Homicide Episode Guide: Kaddish

Written by Linda McGibney; story by Julie Martin, James Yoshimura, and Ron Goldstein

Directed by Jean de Segonzac

In one of those odd coincidence that sometimes befall television, a week before this episode originally aired, The X-Files also broadcast an episode titled ‘Kaddish’, which as we learn in this episode is a term for a Jewish prayer made to mourn the loss of someone else. Both episodes dealt with the rituals of Judaism n relationship to a killing but the X-files episode was more interested in the crime. Homicide  cares about the crime, of course, but they are far more interested in the personal details--- this time choosing the underused John Munch.

Munch is using the glibbest and most quick-witted detectives but in this episode he goes through a wrenching personal journey back to his childhood. The victim of the murder is Helen Rosenthal, Munch’s unrequited high school love and investigating the crime he finds himself revisiting his early years, as well as a lot of former classmates and how time has treated all of them. The answer is, not very well. Helen married her high school boyfriend, the quarterback of the football team,  and they had two children,  but rather than forming the perfect couple problems came up. It turns up Mr. Perfect developed a rather serious drinking problem and one day was in accident that killed their son. Helen cut him off cold after that. Later, Helen began to see another classmate, the school bully who ragged on Munch regularly. His life isn’t much better, as he got discharged from the army for an assault, and has a pretty lousy life. He asked Helen to marry him but she turned him down cold.

Ironically, of all the people from high school, Munch seems to have emerged the least damaged—though considering what his personal life has been like, he’s had a lot more problems then he’ll admit.  Munch finds himself revisiting another part of his past--- his religion. We have never seen John acknowledge his faith (probably because he foreswore it a long time ago) but he finds himself picking it up yet again as he witnesses Helen’s daughter go through the process of burying her mother.

Richard Belzer gives arguably his deepest and most layered performance on Homicide  as we find him traversing the territory of past and religion that we have so often seen explored by Andre Braugher (We’ll get to him in a moment) Almost surprisingly, we see that he is more than up to the task as he finds that the girl he cared for so deeply in high school has been treated so cruelly by fate. But the case isn’t just about God, it is about love. The deep, wrenching agonizing feeling that we only feel when we are growing up. He cared very deeply for Helen and watching Belzer try to connect spirituality with the cold, hard facts of murder is painful for him and us. For once, he doesn’t have to go through the experience alone --- Mike Kellerman partners with him and tries to help talk Munch through some of the pain. There’s a sort of chemistry there, and next season the writers would build on it by partnering the two detectives together.

The murder is solved in typical Homicide fashion as well. The killer is not the troubled ex-husband or the spurned boyfriend but rather a complete stranger, a repeat sex offender. Munch is so angered by this he demands to know why the killer murdered Helen but he gets no answer. Whatever peace he hopes for will not come from the solution of the crime.

Frank’s having a bad week too.  We first see him in an intense interrogation with a suspect only to find out minutes later that the killer was a different man. We have never seen Frank so egregiously wrong before and he is shaken  up by this.  Then, in a rare moment of openness, he invites Tim over to his house for dinner, mentioning almost casually that Mary has left him  Here we see that Frank has been so greatly scarred that he is no longer sure of his identity – he’s not a husband, Tim’s partner, or anything else he thought he was. Frank is so clearly rattled that he finds himself going back to church for the first time in three years. Nor is it any church—it is the parish of Sister Magdalena Weber who we met way back in season three.

At that time Frank was no longer sure of God and the sister told him to look for it from his wife. But now Mary is gone, Olivia is gone and there seems to be nothing left to find peace it. The sister tells him to look for it in his job which seems a bad place to look for anything resembling faith. Then the next day he gets a sign (or at least as close to it as he’s likely to find). Called in on the death of an old woman, he finds her lying peacefully in bed with a piece from Ravel playing on the radio. In the context of everything we have seen on Homicide this is a beautiful aberration. And it does mean something--- Frank will begin to partner with Tim again, though their problems won’t be resolved until the end of the year --- or at least as resolved as anything gets on this show.

