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).
Baltimore Police detectives Kay Howard and John Munch are on the roof of the police station, discussing a recent fiasco at a police convention in New York City, in which 100 drunken police–including Stanley Bolander and Beau Felton –ran amok at their hotel, resulting in both Bolander and Felton being given a 22-week suspension. As they talk, Howard notices a fire in the distance. At the scene of the fire, firefighters discover a charred body and summon the homicide unit.
Frank Pembleton and Tim Bayliss arrive to investigate and meet arson investigator 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 autopsy results, only to find that Kellerman has been there ahead of them. Hoping to link the victim to missing persons records, Pembleton goes to the unit specializing in disappearances and encounters his nemesis, Detective Roger Gaffney.
At the station, Howard and Munch both declare that they will sit for the sergeant's exam in hopes of gaining a promotion; the squad begins to stake odds on the outcome. Meanwhile, Captain Megan Russert and Colonel George Barnfather discuss the problems in the unit. Barnfather pressures Russert to improve the unit's clearance rate, hinting that he might replace Al Giardello for being unable to control his detectives and will hold Russert responsible for Gee's "screw-ups".
Kellerman visits the squad room to confer with Bayliss and Pembleton, telling them he believes Matthew Rowland, the owner of the warehouse where the fire took place, is responsible for multiple arson attacks on properties he owns. While they are arguing, Meldrick 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; from her evidence, Pembleton and Bayliss conclude that the body is that of her 16-year-old boyfriend, Mark Landry. Kellerman visits a woman claiming to have information about the fire, but she strips naked and tries to seduce him, so Kellerman hurriedly leaves.
At the crime lab, Kellerman explains to Bayliss that tests show that the fire was started with gasoline. Coincidentally, back at the station, Pembleton receives an anonymous tip about the location of the gas can supposedly used to start the fire. The informant, who is only partially seen, 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 confront Rowland about the arson attacks, but an infuriated Rowland phones contacts at City Hall. As a result of his pressure, Russert tells Kellerman that Rowland was actually in negotiation to sell the warehouse to the city, and orders him to leave Rowland alone.
Fingerprint evidence on the gas can leads to a man called Calvin Jones, who Pembleton and Bayliss go to question. When Jones tries to flee, Pembleton freezes, but soon recovers and helps Bayliss catch him. Jones eventually proves to be a serial "confessor" with no real connection to the crime. After the arrest, Bayliss expresses concern about Pembleton's state of mind following his recent stalking ordeal, and Pembleton reveals that his wife is pregnant. At Gee's insistence, Pembleton canvasses Landry's high school, only for him to find that Landry had no enemies. Bayliss reveals that Denardi'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 Gee'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 Gee reveals that Russert's affair with Felton is common knowledge in the squad. They begin to argue, but 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. 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. 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.
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).
Katherine "Kay" Howard is a fictional character in the American TV series Homicide: Life on the Street. She was played by actress Melissa Leo. In the first two seasons of the show her character was the only female detective or member of the main cast. However, NBC president Warren Littlefield felt that the lack of other female characters was alienating the audience, so Megan Russert was added to the show. It was stated in a special edition of Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the non-fiction book that the film was based on, that the character of Kay Howard was based on Baltimore Police detective Rich Garvey. Howard is also influenced by Detective Bertina Silver, referred to as 'Bert' by her colleagues, thought by many in the unit to be the exception to the 'Secretaries-with-guns' female officer stereotype. The end result of the real-life influences was that Howard combined Garvey's superb and persistent work and sky-high clearance rate and Silver's complete acceptance by the male-dominated Homicide unit.
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.
"Blood Ties" is the three-episode sixth season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. The episodes constitute the 78th, 79th and 80th overall episodes of the series. They originally aired on NBC on October 17, 24 and 31, 1997, respectively.
"Gone for Goode" is the first 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 January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul Attanasio and directed by executive producer Barry Levinson. "Gone for Goode" introduced regular cast members Daniel Baldwin, Ned Beatty, Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, Wendy Hughes, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Melissa Leo, Jon Polito, and Kyle Secor.
"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.
"A Dog and Pony Show" is the sixth 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 10, 1993. In the episode, Pembleton and Bayliss investigate the murder of a police dog, Crosetti helps his friend adjust after a serious injury, and Felton and Howard suspect a drug dealer for a brutal murder.
"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.