Homicide Episode Guide: Shades of Grey

Teleplay by T.J. English ; Story by Julie Martin & David Simon

Directed by Adam Bernstein

Homicide was, for most of the 1990s, one of the blackest series on television. It had the most African-American regulars, a lot of African Americans in semi-regular and guest roles, and was filmed in Baltimore. And yet, for much of the series run, cast members like Andre Braugher and Yaphet Kotto would complain that the series never dealt with race enough. In Shades of Grey, Homicide dives into the issue in a way that in a striking way even for the series, and also delivers one of the angriest - and best - episodes of the series.

In the teaser, we basically see the beginnings of a riot. A white bus driver strikes a black woman with his bus while distracted when two black passengers get into a duel over whose music should be the loudest. When the driver goes out to check on the victim, the passengers get angry at the driver, and a fight breaks out. The fight spreads, and by the time the opening credits have finished rolling, the neighborhood is rioting, and two people are dead. The bus driver, Patrick McCusker, and a Jamaican found dragged into the alley nearly fifty yards away. The squad is called out, Mike Giardello and Gharty investigate the drivers murder; Sheppard and Lewis take the Jamaicans.

The tension that's in the air spreads quickly. Gharty has never been known for the most enlightened perspective, and almost from the start, he begins to clash with Mike. The question of race enters immediately, but in true Homicide fashion, they flip the script. Mike tries to play on the idea that the crime wasn't racially motivated, Gharty pushes immediately that it is. As the investigation continues things get worse between them until it explodes in a memorable argument between the two. Gharty points out the race riots that have plagued Baltimore in the past, including one that exploded in the spring of 1968. Mike counters, reminding him that it was triggered by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gharty's starts playing on the idea that black people are just angrier than others. Mike, who has managed to remain remarkably neutral until now, calls Stu on that particularly line - "Are the mortgage rates too high?" - and they nearly avoid coming to blows themselves.

The case, however, involves even more subtleties than that. The woman struck by the bus was a pregnant Jamaican immigrant who had been in the country little more than a week. She wasn't used to the difference in how automobiles cross the road in America as opposed to Jamaica, and crossed on the wrong side of the road. The driver was an angry man who'd received dozen of complaints over the years, and though it's not clear if he was a racist, Mike's conversation with his daughter shows that he wasn't exactly enlightened either. And after a lot of work picking through the passengers, Gharty and Mike find the Jamaican who played his music too loud, who happened to be the only passenger that implicated nobody and was implicated by nobody. Like the hit and run victim, he blames himself for being so angry about his radio getting smashed that he thought he caused the riot. (There's a bit more confusion as to who to blame for McCusker's death, but we'll get to that in a minute.)

The second murder raises as much tension as the first. Sheppard and Lewis find out that the other victim, Paxton Smart had an IID complaint for police brutality against a Baltimore uniform. In a tribute the Homicide's institutional memory, the uniform is Hellreigel, the man who covered up the police shooting of C.C. Cox back in Season 2. Apparently, he's moved up the food chain. Lewis and Sheppard try to dig up another witness to the beatdown, and find themselves going to a crackhouse. Sheppard knocks on the door, figuring they'll flush him out the back. But he comes out the front, beats Sheppard to a pulp, and another druggie steals her gun, and shoots at Lewis, putting a bullet in that fedora we've seen him wear since the Pilot. Sheppard is immediately sure that Giardello is going to pull her from the unit. And Meldrick is angrier than we've seen him get since Georgia Rae started picking on the squad. He goes to a local nightclub with about half the squad, and delivers a challenge, telling that they are going to go after the cop who killed Paxton, and he demands that Sheppard's gun be brought back to him by the end of the night. When that ends, he goes with Bayliss to squad, and demands that the man who beat down Sheppard swear out a statement against Hellreigel, all the while using all the restraint he has not to start snarling at the witness. When the episode ends, he hands Sheppard back her gun, and it seems that all is right with the world. But, as we will learn very quickly, a fissure has started between Meldrick and Sheppard, one that will not be put completely right til the end of the season, and in the process, change the fate of the squad.

The episode ends after the initial people who McCusker to death are set to do a perp walk with Helreigel, and Mike and Gharty have a much more relaxed conversation. But Mike has come to realize just how close to boiling the different between the races is in Baltimore, and that's all just waiting to come to the surface. In a way that not even David Simon could have expected, Mike has a way of explaining not only how race relations in Baltimore are, but how much of the 21st century has unfolded in the issue.

It's eerie how prescient Shades of Grey could be, and a little frightening, frankly. Despite all of that, the writers deal with it with more subtlety than a lot of other series in this century would. There's a very good conversation between Falsone and Stivers in which they discuss the differences in language that come when discussing their nationalities and each others. And they go into details of the difference between American-born blacks and Jamaicans that I don't think any other series had tried before and since. Throw in brilliant performances from Esposito, Gerety and Johnson, and you have an episode that ranks with some of the best that Homicide has ever done. That said, you may have trouble enjoying this episode, even with the light touches you can't imagine any other show doing. (They get their first break in the case when a passenger on the bus complains to a Baltimore Public transportation officer that she's owed money because the bus didn't take where she needed to go.) Still, its timely in ways that I really wish weren't relevant.

My score: 5 stars.

Forking Hysterical: The Good Place Season 3 Review

Most of the series that air on TV try to stick to a tried and true format, and rarely venture from it. There's a reason that the reboots of hit series like Will & Grace and Roseanne were successful; though time had passed they hadn't ventured very far from a tried and true format.

But no one has ever explained that rule to the creators of NBC's The Good Place. Each season, it has the daring and ingenuity to completely change the game of an already hysterical and brilliant format that it has made work for a season. In it's initial season, the series involved a group of deeply flawed personalities who had seemed to have arrived in heaven, only to reveal in the last episode of the season that they were actually in The Bad Place. The writers then started Season 2 by having all the characters involved in the experiment have their minds erased, and started again. And again. Until it became clear to Michael (the incredible Ted Danson) that the experiment was flawed and things had to be done to help these people. At the end of Season 2, he made a deal with The Judge (please, can we see more of Maya Rudolph?) to have the four central characters sent back to Earth, avoid their deaths, and try to live better lives.

Now, as Season 3 begins to unfold, the experiment is in a new phase. All four characters took advantage of their near death experiences to try to be better people, and fix the flaws that landed them in Michael's sight. And it worked... for awhile. Eleanor (Kirsten Bell, please nominate her for an Emmy) tried to be a good person for six months, but then things got so rough for her that she quit. Chidi (William Jackson Harper) decided to try a life of science to stop being so indecisive and it worked for him, until one of his closest friends tried the same approach and he faltered. Tahani tried to stop being so self-absorbed and upset at her sister, and gave up all her worldly possession for a life of poverty. Then an internet group discovered her, and she became a self-help guru. Jason... actually, we'll get back to him in a minute.

