Homicide Rewatch: Narcissus

 

Written by Yaphet Kotto

Directed by Jean De Segonzac

 

When Homicide allowed cast members like Clark Johnson or Kyle Secor to take turns directing episodes this was somewhat revolutionary. These days its traditional to have cast members direct episodes whether its Ramon Rodriguez doing so for Will Trent or Zahn McLarnon doing so for Dark Winds as has happened just this past year.

Letting a cast member write an episode was far rarer and few TV series would do it during that period: only The X-Files would be willing to similarly indulge its cast. As television has become more serialized on every level and as the showrunner has taken a far greater role in TV production in the 21^st century this is something we will see happen in comedies but rarely dramas. Which makes sense: its one thing for Tina Fey or Amy Poehler to write episodes that let them stretch their creative muscles; it would be a lot to for Vince Gilligan to let Bob Odenkirk write an episode of either Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul even though has significant experience as a writer himself.  And with the average season shrinking in even network television there are simply fewer opportunities to allow this to happen.

In the case of Narcissus this may have been a case of the talent forcing the producers hand.  Yaphet Kotto would frequently grumble that even though Al Giardello was as a realistic and layered a character as his detectives, his character was rarely explored to his satisfaction.  And, apparently after meditating for five hours the inspiration for the story occurred to Kotto. How much rewriting was necessary after the first draft will never be known for sure but Kotto must have shown enough raw talent that Fontana and his colleagues would show faith in him. In each of the remaining seasons Kotto would write another script that would air close to the end of the season.

Al is put more front and center than he usually is on Homicide which one might expect. Less expected is just how much Kotto is putting forth racial issues that the series has rarely confronted directly.  Homicide was in 1997 one of most minority heavy casts on TV (and it was going to have more African-American regulars in the years that followed) and it had confronted race far more than network TV was willing to do – which may have been among the reasons it got neither immense ratings nor did well with the Emmys as its quality should have let it. But even in the relatively liberal era of the 1990s it was very difficult for any show to talk about it on network TV.

In Narcissus Kotto puts it front and center in a way the series hasn't since last seasons 'Scene of the Crime'. In that episode Homicide confronted how the Nation of Islam had taken a role in policing a black neighborhood and forced many of the African-American detectives as well as Al on different sides. In Narcissus the episode looks at it from different perspective, this time creating a militant black movement known as the African Revival Movement (Kotto never points out that the acronym is ARM and what that suggests) telling a story that has, like so many episodes of Homicide, improved with the passage of time.

In this episode Kotto asks a question both directly and indirectly: If a person is doing what is considered a greater good in public – particularly for those people that white America increasingly leaves behind  - should that overcome whatever sins you do in private?  Many in our increasingly judgmental society have done much to argue the answer must always be no, to the point of tearing down those who have done great things for the underprivileged decades earlier.

 Interestingly Kotto makes it clear from the start that he is reluctant to tear down someone so many of his people consider a role model when he learns Burundi Robinson, the man who has done so much good for the underprivileged in Baltimore, has been openly sleeping with many of the younger women within the movement, even fathering many of the young children that they see in the headquarters. His comparison of the accusations of Robinson to J. Edgar Hoover's decision to bug the Civil Rights Movement in the name of national security when in fact Hoover was a bigoted blackmailer  is a fair comparison – but it is also one that for generations many have used to defend the violent rhetoric of so many in the Black Power movement since the 1960s and beyond. Al Giardello has the advantage of being on the other side of this – he knows full well that black men are killing each other on the streets of his city and white America could care less – so he might view himself as something of a failure. That Robinson is a former cop makes the decision clearer. In the 1960s Al told Frank asked to choose between black and blue, he chose blue but we know already he has respect for those who've chosen black. The fact that he's initially willing to excuse Robinson, even though in his own words "he's a bit messianic" shows his issues.

