Homicide Episode Guide: Self-Defense

Teleplay by Yaphet Kotto; story by Eric Overmeyer & David Simon

Directed by Barbara Kopple

Yaphet Kotto has always been the true Renaissance Man of Homicide. While Clark Johnson and Kyle Secor have been more than great directors, Kotto has always focused his attention on writing. In each of the previous seasons, he has turned out a teleplay that has at the very least up to the usual high caliber of the rest of the writing staff, and now he completes something that has become, much like the Law & Order crossover, an annual tradition. Adding to this work, he now has the benefit of another member of the Giardello clan to write for, and not coincidentally, both he and Esposito get to exercise their acting chops to a high caliber.

Al is still pissed at how Mike and the Bureau wrecked the McBride case a few months back, and we see him going to Barnfather openly opposed to his son working in his unit any longer. Barnfather is his usual political self, and tries to stay neutral. However, when Al leaves his office, he gives him the first bit of good news he’s had in awhile: if Gee takes the exam, he’ll be promoted to Captain next month, a job that he has been owed ever since Russert’s promotion way back in Season 3. Al naturally assumes there’s a catch, and there is – we just don’t realize the link until the episodes almost over.

Meanwhile, Falsone and Stivers are investigating the murder of Loren Burke, a high priced corporate attorney, shot five times in his bed. When they go to question his ex-wife, Eleanor, they find her with her attorney willing to confess to the murder. Eleanor is a federal prosecutor, whose worked with the department before – she even recognizes Stivers from a previous case. But it’s not until she comes into the squad room that we begin to see the fix is in. Danvers and Mike Giardello, both of whom have worked closely with Eleanor, but who ostensibly should be on the side of justice, seem to be bending over backwards to make sure that she doesn’t go to jail or even formally charged. There are very extenuating circumstances – Eleanor was severely beaten by her ex-husband, and he had violated a restraining order against her. It’s very clear that Loren Burke was the scum of the earth. But Falsone and Stivers are not willing to bend, and very quickly see the holes in her statement, in which she claims she shot her husband in self-defense. She claims that Battered Spouse syndrome affected her judgment, but the ME’s report says that her husband was fast asleep when he got plugged.

It’s not until Eleanor is headed to arraignment that things begin to start getting weirder. The supervising judge notes that Danvers and the defense are acting like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and decides to hold her for high bail. We then see that Burke is the niece of a Baltimore politician, who seems to be greasing the skids for her. Then, in another conversation, Barnfather almost causally mentions to Mike that his father will get the promotion – if things go well for the Burke case. Al agrees to talk to the judge (who is African-American), and doesn’t like the fact that he’s taking heat for being too firm with this defendant (who is a rich white woman). This leads to a conversation between Mike and Al, where he basically begs his father to just take the promotion. Al asks Mike if he knows something, and why he’s hiding it, and Mike just says: “Because you’re my father, and I love you.”

But both Giardello pere and fils have an innate sense of justice, and go to Danvers with what they know. Apparently, there was a $4 million life insurance policy out on Burke, and while no policy pays out if the payee murders the subject, a woman called wanted to know if the payout if their was a ruling of self-defense. Danvers realizes he’s been played, and changes his tune very quickly. When Councilman Reynolds sees Al at the new arraignment, he refers to Gee as ‘Captain’ Gee knows that he’s going to twist in the wind before his fate is decided, even though he thinks it’ll never happen. Al has been accused of not being politically astute, but in this case, his sense is dead on.

For this plotline alone, the episode would be well worth watching. But Kotto has developed a fairly good couple of subplots. Lewis catches an armed robbery, where the robber has used a knife as his weapon to cut a person and kill another. Under the eyes of the squad, he takes Ballard to the crime scene, and they have trouble getting along from the jump. Meldrick clearly doesn’t appreciate her view on how the victim knew the robber was white, and doesn’t seem particularly impressed when an all-black crowd offers no answers. He then ditches Ballard after another robbery takes place (equally disdainful of an all-white crowd that offers no intel) and manages to catch the robber when another would be victim shoots him. When Falsone gently tries to prod him on how he seems to be having a problem working with women, he denies it, but considering his problem with Sheppard (and a couple of seasons ago with Howard) there might be something to it. Due to the approaching end of the series, this is never explored again.

Falsone is already chafing over what’s going on with Ballard. She’s not dating yet, but she is…bowling. Grissom apparently asked her to join the ME’s bowling team (her hugging Scheiner after making a spare almost makes the episode in itself), and he’s upset because this is what they did on their first date. Honestly, it’s amusing that, after breaking up with her last week, this is what irks him more.

And Gharty continues to spiral. Telling Laura he had the flu, he spends almost the entire episode in the Waterfront getting loaded. Since the episode takes place over two days, this is very concerning. Admittedly, he’s still upset that this will his first wedding anniversary alone, but it’s rather disturbing to see how much Stu has fallen this season. And he still hasn’t hit bottom.

Self-Defense isn’t perfect. Bayliss, Munch and Sheppard get almost nothing to do in this episode, and the fact that Michael Michelle has been given almost no work in three straight episodes is kind of alarming, even for those who don’t like her character. But it features Kotto in good form as both an actor and a writer, and gives a good showcase for Mike and Al’s personal relationship. Of all the losses that would come with Homicide’s departure, the fact that Kotto has not written another episode for TV is one of the sadder notes.

My score: 4.5 stars.