A Many Splendored Thing (Homicide: Life on the Street)
Encyclopedia
"A Many Splendored Thing" is the second season
finale of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street
, and the thirteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC
in the United States on January 27, 1994. In the episode, Pembleton
and Bayliss
investigate the S&M-related murder of a young woman, which forces an uncomfortable Bayliss to confront his darker side. Meanwhile, Lewis
is disturbed when a man commits murder over a $1.49 pen
, and a despairing Munch
crashes Bolander
's date and ruins it by venting his own romantic woes.
Written by Noel Behn
and directed by John McNaughton
, "A Many Splendored Thing" was not originally planned to close the second season, but the expected finale "Bop Gun
" was changed to the season premiere to capitalize on a guest performance by Robin Williams
. The homicide case in "A Many Splendored Thing" involving a man who committed murder over a pen was based on a similar real-life killing that took place in Anne Arundel County
, Maryland
. The episode featured the second of two guest appearances by actress Julianna Margulies
as Linda, Bolander's romantic interest, as well an appearance by Adrienne Shelly
as the owner of an S&M fashion store.
"A Many Splendored Thing" marked the final appearance by Jon Polito
, who had played Detective Steve Crosetti
since the series debuted, but was dismissed reportedly because NBC officials were unhappy with his physical appearance. Polito was publicly critical of the show after his dismissal. According to Nielsen Media Research
, the episode was seen by 11.2 million household viewers, slight increase from the previous week's episode, "Black and Blue
". It received generally positive reviews, and was identified by The Baltimore Sun
as one of the ten best episodes of the series. "A Many Splendored Thing" was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
for Best Screenplay of an Episodic Drama
.
(Andre Braugher
) and Bayliss
(Kyle Secor
) investigate the murder of Angela Frandina, who was found strangled in her bed clutching a note reading, "Ed did it", although it proves to be a false lead. Their investigation leads the detectives to discover Angela had several strange boyfriends and worked at an S&M fashion store and a phone sex
hotline. The two detectives visit the Eastern Shores Marketing Phone Sex operation where they speak with the manager, Ed. Ed tells them about a boyfriend of Angela's named Chris Novoselic (Dan Garrett) who used to spend time with her at an S&M club called 'The Eve of Destruction' on Fayette Street. Pembleton and Bayliss go to the Eve of Destruction to question Novoselic. During questioning, Bayliss gets angry and loses his cool with Novoselic slamming the leather-clad, multi-pierced freak against the wall telling him that if he doesn't start giving them some answers, he is gonna slap some cuffs on him, take him downtown and knock him around' whereby Novoselic responds by telling Bayliss, 'If you do that, I might have to kiss you!'. Pembleton calms Bayliss and they leave. While driving, Bayliss claims to be disgusted by the sexual taboos, but Pembleton insists everybody has a darker side and that until Bayliss recognizes his own, his virtues can never truly be tested. Pembleton and Bayliss return to the S&M fashion store and ask about leather belts with bead patterns matching the marks on Angela's neck. Store owner Tanya (Adrienne Shelly
) tells them Angela's neighbor Jeremy (Scott Nielson) has a jacket with a matching belt. After an interrogation, Jeremy confesses to choking and accidentally killing Angela with the belt during quirky and violent (but consensual) sex. As a thank you for solving the case, Tanya brings Bayliss a leather jacket as gift, which he reluctantly accepts. That night, Bayliss visits Baltimore
's red light district
wearing the jacket, as a way to test himself as Pembleton suggested. He is approached by a prostitute but rejects her, thus passing the test.