Michael realized that there was a flaw, and has since returned to Earth, inserting himself into their lives to help get them altogether, thinking that if they all reunite, they'll start helping each other. There are actually signs that this may be working in different ways. Eleanor has been taking instruction for Chidi, but instead of falling in love with him, she's actually helping him find love with a neuroscientist named Kate, who under normal circumstances, you could actually see Chidi ending up with. And there may be signs this is working in other ways. Jason, who has been wonderfully, marvelous stupid for the last two seasons, initially took his near death experience to mean he should and try and win a dance competition. This naturally led to hysterical failure, but now he's beginning to realize he has to change his life, something he had a lot of trouble grasping in the afterlife.

Of course, there are signs that this could fail spectacularly at any moment. For one thing, in order to Michael to get this the work, he's had to make multiple, unauthorized trips to Earth, violating the Judge's strict rules. And now, its become clear that Michael's bosses have found out about what he's done, and are planning to upset them. Welcome back to the program, evil Adam Scott.

What none of this can really adequately express is how funny all of this is. Ted Danson has always been remarkable, but now that Michael has begun to evolve, he gets to deal with more comic personalities. His return to Earth gave him attempts to alter his personality significantly. (My favorite stint may have been when he visited Tahani as a billionaire liberal.) And the comic subversion can be wonderful and subtle. The Judge, for example, has just finished binge-watching  300 episodes of NCIS, admitting that the only way to catch up on that show would be in eternity. And there are so many good subtleties from the entire cast, from Bell and Harper, down to the scene-stealing D'Arcy Carden as the eternal Janet. (Another great line from here discussing Chidi and Kate's potential offspring: "They would be pretty enough to win on The Bachelor and intelligent enough never to watch The Bachelor.)

The Good Place isn't just one of the funniest series on television, it's one of the most imaginative and daring series on all forms of medium - yes, even at the level of Atlanta and The Good Fight. My one fear is that NBC, which has after nearly two decades eclipsed CBS as the Number 1 watched network, will decide that it no longer has room for the indulgences of lower-rated, but critically acclaimed series that it did when it was closer to Number 4. I really hope not. Any network executive who cancels this series deserves to go straight to The Bad Place until 9 billion.

My score: 5 stars.

Sex, Drugs & Urban Renewal: The Deuce Season 2

It's the fall of 1977 in New York City. Ed Koch has just been elected mayor. The pornography industry is now in its most artistic form. The new administrations plans to get rid of the red light district. The gay rights movement and the women's lib movement are picking up steam. And it's looking like Times Square is going to become a center for urban renewal. As showrunner David Simon would say, a new day is not dawning.

There's been a gap of five years between the first and second seasons of The Deuce, an unusually large time jump for a writer who tends to take things at a leisurely pace. In many ways, though, this allows Simon and his many gifted writers to take a larger look at how much things have changed in the red-light district and how much they haven't. For one thing, the world of prostitution which is at the core of the story, has changed dramatically. Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has gone from a prostitute to a pornography director with aspirations towards art that her fellow producer (David Krumholz) does not appreciate. Many of the prostitutes who have been at the center have moved into the X-rated film industry, and their pimps have now moved into the phase of 'manager'. But, as C.C. ( Gary Carr) is finding out, its becoming increasingly hard out there for a pimp. This is illustrated in the opening scene of the second episode of the season where he walks into the airport and tries to chat up a young girl into the world of prostitution, a mirror image of a scene in the first season. This time, though, he gets through his pitch, and the woman just asks him for directions for the adult movie center. This is leading to C.C. trying to figure out if there might be new sources for his talent. As he tells Candy: "A pimp's basically a performer, right?)

Things are changing in a lot of ways around the Deuce. Ashley, the college dropout who eventually became Vincent's lover, has now become more of an activists, trying to find a way to keep prostitutes safe and finding protection. Paul, the gay man who befriended Vincent, and became his barkeep, is trying to form a bar of his own with Vincent's help. And put upon Detective Alston (Larry Gilliard) is becoming increasingly peeved by the corruption around him, and the fact that the new administration has ideas that they think will help but his bosses can clearly see as wishful thinking.But things are getting a lot darker. Bobby (Chris Bauer)  a simple family at the start of season 1, now has a wife, a girlfriend, and a mistress, and has to deal with the fact that massage parlors are opening all around his business, and that the trade is getting a lot younger.

For a period piece, it's remarkable how relevant The Deuce can be at times.  In the last episode, a black porn star got pissed when she learned that she was paid half as much as her white co-star for the same amount of work. Lori, a prostitute who was nominated for  an award for her performance in a film had a joyous trip to LA where she experienced a kind of freedom she just doesn't have in New York. When she returned, she tried to advocate for herself - and her pimp hit her with her award, breaking it. And in one of the most heartbreaking scenes, Candy, easily the most independent woman on the show, realized that in order to get funding for a dream project, she would have to whore herself out again. The scenes in the aftermath are among the best work that Maggie Gyllenhaal has ever done.

I have gone through the brilliance of the series and buried the lead. James Franco has been in the press for sexual harassment charges himself earlier this year, and while that does hold a stigma over everything he does - especially in the context of The Deuce - the fact remains his dual act as brothers Frank and Vincent is among the best work he's ever done. Much like Ewan McGregor in Fargo last year, Franco manages to create two characters who have various levels of chaos in their lives. Vincent continues to be the bane of his brother's existence, and its beginning to look like both may be in over their heads.

The Deuce is another in the line of David Simon's work on the evolution and collapse of the American city. Just as The Wire did for Baltimore and (in a lesser sense Treme did for New Orleans,  The Deuce creates a picture of New York in a bygone era. Simon's message for the series is a little hazier than the others (it may yet be that the industrialists win the day) , but his portraits of individual characters are stronger than they have been since The Wire. We know we'll get a chance to see what his vision will be (the series has been renewed for a third and final season), but we all know that in the world of capitalism and sex, capitalism always wins. This shows just proves that they're a lot closer than we want to admit.

My score: 4.75 stars.

Homicide Episode Guide: A Case of Do Or Die

Written by Anya Epstein

Directed by Tim Van Patten

One of the more annoying habits of NBC's programmers attitude towards Homicide is that they would frequently switch the order of episodes so that more 'sensational' cases could air out of order. This might work for CSI or Law & Order, but for a character based drama, it was demeaning. The executives had mostly quit doing by this point in  the series run, but in the case of the first episode scheduled to air in 1999, they shifted it nearly five weeks into the season. It's almost understandable, though, as the main story was one of the darker ones in the series run, even though we don't know what happened.

