My Picks for the Critics Choice Awards: Part 1, Drama

If you were waiting to see my reactions to this year's Golden Globes, for a change I don't have one. That's because this was one of the rare occasions that the predictions I hoped for actually came to pass., with the exception of Maggie Gyllenhaal losing out to Elisabeth Moss (which frankly, everyone else probably saw coming through the Lincoln Tunnel.) Mostly, I was gratified by the wins, especially in the Best Comedy category when Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finally earned recognition for the perfect Palladino's. I enjoyed their speech, nearly as much as I have the series. I would've liked to have seen Shailene Woodley win, but mostly I was happy.

But the main reason I won't dwell on it is because I barely have time to take a breath before we have to deal with my favorite award show of the year: the Broadcast Critics Choice. Even though they've been giving awards for nearly twenty years, and have been on TV for nearly a decade, my guess is, given how low the ratings have been, the average viewer hasn't heard of them. They should. Not only do they, when they are giving out awards for movies, choose to honor films that people have actually heard of, they also in their TV awards, tend to recognize series the average viewer wouldn't have. This may seem like something of a contradiction, but the fact is, they've been ahead of the curve when it came to series like The Americans, Orange is the New Black, Community, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. They've also been willing to recognize undervalued gems like Rectify, UnReal, Jane the Virgin, and this year, The Good Fight, and The Good Place.  And given that over the last few years in particular, the Emmys have been recognizing their picks in bunches, one would do well to see who they end up picking.

Trying to handicap them is another thing altogether. In addition to being willing to pick some of the more obscure horses, they're perhaps the only awards show I know that is willing to recognize ties. But trying to figure it out has always been part of the fun, at least for me. So, here are my hopes, and I'll be more than delighted to be proven wrong (or right).

BEST DRAMA

Given the overwhelms trends, it would seem like the inevitable pick would be Handmaid's Tale. But you can never be quite sure what the Critics will do, especially considering that Game of Thrones is in the mix. Probably Handmaid's will prevail, but don't rule out an upset by This is Us.

Should Win: This is Us.

Will Win: The Handmaid's Tale

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA

Sterling Brown's already won the Emmy and the Golden Globe for his brilliant work on This is Us. But since you can never expect this award series to go in the same direction, I'm more inclined to think it will go to Bob Odenkirk for Better Call Saul. He's already won the prize the two previous times he's been eligible, and the critics have always like Breaking Bad and its spinoff even more than the Emmys have. There  are a bunch of good choices in this category, so there really aren't any losers.

Should Win: Brown.

Will Win: Odenkirk.

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

Again, you'd expect this to go to Elisabeth Moss, and she might be able to win. But I'm much more inclined to think that the Critics will go for Tatiana Maslany for her superb work on Orphan Black. They recognized her for two straight years before the Emmys even nominated her, and this is their final chance to do so.  Personally, I'd prefer to see someone like Christine Baranski prevail, but I'd be fine with Maslany being honored for her great performance(s).

Should Win: Baranski.

Will Win: Maslany.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA

This should be interesting because it's the first category where we have no clear front runner based on any previous award show. This is wide open. My personal preference would be for Asia Dillon whose work on Billions is superb, and deserves some kind of recognition, even before you consider the nature of their character. I'm also partial to Delroy Lindo, whose work on The Good Fight was rather remarkable.

If I had to give one candidate the barest of edges, I give it to David Harbour, the only actor in the category to receive multiple nominations for his work on Stranger Things. He might prevail, but you can never be sure in this category with these awards.

Should Win: Dillon.

Will Win: Harbour (?)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA

There is a slight edge to Ann Dowd for her performance in The Handmaid's Tale, which got her an Emmy last year. She might well prevail her, but considering she lost at the Golden Globes, one can't be sure.. Still, I'm inclined to think the oft overlooked Chrissy Metz might earn a long overdue trophy for her work on This is Us.. Then again, this category has seen at three ties in its brief existence. Never rule that out.

Should Win: Metz.

Will Win: Dowd (?)