Lewis
(Clark Johnson
) and Crosetti
(Jon Polito
) investigate the fatal shooting of a man, who was apparently killed for a $1.49 pen. Lewis believes there must be more to the story, refusing to believe a pen is worth killing for. When they search suspect Mitchell Forman's (Sal S. Koussa) apartment, they find thousands of pens, many of which line the walls like bizarre decorations. Lewis later finds Forman at the police station, where he originally planned to turn himself in, but instead went up to the roof to commit suicide. Lewis lures Forman away from the ledge by enticing him with a beautiful golden pen, which belonged to Lewis' deceased grandmother. Forman is taken into custody. Later, Lewis still cannot believe someone would kill over a pen, but Gee
(Yaphet Kotto
) suggests it is no worse than killing over a car or woman. Lewis, determined not to develop such a strong attachment to a material item, gives his grandmother's pen to Felton
(Daniel Baldwin
).
Meanwhile, although Munch
(Richard Belzer
) is cynical and despairing over his recent break-up with ex-girlfriend Felicia, the normally-grumpy Bolander
(Ned Beatty
) is unusually cheerful as a result of his budding romantic relationship with Linda (Julianne Margulies), a much younger (26-year-old) waitress. Nervous about his first real date with her, Bolander asks Howard
(Melissa Leo
) to go on a double-date with him, along with Howard's boyfriend, prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers
(Željko Ivanek
). The double date goes well until a lonely Munch crashes, joins the table and ruins the mood of the evening complaining about his romantic woes. Bolander, Munch and Linda leave together and walk to Fort McHenry
, where Linda offers Munch words of encouragement. Impressed with her, Munch leaves Linda and Bolander alone, where they happily watch a fireworks show.
and directed by John McNaughton
, who previously directed Homicide star Richard Belzer in the film Mad Dog and Glory
(1993). Like the other three second season
episodes, the script for "A Many Splendored Thing" was already finished by the time the first season ended, but due to poor Nielsen ratings
throughout the duration of the show, NBC
executives asked for several refinements – including fewer episode subplots and less camera movements and jump cuts – before approving a second season. "A Many Splendored Thing" was the second season finale. The season premiere, "Bop Gun
", was originally meant to serve as the finale, but NBC decided to instead open the season with it, with the hopes of getting increased ratings from a guest appearance by actor Robin Williams
.
The title "A Many Splendored Thing" is a reference to the 1952 historical romance novel A Many-Splendoured Thing
and the subsequent film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
(1955). The title refers to the episode's theme of the many variations of love, as demonstrated by the sexual taboos from the world of Angela Frandina, the dysfunctional relationship of Munch and Felicia, the budding romance between Bolander and Linda, and the twisted love Mitchell Forman harbors for pens. The Forman case was inspired by a real-life murder that took place in Anne Arundel County
, Maryland
, in which a 23-year-old man shot another man 10 times in a doughnut shop when the victim refused to sell the shooter his pen. During the double date Munch crashes, Howard becomes depressed about the hopelessness of life and love, leaving unhappily with Danvers. This scene foreshadows the eventual break-up of Howard and Danvers, which occurs at an unspecified time in the third season
.
The episode marked the final appearance by Jon Polito
, who had been a regular cast member since the series debuted, but was dismissed reportedly because NBC officials were unhappy with his weight and physical appearance and did not believe he appealed to audiences. The departure was not amicable, as Polito publicly criticized the direction Homicide had taken in the second season and claimed he voiced concerns about the recent scripts to Fontana and Menaul. "A Many Splendored Things" featured the second of two guest appearances by actress Julianna Margulies as Linda. Margulies started her role as nurse Carol Hathaway
on the medical drama series ER
the same year that "A Many Splendored Thing" aired. She was cast in the part after having worked with Fontana on the pilot of Philly Heat, an ABC
miniseries he worked on about members of the Philadelphia Fire Department
. Tom Fontana had offered Margulies a recurring role on Homicide, but she turned it down in favor of ER. "A Many Splendored Thing" also featured a guest appearances by Adrienne Shelly who played S&M fashion store owner Tanya Quinn, and Sal Koussa as murder suspect Mitchell Forman. Koussa was not a professional actor, and had been working as a waiter at the Washington, D.C.