A woman goes out walking her dog, and falls to her death. While the cause is clear, the circumstances are hard to fathom. Did she just fall? Was she pushed? Or did she commit suicide? What makes it even harder to determine this is the fact that the woman died the day before her wedding. The devastation and grief are horrible, particularly in one of the more saddening scenes, as the detective have to go to the church to tell the wedding guest why there will be no wedding. The case also gnaws at Ballard in a way that so many drug murders do not, particular because the longer the investigation goes on, the more ambiguous the circumstances become. There are no clear suspects and no clear motives. The only possibility for a suspect is that she may have been attacked by a robber, but when they finally capture the stick-up artist, its clear he couldn't have committed the crime. The desperation for any kind of clarity forces the detectives to look at a painting the victim made to try and determine whether a silhouette in the picture was flying or falling.

Homicide traditionally has been a show all about ambiguity. In this case, the ambiguity is so maddening because this was a woman who had every reason to live, and yet may not have been able to deal with the realties of her situation. And as a result, those left behind are left to deal with her absence. But at least when someone is murdered, there can at least be an explanation, and perhaps some peace. Here, the family is left in ruin because there is no explanation. Dan Futterman, a TV actor and future Oscar-nominated screenwriter for Capote, gives a memorable performance as a fiance who can't accept his loss, and may never be able to move on. A very young Amy Ryan also gives a memorable stint as the sister of victim, who now has to deal with the fact that her sister may have been trying to tell her something that she couldn't hear. And Callie Thorne gives her moat emotional performance after half a season of looking generally unflattering work this year, as a detective torn up by a woman whose life so clearly mirrors her own. We don't learn the obvious connection until the end of the episode. We've known that Ballard ended an engagement, but we haven't really learned how hard that was emotionally. It plays through the episode solidly.

The darkness so oppressive that we desperately need comedy, and fortunately for us, the secondary story gives to us in spades. Mike Giardello and Sheppard catch a suspicious death at a vintage Baltimore theater, where the victim seemed to have suffered a heart attack. Then we learned that at these midnight showings, the victim talked through the movie loudly and incessantly. As Munch puts it, for all the reasons to kill a man, "talking during the movies is the most reasonable." Then we learn the victim had overdosed on sleeping pills. And then we find out the manager of the theater (in a wonderful bit by Wallace Shawn) was understandably aggravated by the fact that this customer talked through every movie he came to, upsetting the customers and causing the theater to start losing business. (Apparently the victim was played by an actual Baltimore film critic. I'm not sure if he worked for the Sun.) Out of desperation, the manager put sleeping pills in his popcorn butter. Detective Sheppard seems almost apologetic when she has to put the cuffs on him. We can even forgive the overly done Casablanca references because, frankly, they make the story even funnier.  It's old school humor which, frankly, the series has been missing for quite some time.

The episode also features an interesting sidebar. Charisse, Al's beloved oldest daughter, who he couldn't bear getting married a couple years back, has given birth to a child. Which means that Al Giardello is officially a grandfather.  In a rare moment of unity that we almost never see between the Giardello famigilia, when Al tells Mike the news, they embrace in one of the few emotionally open moments we've seen from Al in the entire series. Yaphet Kotto is good throughout the entire episode, particularly in the segments where, while he gently his detectives to try and solve the crime, he acknowledging eventually that this is one of those case that may never be solved. But in the final scene where he embraces his son (its probably the only happy moment in their entire time together) we get the feeling of what a good person he is, especially knowing what has happened to him in his life.

One understands why this episode may have been passed over for flashier ones, but A Case of Do or Die is so close to coming back to the series that so many fans have some to appreciate that one wishes the executives would have had more confidence in airing it in order. Had the fans known that their series was getting back in order at last, maybe they would have returned after having been driven away, and Season 7 wouldn't have been the end.

My score: 4.5 stars.

My (Mostly) Joyous Reactions To This Marvelous Emmys Night

Some could (and will) make the argument that this year's Emmys were less diverse than they have been over the past three years. In the larger, societal sense, they are correct. There were fewer African American and minority winners than there were as recently as last year. (Though that is a matter of which Emmys you watched. In the Creative Arts Emmys, all four guest actor winners were actors of color. Several black men prevailed, such as W. Kamau Bell and RuPaul prevailed in information categories. And of course, John Legend became one of three EGOT winners when Jesus Christ Superstar took Best Live Production.)

In a larger, and perhaps more important sense, last night Emmys were more diverse than they've been in a very long time. By using diverse in the sense that the same people didn't win as they have done so often over the past decade, this year's Emmys were a roaring success. None of the winners in the acting categories for either Best Drama or Best Comedy had won the previous year. Of course, Peter Dinklage got his third Emmy in seven tries for Game of Thrones, but they've been spread out over the course of eight years that it could be argued that their was some variety. This was particularly true for the Comedy awards, where the Emmys have been prone to repetition for much of the past decade. Of course, Veep was ineligible and Modern Family was shut out, but that, too, is a sign the Emmys are beginning to evolve.

I was mostly overjoyed by the winners in the Best Comedy category. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel's  wins were among the most deserved the Emmys has had in quite sometime, particularly for that incredible force Amy Sherman-Palladino, who picked up three "Reparation Emmys' (as Michael Che called them in a particular fun sequence). Rachel Brosnahan's win was the least surprising of the night, and still the most satisfying. And I was so glad to see Alex Borstein prevail for her fine work as Susie, the deadpan and dour manager, and her speech was totally worth it.

The Best Drama awards were, if anything, more delightful for me then the comedy awards. When The Americans took the Best Writing award for their series finale and Matthew Rhys finally won for Best Actor, I practically jumped five feet in the air, I was so overjoyed. These were among the most deserved honors for a series that was long overdue. I was a little dismayed that Keri Russell was passed over for Best Actress, but considering that Claire Foy was nearly as exceptional as she was, and that, like Russell, this was her last chance for this role, I was pretty satisfied. And I was glad to see Thandie Newton triumph for her complicated work on Westworld. She's a formidable actress and nearly as fascinating to watch as Maeve is. (And to be honest when Elisabeth Moss and Samara Wiley came out to present, I thought that meant the fix was in for Handmaid's Tale. )

Even the Limited  Series awards offered some genuinely pleasing moments. Though I never gave Godless the attention I should have, I was delighted to see Merritt Wever and Jeff Daniels prevail for their work. They are fine actors.  I've become one of Regina King's biggest fans, and the fact that she won for a series that was given no chance shows her real strength as an actress. Gianni Versace's wins were definitely deserved, particularly Darren Criss'.

Now, some will complain that, given all of the problems that have plagued Hollywood the last year, the Emmys weren't as socially or politically relevant. Given that so many awards shows over the past couple of years have been assailed for being too political, that's hardly the worst offense. And frankly, I'd rather have my award shows be entertaining that social. And in that sense, the Emmys were enjoyable to watch in a way they usually weren't. Of course, the entire world will probably never stop talking about the fricking marriage proposal that took place right in the middle - and they say that award shows can't be spontaneous anymore! - but the Emmys actually seemed to be more aware than they were in awhile. For the first time that I can remember in the twenty years I've been watching the Emmys, the Emmys treated the nominees like they mattered, showing segments of their acting or writing to show us just what so many viewers had watched. The presenters simply came out to give the award. There was still some banter and byplay, but frankly, this is a model I'd rather the Oscars try and follow. Let us see what every voter did. It might help us appreciate it more.