It's possible under other circumstances he might be inclined to look the other way, were it not for what makes this episode incredibly powerful. Because the viewer knows from the start – but Al and the other detectives come very late to the party – that Robinson has a powerful friend whose been protecting him – but not by choice.

After a far more cinematic teaser then usually where the police are in hot pursuit of a suspect we realize that this has to deal with the ARM and that the leader is having a heated conversation with "Jimmy" He makes it clear he needs a favor and that "You and me, we're never gonna to be done." The suspect, who we will later learn is Benin Crown, runs into the headquarters – who seem to be expecting him – and Robinson tells them that they will honor a search warrant. "I used to be a cop!" he shouts. They decide to do this by the book and radio Homicide.

Pembleton takes the call on what he thinks is a dunker that the suspect is in custody. Munch wheedles Frank into taking it ("You won't miss the clearance) and they drive out to Carrolton. There they find the body of Kenya Merchant and the suspect is in the ARM. They also have a witness which stuns both men. "A witness in West Baltimore?" Munch says incredulously and Frank agrees. He then goes to the headquarters and argues they don't need a warrant.

Then we get the first sign things are hinky. Bonfather is there demanding that they get a warrant and chooses to overrule Frank. Frank then proves he knows the rule book department regulations state at the crime scene; primary detective has the rank. Given that the suspect ran into the building with evidence, the building is de facto extension of the crime scene.

Something stranger happens then. Bonfather, who never misses an opportunity to throw his weight around Giardello and has never been Frank's biggest fan, backs down without even a word.  When Frank asks the obvious next question – why Bonfather is at a crime scene at this ungodly hour – Bonfather doesn't answer him either.

Robinson makes it very clear that he's baiting the cops. Pembleton conducts a search, gets the murder weapon and sweats. Munch interviews the witness Malawi Joseph who tells him that the murder was about a rift in the movement. At that moment Gaffney shows up and demands to speak to the suspect Benin Crown. When Giardello tells Gaffney this is inappropriate Gaffney immediately pulls rank. Al walks away.  After he leaves Crown demands to see an attorney. Munch realizes very clearly that something up: "When's the last time we had both Gaffney and Bonfather show up at the midnight shift?"

This episode makes it clear the biggest difference between Bonfather and Gaffney. When Al confront Bonfather in the bathroom for the first time since we've met him Bonfather actually seems nervous about what's going on. Al figures out very quickly that Bonfather was supposed to pull Frank off the raid. He was actually relieved when Pembleton started quoting chapter and verse from the rule book, an argument that he would never have stood for.  He makes it clear that his rank forces him to do think he doesn't like but he thinks if this goes badly he could go to prison.

So its clear Gaffney was the next call. When we find out whose behind all this we don't know whether Gaffney saw this as a path to higher rank or that this was a way to let his natural racist ideology shine through. We already know he was only promoted as a message to Al and it makes sense that those higher-up would love a reason to throw him to the wolves. Gaffney spends the entire episode flaunting his authority over the detectives, Al, Bonfather and even Danvers who he has no real power over. We know he never cared about police work when he was a detective; the fact that he's engaged in conspiracy doesn't bother him.

Robinson spent ten years in the department before resigning in 1972. Giardello doesn't know how he could have drag in the department after a quarter of a century. We then see the public face of him being interviewed by Dawn Daniels and its clearly different then the one we've already seen. He's jovial, talking of demagogues who don't deliver, about the work he's done over four years with a soup kitchen, a job training program and an education program. He sounds fatherly and genial and if you watched it on TV without knowing what the viewer knows you might believe it. Munch is cynical saying he doesn't trust anyone who claims to have an answer. (Munch is anti-establishment and may very well have a more realistic vision then Al in this case.) Turns out John is right.

Malawi Joseph makes it clear Benin Crown murdered Kenya Merchant (all members of the movement choose African countries instead of their given names) because Robinson had been whoring out the women in the movement. Merchant had threatened to go public and Robinson, who seems to be getting national attention, gave the order. Merchant, incredibly, is even willing to wear a wire.

