Law & Disorder
Encyclopedia
"Law & Disorder" is an 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
.
is given the unpleasant task of investigating the murder. Despite his protests, Lt. Al Giardello
orders Bayliss to question the other officers in the Homicide unit, which makes him highly unpopular among his co-workers. None of the detectives in the unit considers Pratt's death to be unfortunate, and they all, to varying degrees, are offended by Bayliss's questions, despite the knowledge that he is merely following orders. The problem is compounded when Giardello, dissatisfied by the investigation's dead end, orders Bayliss to double check the detectives' alibis. Bayliss discovers that Det. John Munch
has provided a false alibi for shooting Pratt. Bayliss confronts Munch, who responds by defiantly providing an even weaker alibi and offering to let Bayliss examine his service firearm. Exhausted from having to question his fellow detectives, Bayliss chooses not to press the matter and later convinces Giardello that the murder is unsolvable.
Frank Pembleton
, who usually partners with Bayliss, responds to Bayliss's questions with less outright hostility, but objects in a more subtle way by choosing to not partner with Bayliss on the case. Instead, he takes the case of a woman shot dead in a parking lot, and asks Meldrick Lewis
to partner with him on the case -- a whim he soon regrets. At the scene of the crime, Meldrick and Frank are confused by the fact that no one saw the shooter or even heard a gunshot, and a witness expresses the opinion that it must be "one of those black kids who go around shooting off guns." Meldrick and Frank clash over this opinion, since Pembleton points out that, statistically, the witness is probably correct that the shooter came from the projects, while Meldrick is offended by Pembleton's assumption that the shooter is probably black. Meldrick also objects to Pembleton's method of starting the investigation by working their way down the list of registered handguns, pointing out that most crimes are committed by people with stolen or unregistered guns. At first, the detectives are surprised when Pembleton's list immediately leads to a woman who confesses to murder. However, the murder turns out to be unrelated to their case, as the confession comes from a woman who had shot her boyfriend two days before, and mistakenly believes that Meldrick and Frank have come to arrest her. They eventually find the perpetrator in the parking lot shooting: a little girl, living three doors down from the victim, who took her father's gun from its cabinet and fired it into the air without knowing where the bullet would land. Afterward, Meldrick and Frank make peace by saying that if they caught the same case again, each would investigate it exactly as he did this one.
With all of his detectives either in the hospital or on other cases, Lt. Giardello takes a rare case as a primary, and reluctantly agrees to partner with Felton, after Beau begs to be put back on duty after his hospitalization. At the crime scene, Felton is visibly upset by the body, and Giardello's initial concern is replaced with anger when Felton, more traumatized by his shooting than he had admitted, loses his temper and shouts at Giardello. Giardello confronts Felton, pointing out that Beau's trauma is only the latest in a long line of excuses for substandard work as a detective.
In a comical subplot, the return of Bolander's memory (the previous episode had established temporary memory loss
as a result of complications from the gunshot to his head) prompts Munch to relax his vigil by Bolander's bed. Munch returns to the station, to find himself the laughing stock of everyone who sees him. The reason why remains a mystery until Meldrick advises him to visit the art gallery across the street, where Munch discovers that the main exhibit is a giant nude photograph of Munch, taken when he was a younger man. Munch confronts the artist, who turns out to be Brigitta, a bitter ex-girlfriend seeking to humiliate Munch, in revenge for him breaking her heart years ago. Brigitta refuses to remove the photograph, but compromises by covering the photographic Munch's genital area with a poster. Unfortunately, their public argument draws even more attention to the photograph, which becomes the subject of a newspaper article.
. The episode's cold open
features a cameo from Det. Mike Logan
, a character from Law & Order, who meets with Pembleton to hand over a fugitive who fled from Baltimore to New York City. Although the opening is unrelated to events in the rest of the episode, it bears a narrative significance in linking the continuities of Homicide and Law & Order ; years later, after Logan was replaced by the character of Reynaldo Curtis, Homicide would use more intricate storylines to cross over with Law & Order three more times. In addition, the character of Munch would be transplanted to the series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
after the Homicide series finale in 1999.
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...
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...
. 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...
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
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...
, Kay 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...
, and Stanley 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:...
.