And as for the future of television, well, despite the jokes about it, there are some interesting signs. The HBO/Netflix dogfight ended in a tie when Game of Thrones took its third Best Drama. But in a larger sense, Amazon was a big winner, taking eight Emmys for The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. And FX, though it didn't have nearly as good a night as I hoped, still had a very strong showing. Even battered down NBC did pretty well with so many wins for Jesus Christ Superstar and Saturday Night Live. (Keenan Thompson did win, by the way, for Best Music and Lyrics for 'Come Back, Barack.) I still think TV's in good shape, and the Emmys continues to come closer to making the right choices.  The signs that they were reaching new heights after a long period of staleness are turning out to be true. And that's diversity in a sense as well.

He's Not Kidding: Kidding Review

In 2004, Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry collaborated on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a whirling, surrealistic comedy about a man so broken-hearted about the breakup with his girlfriend, he decides to literally have her erased from his memory. A whimsical journey, Carrey reached levels of depth that even fans of his work in The Truman Show and Man on the Moon had to be amazed by. Now, nearly fifteen years later, Carrey and Gondry have reunited to work in Showtime's latest dramedy, Kidding, a collaboration with writer David Holstein. And even for a network that has been one of the more boundary pushing ones this past decade, this is even further outside their comfort zone then you'd think.

Carrey plays Mr. Pickles, aka Jeff Piccoli, a children's show host who is the star of Mr. Pickles World, a PBS show that has been running for nearly thirty years. As close to Mr. Rogers as we get, he takes children through a world of fantasy and has established a persona so truly beloved that Danny Trejo practically becomes girlish in front of him, and that when his car is jacked, the chop shop people return when they find out whose it is. He doesn't seem to have a truly mean-spirited bone in his body, but in reality Jeff's world is in freefall. Last year, his wife Jill (Judy Greer) was driving her sons to school, and they were broadsided by a truck. Phil, one of his twins died immediately. He's been separated from Jill ever since, and Will, the son who was left behind has been deteriorating.

Jeff is one of those people who internalizes his grief, and only occasionally, such as when he rips the head of a faucet or shaves his head, does he lash out. What he wants to do is share his emotions with the world. And that is something that his father Sebastian (Frank Langella, brilliant as always) will not let him do. Sebastian is in charge of Jeff's TV series, and repeatedly acts more like a boss than a father. "Jeff needs to heal. Mr. Pickles is fine." Jeff's acts of rebellion include trying to do a show on death, which is filmed but refuses to air, and often seems more concern with keeping everything the same rather than letting any bits of change come through. There's untold volumes in their relationship.

Jim Carrey was arguably, the biggest sensation of the 1990s. He's undergone a fair amount of trauma over the past few years, and one could definitely see why this role, more than anything else, would lure him back to acting. Jeff is that rarest of things, not only on Showtime, but almost all Peak TV, a genuinely good man who is going through pain. Those who come to Kidding to see Carrey's rubbery face antics will get some pleasure out of that, but so will those who liked many of his dramatic performances. After so many series where we see ruthless antiheroes, its almost refreshing to see a show with a kind but broken person behind it.

It's not entirely  perfect.  While most of the children's television antics are done very well, there have been scenes of naughty things going on with puppets that could turn people off. And while I'm glad to see Catherine Keener, one of the great actresses of our time getting a role as Jeff's sister/puppeteer, so far her major work has been dealing with the fact that her husband is having an affair with another man, which was old ten years ago. But Kidding has a wistfulness and cheerfulness to it that is refreshing after so many series where every protagonist is a profane heel. It's nice to have a central character who doesn't like when other people swear - odd for cable, but nice all the same.

My score: 4 stars.

Homicide Episode Guide: Kellerman, P.I. (Part 2)

Teleplay by Sean Whitesell, Story by Eric Overmeyer & Tom Fontana

Directed by Jay Tobias

In a bizarre twist, the conclusion to the final Homicide two-parter falls during the Christmas season. It would be an exaggeration to call the conclusion of Kellerman, P.I. another Christmas themed show, but it is definitely fitting well within the (all too brief) tradition of those brilliant episodes.

This two-parter is different from most, if not all, of the other two-parters that have come in Homicide's run. Technically, the murder of Baby Straub has been solved, at least under the standards of how the series has worked. (In an interesting side note, there is a significant amount of testimony in the case about just how procedure works in the Homicide unit.) Much of the episode deals with the trial of Craig Halpern, who by the end of the opening sequence has been blamed for the murder of his son by Debbie.

But Falsone, who has taken this case more personally than many other investigations, seems determined to prove that the wrong person is on trial. However, he is not helped by the fact that Craig, for most of the episode, seems blind to the fact that Debbie is going to throw him under the bus, even though he should know better. Falsone can't understand why, even after he has been convicted, that Craig seems to believe that Debbie has been communicating with him somehow, and seems to think that he has deluded himself into thinking otherwise. Jon Seda gives one of his more emotional performances, for the first time almost all season, playing a Falsone who doesn't seem to be chasing his tail or chasing tail.

Admittedly, a lot of the reason he may be obsessed with trying to prove that Craig is innocent is because Kellerman has been working with the Straub case. If the unit was hostile to him before, they're downright aggressive now. When Mike Giardello tries to get some information from the unit about him, Kellerman's former partners don't want to say anything. Lewis has practically nothing to say, and Munch, who would rhapsodize about Stan Bolander at a moment's notice, compares Kellerman's departure of the unit to Nixon's leaving the White House. Gharty, who was pissed before, now trashes Kellerman when Sheppard even tries to get basic information about to Mahoney shooting, and when she keeps pressing, pulls his shirt open and show his scar. But that's positively mild to Kellerman's encounter with Stivers at the courthouse, where all the residual bitterness about how everything involving the Mahoney shooting and its bloody aftermath practically explode to the surface. It's one of the more hostile scenes that the series has ever done, and it actually seems deserved. Even Danvers, who is working in tandem with Kellerman about the Straub case, seems to still have a little bitterness towards how everything went down. When a bit of information comes up that might help exonerate Craig, Kellerman leaves the notes out of the file because he doesn't want to hurt the case. Danvers says: "I can remember when the truth meant more to you than your paycheck."