Homicide Episode Guide: Double Blind

Written by Lee Blessing and Jeanna Blake; story by Tom Fontana and James Yoshimura

Directed by Uli Edel

It is rare that any television revisits any story that happened more than a few weeks ago, yet Homicide would do it more than once. What is even rarer, however, is for the event to involve a character who is not even a regular on the show.  And rounding it out, to have the major character involved with the story gone is all-but nonexistent. Yet that is what the writers of ‘Double Blind’ do as they look back at Chris Thormann, the patrolmen who was blinded in a shooting four years ago, when in the act of arresting a known felon named Charlie Flavin, he got into a struggle and was shot in the head with his own gun.

Four years have passed and things have changed for everyone. A few months ago, there was a riot in the facility where Flavin was imprisoned. During that riot, he rescued a guard, got him to an infirmary and than went back to negotiate the release of the other guards. For his heroism, he has earned a very early shot for parole (four years after shooting a  cop seems very slim, even by today’s standards) Understandably Chris is upset about this--- almost to the point of wanting to leave Baltimore when he first heard the news. He knows instinctually that this is irrational but it still bothers him.

The recipient of Thormann’s troubles is Meldrick Lewis, who has been remained part of Chris’s life because of his link to his old partner Steve Crosetti.  He is not just pissed for personal reasons – as the detective who arrested Flavin in the first place and as someone who doesn’t like it when a cop shooter goes free, he is angry. However, there is little that he can do but offer support to Chris when the parole board is called into session. It is up to Chris to plead his case--- and he does so very eloquently and as compassionately as he can.

Lee Tergesen gives a very memorable performance as the shattered former patrolman. We not only see his fear and anger throughout the episode but also his longing. As his wife points out (and he admits near the episodes ends) despite everything that’s happened to him he still misses being a police. Even a bullet in the brain can’t get rid of it.

While Meldrick is back in the past, so are Bayliss and Pembleton—after a fashion. The two detectives decide to re-partner after when they are called in on a messy murder. A chef who brutalized and beat his wife for years has been killed by his own daughter. What is more, it is apparent that at one point she shut her father when he was on his knees, presumably begging for his life. When the detectives visit his wife in the hospital, she tells them all this – as well as that she will testify against her daughter.

In another of those big surprises Tim and Frank have completely reversed their roles. Pembleton wants to look the other way and offer the daughter manslaughter for what she has done, while Bayliss (who we would think would be on the other side considering everything that we know about him) is showing a ruthless dedication to duty. He demonstrates a lot of compassion to the wife but not to the murderer. This becomes crystal clear when, after the detectives bring the killer in to talk with Danvers, Frank tries to lead her down a path where she can plead to a lesser charge while Tim insists that the third bullet --- the one that was fired when the victim was on his knees--- means they have to go the distance. It should be noted that nobody else on the case--- not Howard, not Gee, not even Danvers—really wants to offer the full punishment but considering the daughters attitude (she keeps repeating over and over that she had to kill him) they are bound by the law.

This case, with its intimations to subjects that are very clear to Tim’s heart, rattles him. So much so that in the episode’s final scene he goes to visit his uncle George, the man who molested him when he was a boy. He finds a decrepit, wasted, almost senile old man which leads him to ask himself another very difficult question--- “Where do I put my hate?” He will spend the rest of the season figuring that out.

There are no easy solutions for anything in this episode. Charlie Flavin’s parole is denied, but even as Thormann celebrates this, he knows in his guts someday Flavin will go free and what will happen then no one knows. The victim's wife recants her statement in order to protect her daughter, so what happens to that case is also up for grabs. ‘Double Blind’ much like last seasons ‘Requiem for Adena’ revisits old stories that have never been resolved and asks hard questions that still have no good answers even after a long time has passed. The ‘jazz’ (Eva  Thormann’s reference to the power of being a cop) doesn’t offer  answers and questions remain undiminished by the passage of time.

My score: 4.5 stars.

My Picks For This Years Golden Globes, Part 2

BEST MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES

Bit of a misnomer this year, seeing as all the nominees are Limited Series. While I would like to see Fargo win (and they have before) I think its far more likely to go one of the best series. Let's face it, Big Little Lies has had this one locked up since March.

Should Win/Will Win: Big Little Lies.

BEST ACTOR, MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

I think that, in the end, this race will come to one of the actors whose last name begins with 'Mac'. There are strong arguments for both. Ewan McGregor was arguably robbed of an Emmy. So, at a different time, was Kyle MacLachlan. Both men played multiple characters, and one might give more credit to MacLachlan, who actually played three distinct different ones. Personally, I'd give the edge to MacLachlan. But I think the one who will prevail is McGregor.

