his hour of
need., or having to interrogate his fellow detectives about an earlier
shooting. Whatever he goes into the box--- his room---- for the last time.
The
interrogations of Meldrick and Mike are, in many ways, classic Pembleton. Aided
by Falsone, Frank talks calm and reasonably to Meldrick trying to get to he
truth on what really happened in Luther’s apartment. Though it is obvious Lewis
feels guilt, he does not give up Kellerman---- to the last, he is loyal to his
old partner. He then goes after Mike, something that disgusts both cops.
Kellerman has always respected Pembleton, and he can’t believe that he’s being
accused of this crime by him. By sheer persistence, Frank manages to get Mike
to admit what he hasn’t been able to admit even to himself since the
shooting---- that Luther had lowered the
gun to his sides, and Mike had shot him anyway. Mike tries not to put anymore
of this on Terri and Meldrick, but Frank doesn’t let it go.
When
Gee asks him about it, Frank says that he will not write the shooting up anyway
other than the truth--- to the last, he remains true to his ethics. Gee than
goes to Kellerman, and tells him that he can either take a charge--- which he
has a good chance of beating---- but take down Stivers and Lewis with him, or
he can leave the force and it stays with him. In either case, Mike is done as a
cop. This comes as a huge blow to Mike--- before he meets with Gee for the last
time, he has a talk with Meldrick. He asks Meldrick for his gun and a moment to
himself. Meldrick declines. The man who wanted nothing more than to be a good
cop is cop no more.
As
for Frank, he has faced some truly ugly things in his years as a detective. But
the combination of the violence surrounding the last acts of the Mahoney
organization, his failure to move under
the sights of a gun, and the conspiracy by people he used to work along
side to cover up a murder is too much
for him. He hands Giardello his badge. “there’s no truth for me anymore.” He
tells Gee. “I’m not going back on the street. I’m never going back into the
box. I’m through. Finished.”
And
with his resignation comes to end of Andre Braugher’s career on the show and
the use of the interrogation room as Grand Central. The squad will be repaint
and rebuilt after the shootings and the urine-yellow bricked from will be
panels over and hammered up. The box will be gone. Interrogation rooms are all
that remain. The difference may seem semantic but it is not. On a purely
personal level, the show could have survived Braugher’s departure, but the
writers seemed insistent on making the squad room more ‘user-friendly’ (it will
become clear what I mean in the last season) helped destroy the show that I had
come to worship for four years. This was a sin I can not forgive, even nearly
eight years later.
Again
the second part of ‘Fallen Heroes’ demonstrates a level of violence that is
not consistent with Homicide. We have a lot of
detectives shooting felons and a lot of what can be described as unnecessary
carnage. Again, I was willing to forgive this because the ‘meat’ of the episode
remained dramatic tension and superb acting. Unfortunately, it would be a
harbinger of bad things come. Throughout the shows final season, there would be
a level of fighting and shooting permeating that seemed more consistent with a
series such as NYPD Blue rather than
this show The acting; the mysteries, the
things that made the show click for five years would be cast aside. For that
reason, I don’t regard the sixth-season finale with esteem. There is good stuff
here, but its overshadowed by the violence, and that is more upsetting than
Bayliss lying near death.
My score: 3.75 stars.
Fan ranking 6th
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