Plot summary
Because he responded to the call about the murder of Gordon Pratt -- the prime suspect in the shooting of Bolander, Felton, and Howard -- Detective Tim BaylissTim 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...
is given the unpleasant task of investigating the murder. Despite his protests, Lt. Al Giardello
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...
orders Bayliss to question the other officers in the Homicide unit, which makes him highly unpopular among his co-workers. None of the detectives in the unit considers Pratt's death to be unfortunate, and they all, to varying degrees, are offended by Bayliss's questions, despite the knowledge that he is merely following orders. The problem is compounded when Giardello, dissatisfied by the investigation's dead end, orders Bayliss to double check the detectives' alibis. Bayliss discovers that Det. John 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...
has provided a false alibi for shooting Pratt. Bayliss confronts Munch, who responds by defiantly providing an even weaker alibi and offering to let Bayliss examine his service firearm. Exhausted from having to question his fellow detectives, Bayliss chooses not to press the matter and later convinces Giardello that the murder is unsolvable.
Frank 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...
, who usually partners with Bayliss, responds to Bayliss's questions with less outright hostility, but objects in a more subtle way by choosing to not partner with Bayliss on the case. Instead, he takes the case of a woman shot dead in a parking lot, and asks Meldrick 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...
to partner with him on the case -- a whim he soon regrets. At the scene of the crime, Meldrick and Frank are confused by the fact that no one saw the shooter or even heard a gunshot, and a witness expresses the opinion that it must be "one of those black kids who go around shooting off guns." Meldrick and Frank clash over this opinion, since Pembleton points out that, statistically, the witness is probably correct that the shooter came from the projects, while Meldrick is offended by Pembleton's assumption that the shooter is probably black. Meldrick also objects to Pembleton's method of starting the investigation by working their way down the list of registered handguns, pointing out that most crimes are committed by people with stolen or unregistered guns. At first, the detectives are surprised when Pembleton's list immediately leads to a woman who confesses to murder. However, the murder turns out to be unrelated to their case, as the confession comes from a woman who had shot her boyfriend two days before, and mistakenly believes that Meldrick and Frank have come to arrest her. They eventually find the perpetrator in the parking lot shooting: a little girl, living three doors down from the victim, who took her father's gun from its cabinet and fired it into the air without knowing where the bullet would land. Afterward, Meldrick and Frank make peace by saying that if they caught the same case again, each would investigate it exactly as he did this one.
With all of his detectives either in the hospital or on other cases, Lt. Giardello takes a rare case as a primary, and reluctantly agrees to partner with Felton, after Beau begs to be put back on duty after his hospitalization. At the crime scene, Felton is visibly upset by the body, and Giardello's initial concern is replaced with anger when Felton, more traumatized by his shooting than he had admitted, loses his temper and shouts at Giardello. Giardello confronts Felton, pointing out that Beau's trauma is only the latest in a long line of excuses for substandard work as a detective.
In a comical subplot, the return of Bolander's memory (the previous episode had established temporary memory loss
Memory loss
Memory loss can be partial or total and it is normal when it comes with aging. Sudden memory loss is usually a result of brain trauma and it may be permanent or temporary. When it is caused by medical conditions such as Alzheimers, the memory loss is gradual and tends to be permanent.Brain trauma...
as a result of complications from the gunshot to his head) prompts Munch to relax his vigil by Bolander's bed. Munch returns to the station, to find himself the laughing stock of everyone who sees him. The reason why remains a mystery until Meldrick advises him to visit the art gallery across the street, where Munch discovers that the main exhibit is a giant nude photograph of Munch, taken when he was a younger man. Munch confronts the artist, who turns out to be Brigitta, a bitter ex-girlfriend seeking to humiliate Munch, in revenge for him breaking her heart years ago. Brigitta refuses to remove the photograph, but compromises by covering the photographic Munch's genital area with a poster. Unfortunately, their public argument draws even more attention to the photograph, which becomes the subject of a newspaper article.
Cultural references
The title is a reference to Homicides sister show, Law & OrderLaw & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. The episode's cold open
Cold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
features a cameo from Det. Mike Logan
Mike Logan (Law & Order)
Michael "Mike" Logan is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order franchise, played by Chris Noth.-History in the franchise:...
, a character from Law & Order, who meets with Pembleton to hand over a fugitive who fled from Baltimore to New York City. Although the opening is unrelated to events in the rest of the episode, it bears a narrative significance in linking the continuities of Homicide and Law & Order ; years later, after Logan was replaced by the character of Reynaldo Curtis, Homicide would use more intricate storylines to cross over with Law & Order three more times. In addition, the character of Munch would be transplanted to the series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
after the Homicide series finale in 1999.