Should Win: MacLachlan.

Will Win: McGregor

BEST ACTRESS, MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

A very tough category to parse, but ultimately I think its going to come down to whichever leading lady from Big Little Lies the voters choose to honor. My gut tells me that they're probably going to go with Kidman over Witherspoon. Both gave sterling performances, no question, but my guess this will probably be the category that comes closest to the Emmys.

Should Win: Witherspoon/Kidman.

Will Win: Kidman.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV, MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

Tough call, and this is one of the categories that had a major upset last year. Alexander Skaarsgard would seem to be the favorite, but you just can't say for sure. Look for a possibility that one of the David's - Thewlis or more likely Harbour - could pull an upset. I wouldn't mind if Harbour won, but they're all good choices.

Should Win: Skaarsgard.

Will Win: Harbour (?)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV, MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

This could be a tough one to handicap too, arguably the toughest of the night. With two Emmy winners in the category - Laura Dern for Big Little Lies and Ann Dowd for the Handmaid's Tale - there is more possibility for a dark horse winning. My personal preference remains for Shailene Woodley, who has been owed some kind of trophy since The Descendants.  But I still give the barest of edges to Dern. Still, good choices all.

Should Win: Woodley.

Will Win: Dern (maybe).

I wouldn't object to being proven wrong in a lot of these. See you Sunday night

My Picks for this Years Golden Globes, Part 1

Well, its official. Awards season is here. And though it's not my favorite of the pre-Oscars-Emmys award shows (we'll get to that next week(, it's always pleasing to try and see who will end up winning the Golden Globes in the various TV categories. Sometimes, they stay remarkably close to the previous years Emmys, other times, they can go in complete different (and often deserving) directions. Last season, I was overjoyed when The Night Manager pulled off several deserving upsets, as well as some good wins for Atlanta and black-ish.

These awards are notoriously difficult to handicap, but I'll do my best.

BEST DRAMA

Though I'd like to see an upset for Stranger Things, I have a feeling its going to go to one of two series: This is Us or The Handmaid's Tale. Since the Globes often go to the beat of their own drummer, I think that there's a better chance that the prize will go to This is Us. Though you can never be certain whether they'll go political.

Should Win: This is Us/ Stranger Things

Will Win: This is Us/Handmaid's Tale.

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA

Tough call. One would expect it to go to either Sterling Brown, whose work on This is Us is magnificent, or Bob Odenkirk, who's deserved some kind of recognition from the  Globes for the last three years. But I have a feeling the dark horse in the race is Freddie Highmore.  I know the Globes honored him for the wrong series (his work in Bates Motel was far better than in The Good Doctor) but the Globes have a history of honoring what is shiny and new rather than the more distinguished prize. Still, I think Brown might have a chance considering he was overlooked last year for American Crime Story.

Should Win: Brown.

Will Win: Brown/Highmore.

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA

You would think that Elisabeth Moss would be the easiest win of the night, considering how popular she was for her win for Handmaid's Tale. But the Globes have a habit of not always playing by the rules, particularly for the ladies. Which is why I think there's a real chance Maggie Gyllenhaal will emerge triumphant for The Deuce. Considering that three years back, she managed a similar upset against Frances McDormand, I think there's a very good chance she'll prevail here.

Should Win/Will Win: Gyllenhaal

BEST COMEDY

This is a tough one to pierce as most of the candidates are more than deserving. I'd like to see Marvelous Mrs. Maisel prevail - it is a Palladino series - and they're at least fifteen years overdue for a win somewhere.  And Amazon has had more luck in this category than Netflix. But somehow I have a feeling the Globes will go for series that's even more energetic and female run - Showtime's SMILF. It's another brilliant series in the Showtime tradition of great female-led comedies, and it has more seriousness than most of them.

Should Win: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Will Win: SMILF

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY

Since there's no shiny new face in this category, and no real front-runner, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's going to go to one of the more seasoned actors in the category. Anthony Anderson has been owed a win from the Globes for awhile, but I'm going to give the slightest of edges to Aziz Ansari. He's a remarkable talent in Master of None, and this seems to be the year of the hyphenate, I think its more likely that he will be recognized over Anderson admittedly rich field of comic gold.

