|
"There's more cheating in Baltimore than there is Kodak film."
The memorable two-parter dealt with the return and resurrection of fallen angel and disgraced former Baltimore murder cop MIKE KELLERMAN as, of all things, a private eye. Longtime viewers may remember Kellerman as the once-promising rookie homicide cop who was forced to resign from the force after his involvement in a suspicious shooting. As the long story arc played out, Kellerman, still smarting from previous charges of corruption, slowly watched his personal and professional life fall apart. At the end of the sixth season, it seemed Kellerman was gone for good. And then, in the middle of the seventh season, Kellerman was suddenly back, now just a bottom feeding private eye, not above a little window-peeping, if it pays the bills. He takes on as his client one of the teenage suspects in the nasty case of the murder of a baby. For Kellerman, it's a chace to do what he considers "real" police work again. But his old co-workers, particularly his nemesis Detective Falsone, don't exactly share Kellerman's joy at him second-guessing one of their cases. In a show already awash in the dark grit of urban decay, moral rot and personal damnation, this is primal stuff: fear, guilt, betrayal, hate, shame, loyalty and, surprisingly, honour, are all trotted out, and Kellerman's unexpected return to the show tore right into the guts of the show's dark, nasty heart. Despite the hoary old chestnut of an ex-cop turned private eye, Homicide managed something increasingly rare in network television's typical approach to to private eyes. They worried about maiking Kellerman a real character first (not a watery assemblage of personal quirks and wacky eccentricites) and a private eye second. It was all handled so well, so potent and gripping, you just had to wonder if this was a dry run for something. A pilot for a possible spin-off, perhaps. But it wasn't. Kellerman's character slipped back into the shadows, and a few months later, the TV show did as well, Kellerman did, however make one final appearance, in Homicide: The Movie, a television movie that aired a year later. Kellerman still a private investigator, was one of the former members of the squad to gather when their former boss, Lt. Al Giardello, is shot down. He and Giardello's son Mike, a former FBI agent, team up, and Kellerman uses his contacts to help track down some of Al Giardello's old enemiess in Baltimore's Italian quarter. Kellerman is last seen in the Waterfront, the Homicide squad's watering hole, having a drink with ex-M.E. Julianna Cox, with whom he once had a relationship. UNDER OATH
TELEVISION
RELATED LINKS
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. | Home | Detectives A-L M-Z | Film | Radio | Television | Web Comics | Comics | FAQs | Drop a dime. Your comments, suggestions, corrections and contributions are always welcome.
|