restaurant I Ricchi when the episode was filmed. The songs "Hideaway" and "Out of Time", both of which were written by Bernie McNabb and performed by Scarlet Bride, were featured in "A Many Splendored Thing". Other featured songs include "Whoa" by Soul Asylum
, the Donna Summer
song "Bad Girls
", and a rendition of Italian composer Ottorino Respighi
's "Feste Romane
", as performed by the Oregon Symphony
.
and make a determination whether to continue the series. The series premiere, "Bop Gun", drew unusually large viewership numbers due to a guest appearance by Robin Williams
, but the subsequent episodes had dropped in the ratings, making the viewership of "A Many Splendored Thing" particularly important for the future of the series. Fontana said if the episode performed well, "NBC's going to have to do some hard thinking." In its original American broadcast on January 27, 1994, "A Many Splendored Thing" was watched by 11.2 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research, earning the episode an 11.9 rating. That constituted a slight increase from the previous week's episode, "Black and Blue", which was seen by 10.83 million households. It was the 37th highest rated television show of the week, tied with the Fox
animated comedy series The Simpsons
. "A Many Splendored Thing" faced unusually tough competition in its timeslot from the ABC
news series Primetime Live
, which did a special report about convicted murderer Richard Allen Davis
.
as one of the ten best episodes of the series. Sun writers David Zurawik and Chris Kaltenbach particularly praised the creative pairing of Ned Beatty and Julianna Margulies, of whom they said, "somehow it is as touching a love story as you could want". The Washington Post
television reviewer Tom Shales strongly complimented the episode, especially for its serious and unflinching approach to disturbing and twisted events like the Forman murder: "Homicide is more than a superb cop show; it's a helpful guide on dealing with the madness of the modern world. It's Attention Television – a program that grips one's attention and rewards it." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
writer Drew Jubera said the episode "shifts deftly between the underbelly of cop work and the surprising moments of light that leak into these detectives' lives". Greg Paeth of The Cincinnati Post
called it "another stunning installment of a cop drama that defines the genre", and particularly praised the "perfect" performance of Ned Beatty. Baltimore Sun writer David Bianculli called the episode superb and said Adrienne Shelly left a "stunning impression in her performance. Bianculli said it left him "hungry for the next episode," adding, "Personal plea to NBC: Please, please renew this series."
"A Many Splendored Thing" was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
for Best Screenplay of an Episodic Drama
, but ultimately lost to the Homicide episode "Bop Gun
".
on May 27, 2003 for $69.95.
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 2)
The second season of Homicide: Life on the Street, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired in the United States between January 6 and January 27, 1994. Due to low Nielsen ratings during the first season, NBC executives decided to order only a four-episode season,...
finale of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
, and the thirteenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in the United States on January 27, 1994. In the episode, Pembleton
Frank Pembleton
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...
and Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
investigate the S&M-related murder of a young woman, which forces an uncomfortable Bayliss to confront his darker side. Meanwhile, Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
is disturbed when a man commits murder over a $1.49 pen
Ballpoint pen
A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument with an internal ink reservoir and a sphere for a point. The internal chamber is filled with a viscous ink that is dispensed at its tip during use by the rolling action of a small sphere...
, and a despairing Munch
John Munch
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise...
crashes Bolander
Stanley Bolander
Stanley 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 Homicide: The Movie.-Character overview:...
's date and ruins it by venting his own romantic woes.
Written by Noel Behn
Noel Behn
Noel Behn was an American novelist, screenwriter and theatrical producer. His first novel, The Kremlin Letter, drawn from his work in the US Army's Counterintelligence Corps, was made into a film by John Huston in 1970. Behn's non-fiction The Big Stick-Up at Brink's was adapted into a 1978 movie...
and directed by John McNaughton
John McNaughton
John McNaughton is an American film and television director, originally from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography:His first feature film, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Numerous complications plagued the controversial film,...
, "A Many Splendored Thing" was not originally planned to close the second season, but the expected finale "Bop Gun
Bop Gun (Homicide: Life on the Street)
"Bop Gun" is the second season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 6, 1994...
