Homicide let me down

[muck_a_luck]

Spoilers for Homicide Season 6

Season 6 of Homicide has an episode where a gay man is murdered.

Bayliss and Pembleton, two male cops, are investigating the murder. They spend a fair amount of time on the gay club scene, trying to track down a hustler who was the last person seen with the dead man. Pembleton is clearly unsettled by the whole situation. Not quite homophobic, but close. Very uncomfortable.

Bayliss, on the other hand, is a wide-eyed babe. Curious about everything, appreciative of the culture they encounter, thinking with some seriousness about what might be good about a relationship with another man. I had to leave during a scene where the suspect/hustler (who was hot! and from what I could hear from the other room, apparently straight) came on to him in the interrogation room, but he looked like he was kinda turned on by it.

So here we have a very interesting script. Straight guy wondering, thinking, curious. Well-written. And in the end Bayliss accepts an invitation to dinner with one of the helpful men in the gay community who helped them a lot on the case. This is clearly going to be a date, though Bayliss says he just thinks this guy is intelligent and funny and they are going to have dinner and drink some wine and be happy. But he knows what he's doing. It is clearly a date.

So then what does the show do?

Stupid weenie wimp scriptwriters.

The very next episode shows Bayliss happening by the diner where the cops all eat. Pembleton is having breakfast. Bayliss joins him and says he's "famished." Pembleton raises an eyebrow and archly asks whether it was a busy night. Bayliss gives him an exasperated sigh/laugh and says it was only dinner. Hot female detective who has never shown the slightest interest in Bayliss shows up, and she and Bayliss *start flirting over breakfast!*

Look. Bite me. Just. Bite me. Wimps.

I mean, they started something really interesting. Then they totally, utterly flinched. Didn't just drop the plot line. Rushed to hook our boy up with a woman as quickly as possible, just to reaffirm that he's still not gay. I was completely disgusted. Though the episode did try to address Bayliss' recent behavior somewhat. But it's pretty clear that the plot line is over. I peeked ahead and Peter Gallagher, who played the guy on the date, is not in any future episodes that I can see.

It would have been really interesting to see an intelligent show create a plotline like that. A straight guy thinks. Is curious. Maybe explores a little. Makes a decision about himself.

Instead, straight guy runs off with nearest chick he can find.

Completely disgusted.

Comments

[azramoon.livejournal.com]

Homicide was over years ago

Peanut gallery

[muck-a-luck.livejournal.com]

Yes, Miss Smarty Pants, I'm fully aware of that! :p