Production
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| "Fire (Part 1)" | |
|---|---|
| Homicide: Life on the Street episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Tim Hunter |
| Story by | Tom Fontana Henry Bromell |
| Teleplay by | Julie Martin |
| Cinematography by | Jean de Segonzac |
| Production code | 401 |
| Original air date | October 20, 1995 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Fire" (Part 1) is the season premiere of the fourth season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street . It originally aired on NBC on October 20, 1995. The episode was written by Julie Martin (from a story by Tom Fontana and Henry Bromell) and was directed by Tim Hunter. The two-part story centres on Pembleton and Bayliss' investigation into a pair of arson-related homicides, and introduces a new regular character, Arson Squad detective Mike Kellerman (played by Reed Diamond), who subsequently transfers to Homicide and partners with Det. Meldrick Lewis. This episode also flagged the permanent departure of regular characters Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty) and Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin).
As the episode opens, Kay Howard and Munch are on the station house rooftop, discussing recent events at a police convention in New York, where Bolander and Felton were among a group of 100 drunken police who ran amok at their hotel, and that this misconduct has earned them a 22-week suspension. As they talk, Howard notices a fire in the distance and they argue over its exact location. The action then cuts to the fire (in an abandoned box warehouse) where fire-fighters discover a charred body and summon the Homicide Squad. Pembleton and Bayliss arrive to investigate the death, and meet Arson Squad detective Mike Kellerman. He and Pembleton clash over Kellerman's assumptions about the victim's identity and manner of death. Believing the arson was for financial reasons, Kellerman meets an informant the next morning and pressures him to provide the name of the arsonist. Pembleton and Bayliss go to the pathologist for the post-mortem results, only to find that Kellerman has been there ahead of them. Hoping to link the dead boy to missing persons records, Pembleton visits Missing Persons, where he encounters his nemesis, Det. Roger Gaffney.
At the station house, Howard and Munch both declare that they will sit for the Sergeant's exam in hopes of gaining a promotion and the squad begins to stake odds on the outcome.
Capt. Russert and Col. Barnfather discuss the problems in the squad. Barnfather pressures Russert to improve the squad's cleanup rate, hinting that he might replace Giardello for being unable to control his detectives, and that he will hold Russert responsible for Giardello's "screw-ups". Kellerman visits the squad room to discuss the case with Bayliss and Pembleton, telling them he believes the building's owner, Matthew Rowland, is responsible for the recent fire, and for several other arson attacks on properties Rowland owns. While they are arguing, Lewis informs the detectives that uniformed officers guarding the crime scene have apprehended a teenage girl, Lisa Denardi, who was found poking around in the ruined building. When questioned, she reveals that she and her boyfriend regularly met there at night to have sex, and that they kept a sleeping bag there; from her evidence, the detectives conclude that the body is that of Lisa's 16-year-old boyfriend, Mark Landry. Kellerman visits a woman claiming to have information about the fire, but when he enters her house she strips naked and tries to seduce him so Kellerman hurriedly leaves.
Bayliss visits the lab, where he meets up with Kellerman, who explains that tests show that the fire was started with gasoline. Coincidentally, back at the station house, Pembleton receives an anonymous phone tipoff about the location of the gas can supposedly used to start the fire. The mystery informant, whom we only partially see, declares that it "sucks" that the boy has been killed in the fire; his information leads Pembleton to the gas can. Meanwhile, Bayliss and Kellerman visit the building's owner, Rowland, and confront him about the arson attacks, but an infuriated Rowland phones contacts at City Hall, and as a result of his pressure, Russert meets Kellerman to explain that Rowland was actually in negotiation to sell the building to the city, and she orders Kellerman to leave Rowland alone.
Fingerprint evidence on the gas can leads to a man called Calvin Jones, so Pembleton and Bayliss go to question him. When Jones tries to flee, Pembleton freezes, but he soon recovers and helps Bayliss catch Jones, who eventually proves to be a serial 'confessor' with no real connection to the crime. After the arrest, Bayliss expresses concern about Frank's state of mind (alluding to Frank's recent ordeal at the hands of the stalker) and Pembleton reveals that his wife is pregnant. At Giardello's insistence, Pembleton canvasses Landry's high school, but he draws a blank, with all information indicating that the dead boy was a 'regular' kid with no enemies. Bayliss reveals that the girl's father (who had been a suspect) also has an alibi. Kellerman offers a tentative theory that the arsonist might be someone obsessed with fire.
Russert visits Giardello's office to ask about the progress of the investigation. They begin to discuss the staffing problems stemming from the suspension of Bolander and Felton, and Giardello reveals that Russert's affair with Felton is common knowledge in the squad. They begin to argue, but they are interrupted by news of another arson attack. When Pembleton, Bayliss and Kellerman arrive at the scene, they are told that a body has been spotted inside the burning building, and Kellerman admits that Pembleton's theory about Landry's death may have been right.
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When the mystery informant calls Pembleton with the tipoff about the fire, he turns up the volume of his car radio, which is playing the Jimi Hendrix version of the Bob Dylan song "All Along The Watchtower", and this music carries through the subsequent sequence.
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police drama television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. Created by Paul Attanasio, it ran for seven seasons and 122 episodes on NBC from January 31, 1993, to May 21, 1999, and was succeeded by Homicide: The Movie (2000), which served as the series finale. The series was created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991). Many of the characters and stories used throughout the show were based on events depicted in the book.
