Homicide 1x04-1x06

[oyceter]

So apparently episode 3 (the one with the candle) was actually aired last, which greatly confused me, because rachelmanija said ep. 5, "Three Men and Adena," was really good. Except it was ep. 6 on my disks. I wonder why they switched the air dates. Does anyone know?

Spoilers for all three eps.

I am continuing to enjoy this show, although I'm not fannish yet. I also did that thing in which I watched eps. 4 and 5 pre-Wiscon and ep. 6 after Wiscon, so of course, now I only remember episode 6.

I don't particularly love any of the characters, with the exception of Pembleton, Howard and Gee, all of whom are cool. I suspect I would like Bayliss much more if I didn't know he was the lead or co-lead of the show, because I am stubborn and contrary like that.

I am having a little difficulty keeping up with the intersection storylines because I have zero plot brain to speak of. On the other hand, I also liked it when Howard and Felton picked up Meldrick's murdering widow.

I felt bad for Crosetti in the police shooting case, even when I wanted to shake him for getting too involved; ditto with feeling bad for Bolander while also wanting to shake him at the same time for avoiding the doctor.

And I really liked the very uncomfortable scenes between Felton and Pembleton, the anger both of them harbor, and I find Pembleton and his aloofness very interesting.

I feel like I should comment more on "Three Men and Adena," except I'm not sure what to say, except that it's intense and emotional and draining, and that ending, when Pembleton actually attempts to reassure Bayliss (of course, only after Gee's prompting), is perfect. I love the ambiguity and the doubt and the moral greyness of it all.

Comments

[dherblay.livejournal.com]

Bayliss really isn't the lead of the show, so feel free to like him more and more.

NBC switched the airdates around for perverse reasons (I don't think any of Homicide's seven seasons aired in its intended order). The network may have felt that a quiet episode like the one with the candle would not exactly prosper in the ratings. And so they kept it under wraps, despite the fact that the last scene is crucial to the Adena arc, and to Pembleton and Bayliss's relationship.

[oyceter]

He doesn't feel like a traditional lead, but even in a strong ensemble cast, he feels a bit like the lead, rather like Mal in Firefly -- I don't know, is that the case, or is it a complete ensemble cast like Heroes?

Thanks for the airdate info!

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

Three Men and Adena is one of the all time best hours of dramatic television ever. And it isn't so much that Bayliss is the lead as that he's the entry character, the new guy, through whom we enter the environment and meet the people and the problems.

And in some weird way I can't articulate, he reminds me of Fai from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

[oyceter]

I think I get the impression that Bayliss is the lead precisely because he is our entry POV character. I mean, I do think that the show is very ensemble-oriented, but right now, I am feeling it is more like Firefly (strong ensemble with a bit of a lead in Mal) than like Heroes (ensemble, no real clear lead for me).

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

I can see that. I just wish Kyle Secor had had more of a career following Homicide. He seemed to get sucked into Lifetime movies, although, checking IMDB does reveal that he's received recurring roles in a number of series.

[oyceter]

Veronica Mars! Now I understand why everyone was so happy to see him guest starring there.

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

Is Veronica Mars one of those shows you can enter at this point, or do you really need to have watched from the beginning? It slipped past me when it started, so I've never watched it, same with Supernatural, but I'm hearing such good things about both that I think I should check them out.

[oyceter]

Well, it's over now, I think -- I can't remember if the cancellation was confirmed or not, but that seems to be the sense of it. There were 3 seasons; the first is the best by far. The second is flawed, but still good at points, and I quit watching during the third season, though people who kept watching say it ended well. The DVDs of the first two seasons are out right now.

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

I love this show! Or at least, the first boxset of it, which is all that I've seen so far (the rest is in my Netflix queue). Besides "Three Men and Adena", my other favorite episode is "Black and Blue", which is episode 11 on the disks.

[oyceter]

Ooo, looking forward to it!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Bayliss isn't actually... never mind, others agree. (You don't have to, of course.) I do think that the Pembleton/Bayliss relationship is the most important and featured of the many relationships on the show. It also happens to be my favorite, but again, no need to feel the same.

However, I don't think it's spoilery to mention this in a show that ran for seven seasons: periodically a newbie of some sort shows up and takes over the "entry character for new viewers" role. If you get that far, it's pretty interesting to play compare and contrast in terms of how they all adjust and how others react to them.

[oyceter]

I very much adore the Pembleton/Bayliss relationship right now, but that is because I adore Pembleton.

Huh, it will be neat to see how things progress.