Should Win/Will Win: Ansari.

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY

The most engaging performance all year was Pamela Adlon's work in Better Things, but due to the iC.K. factor, she doesn't have a chance. I think this award will come down to one of three women. Rachel Brosnahan, Issa Rae or Frankie Shaw.

Brosnahan's work is by far the most engaging, and there is good argument that she's due. But I'm giving the edge to Shaw for her superb work in SMILF. Woman at the head of the Showtime's comedies have always done well in this category, and some of the seriousness involved will give Shaw the edge.

Should Win: Brosnahan

Will Win: Shaw.

Look Who's Grown-ish up

black-ish has been one of the funniest, sharpest and most politically aware comedies on any network. So the idea for a spin-off would appear to be fairly natural. In May of 2017, ABC floated one dealing with the eldest daughter Zoey (Yara Shahdi) going off to college, and choosing a fairly big one not far from her house in LA. The episode was pleasing enough to merit an independent launch, but then for various reasons it got pushed over to Freeform, an ABC satellite network. Given everything weighted against it, one would wonder if that meant the network was hedging its bets. But Freeform (which was once ABC Family) has always been a network willing to experiment with some fairly daring teen based series. Their most famous one was Pretty Little Liars, but they've also had some fairly original series, most notably Greek and Bunheads, both killed too soon.

And grown-ish manages, most of the time, to have its cake and eat it too.  Throughout her three and a half season stint on black-ish, Zoey seemed the most together of the Johnson children. But as she finds herself going to college, its become increasingly clear that she's been dropping the fall. Her very first action at a college party was to ditch one of the few people she automatically befriended, Ana, causing her to humiliate herself in front of the student body. The ramifications have hit in a couple of ways - first she ended up having her as a roommate, and now she seems to have enrolled in a course that deals primarily with the running of drones that seems to be from midnight to 2 AM. This is actually even funnier than it sounds, because for some reason this is course is being taught by Charlie (Deon Cole) who worked at Dre's office, and always seemed to be the most clueless person there. (Just as in black-ish, he has the ability to steal every scene he's in.) More to the point, she seems to have made friends with an even more outsider group than you'd expect from a collefe like this: Jzlyn and Skyler (Chloe and Halle Bailey) twin athletes trying to keep up their image for their marketing,  Vivek,  an Indian studying to be an engineer who seems to be the campus drug dealer, Nomi, the school bisexual afraid to come out to her family, and Cash, the student activist, who would seem to be a poster child for everything that's wrong with school, but has more layers than usual/.

grown-ish, despite bearing most of the writing staff that brought black-ish on to the big screen, has not yet emerged as fully brilliant as its parent sitcom. Zoey still narrates much of the action, but she overtly breaks the fourth wall, as opposed to Dre's more subtle narration. And it still hasn't quite managed to utilize all of its large cast nearly as well. (They don't seem to have quite figured out how to use Chris Parnell as the Dean of students, which is odd, considering Nomi is his niece. But every so often, you can her the 'ping' of genuine crystal that you heard so frequently on black-ish. The second episode was actually considerably better than the pilot, as it mainly dealt with a very really problem, drug use on campus. Zoey had been reluctant to get involved with this, until she needed help getting through a paper on Ruth Bader Ginsburg (who she thought was Judge Judy). She was reluctant to use Adderal (even though she though her younger brother and her father should probably both be on it), until it came time to wok on her paper. She also spent half the episode trying to track down her crush (who she admitting she was stalking) and by the end up the episode she decided to give both up - until the same crush texted her and four in the morning, causing her to take a pill.

grown-ish is  a fun show, and as a bonus for being on basic cable, the kids can actually swear like college kids (almost, some of the more extensive ones are bleeped out), and it doesn't lean that extensively on its parent sitcom, though that may be more about distance than anything else. I hope that the good people at Freeform give this series a fair chance to, like its heroine, get to the head of the class.

My score: 3.75 stars.

Special Jury prize for 2017

As has become something of a tradition for this column, here I will honor certain series and actors that were very good this season, but just weren't good enough to crack my top 10. I hope the avid viewer will seek them out.