Francis Xavier "Frank" Pembleton is a fictional homicide detective on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Emmy Award–winning actor Andre Braugher. He is a primary character of the show through the first six seasons. Although the show featured an ensemble cast, Pembleton would become the fan favorite and is often identified by as the show's signature character. He is based on Baltimore Police Department Detective Harry Edgerton, who, like Pembleton, was an eccentric New York–born African American detective in the BPD homicide unit featured in David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets. The character also appeared in the Law & Order episode "Charm City".
Detective Michael Scott Kellerman is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Reed Diamond. He is a main character from seasons 4–6 (1995–98).
Det. Beauregard Donald 'Beau' Felton is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by Daniel Baldwin for seasons 1-3. He was loosely based on Det. Donald Kincaid, from David Simon's nonfiction book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, on which the series was based.
Stanley 'Stan' Bolander is a fictional character in the American crime drama / police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. He is portrayed by Ned Beatty and appears in the first three seasons and the spinoff film Homicide: The Movie.
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional character on Homicide: Life on the Street, played by Kyle Secor and one of the few main characters to last the entire run of the show. He was loosely based on real-life Baltimore homicide detective Thomas Pellegrini, featured in David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, though Pellegrini was reportedly not at all a fan of his fictional alter ego. The character also appeared in the Law & Order episode "Charm City."
Alphonse Michael 'Gee' Giardello Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto. He is based on Baltimore Police Department Shift Lieutenant Gary D'Addario, a member of the BPD homicide unit described in David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets which served as the inspiration for the series as a whole. The character also appeared in the Law & Order episode "Baby, It's You".
Detective Megan Russert is a fictional character on Homicide: Life on the Street played by Isabella Hofmann. At the time of her introduction in the premiere episode of the third season, she is a lieutenant who takes charge of the homicide unit's second shift after the previous commander's retirement. Later in the season, a vacancy opens up in the chain of command and she is promoted to captain on a trial basis, as a token of the city's commitment to diversity and equal opportunity.
Roger Gaffney is a fictional police officer of the Baltimore Police Department on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was played by Walt MacPherson.
J.H. Brodie is a fictional character in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. He appeared in a recurring role in the show's fourth season and was a regular in the show's fifth season, after becoming an official crime scene videographer.
Stuart Gharty is a fictional character played by Peter Gerety in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.
"A Shot in the Dark" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 24, 1993. The teleplay was written by Jorge Zamacona based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana, and the episode was directed by Bruce Paltrow. In the episode, Crosetti focuses his investigation into the shooting of Officer Thormann on one suspect, while Lewis continues to investigate. Meanwhile, Pembleton and Bayliss pursue different leads in the murder case of 11-year-old Adena Watson.
"And the Rockets' Dead Glare" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 17, 1993. In the episode, Howard testifies in a murder trial, Pembleton is offered a promotion, and Lewis and Crosetti go to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. to investigate a political refugee's murder.
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 24, 1993. In the episode, Howard and Bayliss attempt to quit smoking, Gee discovers secret asbestos removal in the squad room, and Munch and Bolander investigate the beating death of a 14-year-old boy. The episode was written by James Yoshimura and Tom Fontana, and was directed by Wayne Ewing, who doubled as director of photography.
"End Game" is the 14th episode of the third season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC on February 10, 1995. The episode was written by Rogers Turrentine and directed by Lee Bonner. The episode continues a storyline about the shooting of Beau Felton, Kay Howard, and Stanley Bolander.
"Law & Disorder" is the 15th episode of the third season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC on February 24, 1995. The episode was written by Bonnie Mark and Julie Martin and directed by John McNaughton. The episode concludes elements of a storyline about the shooting of Beau Felton, Kay Howard, and Stanley Bolander.
"Fallen Heroes" is a two-part episode that concludes the sixth season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It comprises the 99th and 100th overall episodes of the series, and originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 1, 1998 and May 8, 1998.
"See No Evil" is the second episode of the second season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the eleventh overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 13, 1994. In the episode, Felton's friend kills his father in an assisted suicide, and Felton tries to convince Lewis to look the other way. In a subplot, Pembleton investigates what appears to be the police shooting of an unarmed suspect.
"Nearer My God to Thee" is the third season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the fourteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 14, 1994. In the episode, the homicide department is assigned to the politically volatile murder of a beloved social worker, whose body is found wearing nothing but a pair of white gloves. Meanwhile, Felton struggles with marital problems, while Lewis and Munch try to find a business partner with whom to open a bar.
"Fire " is the second, concluding part of the two-part season premiere of the fourth season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC on October 27, 1995. Both parts were written by Julie Martin ; Part 1 was directed by Tim Hunter, and Part 2 by Nick Gomez. This episode concludes the investigation of a pair of arson-related homicides, led by detectives Pembleton and Bayliss, with their Arson Squad colleague Det. Mike Kellerman.
1. Kalat, David P. (1998). Homicide: Life on the Street: The Unofficial Companion. Los Angeles, California: Renaissance Books. p. 102. ISBN 1-58063-021-9.
2. Levinson, Barry. (2003) (Audio commentary). Homicide Life on the Street - The Seasons 1 & 2. [DVD]. A&E Home Video.