 Considering all the pain that’s going on, we hardly notice that neither Gee nor Meldrick is anywhere to be found. However, the work of Belzer and Braugher is so impressive that we are prepared to overlook these minor problems. We also get a good look at Munch as a high school student, where’s he pretty much what we expected—geeky, uncoordinated, awkward around women, talks too much. (Interestingly, there’s little evidence of the radical that he would become just a few years later; the atmosphere seems to be more of the late fifties than the sixties, particularly in music.)

At one point while talking to TV Guide, Tom Fontana said that ‘finding God is an ongoing adventure’ In ‘Kaddish’ neither John or Frank find him or much solace in their faith. But they find solace and small signs that he is there in some form, and  in this world, a little is probably all you’ll get. And there is more humanity - and agony - in this single episode than any moment Belzer would get on SVU.

My score: 4.5 stars.

2017 Top Ten TV: Part 2

5. Fargo (FX)

Yes, Season 3 of Noah Hawley's incredible anthology was nowhere near as good as Seasons 1 or 2. That doesn't change the fact that it featured some of the most incredible work by any group of actors throughout 2017. From Ewan MacGregor's outstanding double act (which was criminally ignored by the Emmys) to Carrie Coon's remarkable performance as Gloria Burgle, the one person determined to find the truth, even if no one else cared, this was one of the most memorable struggles of good and evil all year long. And unlike the previous two incarnations, this was ended with the slightest possibility of a follow-up. Whenever Noah Hawley gets around to Season 4, I hope somehow we hear more of  David Thewlis as Varga.

4. Stranger Things (Netflix)

Having to decide which of Netflix series should be represented on this list is a painful ordeal, as the streaming service has so many great options, a top ten list could be formed just from then. But ever since I got involved with this sci-fi/ teenager adventure/ Easter egg to the 1980s, there's really been no question which show deserved it. This is one of the most endearing and personal journeys Netflix has sent me on, even though I never got lost in the Upside Down or played D & D. But watching this incredible cast dealing with the invasion of the netherworld into Hawkins, Indiana has been incredibly enjoyable, entertaining and fun. And so far, the second season has been just as enthralling. Throw in arguably the most incredible group of child actors ever ( Millie Bobby Brown rules!) and you have a series that truly is the kind of thing that you can watch with your kids. Just explain to them what Dragon's Lair was.

3. Big Little Lies (HBO)

Yes, I think trying to do a Season 2 is a mistake. But that's only because the incarnation we got was so extraordinary. The Great TV revival finally struck David E. Kelley as he and the great assemblage of female actress on TV this year took Lianne Moriarty best seller, and turned it into an incredible drama/satire of housewives in Monterrey, California. It's impossible to imagine this novel ever being adapted anywhere else as all of the performers seemed to have cemented its place in America. And the entire cast from Reese Witherspoon to Laura Dern created a battleground that seems even more quintessentially Californian than anything else. I don't know if it'll work for an encore. But part of me still wants to see them try.

2. American Crime (ABC)

I'm still incredibly pissed at ABC for canceling what was arguably the greatest accomplishment of network TV this decade. But that doesn't change the fact that the last season of this incredible anthology series - set in North Carolina, and dealing with the horrors of human trafficking and immigration - was arguably its best.  Showing an America that shows no justice for any of its citizens, and a world that has turned against every element of it, John Ridley and his extraordinary company of actors put together one of the most haunting stories that was ever put together anywhere. The entire cast, highlighted by the astounding Regina King as an exhausted social worker, down to Lili Taylor and Timothy Hutton as two couples with vastly different visions of the perfect life, was one of the best ever assembled. Anyone who tells you that network television can't put something together as brilliant as The Wire - well, show them one season of this, and they will owe you a whopping apology.

1. This is Us (NBC)

I know that at some point this season we will find out how Jack died. But really, I don't care that much. This is by far the most moving and funny - yes, I said funny, if there were no laughs, this series would be unbearable - family series I have seen since Parenthood went off the air. It features some of the most heartbreaking and stirring material that I've seen on any television series in a long, long time. Some may have had issues with the final three episodes before the mid-season break; I thought that it showed all of The Big Three in some of their most moving work in any show so far. Kate (Chrissy Metz) Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown)  are not always easy to like, but watching them strive through all of the obstacles facing them has always been the heart of this show.  And that's before you consider all of the bits that we get for their past (the 'Memphis' episode, where Randall went on a road trip with his dying birth father, was one of  the highpoints of the year.) This is one of the most moving family series on years, the kind that broadcast networks - and almost all other servers - almost never make any more. Watch it.

