HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET: PIT BULL SESSIONS (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic police series about a department of reflective homicide detectives in Baltimore, Maryland. In this episode, temporary partners Falsone and Pembleton are called to a crime scene at which 82-year-old Leonard Tjarks has been mauled to death by pit bulls belonging to his grandson Harry. Bayliss, forced to take personal time to man the bar, swaps amusing stories of dimwitted criminals with Munch and Gharty, recalling the time that he convinced a killer that a "special machine" would show them the dead man's last visions. Leonard's son complains bitterly about Harry's selfish behavior, urging the detectives to arrest him for his part in Leonard's death, and Kellerman, angered to learn that Georgia Rae's case against him has been assigned a jury trial, declares that Judge Gibbons must be dirty.
Pembleton and Falsone argue about the "misunderstood" nature of pit bulls as they search for the missing Harry, and they are soon led to local dog-fighting expert Stanley Bradshaw, who explains that dogs like Harry's "work off command," suggesting that he may have purposefully orchestrated his grandfather's death. Kellerman is turned away when he attempts to visit Gibbons, and Munch grows annoyed as bar employee Tony spends time absorbed in his Bible. Ballard joins them and relates a story about a stabbing that resulted from Vietnam War-related fibs, and Harry finally turns up in search of his dogs. He claims not to have witnessed his grandfather's death, but Falsone remains convinced that he ordered his dogs to attack the elderly man. The detectives are unnerved to see that Tony has been taking notes on their conversation in his Bible to better "make sense of their souls," and Gharty shares a decidedly unfunny story about a young father's senseless death.
Pembleton tries to convince Falsone that Leonard's death is not a murder, but Falsone continues questioning Harry, belligerently needling him about his underachieving life. Harry seems unconcerned about his grandfather's death and his father's grief, and it is only when Falsone informs him that his dogs are to be euthanized that he breaks down in tears. Later, Pembleton notes that he may be charged with gross negligence, and an angry Falsone wonders how someone as emotionally "simple" as Harry can be allowed to "win." Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1997 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:45:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:52278
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Dogfighting; Families
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1993-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Barry Levinson … Executive Producer
- Tom Fontana … Executive Producer
- Jim Finnerty … Co-Executive Producer
- Julie Martin … Supervising Producer, Writer
- James Yoshimura … Supervising Producer, Writer
- Anya Epstein … Producer
- David Simon … Producer, Based on the book by
- Gail Mutrux … Consulting Producer
- Eric Overmyer … Consulting Producer
- Barbara Kopple … Director
- Paul Attanasio … Created by
- Sean Whitesell … Writer
- Douglas J. Cuomo … Music by
- Lynn F. Kowal … Theme Music by
- Richard Belzer … Cast, Det. John Munch
- Andre Braugher … Cast, Det. Frank Pembleton
- Reed Diamond … Cast, Det. Mike Kellerman
- Peter Gerety … Cast, Det. Stuart Gharty
- Clark Johnson … Cast, Det. Meldrick Lewis
- Yaphet Kotto … Cast, Lt. Al Giardello
- Kyle Secor … Cast, Det. Tim Bayliss
- Jon Seda … Cast, Det. Paul Falsone
- Callie Thorne … Cast, Det. Laura Ballard
- Paul Giamatti … Cast, Harry Tjarks
- Toni Lewis … Cast, Det. Terri Stivers
- Laurie Kennedy … Cast, City Attorney Felicity Weaver
- Tony Fitzpatrick … Cast, Tony
- Granville Adams … Cast, Officer Jeff Westby
- Kevin Grantz … Cast, Stanley Bradshaw
- Ralph Tabakin … Cast, Dr. Scheiner, M.E.
- Gwen Murray … Cast, Clerk
- Wendell Neal Jr. … Cast, Maurice
- Andy Rapoport … Cast, Butchie Weeks
- Jay Spadaro … Cast, Officer Salerno
- Sharon Ziman … Cast, Naomi