About Last Night…HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET

Let’s talk about last night’s TV!

HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET: “Sniper Part 1”: I laughed out loud at the random Jay Leno cameo. This was a nice way to start the episode since the title made things ominous from the start.

And, hey, I was not wrong. A sniper—in a two-part episode—would have been disturbing enough; adding in the hangman element?! Nope! No, thank you. Absolutely not.

It’s interesting how the writers play with tension in the show, because we got the off-handed comment about there being a potential danger to the cops working the case and how they could be picked off at any time. When the sniper was gone, but the episode clearly wasn’t over—and we knew it was the first part of a two-parter—we spent extended time with the cops…only for them to find out there was a new shooting elsewhere. I assumed we were going to see one or two of our guys get brutally murdered, but still, there could have been a close call. It’s just so well done.

Also, the reveal of the hangman game’s answer in the mirror was chilling.

(Meanwhile, Megan Russert getting demoted led me to say WTF out loud.)

“Sniper Part 2”: The show got me for a beat, because initially I thought it was odd a solo sniper, even one who was mentally unwell would play hangman…a two person game. But, nope, that was what it appeared.

There’s a fun quirk in procedurals where the most famous guest star frequently is the guilty party. With this episode, obviously, I recognized David Eigenberg instantly, but I couldn’t tell if my gut feeling his character was involved was because of that trope (even though this pre-dated SEX AND THE CITY and CHICAGO FIRE) or it was actually correct. And, well, it was correct.

For as great as the interrogation was—and good for Megan for getting that freaking win after being so dismissed by her superiors—the personal moments were what really gutted me here. Munch being frantic to make sure Kay was safe, a side effect of his PTSD for the last time the squad was in danger and she did get hurt was absolutely brutal to watch. Then Frank’s desperation to keep Mary safe…and when she wouldn’t leave, he and Tim at least moving her desk away from the window? So human. (And, yes, Mary had a good point about Frank being in danger every day. But with the sniper being such an unknown, I also don’t blame Frank for being worried about his pregnant wife.)

“Full Moon”: This is going to sound weird, but I was kind of glad this episode was just fine. I appreciate what they were going for, and it was an interesting concept—and a good flip of the previous two episodes; while those were huge and sprawling, this one felt more small and confined—but it didn’t grab me as much as most of the season has. And, honestly, that’s fine, especially since it wasn’t a bad episode, either.

Which shows did you watch last night?

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