2017 Top Ten TV: Part 1

Well, 2017 wasn't as bad as last year. but it was still pretty terrible. Particularly in the entertainment industry. Unless you were living under a rock, the revelations of Harvey Weinstein's disgraceful and horrendous sexual abuses have led to a ripple effect that has been felt throughout the country. And the damage that it has done to the entertainment industry may yet take decades to for the full ramifications to be known. They have certainly done moral damage to great actors and have probably ruined the enjoyment of a lot of TV series.

But if you could get through some of the horrors, there were still a great many gems in the TV world. Some of them were realistic series that brought new visions of the world of today. Others showed visions into worlds of escapism. And some were just plain fun. As always, I haven't remotely caught up to all of the brilliant series that aired this year, so the codicil is: these are just my picks for the best series that I've seen. And even then, I intend to deliver a jury prize to honor some of the ones I've left out.

So here we go:

10. The Deuce (HBO)

David Simon's return to TV was a look back at 1971 Times Square. But as with just about every series he made, it couldn't be more relevant. For the first time, Simon and his colleagues took a look at sex and commerce - in what seemed like every permutation imaginable. He managed to utilize one of his best casts since The Wire, and managed to make what should've been a pure gimmick - James Franco playing two brothers  - work by creating two very different versions of men trying to earn a living.  Throw in some truly brilliant supporting players - particularly Maggie Gyllenhaal playing one of the most brilliant prostitutes since Deadwood  - and you have the makings of another Simon gem. It's going to be hard for the Emmys to ignore him this year.

9. The Good Place (NBC)

Forget anything you see on Westworld. The series with the biggest twist of the year came in the Season 1 finale when it was revealed that the title characters were actually in the Bad Place.  And the number of reimaginings that have taken place ever since then are on the most entertaining comedy on network TV.  Ted Danson has completely reinvented himself for the fourth time since turning 70, and the rest of the cast is just as funny in their own twisted way. It was one of the joys of last few months that this low-rated work will be back for a season 3. I can't wait to see what happens next. Who knows? Maybe the twist for the fast approaching Season 2 Finale is there is no Good Place.

8. CW Friday Night: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend/Jane the Virgin

I'm probably breaking one of my own rules by having two series share one spot on my list. But these two criminally under-recognized series have been linked for such a long time that it seems unfair not to recognize both. Both are among the most original pieces of television in any medium. Both are focused around exceptional women who are endearing despite their flaws. Both featured twists this season that were so incredibly moving (Michael dying of complications, Rebecca's last ditch suicide attempt) that you wouldn't expect either series to be capable. Both feature lead actresses that have been recognized by everyone except the Emmys. And both are so low rating even on a low rated network that its a miracle either have survived this long. I think both series have one season to go before they reach their natural end. Start watching them, so they get it. Oh, and you'll have a good time too.

7. Mr. Robot (USA)

Some people thought that the second season of this series was meandering and flawed. (I didn't.) But if you view as a recovery or just maintaining its level of brilliant, the fact remains that the third season was one of the more remarkably done ones. As Eliot and Mr. Robot spent almost the entire season warring against each other, as allegiances shifted even among the less solid ones, as the game was changed repeatedly (particularly in the finale), Sam Esmail was again demonstrated that this is the most stirring imagery of our time. And he can still do creative wonders  - witness the episode which appeared to be shot in a single, unbroken take as Ecorps home office was destroyed, and Eliot learned of two of his hugest betrayals. There are going to be award nominations in this series future again. Academy, please tell me you're seeing this too.

6. The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

I figured that this spinoff of the extraordinary Good Wife would just be an excuse to do more of the same, albeit with more sex and curses than they could do on CBS. I've never been so grateful to be proven wrong. Watching as a brilliant new group of player (hello Delroy Lindo) joined an already brilliant set of actors  playing with a new set of tribulations in a post-Trump world led to some of the most brilliant writing ever. Add to this the most incredible guest cast arguably in history, and you have a series that, when joined with Good Wife, may be one of the most incredible TV universes since Joss Whedon started merging Buffy and Angel. Oh, and for Season 2, could we please have Michael J. Fox return?

