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.