When one has watched a series such as "HOMICIDE:Life On The Street" for any time you become a sort of "spoiled" viewer. What?, you say. Spoiled, how? Any series such as "HOMICIDE"(and off hand, I sure can't think of any others in their league!)that has been so consistently good, far above the standard of most anyone else, Cop Show or not, gets to a point where they are expected to do it all the time. They are,in essence, taken for granted.
So, what about what happens even the Production Team of "HOMICIDE" brings us a truly different Episode. Different in that it hits the telling of a Criminal Homicide Investigation from a hereto for untried angle.
OUR STORY: During the morning AM Rush Hours, passenger of one of the Baltimore Subway Trains, John Lange(Vincent D'Onofrio) falls, or is pushed off of the platform, and was caught between the moving train and the concrete side wall.
The victim is pinned in place, unable to move. His body has been hideously twisted and contorted, nearly severing his spinal cord in two. He remains conscious and aware of his surroundings. He reports having no sensations of the legs nor the lower extremities.
The incident is relayed by the Uniformed Patrol Division Police in the field to the Baltimore Police Department, Homicide Unit. As an occurrence of undetermined cause, the Detective Division will make an in depth Follow-Up Investigation to the original responding Beat Car's Initial Report.
The Case gets assigned to the team of Det. Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor). The no-nonsense, business-like, highly professional Pair gets right on it, going directly to the Crime Scene, to canvass, search for witnesses, identify any Physical Evidence, all to ascertain if the incident is a terrible accident, or a Crime, perpetrated by one of the teaming thousands of commuters who pass that way every day.
But this time there is one thing missing from most of the cases that the Dicks from their Unit handle, but is present here.
Det. Frank Pembleton, the Veteran Detective of the pair has always been extremely serious about his having a role as an advocate for the deceased. This is a role that is very difficult to assume, but once gotten into, what was commonplace, would be out of the ordinary and difficult. What they had in this case to mark it as unusual was a living, breathing and awake victim.
And once the Investigation finds the incident is determined to be the doings of an intentionally harmful perpetrator, and not a tragic accident, the Case takes on a whole different meaning.
Because the efforts of moving the train is such a massive task, requiring relocation of heavy equipment and the displacement of so many people on their daily trip Downtown to work, the process is very slow, very slow. As it turns out, it's up to Det. Pembleton to be the communicator with Victim. And it is here that Frank finds possibly the most difficult assignment of his career.
The Paramedics on the scene and their Medical counterparts at the Hospital Trauma Unit have relayed the information that as soon as the Train Car is moved, freeing up Mr. John Lange's legs and lower extremities, he will die. Ironically it is the very TYrain which has his body pinned against the wall, is the one thing causing him to cling to life.
What really gets to Pembleton is having to lie to the Victim, a sham that is detestable to the Police Veteran. After all, being an advocate and champion for those who cannot speak is tough. But now, he must go on in a conspiracy of falsehood in order to render the removal/"rescue" operations smooth.
Being professionals and remaining as uninvolved as possible, Detectives Pembleton and Bayliss go along with the deception. As the dead body of John Lange is removed from the scene, his Wife (or significant other Lady Friend), who has been unreachable all day, jogs right past the scene, oblivious to the occurrence.
"The Subway" Episode did just about the impossible. It took the already high level of programing of "HOMICIDE:Life On The Street" and extended it even higher. It was such a superb feat in rendering the elevation of its place in history.
And in an unprecedented happening, a PBS aired a Frontline-type Special about the making of this Episode. Entitled "ANATOMY OF A 'HOMICIDE: Life On The Street'"(1998). In it the origin of the story is revealed, as well as the collaborative steps involved in rendering the finished Episode from idea, story, script to Writer (and re-write) , Producer, Director and finally to the Actors.
The Special Documentary was 2 Hours in length and had the whole Episode of"Subway" to view at the end of the background material.