Other detectives are more understanding. Sheppard and Kellerman have a drink at a bar, where Mike actually seems upset that Gharty now hates him so much. Sheppard asks, perfectly honestly, just how everything with the Mahoney shooting went down. And I almost wish the writers had stayed at the bar to play it out. A bigger surprise come from Bayliss. When Falsone points out just how ugly his relationship with Kellerman was, and that Tim, perhaps more than anybody else in the unit, has a reason to hate Kellerman, Bayliss tells him that in his hospital bed, he managed to find a way to let all of the bitterness go. He even shakes Mike's hand before saying goodbye, which is more than any of the other detectives will do.

The trial proceeds with the certainty that tends to come with every trial. Debbie sells out Craig, and Craig convicted. Before he can be sentenced, he confessed what really happened in the motel room to Falsone - that Debbie murdered her own son. It's the denouement that is truly shocking. Craig hangs himself in his cell, which leads to another, more subdued, exchange between Kellerman and Falsone about what really happened. Then Kellerman pursues Debbie, and finds out that she left messages on his voicemail, telling him not to believe anything that he hears from the courtroom.

However, in true Homicide tradition, this new information resolves nothing. The plea agreement that Debbie Straub made was not violated, and there's no way that she can go to prison. The wrong person is dead, and the guilty party can just go on with her life. What gives this a kind of resonance is the final scene where Kellerman and Falsone talk, in vague terms about what happened, and they come as close to rapprochement as they never could when they were in the same unit together. The fact that Falsone calls Kellerman 'Detective' is probably the highest compliment he can pay. There's also as interesting call back in the final shot. The last shot of Kellerman in Season 6 was him looking at himself in a bar mirror, after he had handed in his badge. In this episode, he looks in a restaurant mirror, and his image is fuzzy and hazy. In the final shot, he looks in another bar mirror. His expression doesn't change, but the message is clear. Having done the right thing, he can look himself in the face again.

Kellerman, P.I. is one of the best two-parters the series would ever do. The case is compelling, and far more emotionally wrenching rather than dramatically overplayed. Reed Diamond gives a performance that serves as a fine farewell (almost) to the character he did so well for three seasons. Extra credit should also be given to Jena Malone and Chris Gunn as the teenage killers, whose reaction to their guilt plays out in dramatically different ways. And the constant Christmas Muzak gives a brilliant counterpoint to the starkness of the case before them. It now seems that Homicide is finally back on track.

My score: 4.5 stars.

My Hopes For This Year's Emmys, Part 3: Limited Series/TV Movie

And now, to wrap up, the Limited  Series/TV Movie. Admittedly, its a little harder for me to work up enthusiasm this time out. With Fargo ineligible and Twin Peaks inexplicably ignored, I have a lot fewer dogs in the hunt than I have the last three. That said, there are still some good candidate, and I think I'll carry on for completeness' sake. (Besides, given HBO and Showtime's llineup for next season, that is likely to be far more exciting.)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Patrick Melrose was extremely good, and Godless deserves more respect than it got. But really, this is an easy choice. The Best Limited Series over the period (save for Twin Peaks, of course) was The Assassination of Gianni Versace. The second installment of Ryan Murphy's American Crime Story wasn't as good as it's first, but considering the world that existed then and now, it is no less relevant. And it accomplished what, for all its great achievements, The People Vs. O.J. Simpson did not do - put us inside the heads of both the killer and his victims. Look for another big night for Ryan Murphy.

Should Win/Will Win: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES

Even without Kyle MacLachlan being present, there are still some extremely strong candidates in the mix.  My personal inclination would be to reward Benedict Cumberbatch for his multi-faceted performance in the title role of Patrick Melrose, mainly because it was a complete reverse from what we've seen of him in the past. But the winner is most likely, and deserves to go to, Darren Criss for his work as Andrew Cunanan in Gianni Versace. With the reverse chronology of the series, we got to see the true origin story of a psychopath and a liar who could never tell the truth, even to himself. Criss did something I wouldn't have thought possible - he made us feel sympathy for a serial killer. That's an achievement on its own.

Should Win: Cumberbatch.

Will Win: Criss.

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES

Unlike the last couple of years, this category, despite having several strong candidates, doesn't have the prestige that it has had recently. Therefore, I think that its likely the award will come down to one of two candidates: Jessica Biel for her outstanding world as the self-confessed murderer in The Sinner, and Laura Dern, as the adult version of a victim of systemic abuse in HBO's TV movie The Tale. Considering that The Tale was one of the least pretentious and most horrifying TV experiences I've seen in the last couple of years, and that it was ridiculously under-nominated by the Academy (a rarity for an HBO project) I think that it is likely Dern will receive the prize. Her work was so incredible that she is the rare candidate from last year that deserves to repeat.

Should Win/Will Win: Dern

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES

There are some good candidates here, as there have been for several season, but I think it comes down to picking which nominee from Gianni Versace will prevail. All of them are good candidates - Ramirez as the flawed title designer who turned his life around, Ricky Martin as his lover and husband, and Finn Wittrock as the true love of Cunanan's life. My personal preference is for Martin, who was subject to both affection and abuse during Versace's life and in the immediate aftermath of his death. I think there's more of a chance it'll go to Ramirez, though, mainly because he had more scope than almost any of the other characters within the series.

Should Win: Martin.

Will Win: Ramirez.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRES IN A TV MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES

Though part of me really wants to see Merritt Wever win for Godless, if only to see if she can think of anything more to say this time out, again this seems to be a choice between two Versace nominees. Judith Light made a huge impact as the widow of one of Cunanan's victims, who comes to learn that her husband is gay because of his murder, and Penelope Cruz managed to create a whole new vision of Donatella Versace from those whose only glimpse of her came through old SNL parodies. I give the barest of edges to Cruz. (And for those voters who somehow decided that Laura Dern's work on Twin Peaks wasn't worthy of even a nomination, I can only say "F--- you, Academy!")

Should Win: Cruz.

Will Win: Light/Cruz.

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

My Hopes For This Year's Emmys, Part 2: The Comedies

Now, the comedies.

BEST COMEDY

This is a real tough one. On one hand, you have Atlanta, which has done more to change what the medium is possible, and in its second season was, if anything, more inventive than in its first. On the other, you have GLOW, the series about a 1980s women's wrestling league that couldn't be more relevant, or more entertaining. And on the third hand, you have Amazon's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, an absolutely incredible comedy smorgasboard that has finally been winning all the awards that Amy Sherman-Palladino should have picked up twenty years ago. Just think how tough this would have been if they'd nominated The Good Place.

This is a very tough call. But I think the barest of edges gives it to Atlanta. For one thing, it definitely should've won last year, and the fact that Donald Glover kicked it up a notch make it even harder to ignore.  There'll probably be more time for Glow and Maisel in the future.

Should Win: Atlanta/Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Will Win: Atlanta.

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Basically, this choice comes down to a brilliant African-American hyphenate who dazzles in everything he does (Glover) or an old pro whose work in The Good Place is the finest he's done in quite some time. (Danson). Admittedly,, Bill Hader lags a dark horse for Barry, but I think its going to come down to one of these two.