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Review

Amy Sherman-Palladino's series have a rhythm and breakneck back and forth that very few TV writers, with the exception of Aaron Sorkin in his prime, have been able to match. Working with her husband, she created two of the most iconic females in all of TV, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore on the incredible Gilmore Girls.  One of the greatest series of the 21st century, she has never quite been able to equal it, though it should be admitted that in neither of her previous incarnations, did she get a fair shot. That, however, may be about to change.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a major change of pace for the Palladinos, in that it is a period piece set in early 1960s New York City. Midge Maisel starts life as the complete opposite of every woman in a Palladino series - she's happily married, she has two children, and in addition to her husband, Joel, having a successful job, in their spare time, he works as a stand-up comic in Greenwich Village. Very quickly, though, the bottom falls out. Joel leaves her for his secretary, Penny Pan, and her parents Abe and Rose give absolutely no support -  Abe (Tony Shalhoub, who hasn't been this good in years) tells her she should have tried harder, and Rose (Marin Hinkle, equally good) goes to her gypsy friend to find a cure for this impending divorce. You wouldn't think that things  could get worse from her, but they do, as her father-in-law (Kevin Pollak) tries to control his son's relationship, and then  when it becomes clear the marriage is doomed, takes their upper West Side apartment from them.

This is a scenario that Lorelai no doubt endured, but this being the 1960s, Midge has even fewer options. So she finds herself getting hammer, and going to the same nightclub her husband did, and delivering a far more blistering and hysterical routine than Joel ever did. (Of course, the fact that he 'borrowed' his best material from Bob Newhart didn't help.) She is spotting by the talent manager, an obvious lesbian, Susie (Alex Borstein) who tells her that she may have some of the greatest potential she's seen in awhile.  She has to avoid getting arrested at the end of each of her routines, but then I've only seen two episodes so far.

A Sherman-Palladino series is, inevitably, only as good as its lead actress. For Gilmore Girls, she got the terrific Lauren Graham. For the criminally undervalued Bunheads, she got the legendary Sutton Foster. And for this show, the title role is being played by Rachel Brosnahan. At first glance, Brosnahan would seem an unlikely fit for this creator - her main work has been in drama, notably House of Cards and Manhattan. But considering that most of her material revolves around delivering hysterical monologues, Brosnahan more than demonstrates that she is up to the challenge. She's always been a great talent before; Mrs. Maisel demonstrates that she can definitely carry a show, particularly considering how heavy the talent is for this series.

At this point, I should probably mention that this is an Amazon series, so not only are the Palladinos able to turn out fewer scripts than they have to, they can use all the foul language that the WB never let them (and that we never quite got to hear on Mad Men, which this series does echo at times.) The series has already gotten heavy award  consideration from both the Golden Globes and the Broadcast Critics, with nominations for both the series and Brosnahan. It may be too early to say that this will be the first real shot this talent has for an Emmy (did I mention how badly they were jilted for the entire run of Gilmore Girls?), but its clear that this has some of the potential to be one of the best shows on any platform.  Let's hope that the Emmys consider this like they did Transparent and not Mozart in the Jungle.

My score: 4.5 stars.

Yeah, It was Big But Should It Get An Encore?

I will start this review with the biggest disclaimer all year: I loved Big Little Lies. From beginning to end, it was a towering achievement. All of the performances were excellent. The writing was incredible - in fact, having read Moriarty's novel, I can see with considerable certainty that the miniseries was much better.  It more than deserved the Emmys it got, and I fully expect it to reap a similar number of awards from the Golden Globes and Critic's Choice Award. From the moment it ended, the only question was where on my top 10 list it would be, not if it would be there.

However, even considering all of that, I must speak with some moderation about what I heard. The series was such a big success for HBO that even before the Emmy nominations came out, people wanted a second season. I figured, given the demands on all of the cast and crew, it would be unlikely. But now, it seems like there's going to be a second season for the show.