" was changed to the season premiere to capitalize on a guest performance by Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
. The homicide case in "A Many Splendored Thing" involving a man who committed murder over a pen was based on a similar real-life killing that took place in Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The episode featured the second of two guest appearances by actress Julianna Margulies
Julianna Margulies
Julianna Luisa Margulies is an American actress and producer.After several small television roles, Margulies achieved success in her regular role as Nurse Carol Hathaway on NBC's long-running medical drama ER, for which she won an Emmy Award...
as Linda, Bolander's romantic interest, as well an appearance by Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly , was an American actress, director and screenwriter. Making her name in independent films such as 1989's The Unbelievable Truth and 1990's Trust, Shelly transitioned to a writing and directing career in subsequent years...
as the owner of an S&M fashion store.
"A Many Splendored Thing" marked the final appearance by Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
, who had played Detective Steve Crosetti
Steve Crosetti
Det. Steve Crosetti is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by actor Jon Polito for the show's first two seasons. He is believed to be based on Baltimore Police Department Det...
since the series debuted, but was dismissed reportedly because NBC officials were unhappy with his physical appearance. Polito was publicly critical of the show after his dismissal. According to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, the episode was seen by 11.2 million household viewers, slight increase from the previous week's episode, "Black and Blue
Black and Blue (Homicide: Life on the Street)
"Black and Blue" is the third episode of the second season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the twelfth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 20, 1994. In the episode, Pembleton aggressively...
". It received generally positive reviews, and was identified by The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
as one of the ten best episodes of the series. "A Many Splendored Thing" was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best Screenplay of an Episodic Drama
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay - Episodic Drama
This is the list of winners and nominees of the WGA Television Award for Best Writing for Drama Series - Episodic.-2000s:2000: The West Wing - Rick Cleveland/Aaron Sorkin for "In Excelsis Deo"...
.
Plot summary
PembletonFrank Pembleton
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...
(Andre Braugher
Andre Braugher
Andre Braugher is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Thomas Searles in the film Glory, as the fiery detective Frank Pembleton on Homicide: Life on the Street from 1993 to 1998 and again in the 2000 made-for-TV film Homicide: Life on the Street, and as Owen Thoreau Jr...
) and Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
(Kyle Secor
Kyle Secor
Kyle Ivan Secor is an American television and movie actor, best known for his role as Detective Tim Bayliss on the crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street.-Early years:...
) investigate the murder of Angela Frandina, who was found strangled in her bed clutching a note reading, "Ed did it", although it proves to be a false lead. Their investigation leads the detectives to discover Angela had several strange boyfriends and worked at an S&M fashion store and a phone sex
Phone sex
Phone sex is a type of virtual sex that refers to sexually explicit conversation between or other persons via telephone, especially when at least one of the participants masturbates or engages in sexual fantasy...
hotline. The two detectives visit the Eastern Shores Marketing Phone Sex operation where they speak with the manager, Ed. Ed tells them about a boyfriend of Angela's named Chris Novoselic (Dan Garrett) who used to spend time with her at an S&M club called 'The Eve of Destruction' on Fayette Street. Pembleton and Bayliss go to the Eve of Destruction to question Novoselic. During questioning, Bayliss gets angry and loses his cool with Novoselic slamming the leather-clad, multi-pierced freak against the wall telling him that if he doesn't start giving them some answers, he is gonna slap some cuffs on him, take him downtown and knock him around' whereby Novoselic responds by telling Bayliss, 'If you do that, I might have to kiss you!'. Pembleton calms Bayliss and they leave. While driving, Bayliss claims to be disgusted by the sexual taboos, but Pembleton insists everybody has a darker side and that until Bayliss recognizes his own, his virtues can never truly be tested. Pembleton and Bayliss return to the S&M fashion store and ask about leather belts with bead patterns matching the marks on Angela's neck. Store owner Tanya (Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly
Adrienne Shelly , was an American actress, director and screenwriter. Making her name in independent films such as 1989's The Unbelievable Truth and 1990's Trust, Shelly transitioned to a writing and directing career in subsequent years...