I give the barest of edges to Danson. Glover is almost certain to win an Emmy in one of the other categories (like he did last year) The Good Place has been seriously robbed of nominations the last two years. And given that Danson prevailed in the Broadcast Critics, and that he's much loved in the industry, I think he'll prevail.

Should Win/Will Win: Danson.

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Easiest choice of the night. Yes, I'd really like to see Issa Rae for Insecure or Tracee Ellis Ross finally get her due for black-ish. But since January, Rachel Brosnahan has won every award in sight for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. And its hard to argue against why. She's brilliantly funny, she's heartwarmingly human, and she makes you want to hug her when she fails. And there's no Julia-Louis Dreyfus in the category this year. Finally, a Best Actress winner I can get behind.

Should Win/Will Win: Brosnahan.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY

Another tricky one. Alec Baldwin could repeat for SNL, but I'm beginning to think Trump fatigue is starting to set in. Bryan Tyree Henry was astonishing on Atlanta this season, and Tony Shalhoub's work as the beleaguered father on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was some of the most entertaining work he's ever done.

But, for once, I think the Emmys will go for a sentimental favorite. Somehow, Henry Winkler has had a forty year career, and never won an Emmy. He's always been wry and entertaining, much like Bob Newhart, but he has never gotten his due. Now, for his fine work in  Barry, the Emmys will have that rare chance to match genuine talent with an overdue reward. (And the rest of us can still stew as to why Marc Maron wasn't nominated this year..)

Should Win: Shalhoub.

Will Win: Winkler.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Trickier than the last one. Kate McKinnon could three-peat (and considering Hilary's officially out of her repertoire, she's certainly proven her versatility) but they don't do that as often for the Emmys anymore. Zazie Beetz has had a breakout year on Atlanta and off. But I think it'll come down to one of two women from streaming: Alex Borstein on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Betty Gilpin for Glow. Borstein certainly has the comic oomph (she's been astonishing since Mad TV), but I give the barest of edges to Gilpin. She's an astonishing force, both before and on GLOW, and frankly, this series should have gotten more nominees than it did. It deserves at least one winner, and I think this is its best bet.

Should Win: Borstein.

Will Win: Gilpin.

My Predictions For This Year's Emmys:Part 1, Drama

It's debatable whether the Golden Age of Television is still going or has started to migrate more and more to streaming. What is clear is that, after the last few years, the Emmys have finally, wonderfully, started to catch up. The Emmys continue to break new ground this decade in a level of diversity that, frankly, the Oscars will still need a decade to fully be on track.

But there's genuine excitement in this year's predictions. For once, Netflix has broken HBO's two decade long stranglehold on most nominated network. (HBO will still probably take home the most trophies, but that may be more due to technical awards than anything else. The race for Best Drama has real possibilities for Drama, and the Best Comedy awards will have to recognize its first new series in nearly a decade. And a Best Actress award will be given that can't go to Julia-Louis Dreyfus!

Will broadcast TV get in on the action? Can FX run the table? And will new faces, old  faces, or familiar faces dominate? Here's what I hope happens.

 

BEST DRAMA

I'll be honest. The series that deserves to win, without any question, is The Americans. It had a final season and a final episode that rivaled Breaking Bad's. The Emmy really owe it. And the TV Critics certainly think so. If enough people watching the final episode, maybe...

Of course, so far this year, Stranger Things and This is Us have also won major awards. And you can't rule out what will happen in a Game of Thrones-Handmaid's Tale showdown. So, I hope that there's enough of a split for The Americans to slip through, but if they don't, my second choice is This is Us.

Should Win: The Americans.

Will Win: This is Us.

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA

This is the rare field with no bad choices. Given the fact that Sterling Brown has won every single award between here and last year's Emmys, you'd think he'd have a clean shot at becoming the first actor to repeat (or technically, for three straight years) since Bryan Cranston. But I really would like to see Matthew Rhys, who has been criminally undersold for his work on The Americans, to win. And you never know, maybe Milo Ventigmilia will prevail for his final (?) act on This is Us.

Still, this seems like one of the few categories that's relatively safe to bet on.

Should Win: Rhys.

Will Win: Brown.

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

An even tougher category to handicap. I think the only one who is definitely out of the running is Evan Rachel Wood for Westworld.  This is Maslany's, Foy's and Russell's last shot at an Emmy. Foy took the SAG award in January, Russell took the TV Critics award for Best Dramatic Performance... period. And Maslany has been criminally underrecognized.

One can make a good argument for Sandra Oh and Elisabeth Moss, but I really think it's going to be one of the departing faces, considering we haven't had anyone win consecutive Best Actress prizes since Claire Danes. I really want it to go to Russell, and I think she has the best chance, but considering her rise to fame, I think it might just as easily go to Foy.

Should Win: Russell.

Will Win: Russell/Foy.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA

I'd kind of like to see Mandy Patinkin prevail for his superb work in Homeland, but considering that there has been a trend towards honoring Netflix in this category the last couple of years, I wouldn't mind if they did so this year as well. Matt Smith has done a superb job as Prince Philip, and since like Foy, he departs The Crown this season, I wouldn't mind him winning. But my personal preference remains David Harbour for his awesome work as Sheriff Harper, the only one who keeps his head while all around are losing theirs on Stranger Things. He took the Critic's Choice prize last year, and I'd love to hear him give a speech. If it's anything like the one he gave at the SAGs, it'll be an Emmys highlight.

Should Win/Will Win: Harbour.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA

This is a tough one to fathom. Just like last season, I think the best candidate is still the unsinkable Millie Bobby Brown for her unbelievable work as Eleven on Stranger Things. The odds are, though, that they're going to recognize one of the multi-talented actresses from The Handmaid's Tale. If they have to, I wish they'd pick Alexis Bleidel. Yes, she won last year, but she's still one of the greatest talents in TV history. And honestly, the Emmys have a lot of restitution to make up for for all those years they shafted her on Gilmore Girls. (Stay tuned to the Comedy awards to find out why this would be appropriate this year.)

Should Win: Brown.

Will Win: Bleidel.

Homicide Episode Guide: Kellerman, P.I. Part 1

Teleplay by Joy Lusco, Story by Julie Martin & Tom Fontana

Directed by Kenneth Fink

Homicide has never been a series about closure. Murders go unsolved, and when they are closed, there's little time for catharsis; the detectives must always move on to the next body. Similarly, when characters have left the series in the past, there has been little in a way of resolution. Even when a character was killed off, there was little closure there; Crosetti's suicide was never explained, and Felton's murder, while it resolved his fate, was never solved. In regard to the nature of the job, characters all too often have their fates revealed in throwaway lines of dialogue, with little reconnection when they leave the squad.