Let's start with the biggest and by far, the most obvious reason why this shouldn't happen. The series had an end. This wasn't a series like True Detective or The Night Of, where you could see them to doing a variation of fewer seasons. We found out who was killed. We know who killed him. There's no second story. And the original book didn't leave much room for a second season, either. Moriarty, like with many of her other works, has made no effort to write a sequel. So, how can they honestly do a second season with, I presume the same characters. And frankly, given how disastrous the second season of True Detective was, one would think that the HBO executives would know better than to try to have lightning strike twice. (Then again, they don't always seem to learn from their mistakes: a third season of True Detective is coming in 2018.)

Now, I know, arguments in the tabloids to the contrary, the entire cast wanted to do a second project the second that the filming on Big Little Lies had ended. And really, if you've got Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, and Laura Dern wanting to work together on just about anything, well, you let them do that. The big question is, why do another season of this project? Why not find another similarly veined work, and get Jean-Marc Valee and David E. Kelley to work together on?  Because I can't see any scenario where a second season of this series would work. There's nowhere to take the characters, no real connection to make. Now, there were some character based ideas that could be used, but the fact is, I can see this all too easily turning into Desperate Housewives of Monterey. Would I watch that? Probably. But I have a feeling it would turn very quickly into a trainwreck, and all too easily lose the spark and energy that made Big Little Lies so perfect.

And I can't really see the other alternative. Should we turn into an anthology series, like American Crime or the various works of Ryan Murphy? Frankly, I'm not sure that would work much better. Because the other part of what made Big Little Lies work so well were the characters. Madeline, Celeste and Jane were three of the most strongly and originally drawn female characters of all 2017, and that's something, considering that they were all drawn from a novel at first. As incredible talents as all three actresses are (and Dern and Kravitz for that matter), I can't see any scenario where even a master talent such as Kelley could create a similar brilliant vision.

Now, don't get me wrong. If they make a second season of Big Little Lies, with the same cast (though I can only assume without Alexander Skarsgaard) I will tune into eagerly. Given the high level of everybody involved, it would still probably be worth watching. But I don't think for a second that it could match up to the highs of the original. And for anybody who will complain when it doesn't, I'm just going to say right now: this is what you asked for.

Homicide Episode Guide: Valentine's Day

Written by Tom Fontana

Directed by Clark Johnson

All television series go through a certain amount of accelerated pace in order for the dramatic effect of events to take place in the allotting time. Homicide  did this occasionally (most notably  in the recoveries of Bolander and Howard from their shooting in season 3) but for the most part they allowed events to occur in a realistic fashion. Which is why the events in ’Valentine’s Day’ are so surprising as they call for an acceleration so rapid in two separate storylines that one might expect you’re watching NYPD Blue.

First there is the apparent suicide of Nick Bolanetera, a grad student in a local college. Munch seems more than willing to let the case go down as it appeared but Brodie, surprisingly, seems convinced that there is more to this then meets the eye. He talks to some of the dead man’s friends and learns that his roommate Alan Schack had issues with him beyond who used up the hot water. Schack is a nasty piece of work--- in addition to being unpleasant to Brodie and the detectives, he is the local coke dealer and he brags about playing Russian roulette with the dead man. When Brodie starts sniffing around, Schack apparently gets so pissed he beats the videographer with a segment of pipe sending him to the ER. However, he comes up with a bit of detective work so neat that he goes through a miraculous recovery.

 Using videotape and sound wizardry, Brodie shoots a tape that supposedly reveals that Schack was in the apartment at the time of the suicide—an act which rattles Schack enough to confess. This is so neatly done that Brodie, who was heavily bandaged at the hospital, seems perfectly fine when he shows up to tape Schack’s confession. We are so busy gaping at this particular miracle that we don’t question whether evidence of this nature would even be admissible in a normal investigation.  But what apparently irks Brodie the most is that even after doing all this nice work no one bothers to thank him. (Never mind that Munch says thank you about as often as he has a solid romantic relationship.) Brodie has always been a little too much of an outsider for the bluntness of the homicide unit. Perhaps this is the case that convinces him he’s never going to get the respect of his peers and convinces him to move to Hollywood  at the beginning of next season.