Al Giardello is angry at the idea of it and makes the comparison to Hoover. Danvers is also willing to let it go. Munch, for once, is actually pressing it: "Race and altruism give Burundi Robinson a free pass?!" This actually cuts Al to the quick. When Frank points out it's still a murder Al finds himself choosing blue. But he makes it clear he doesn't want anyone outside the office to know about it, including keeping Joseph's name out of the warrant.

Joseph tries to get Robinson to talk once on tape but Robinson speaks cryptically. They send him back in – after Gaffney demands to know who the witness is. The next time Robinson is clearly aware and openly denies his involvement. At that point Pembleton makes it very clear how badly the bosses have screwed them and they may not get the truth. So Al comes up with a brilliant plan and one of the most incredible sequences follows.

Crown has lawyered up and therefore they can't talk to him. So Al says cheerfully: "We're not gonna talk to Benin Crown. We're gonna talk to each other." Munch, Pembleton and Al spend five minutes with Crown in a room and only after he asks. Al says: "This is not an interview. We're not talking." Then Frank and John start talking about the Merchant case, making clear the suspect has done nothing to mitigate or alibi himself. Then Al begins to talk how sad it is Crown is throwing his life away." Then they start talking about how his sister is pregnant by Robinson. Then Danvers shows up and tells him Crown's attorney works for Robinson and therefore that he's a sacrificial lamb,

This sequence unfolds almost as comic farce and has its intended results: Crown fires his lawyer and gets a public defender. We need that because from this point on the episode turns incredibly bleak – and painfully familiar.

When Pembleton and Munch comes to get Robinson, he refuses to go and his people come out with bats and sticks ready to fight. Only the thinking of Frank avoids a cop shooting a suspect. Nevertheless after things get violent a riot breaks out and QRT is called onto the scene. Then Robinson makes his demand – he wants to talk to Deputy Commissioner Harris. The moment Al hears the name he realizes who's been pulling the strings – especially after Harris personally gives the order for QRT to storm the compound. Then Al goes to the compound – and the episode pulls away to its incredible final act.

The moment he goes in he's has five guns trained on him. Al asks what this is about. He tries to convince Robinson to give himself up. Then he mentions Harris. Robinson tells us something terrifying that the only reason Harris has anything is because of Robinson. Harris and Robinson were working a two-man tactic car for five years on the projects. They bust a dealer with $15,000 worth of heroin. The dealer pleads out and two weeks later, the dope is missing from evidence control. Harris stole it and sold it back to the dealer for $10,000.

The two of them are going to be busted for tampering with evidence. Harris had been on the squad six years longer than Robinson, so his credibility is better than Robinson. Harris tells Robinson to damage control. He takes $5000 and it comes down to a coin toss. Heads Harris takes the weight, tails Robinson does. One almost wonders if it was a trick coin.

The contrast between Harris and Robinson couldn't be clearer. We already knew that despite having reached the highest point of his profession Harris is as unwilling to listen to men below him such as Giardello and Pembleton. His entire stellar career of 25 years was built in corruption from the start. And unlike Robinson he doesn't think he owes his people anything, whether they are black or blue. This isn't a case of absolute power corrupting absolutely; corruption itself has led to power.

Then Robinson becomes almost philosophical:

Where do we go, Al? Where's our place in the world as black men? We're either Michael Jordan or OJ Simpson, godhead or pariah. Otherwise we're Bojangles, we're standing outside the harbor, dancing for spare change. But if we don't go hat and hand for someone who is white, we're a danger. I can live with that. But when someone who is one of us, when we're betrayed from within from within the family, that's the true evil. When that happens we have to prove our self-reliance. We have to take care of our problems ourselves."

When Al tells him he took care of Kenya Merchant

Robinson tells him he flipped a coin in his head. He demands Al call it. Al says: "Heads." With all the ferocity he has left he says: "You lose!" Al seems to know what's next and convinces Robinson to let the women and children out along with him. Then Al tells Gaffney that Harris gave up the witness and about him and Robinson's history.  Gaffney then tells QRT to take Robinson out on the orders of Harris.