It is therefore rather interesting that, in the final two-parter Homicide would ever do, the writers would choose to deal with the fate of one of their lately departed detectives: Mike Kellerman, the man who left in disgrace at the end of last season. But unlike so many series which will bring back a popular character and not put much thought into the story, Kellerman P.I. puts together the first truly compelling story of the seventh season, as well as one of the most haunting the show has done in awhile.

Children deaths are among the most gripping that Homicide does. This one is even more striking because its the death of a newborn. Two teenagers go into a motel, pay with a credit card, deliver a baby, and then the baby's body turns up in the back of the motel. When we finally meet the baby's mother, the story becomes truly frightening. Debbie Straub apparently spent the term of her pregnancy with her parents completely unaware. They don't even believe the detective, until their daughter collapses from a hemmorhage in front of them. Debbie is from a wealth family and a private school, the father, Craig, is little more than a delinquent, but they stick to their story that the child was born dead, even after the autopsy reveals otherwise

Naturally, this becomes a high-profile case, and Danvers realizes that he is going to have to prosecute both parents for manslaughter and hope one will turn on the other. Falsone, the primary, takes this case very personally, and comes to believe that somehow the murder was committed by Debbie, because Craig seems at leash abashed by what has happened. He refers to the child as a 'he', he says a prayer over the body. Debbie, on the other hand, seems far more concerned with what her parents would have thought than any real concern about the child. Both actors are very good, but Jena Malone, a child actor whose talent rivaled that of a young Jodie Foster, resonates the most as someone who seems disconnected from the reality of the situation she has put herself in.

Had the entire story just revolved around the murder, it would have been a fascinating episode on  its own. What makes it work even better is the return of Kellerman. The last sight we had of Mike was getting wasted in a Fells Bar, just a few minutes after considering putting a bullet in his brain. Now, he seems to have reinvented himself as a private investigator, and frankly, he seems to have regained his equilibrium in a way didn't have the last two season he was on the series. Admittedly, most of his job is simply following up on cheating spouses (which he handles very tactfully) but he clearly has more room for growth. He is retain by the Straub family to help keep their daughter out of prison.

Now, the squad isn't inclined to be friendly to him anyway (the general attitude towards him when he reenters the unit is one of barely subdued hostility, with some exceptions that we'll get to later), and Falsone, who by far had the worst experience with him, if anything, seems to think less of him now. But Kellerman has not lost any of the sharpness he had when he was a detective. He follows up on the crime scene, manages to get more information out of the witnesses than Falsone does, and his confrontation with Debbie when he tries to scare some sense into her is arguably the highpoint of the episode. He also has a fair amount of sense when it comes to strategy. He convinces the Straubs not to post bail for Debbie after she's arraigned for manslaughter, convinced that if she spends the night in jail, she'll be more inclined to turn on her boyfriend. The fact that it works, probably doesn't endure him to Falsone or Danvers.

But as always on the show, its about the characters, particularly the ones who partner with him. Munch remains fairly neutral on the subject, Gharty is outright pissed, Stivers doesn't react at all and Bayliss, who has the most right to be pissed, is relatively peaceful. Sheppard, who knows nothing about the bad feelings, is actually Mike's early conduit to the squad, and even though it turns out he's trying to pump her for information, they have an easy rapport that is intriguing. But the confrontation with Lewis is the one we look forward to. Meldrick tries to be friendly with his partner, and they do seem to have to gotten past the uneasiness they had their last few episodes together. But when Mike thanks Meldrick for not giving him his gun and leaving him, we can't help but wonder, is that one last silent dig at his partner? Or is he genuinely grateful to the man who didn't give him up?

It's good to see Reed Diamond back, and most of the other performances are at the same level. About the only negative moment in the entire episode comes when Falsone relates the story to Ballard in his apartment, leading to practically one of the only love scenes in Homicide's entire run. It's a shame, because otherwise this episode is a season high point for Jon Seda as well.

Kellerman, P.I. does everything well, and ends in away the previous first part did, on a downplayed cliffhanger. Perhaps its fitting that takes a holdover from the series better days to help Homicide finally right itself, after spending most of the season so far stuck in neutral.

My score:4.5 stars.

Shameless at 100: A Look Back

As I have made clear repeatedly on my blog, I have been more partial to Showtime's series than their rival HBO.  Having almost been ranked a poor second to the pioneering pay cable network, it has often been willing to swing for the fences more than its rival.  It has created a series of brilliant dramedies centered around flawed anti-heroines (Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara, et al.), it has been more than willing to try ambition series looking into history (The Borgias, Masters of Sex), and has created some series that look into struggles in capitalism and espionage (Billions and Homeland). If at times, the series have had a scummy feel to them (House of Lies, Califonication) one gets the feeling Showtime was at least experimenting more

But its most successful series has been one I've had a bizarre relationship with almost since its premiere. Shameless, John Wells very loose adaptation of a British comedy series, has been a tricky series to pigeonhole. This has pertained to Emmy voters as well, who considered it a drama its first three years on the air, and have considered it a comedy ever since.  And while I can't say I really enjoy it, there has always been something about the Gallagher clans struggles that has resonated and grown on me with each successive season. So, as it reaches episode 100 and will very shortly become Showtime's longest running series, I think its worth taking a look at the series.

I'll be perfectly honest. Much of my repellence towards the series has dealt with the central protagonist. Frank Gallagher isn't really an antihero, he's just tremendously unlikable. Every single flaw that man can have seems to be filtering through him simultaneously. He has never worked an honest day in his life, he is an alcoholic, a con artist, and a borderline sociopath.  He seems determined to fritter away every opportunity that his children might have, and demeans every accomplishment they make. Indeed, at one point he berated them so harshly at his eldest daughter's wedding that they threw him off a bridge into Lake Michigan. It is to the immense credit of William H. Macy, one of the great actors of our time, that he manages to make Frank entertaining at all. And yet, with each successive season, he manages at least once, to do something almost redemptive. It doesn't last much longer than its takes him to grab a beer at the Alibi, but occasionally, you see something in him.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that, unlike almost every other series on the air, the Gallaghers are among the white poor.  Every year they have to struggle to make enough money to survive the winter, to just keep their house together, to try to move above their station in life. It's probably not much of an exaggeration to say that the Gallaghers are the people that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders tried to reach in the last Presidential campaign. (There's going to be at least one storyline this season that makes the direct connection between this.)

And maybe the reason the Gallagher clan tolerates their truly awful father is because there's a fair amount of his self-destructiveness in every one of them. Fiona (Emmy Rossum, who is remarkable) has served as the surrogate mother for the clan, since their own mother abandoned them very early on. She is protective, affectionate, and determined to make something of herself. But she has the habit of choosing truly horrible men to be with - she was involved with a car thief who never told her his real name the first name they met, had a relationship with her boss that nearly got her sent to prison, and almost married a former drug addict, who revealed on their wedding day that he had relapsed. She is ambitious, and is rising to the level of an entrepeneur, but can be overly aggressive, and at one point, allowed her toddler brother to accidentally ingest cocaine that was in her possession. She was on house arrest for awhile, but its not clear she ever took responsibility for her actions.