An even more impressive time compression occurs in the second case being investigated, a series of bombings that kill a factory foreman and a prominent Baltimore defense attorney. We learn that the two men were connected through the murder trial of the man who killed Korean grocerer Tommo Roh. Justice moves swiftly but this is a bit too fast even for television

 If we believe the calendar less than a month has passed since Roh’s murder which wasn’t solved by the time ‘Diener’ aired. So, in less than three weeks, a suspect was found, indicted, tried and acquitted. We have seen the courts move fast before (witness last seasons ‘Justice’) but there just doesn’t seem to have been enough speed for this case to have moved this quickly.

It’s a shame that there appears to have been a time warp in these investigations because there’s some good stuff on display. We get to see Melissa Leo do a bit more than she usually gets to work with as she interrogates Schack. We also get to see some good work from Michelle Forbes  and  Max Perlich on stuff that isn’t strictly speaking case related—for example Cox is still reeling from the death of her father nearly three months ago. We also get a very creepy performance from Neil Patrick Harris as Alan Schack, even though he bears more than a passing resemblance to Elijah Wood’s character in ‘The True Test’. And  more than that we see how Luther Mahoney continues to destroy lives even when he isn’t involved.  The bomber turns out to be Roh’s son, angry at his father’s killer getting off. However, instead of going after the men responsible—the shooter and Mahoney, he goes after the people in the system that failed him. Had he gone after Mahoney right away instead of saving him for last, his vengeance might have been more understandable and acceptable. (Conjecture is pointless, but one wonders how the next season would have proceeded if Ben Roh had killed Mahoney)

But the most critical thing going on surrounds Frank Pembleton, even though he is not working on either of the cases. Apparently giving in to his wife’s concerns, he agrees to see a marriage counselor. Once there, however, he is incredibly hostile to the therapist’s questions about their sex life and more surprisingly, almost angry at Mary for having problems now. Mary claims that Frank has been detached from her and Olivia since even before the stroke as well as claiming that Frank’s accelerating his recovery for his job’s sake more than his family’s—a claim which probably is true. Frank is aware that he is walking on thin ice with Mary but he apparently doesn’t see the danger until he makes one last blunder. After reluctantly agreeing to have Olivia baptized (he is still hostile to the church and God) he then proceeds to miss the ceremony because he was working a case. This is the final straw and Mary leaves Baltimore for her parents, taking Olivia with him. In a rather shocking indictment Mary claims that Frank cares more about dead strangers than his own family, and even though Frank denies it, we can almost believe it. The pain on Braugher’s face when he hears this from his wife is so apparent that the viewers heart aches. Frank, who has gotten back so much, has now suffered a far harsher loss than anything he has before. And this one, like the stroke, will take a lot to recover from. Not until Frank acknowledges that he is a husband and father first, and a detective second will reconciliation be possible.

There’s not a  lot of love going on during ‘Valentine’s Day’, is there?  In addition to the separation of the Pembletons, Cox and Kellerman are still dealing with a rocky romance, and Meldrick’s marriage, though supposedly improving, will take a huge downturn soon. (This is the last episode we see Barbara Lewis, though they will not divorce until the beginning of Season Seven). The time lapses of the episode hurt the overall realism of the show and the actually cases are not as interesting as they usually are. The insights into Frank and Juliana are good, but not as deep as usual. So the overall impression one gets off the episode is just average television and not quite as good as the standard Homicide.

My score: 3.5 stars.

Homicide Episode Guide: Wu's On First

Written by David Simon and Anya Epstein; story by James Yoshimura and Julie Martin

Directed by Tim McCann

If we needed any more proof that Frank Pembleton was back to his old self, we get a very clear illustration of it in the teaser of ‘Wu’s On First?’. Frank is in the middle of leading the investigation into the murder of a Calvert County cop and the new crime beat reporter Elizabeth Wu starts asking leading questions about the dead policeman and the crime scene. Frank (who’s probably been pissed at the media since Annabella Wilgis manipulated them to her benefit in season 3) treats her like he would a parasite even though, like him, she is just doing her job.

Unlike most of the other media Wu has a very aggressive attitude and approach to that of the Homicide detectives she reports on. Indeed, her job is very similar to that of the detectives --- interviewing witnesses, checking their stories, using whatever tricks she can to stay ahead of her rivals (as we see in a memorable bit involving her and a TV reporter), struggling with bosses who care more for image than reality, all while trying to get to the truth of the incident. In many ways Wu is very similar to Frank, which explains why he is so hostile to her and why Giardello is so admiring of her efforts.