) tells them Angela's neighbor Jeremy (Scott Nielson) has a jacket with a matching belt. After an interrogation, Jeremy confesses to choking and accidentally killing Angela with the belt during quirky and violent (but consensual) sex. As a thank you for solving the case, Tanya brings Bayliss a leather jacket as gift, which he reluctantly accepts. That night, Bayliss visits Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
's red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
wearing the jacket, as a way to test himself as Pembleton suggested. He is approached by a prostitute but rejects her, thus passing the test.
Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
(Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
) and Crosetti
Steve Crosetti
Det. Steve Crosetti is a fictional character on the television drama series Homicide: Life on the Street portrayed by actor Jon Polito for the show's first two seasons. He is believed to be based on Baltimore Police Department Det...
(Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
) investigate the fatal shooting of a man, who was apparently killed for a $1.49 pen. Lewis believes there must be more to the story, refusing to believe a pen is worth killing for. When they search suspect Mitchell Forman's (Sal S. Koussa) apartment, they find thousands of pens, many of which line the walls like bizarre decorations. Lewis later finds Forman at the police station, where he originally planned to turn himself in, but instead went up to the roof to commit suicide. Lewis lures Forman away from the ledge by enticing him with a beautiful golden pen, which belonged to Lewis' deceased grandmother. Forman is taken into custody. Later, Lewis still cannot believe someone would kill over a pen, but Gee
Al Giardello
Alphonse Michael Giardello, Sr. is a fictional character from the television drama Homicide: Life on the Street. The character was played by Yaphet Kotto...
(Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
) suggests it is no worse than killing over a car or woman. Lewis, determined not to develop such a strong attachment to a material item, gives his grandmother's pen to Felton
Beau Felton
Det. Beauregard D. '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...
(Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Baldwin
Daniel Leroy Baldwin is an American actor, producer and director. He is the second oldest of the four Baldwin brothers, all of whom are actors. Daniel Baldwin is known for his role as Detective Beau Felton in the popular NBC TV series Homicide: Life on the Street...
).
Meanwhile, although Munch
John Munch
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise...
(Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
) is cynical and despairing over his recent break-up with ex-girlfriend Felicia, the normally-grumpy Bolander
Stanley Bolander
Stanley 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 Homicide: The Movie.-Character overview:...
(Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
) is unusually cheerful as a result of his budding romantic relationship with Linda (Julianne Margulies), a much younger (26-year-old) waitress. Nervous about his first real date with her, Bolander asks Howard
Kay Howard
Kay Howard is a fictional homicide detective from 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. This was in keeping with the book and the actual Homicide unit in...
(Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo
Melissa Chessington Leo , is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the late '80s, her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993 – 1997...
) to go on a double-date with him, along with Howard's boyfriend, prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers
Ed Danvers
Ed Danvers is a fictional character played by Željko Ivanek in the television series Homicide: Life on the Street.-Character profile:A recurring character, Danvers is usually shown only in his professional capacity as an Assistant State's Attorney , although the series did delve into his personal...
(Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
). The double date goes well until a lonely Munch crashes, joins the table and ruins the mood of the evening complaining about his romantic woes. Bolander, Munch and Linda leave together and walk to Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
, where Linda offers Munch words of encouragement. Impressed with her, Munch leaves Linda and Bolander alone, where they happily watch a fireworks show.
Production
"A Many Splendored Thing" was written by Noel BehnNoel Behn
Noel Behn was an American novelist, screenwriter and theatrical producer. His first novel, The Kremlin Letter, drawn from his work in the US Army's Counterintelligence Corps, was made into a film by John Huston in 1970. Behn's non-fiction The Big Stick-Up at Brink's was adapted into a 1978 movie...
and directed by John McNaughton
John McNaughton
John McNaughton is an American film and television director, originally from Chicago, Illinois.-Biography:His first feature film, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. Numerous complications plagued the controversial film,...