Lip (William Allen White) has simultaneously the most potential and is the most determined to fritter it away.  Clearly a supergenius, he at one point dropped out of high school because he believed he got his girlfriend pregnant, and finally got a scholarship to the University Of Chicago. Once there, he engaged in an affair with a married professor, and then spiraled into such a drunken debauchery that he was expelled. He has since owned up to being an alcoholic, but his future is in doubt.

Ian (Cameron Monaghan) is one of the most original characters on TV. A gay teenager, who initially had ambitions to go into West Point, he became involved with a very closeted delinquent that eventually caused him to drop out of school and become an exotic dancer. Later, it was revealed that he has the same bipolar disorder his mother has, and he spent two years trying to rebuild himself to the point of becoming a paramedic who helped other kids like him. Then, last season, he seemed to have another relapse, believed himself to be a 'gay Jesus', and blew up a gay conversion therapist's van.  He was last seen being led off to prison.

Debbie, who for awhile seemed like she was heading in the right direction, seems equally determined to be destructive. She was determined to lose her virginity before her younger brother Carl, and ended up doing so and getting pregnant, which caused Fiona to abandon her. After giving birth, she got married a disabled man for his pension, and has had custody issued. Since then, she has managed to get an online degree in welding, but its harder to tell where she'll ended up.

But the most ambitious journey has been that of Carl.. For the first half of the series, he was an outright criminal, dealing in drugs and gun. By Season 5, he had been sent off to juvenile detention, and when he left he seemed on the verge of becoming an adult criminal. Then his best friend from the inside got shot over a bicycle, and he got scared straight. He applied to military school, and actually seems to have a better self-awareness. Of course, that doesn't mean he isn't prone to the same bad decisions that all the Gallaghers make - he ended up getting forced into a shotgun wedding to a really crazy woman.

Shameless clearly has more ambition and, like most of its characters, has a self-determination that's hard not to like even when the characters are at their most self-destructive.  It does, however, seem the series should start winding down soon. (Considering that Rossum, the heart of the series aside from Macy has announced that Season 9 will be her last, they may start heading in that direction.) The Gallagher clan goes out of its way to not be likeable, and yet they're appealing nonetheless. It's nowhere near being Showtime's greatest accomplishment, but its still one of the most remarkable.

Homicide Episode Guide: Wanted Dead or Alive, Part 2

Written by Anya Epstein

Directed by Robert Harmon

Near the end of this episode, Joey Errico, the fugitive that the detectives and the bounty hunters have spent two episodes chasing, when confronted with all the charges against him, starts to rage against the detectives. "You guys are shooting innocent people. You're crashing cars. You're the ones who are out of control." I can't help but look at this as some kind of self-criticism as to what the seventh season of Homicide has become by this point. I doubt it's intentional (the writers are many things, but they rarely draw attention to themselves in this way), but is symptomatic of how badly the series has sunk.

The second part of Wanted Dead or Alive is not much better than its first. It's telling that the only time in the series we have a car chase, we spend more time dealing with the fallout than the actual thrill. Meldrick is in the hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung (but he'll be back in time for next week's episodes, another element that seems very unrealistic), and we are far more concerned about what happened to Lewis than the woman he hit. We know from pretty much the moment that it happens she's very likely doomed, and at least the series is true in that regard. The bosses are less concerned with the loss of life than they are about being sued. Gaffney, who was so quick to try and butter up Mike Gee in the last episode, reverts to form and tries to set him up at the scapegoat. Al tries to protect his son, but is more concern with the department being hurt than the life of the victim. Only Mike remains gunshot for most of the episode, and his reaction is by far the truest. Esposito once again managed to raise what could be a dire story by the plain truth of his performance.

But otherwise, there isn't a lot of truth going on. Dennis Noe comes back to the story trying to track down his bounty, and seems remarkably placid about the fact that his people have been responsible for two bodies in just in a couple of days. There's a lot of room in his performance than we've seen, but it's very telling that Mike seems to be the only one not taken in by it. Falsone seems to be more interested in getting into the bounty hunter's good graces, and its irks Al so much that he ends up kicking him off the hunt just when it enters its next phase.

 And then, we reach the absolute nadir of the entire series, when it turns out Errico has run off to Miami. At this point, the series has gone from the realistic police drama of Hill Street Blues to the tawdry cliches of USA's Silk Stalkings, and the fact that we spend much of the second half in that show's setting, just shows how far we have fallen. There's no need to go to Florida. Errico could have just as easily (and more realistically) gone to New York or DC. No, we're in Miami because this is the producers attempt to give in to what NBC has been asking for. It's bloated, overblown and the final capture of the fugitive plays like something from the kind of shows David Simon loathed. The only part that rings remotely true is when Bayliss gets into a comparison with a local Miami detective about the comparison of Florida and Maryland crabs. And even this gets ruined in the last acts, when we have a throwaway gag where Bayliss bills the department for a shipment of Florida crabs. Munch might have done this; Bayliss wouldn't.

Now, I'll grant you this is a pretty crappy episode. But even the worst episodes of Homicide contain some decent character moments. Most of the good ones come from Esposito. Every action he takes in the episode seems right, more like a chance to try and somehow rectify the horrible mistake he has made. But even when he brings the fugitive to justice, he feels no comfort in a job well done. He is bothered that, just like Errico, a case involving a few vials spun this drastically out of control. The last scene basically belongs to him, and it works near perfectly. He takes the remainder of the bounty that has been chased for long, and puts in the mailbox of the widower of the woman he killed. He knocks on the door to apologize - and the lights go out. It's as simple a message as the series could say without words. The sections with Meldrick in the aftermath are right too, including the awkward conversation he tries to have with the victim's husband, and gets hung up on.

There's also some better stuff going on about Gharty's divorce. As is the custom in so many of the marriages on this series, we are now in the legal phase, and its looking like poor Stu's going to get cleaned out. Munch, who was hostile to him in the last episode, now offers a certain amount of sympathy, discussing the states of the failed unions, and is bemused by the fact that Meldrick is now suing his ex for alimony. Things aren't going to get much better for Gharty, and money is only the start. There's also an eerie bit of prescience, when after Ballard asks if anybody in the unit hasn't ended up in the hospital, Munch tell Sheppard to watch out. Unfortunately, the Ballard-Falsone relationship is still going on, and it's entering the sickeningly cute phase.

Wanted Dead or Alive essentially does everything that we've come not to expect from Homicide. Only a handful of the detectives get to do anything good, most of the action feels like in comes from an episode of Miami Vice (literally in some cases), and the character moments are few are far between. The only good thing about is, after this we can only go up, and fortunately, we do.

My score: 2 stars.