Best Revival of An Old Series: Twin Peaks

Some might complain that this new group of episodes that Showtime assembled bore very little resemblance to the series that captivated so many a quarter of a century ago. For me, that's the exact reason its on this list. Anybody can gather the former cast of old series to do some half-ass revival. But I can't think of anyone other that David Lynch who would try something this radical, who would bring the cast back, and then spend just as much time dealing with literally hundreds of new characters. And Kyle Maclachlan's performance (s) was among the most astounding work of 2017; it would be stunning if he and the revival didn't have multiple Emmy nominations in its future. The revival was surreal, counterintuitive, and had stunning visuals; it was utterly unlike Twin Peaks, and yet simultaneously unlike anything else on TV. I fully expect the same kind of cult that came around the original series twenty-five years to begin forming almost immediately.

Most Intriguing New Series from an Unlikely Source: Kevin (probably) Saves The World

Calling ABC an unlikely source for new TV seems odd, I admit, but I'd given up hope for the network after they cancelled American Crime. But this quirky and engaging new series is one of the more charming new series to premiere on any network in awhile. Featuring Jason Ritter as the title, often clueless character chosen to search out the thirty-five righteous souls, the series has the most engaging and spiritual sense to it than any show since Joan of Arcadia (which also featured Ritter), but moves at a quicker (if still gradual pace). Considering how little real respect God seems to get these days, its a relief to get a series about faith that centers on being entertaining as well as spiritual. I hope ABC has the belief to keep it around for another season.

Most Enjoyable New Comedy: SMILF

It would've been easy for this series to go down the same dark route of so many initially entertaining shows. Hell, its practically a trademark of Showtime. But the fact remains, Frankie Shaw has taken a series that could so easily have been centered around a single joke concept, and managed to make it charming, unsettling, and endearing, all at the same time. One wondered how the series would handled what seemed to be a throwaway reference in the pilot about Bridgette being molested by her father. But slowly, it built it to a bizarre, moving and yet hysterical climax in the final episode. Shaw is a genuine talent, and she's done a fine job assembling a great cast from Rosie O'Donnell to Raven Goodwin. The series, like its central character, clearly got game, and it has already been renewed for a second season. Let's hope Shaw and company can continue the mood.

Most Undervalued Actress for the Year: Laura Dern

I know this seems a bit of a stretch considering that Dern managed to win an Emmy and was at the center of the new Star Wars movies. But the fact remains, she's never been an easy fit in any of the mediums she's been a part of. This year, however, two of the most gifted auteurs of the past - David E. Kelley and her former paramour David Lynch -  gave her the meatiest roles she's had in awhile. As the only working mom at the center of Big Little Lies, and whose child was the critical element that started the dominoes falling. Kelley gave her more depth than she had in the book, and the Emmy she got was deserved. She was the complete opposite in Twin Peaks, playing the Diane who was at the center of all those recordings Cooper made - or was she?  Whatever she may have been, her hostile, edgy performance was one of the high points of the revival, and may well get her another Emmy nomination. I don't know what'll come next for Dern, but given the trend of revivals these days, maybe the flawed but still brilliant Enlightened could come back.

Most Undervalued Actor of the Year:  The Doctors

Doctor Who is one of those series that people either love with a passion or just don't care about. But one thing has become increasingly clear is just how talent all of the actors associated with it are. The companions have been realizing their value over the past decade, but this year the former Doctors have been doing some stunning work. The best work was done by Christopher Eccleston, number 9, in the criminally undervalued series The Leftovers, including one of the best sequences of the year when his character of a torn minister had a confrontation with God. David Tennant did superb work in the closing season of Broadchurch, where his flawed detective may have come close to equilibrium. And Matt Smith was engaging as the young Prince Philip on The Crown, making us realize just how vital this staunch patriarch is. Peter Capaldi's already had a great career, but I can't wait to see what his next post-Doctorate will be.

And a special shout out to: Asia Kate Dillon on Billions

This is already a great show, but the series took it up a notch in Season 2 by introducing Taylor, the first gender neutral character anywhere as the up and coming trader at Axe Capital. I've been a huge fan of their work ever since their first scene on the series, but as the second season unfolded and they made a rise to power, one found yourself rooting for this character, not because they were gender neutral, but because they were as ruthless as anyone in that cutthroat world. There should have been awards in their future (and there still might be) but they're the main reason I look forward to Season 3.

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.