Unfortunately for Wu, she is as capable to be used by people as anyone else. Her initial story is that of a good cop becoming another victim of the drug wars; it turns out that the cop got shot because he was buying drugs. Her next story involves a source who claims that the killer acted in self-defense. Unfortunately, the source turns out to be the killer. Adding to her humiliation Colonel Barnfather is pissed for being, well, a good reporter so he publicly embarrasses her at a minor press conference. As a result of these manipulations, her editor throws her off the police beat even though nothing that’s gone wrong is her fault. (interestingly, one of the other reporters is played by Tom McCarthy, who would have a similar role a decade later in the final season of The Wire, playing a fabulist of a reporter. What's interesting is that in this story, Wu is an honest journalist, and the editors at the Sun are still looking the other way.)

Joan Chen provides energy and spunk in her work as Wu. There are a lot of   potentially interesting elements about her character and her job that give us insight into a very different angle on the Baltimore homicide. NBC announced that she would become a recurring character but Chen never appeared again on the series. Its rather a shame, because Wu was a much more interesting character with a much clearer detail into the media then we got from Brodie, to name the most obvious example.

But Elizabeth Wu isn’t the only person in this episode who is having a bad day. Mike Kellerman has spent the last couple of days on vacation trying to recover from the enormous tension and depression he’s had over the last few weeks. Suddenly, his family pays him a visit, in the form of his older brothers Drew and Greg.  Mike has never mentioned his brothers to his partner or  anyone else and we quickly find out why.

 Drew and Greg are incredible lowlifes, convicted of nearly a dozen felonies between them. No one in the family has heard from them in three years and the only reason they have resurfaced now is because they are trouble. Drew owes a large sum of money to a bookie and in order to pay off the debts Greg has come up with the idea of stealing Babe Ruth’s uniform from another bookie, planning to pay him off with the sales of that theft. Now the two brothers are on the run from both bookies and show absolutely no compunction about letting Mike get in as deep as them.

We get an enormous amount of insight into Mike from his relationship with Greg and Drew. Mike is the ‘good’ brother of the family and the other two have always resented them for that. We learn very quickly that both brothers have no real moral center at all, with no signs of remorse or guilt about bringing their brother in on this impossible scheme. But they have enormous power over him, even now. When Drew and Greg say that they want to see a dead body, Mike takes them to the morgue where they make even bigger asses of themselves, if possible. They express perfunctory concern when Mike tells them his life sucks but they clearly don’t want to hear the details. They feel (and quite rightly as we see they visit their parents) that the family has basically disowned them and that Mike will always do what they ask of him because that’s who HE is.

Eric Stoltz and Tate Donovan are two well-versed character actors who were at the time of this episode just beginning to work in television. They have a clear affinity with Reed Diamond ever since the three actors were cast in the film Memphis Belle  in 1990.There is a very clear sign of a bond between all three characters, even though Mike seems flustered and irritated by their behavior. (This was in part intentional; Stoltz and Donovan improvised a lot of their dialogue to keep Diamond off-balance). We get a lot of insight into Mike especially when both brothers reveal Mike’s desire since childhood to be a cop as well as his determination to be a white hat for nearly as long. We also see how Mike loses some of his morality when he’s around his brothers.

‘Wu’s on First?’ is a well written character driven episode, whose main drawback is that most of the characters don’t have much to directly do with Homicide. What we gathering is from observation of other people’s actions. Gee’s admiration toward Wu’s aggressiveness, Pembleton’s disdain of her and Bayliss’ flitting between these two extremes based on what he reads in the paper. We see Lewis’ concern for his partners well-being when he learns of Drew and Greg’s criminal records and Dr. Cox’s alarm and anger at them for showing up at her morgue.

In a sense this episode is taking at a look at the police from a completely different point of view, like it did in ‘Heart of a Saturday Night’ and ‘Blood Wedding’. The overall effect, however, is one of amusement rather than grief. It’s a good enough episode and it shows some very good work from the three guest stars but after it’s finished your glad that this isn’t something the writers do very often.

My score; 4 stars.