And Our Hats Off and a Great Big THANK YOU to David Simon, Paul Anttanasio,Barry Levinson and the rest of the Production Team and the Cast of "HOMICIDE", especially Andre Braugher, Kyle Secor and Special Guest Star, Vincent D'Onofrio for turning in a truly once in a lifetime Great Film, be it TV or Theatrical.
So, what about what happens even the Production Team of "HOMICIDE" brings us a truly different Episode. Different in that it hits the telling of a Criminal Homicide Investigation from a hereto for untried angle.
OUR STORY: During the morning AM Rush Hours, passenger of one of the Baltimore Subway Trains, John Lange(Vincent D'Onofrio) falls, or is pushed off of the platform, and was caught between the moving train and the concrete side wall.
The victim is pinned in place, unable to move. His body has been hideously twisted and contorted, nearly severing his spinal cord in two. He remains conscious and aware of his surroundings. He reports having no sensations of the legs nor the lower extremities.
The incident is relayed by the Uniformed Patrol Division Police in the field to the Baltimore Police Department, Homicide Unit. As an occurrence of undetermined cause, the Detective Division will make an in depth Follow-Up Investigation to the original responding Beat Car's Initial Report.
The Case gets assigned to the team of Det. Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor). The no-nonsense, business-like, highly professional Pair gets right on it, going directly to the Crime Scene, to canvass, search for witnesses, identify any Physical Evidence, all to ascertain if the incident is a terrible accident, or a Crime, perpetrated by one of the teaming thousands of commuters who pass that way every day.
But this time there is one thing missing from most of the cases that the Dicks from their Unit handle, but is present here.
Det. Frank Pembleton, the Veteran Detective of the pair has always been extremely serious about his having a role as an advocate for the deceased. This is a role that is very difficult to assume, but once gotten into, what was commonplace, would be out of the ordinary and difficult. What they had in this case to mark it as unusual was a living, breathing and awake victim.
And once the Investigation finds the incident is determined to be the doings of an intentionally harmful perpetrator, and not a tragic accident, the Case takes on a whole different meaning.
Because the efforts of moving the train is such a massive task, requiring relocation of heavy equipment and the displacement of so many people on their daily trip Downtown to work, the process is very slow, very slow. As it turns out, it's up to Det. Pembleton to be the communicator with Victim. And it is here that Frank finds possibly the most difficult assignment of his career.
The Paramedics on the scene and their Medical counterparts at the Hospital Trauma Unit have relayed the information that as soon as the Train Car is moved, freeing up Mr. John Lange's legs and lower extremities, he will die. Ironically it is the very TYrain which has his body pinned against the wall, is the one thing causing him to cling to life.
What really gets to Pembleton is having to lie to the Victim, a sham that is detestable to the Police Veteran. After all, being an advocate and champion for those who cannot speak is tough. But now, he must go on in a conspiracy of falsehood in order to render the removal/"rescue" operations smooth.
Being professionals and remaining as uninvolved as possible, Detectives Pembleton and Bayliss go along with the deception. As the dead body of John Lange is removed from the scene, his Wife (or significant other Lady Friend), who has been unreachable all day, jogs right past the scene, oblivious to the occurrence.
"The Subway" Episode did just about the impossible. It took the already high level of programing of "HOMICIDE:Life On The Street" and extended it even higher. It was such a superb feat in rendering the elevation of its place in history.
And in an unprecedented happening, a PBS aired a Frontline-type Special about the making of this Episode. Entitled "ANATOMY OF A 'HOMICIDE: Life On The Street'"(1998). In it the origin of the story is revealed, as well as the collaborative steps involved in rendering the finished Episode from idea, story, script to Writer (and re-write) , Producer, Director and finally to the Actors.
The Special Documentary was 2 Hours in length and had the whole Episode of"Subway" to view at the end of the background material.
And Our Hats Off and a Great Big THANK YOU to David Simon, Paul Anttanasio,Barry Levinson and the rest of the Production Team and the Cast of "HOMICIDE", especially Andre Braugher, Kyle Secor and Special Guest Star, Vincent D'Onofrio for turning in a truly once in a lifetime Great Film, be it TV or Theatrical.