The standoff goes on for hours.  Then they go quiet. 16 men have gone quiet.

The final images are among the most haunting in the show's history. QRT storms the compound that gave hope to so many in West Baltimore even if it was just by a demagogue who didn't deliver. In the basement they find that Robinson and fifteen of his followers have committed suicide, very much like Jonestown. A unit of hardened men is stunned into silence by this.

Everyone walks out. Reporters ask Al why Robinson did it and he can't answer. And then we see a white family watching the news of the horrors with utter incuriosity. They change the channel to a bland travelogue. If sixteen black men commit suicide in Baltimore and white America doesn't care, did their lives have any meaning?

Thirty years after this episode aired a lot has changed. And we still don't have any good answers.

 

 

NOTES FROM THE BOARD

"Detective…Pembleton?!"  Frank reads a story in the news about how a canned food company from Gary has issued a recall of its salad shredder and in an unrelated story, two restaurant owners in the Midwest have died after being eviscerated. Munch laughs at this saying: "They were slawed to death!"

Immediately after this Giardello says to Frank "Doing Munch's job now?" Howard adds: "Finding bizarre news from page D12, reading it out loud to the squad room?" After praising Frank for his job, only saying the set up was a little slow, Howard then asks him: "With someone around to deliver our daily weirdness what exactly do we need you for?" When Munch says: "Policework," Giardello naturally goes to the board leading John to defend his clearance rate and then jump on Frank's case.

'Detective Munch' (seriously) After Malawi Joseph makes it very clear he saw who killed Kenya Merchant and that he will tell the detectives anything they want to know Munch asks a question any Baltimore PD would: "Tell me, Mr. Joseph, are there any more like you at home?"

Mahoney PTSD: Because the Mahoney shooting is going to hang over the squad for the next season (the Previously on Homicide segment would basically replay it at the start of nearly every episode from this point forward until the end of Season 6) it's worth looking to see how the squad is dealing with the after-effects from this point forward.

Meldrick and Mike have submitted a report saying that this was a clean shooting and seem to be doing fine. Stivers visits them and clearly isn't: she hasn't slept in a week and can't keep food down. She's clearly having doubts about it. The bigger issue is that Mike seems perfectly fine about it. When Stivers said he didn't have to shoot, Mike says casually: "He was garbage." Mike seems fine and for the first time Lewis looks a little puzzled.

It's Baltimore: In the midst of the confrontation Robinson smiles and says "How 'bout them O's?" Giardello talks about the series with Cleveland and where the two of them prefer to sit at Camden Yards. He talks about the 1972 Orioles "Buford, Baylor, Palmer, McNally, Boog and Brooks Robinson, the quintessential glove man at third." Robinson calls Harris and himself magicians at third.

This storyline is never followed up on directly but the character of James Harris is written out of the series after this episode. Al Freeman, Jr never appears in this episode.

Hey, Isn't That…Roger Robinson  began his career in TV when he starred as Bobby Martin in The Marcus-Nelson Murders, the inspiration for Kojak. He would play the character of Gil Weaver when the show was picked up to series, while he played roles in Starsky & Hutch, Ironside, and Get Christie Love! He would play Reverend Fred Shuttleworth on the 1978 miniseries King where Paul Winfield played the title character. He had roles guest spots in series in the 1970s from The Jeffersons to the Incredible Hulk to The Equalizer. He had multiple guest spots on ER and NYPD Blue. His biggest TV roles in the 2010s were Ed Bancroft in AMC's Rubicon and Mac Harkness across three seasons of How to Get Away with Murder. Robinson was better known as a theater actor and won a Tony for the revival of Joe Turner's Come and Gone in 2009 and was nominated for his work in Seven Guitars in 1996. Both plays were written by August Wilson. He died on September 26, 2018.