HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET: TRUTH WILL OUT (TV)
Summary
One in this dramatic police series about a department of reflective homicide detectives in Baltimore, Maryland. In this episode, Stivers informs Falsone that she is aware of his ongoing clandestine relationship with Ballard, and a young woman, Josephine Pitt, arrives at the precinct seeking help with the 1972 death of her infant brother Jeff – which she herself caused. She explains that, at three years old, she apparently dropped him in the bathtub, causing a fatal skull fracture, but cannot fully remember the details. Gee, who worked the case, is unnerved to be reminded of his first-ever infanticide, while elsewhere Bayliss and Ballard investigate the death of a John Doe who was, strangely, shot in the head after overdosing on heroin. Josephine's mother Madeline explains that she has wanted her daughter to forgive herself and move on for decades, though she confirms that Josephine definitely dropped the boy, and Gee questions Mike about Charisse's childhood illness, apparently fuzzy on the details.
Bayliss flirts with another cop, Sergeant Fisk, and former medical examiner Mark Harlow tersely confirms that Jeff's fall of less than two feet could indeed have caused a deadly injury, though admits that he did not think to suspect the parents of wrongdoing. Gee warns Bayliss to avoid "career suicide" by shutting down his would-be "anonymous" website, on which he discusses both his religious beliefs and his bisexuality, though Bayliss is affronted by the insult to his free speech. Gee notes that Harlow was a notorious drunk who was eventually fired for making mistakes on the job, and Josephine watches as her brother's remains are disinterred. Griscom explains that Jeff had suffered a series of fractures and other injuries throughout his short life that were clearly not caused by a three-year-old, and Ballard worries that she and Falsone will tire of each other when he suggests that they simply "stay home" to avoid being spotted together.
Bayliss faces antagonistic behavior from other cops as news of his website spreads throughout the precincts, though both Sheppard and Ballard defend his right to have a private life. Madeline is brought in for further questioning, and when Bayliss confronts Fisk, who stood him up on their date, Fisk angrily rebuffs him, sure that being outed will ruin his career prospects. Madeline swears that she never physically "disciplined" her children and blames Jeff's injuries on accidents, but Josephine soon joins her and demands the truth, wondering why her mother has all but erased her brother from their lives. Madeline retorts that Josephine actually killed him intentionally out of jealousy, but an angry Gee defends Josephine, forcing Madeline to admit that Jeff was "an accident" and that she alone, without Josephine or her late husband, caused the boy's death. Later, Stivers warns Falsone about the dangers of secrets and states that she will not lie for him regarding Ballard, and Ballard tries to comfort a downtrodden Bayliss, urging him to ignore the others' snide comments. Gee admits to Mike that Jeff's death predated Charisse's serious illness, meaning that his errors in the case were not caused by his fatherly distraction, while elsewhere Bayliss finally deletes the fateful website. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1998 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:26
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:56295
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection - Drama; Drama, police/detective; Murder; Families
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1993-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Barry Levinson … Executive Producer
- Tom Fontana … Executive Producer
- Jim Finnerty … Executive Producer
- Julie Martin … Co-Executive Producer
- James Yoshimura … Co-Executive Producer
- Eric Overmeyer … Supervising Producer
- David Simon … Producer, Based on the book by
- Sara B. Charno … Co-Producer
- Gail Mutrux … Consulting Producer
- Anya Epstein … Consulting Producer, Writer
- Keith Samples … Director
- Noel Behn … Writer
- Paul Attanasio … Created by
- Douglas J. Cuomo … Music by
- Lynn F. Kowal … Theme Music by
- Richard Belzer … Cast, Detective John Munch
- Giancarlo Esposito … Cast, Agent Mike Giardello
- Peter Gerety … Cast, Detective Stuart Gharty
- Clark Johnson … Cast, Detective Meldrick Lewis
- Yaphet Kotto … Cast, Lieutenant Al Giardello
- Toni Lewis … Cast, Detective Terri Stivers
- Michael Michele … Cast, Detective Rene Sheppard
- Kyle Secor … Cast, Detective Tim Bayliss
- Jon Seda … Cast, Detective Paul Falsone
- Callie Thorne … Cast, Detective Laura Ballard
- Elizabeth Ashley … Cast, Madeline Pitt
- Brooke Smith … Cast, Josephine Pitt / Young Madeline Pitt
- Austin Pendleton … Cast, Dr. George Griscom
- Richard Barlow … Cast, Detective Pilsner
- Michael Ford … Cast, Sergeant Roger Fisk
- Seymour Horowitz … Cast, Mark Harlow
- Sharon Ziman … Cast, Naomi