HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET: KELLERMAN, P.I. {PART 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
Continued from B:55032. One in this dramatic police series about a department of reflective homicide detectives in Baltimore, Maryland. In the second half of this two-part episode, Debbie Straub accepts a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter and a suspended sentence in exchange for her testimony against Craig. Falsone and Ballard plan their next date as Munch updates newbie Mike about Kellerman's infamous departure from the precinct after the Mahoney shoot-out, and Falsone opts to ignore Gee's instructions to move on from the case and continues investigating the baby's death, prompting Stivers to wonder if he is in some sort of "testosterone contest" with rival Kellerman. Gharty reacts with anger when Sheppard demands answers about the precinct shooting, and Kellerman reveals that Craig made inquiries about prenatal care and adoption, all of which went ignored by Debbie.
Falsone visits Craig in prison and tries to reason with him, but Craig refuses to turn on Debbie, convinced that she has only accepted the plea deal because of pressure from her parents and that she remains emotionally loyal to him. Ballard searches for a dinner partner when Falsone abruptly bails on their date, and Sheppard tells Kellerman that his former friends are refusing to discuss the shoot-out, leaving her with yet more questions. Ballard finds a dejected Falsone at Munch's bar and points out that he can confide in her rather than simply canceling after a bad day. Dr. Kalyani and the motel maid testify about the baby's live birth, and Bayliss surprises Falsone by explaining that he has chosen to forgive Kellerman for his part in the Mahoney shooting, feeling that harboring resentment does one no good. When Falsone takes the stand, the defense tries to suggest that Falsone has muddled the evidence against Debbie because of the "intense pressure" to close the high-profile case, comparing it to the as-yet incomplete Vasquez case.
Stivers furiously confronts Kellerman on the courthouse steps, declaring that he betrayed his fellow cops in impulsively shooting Mahoney and that his eventual decision to leave the force does not ameliorate the damage. Craig is shocked when Debbie takes the stand and states that he alone smothered the baby, and he is soon convicted of first-degree murder. In prison, Craig sadly tells Falsone that while Debbie committed the actual murder, he too is guilty because of his stunned inaction in the moment, and Falsone, rattled by the case, drops off a birthday gift for his estranged son. In the morning, Gee reports that Craig has hanged himself in his cell, and though Kellerman is incredulous that the teen could have genuinely believed in his murderous girlfriend's loyalty, Falsone explains that the two were "like one person" and that her betrayal caused him unendurable heartbreak. Kellerman confronts Debbie about her actions, and he later gives Falsone an "anonymous" tip about Debbie's recorded phone calls to Craig in prison, in which she repeatedly reassured him and promised not to testify against him. Falsone pleads with Danvers to use the tapes to overturn her plea deal, but Danvers explains that he can do nothing, as the recordings do not expressly prove that she lied on the stand. Former enemies Kellerman and Falsone find themselves bonding over the case, gloomily agreeing that "truth doesn't matter" in certain situations. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: December 11, 1998 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:55033
- GENRE: Drama, police/detective
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, police/detective; Private detective; Infants (Newborn) - Death; Murder
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1993-1999
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Barry Levinson … Executive Producer
- Jim Finnerty … Executive Producer
- Tom Fontana … Executive Producer, Writer
- James Yoshimura … Co-Executive Producer
- Julie Martin … Co-Executive Producer
- Eric Overmeyer … Supervising Producer, Writer
- David Simon … Producer, Based on the book by
- Anya Epstein … Consulting Producer
- Gail Mutrux … Consulting Producer
- Jay Tobias … Director
- Paul Attanasio … Created by
- Sean Whitesell … Writer
- 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
- Zeljko Ivanek … Cast, ASA Ed Danvers
- Jena Malone … Cast, Debbie Straub
- Chris Gunn … Cast, Craig Halpern
- Sarita Choudhury … Cast, Dr. Kalyani
- Monica Trombetta … Cast, Janine Falsone
- Reed Diamond … Cast, Mike Kellerman
- Marilyn Hausfeld … Cast, Deborah Strauss
- Kerri Rambow … Cast, Vanessa Warren
- Kimberly Schraf … Cast, Charlotte Halpern
- Alex Webb … Cast, Glenn Nellis
- Sharon Ziman … Cast, Naomi