, who previously directed Homicide star Richard Belzer in the film Mad Dog and Glory
Mad Dog and Glory
Mad Dog and Glory is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by John McNaughton and starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman and Bill Murray.-Plot:...
(1993). Like the other three second season
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 2)
The second season of Homicide: Life on the Street, an American police procedural drama television series, originally aired in the United States between January 6 and January 27, 1994. Due to low Nielsen ratings during the first season, NBC executives decided to order only a four-episode season,...
episodes, the script for "A Many Splendored Thing" was already finished by the time the first season ended, but due to poor Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
throughout the duration of the show, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
executives asked for several refinements – including fewer episode subplots and less camera movements and jump cuts – before approving a second season. "A Many Splendored Thing" was the second season finale. The season premiere, "Bop Gun
Bop Gun (Homicide: Life on the Street)
"Bop Gun" is the second season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 6, 1994...
", was originally meant to serve as the finale, but NBC decided to instead open the season with it, with the hopes of getting increased ratings from a guest appearance by actor Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
.
The title "A Many Splendored Thing" is a reference to the 1952 historical romance novel A Many-Splendoured Thing
A Many-Splendoured Thing
A Many-Splendoured Thing is a novel by Han Suyin. It was made into the 1955 film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, which also inspired a famous song. In her autobiographical work "My House Has Two Doors" she clearly dissociates herself from the film and had no interest in even watching it in...
and the subsequent film Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (film)
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing is a 1955 American drama-romance film. Set in 1949-50 Hong Kong, it tells the story of a married, but separated, American reporter , who falls in love with a Eurasian doctor originally from China , only to encounter prejudice from her family and from Hong Kong...
(1955). The title refers to the episode's theme of the many variations of love, as demonstrated by the sexual taboos from the world of Angela Frandina, the dysfunctional relationship of Munch and Felicia, the budding romance between Bolander and Linda, and the twisted love Mitchell Forman harbors for pens. The Forman case was inspired by a real-life murder that took place in Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, in which a 23-year-old man shot another man 10 times in a doughnut shop when the victim refused to sell the shooter his pen. During the double date Munch crashes, Howard becomes depressed about the hopelessness of life and love, leaving unhappily with Danvers. This scene foreshadows the eventual break-up of Howard and Danvers, which occurs at an unspecified time in the third season
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 3)
The third season of Homicide: Life on the Street aired in the United States on the NBC television network from 1994-10-14 to 1995-05-05 and contained 20 episodes. It was the first full season of episodes.The third season marked the debut of character Lt...
.
The episode marked the final appearance by Jon Polito
Jon Polito
Jon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
, who had been a regular cast member since the series debuted, but was dismissed reportedly because NBC officials were unhappy with his weight and physical appearance and did not believe he appealed to audiences. The departure was not amicable, as Polito publicly criticized the direction Homicide had taken in the second season and claimed he voiced concerns about the recent scripts to Fontana and Menaul. "A Many Splendored Things" featured the second of two guest appearances by actress Julianna Margulies as Linda. Margulies started her role as nurse Carol Hathaway
Carol Hathaway
Nurse Carol Ross is a fictional character on the popular television show ER, portrayed by Julianna Margulies from 1994 to 2000. Julianna Margulies' removal from the main cast opening credits was in the final episode of season 6....
on the medical drama series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
the same year that "A Many Splendored Thing" aired. She was cast in the part after having worked with Fontana on the pilot of Philly Heat, an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
miniseries he worked on about members of the Philadelphia Fire Department
Philadelphia Fire Department
The Philadelphia Fire Department provides firefighting and Emergency Medical Services within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
. Tom Fontana had offered Margulies a recurring role on Homicide, but she turned it down in favor of ER. "A Many Splendored Thing" also featured a guest appearances by Adrienne Shelly who played S&M fashion store owner Tanya Quinn, and Sal Koussa as murder suspect Mitchell Forman. Koussa was not a professional actor, and had been working as a waiter at the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
restaurant I Ricchi when the episode was filmed. The songs "Hideaway" and "Out of Time", both of which were written by Bernie McNabb and performed by Scarlet Bride, were featured in "A Many Splendored Thing". Other featured songs include "Whoa" by Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
, the Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
song "Bad Girls
Bad Girls (song)
"Bad Girls" is a 1979 single released by American singer Donna Summer, co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams. The inspiration for her to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute.A rough version of the song had...
", and a rendition of Italian composer Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi
Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...
's "Feste Romane
Feste Romane
Feste Romane is a work for very large symphony orchestra composed in 1926, by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. It is a tone poem depicting scenes from Ancient Rome of the Roman Empire...
", as performed by the Oregon Symphony
Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American orchestra based in Portland, Oregon. Founded as the Portland Symphony Society in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States...
.
Ratings
NBC had renewed Homicide for a second season to assess how the show performed in the Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and make a determination whether to continue the series. The series premiere, "Bop Gun", drew unusually large viewership numbers due to a guest appearance by Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
, but the subsequent episodes had dropped in the ratings, making the viewership of "A Many Splendored Thing" particularly important for the future of the series. Fontana said if the episode performed well, "NBC's going to have to do some hard thinking." In its original American broadcast on January 27, 1994, "A Many Splendored Thing" was watched by 11.2 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research, earning the episode an 11.9 rating. That constituted a slight increase from the previous week's episode, "Black and Blue", which was seen by 10.83 million households. It was the 37th highest rated television show of the week, tied with the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
animated comedy series The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. "A Many Splendored Thing" faced unusually tough competition in its timeslot from the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
news series Primetime Live
Primetime (TV series)
Primetime is an American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live.-Early history:...
, which did a special report about convicted murderer Richard Allen Davis
Richard Allen Davis
Richard Allen Davis is a convicted murderer, whose criminal record fueled support for passage of California's "Three strikes law" for repeat offenders...
.
Reviews
"A Many Splendored Thing" received generally positive reviews. It was identified by The Baltimore SunThe Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
as one of the ten best episodes of the series. Sun writers David Zurawik and Chris Kaltenbach particularly praised the creative pairing of Ned Beatty and Julianna Margulies, of whom they said, "somehow it is as touching a love story as you could want". The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
television reviewer Tom Shales strongly complimented the episode, especially for its serious and unflinching approach to disturbing and twisted events like the Forman murder: "Homicide is more than a superb cop show; it's a helpful guide on dealing with the madness of the modern world. It's Attention Television – a program that grips one's attention and rewards it." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
writer Drew Jubera said the episode "shifts deftly between the underbelly of cop work and the surprising moments of light that leak into these detectives' lives". Greg Paeth of The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Distributed in Northern Kentucky as The Kentucky Post, it was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Since the 1980s, its editorial stance was usually conservative. The Post published its final...
called it "another stunning installment of a cop drama that defines the genre", and particularly praised the "perfect" performance of Ned Beatty. Baltimore Sun writer David Bianculli called the episode superb and said Adrienne Shelly left a "stunning impression in her performance. Bianculli said it left him "hungry for the next episode," adding, "Personal plea to NBC: Please, please renew this series."
"A Many Splendored Thing" was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
for Best Screenplay of an Episodic Drama
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay - Episodic Drama
This is the list of winners and nominees of the WGA Television Award for Best Writing for Drama Series - Episodic.-2000s:2000: The West Wing - Rick Cleveland/Aaron Sorkin for "In Excelsis Deo"...
, but ultimately lost to the Homicide episode "Bop Gun
Bop Gun (Homicide: Life on the Street)
"Bop Gun" is the second season premiere of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street, and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 6, 1994...
".
DVD release
"A Many Splendored Thing" and the rest of the first and second season episodes were included in the four-DVD box-set "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2", which was released by A&E Home VideoA&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
on May 27, 2003 for $69.95.