The Gas Man (S03E20)
Airdate: 5 May 1995
Written by: Tom Fontana
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Running Time: 49 minutes
Homicide: Life on the Street distinguished itself in the 1990s by rejecting the formulaic tropes of police procedurals, favouring gritty realism over sensationalism. This ethos permeates Season 3’s finale, The Gas Man, which eschews cliffhangers and serialised arcs for a self-contained narrative. Unlike contemporaries such as Law & Order, which prioritised episodic resolutions, Homicide often lingered on moral ambiguity and character introspection. Here, the primary detectives—Frank Pembleton (played by Andre Braugher) and Tim Bayliss (played by Kyle Secor)—are relegated to supporting roles, while guest stars Victor Helms (played by Bruno Kirby) and Danny Newton (played by Richard Edson) drive the plot. Director Barry Levinson’s decision to focus on antagonists rather than protagonists was reportedly an act of defiance against NBC’s indecision over renewing the series, reflecting the show’s penchant for creative risk-taking . The result is an episode that feels both experimental and quintessentially Homicide, prioritising psychological depth over procedural mechanics.
Henry Bromell’s script draws loosely from the 1994 murder of Sister Myra, a Romani fortune teller in Baltimore whose decapitation shocked the city. While the episode mirrors the brutality of the real-life crime—depicting a severed head—the case serves primarily as a narrative backdrop. The Gypsy community’s cultural significance, central to Sister Myra’s story, is sidelined in favour of exploring Victor Helms’ vendetta against Pembleton. This choice underscores Homicide’s broader focus on the detectives’ internal struggles rather than the crimes themselves. The victim’s identity becomes a macabre prop in Helms’ scheme, reflecting the show’s thematic preoccupation with how systemic indifference perpetuates societal marginalisation .
Victor Helms emerges as a pitiable yet compelling figure, his life unravelling after a six-year prison stint for negligent homicide. Having lost his wife to suicide and his son to estrangement, Helms fixates on Pembleton, whom he blames for coercing his confession. Bruno Kirby imbues Helms with a volatile mix of desperation and ineptitude, epitomised by his bungled attempts at vengeance. Accompanied by the hapless Danny, Helms stumbles upon the fortune teller’s murder scene, seizing the head and knife to sabotage Pembleton’s investigation. However, Danny’s defection—sparked by witnessing Pembleton’s vulnerability as a husband grappling with infertility—exposes Helms’ moral vacuity. The climax, where Helms confronts Pembleton but collapses into tearful impotence, subverts the Cape Fear-style revenge thriller, instead offering a poignant study of male fragility.
Levinson, a Baltimore native renowned for films like Rain Man, employs a “day in the life” structure that reframes the series’ perspective. By centring Helms—a disgraced gasman turned would-be avenger—the episode critiques the futility of vengeance and the banality of evil. Helms’ incompetence mirrors his original crime: installing a gas heater without certification, leading to a family’s death. His inability to execute cold-blooded murder underscores his existential inadequacy, rendering him a tragicomic figure rather than a menacing antagonist. The real-life parallels—a mentally ill perpetrator confessing readily—highlight Homicide’s commitment to authenticity, even as it prioritises character study over procedural intrigue .
The episode thrives on its guest stars. Bruno Kirby and Richard Edson, reuniting after Good Morning, Vietnam, infuse their roles with dark humour, their “buddy” dynamic contrasting the grim subject matter. Kirby’s Helms oscillates between rage and pathos, while Edson’s Danny—a disco-obsessed naïf—provides levity, notably when abandoning Helms after a crisis of conscience. Andre Braugher, meanwhile, delivers a masterclass in understated intensity, his Pembleton radiating authority even in vulnerability. A meta-textual layer emerges through Braugher’s real-life wife, Ami Brabson, playing Mary Pembleton, their chemistry amplifying the couple’s emotional stakes .
Danny’s anachronistic devotion to 1970s disco—soundtracking the episode with tracks like Gloria Gaynor’s “Never Can Say Goodbye”—serves as both comic relief and tonal counterpoint. The upbeat melodies clash dissonantly with the severed head subplot, heightening the episode’s existential absurdity. Yet, viewers lacking nostalgia for the era may find the musical choices jarring, disrupting the narrative’s gravitas .
Though tangential to the plot, The Gas Man marks the final appearance of detectives Stan Bolander (played by Ned Beatty) and Beau Felton (played by Daniel Baldwin). Beatty’s dissatisfaction with his character’s trajectory and Baldwin’s off-screen substance abuse led to their abrupt exits in Season 4. Their muted departure here—Felton’s marital collapse and Bolander’s bureaucratic frustrations—reflects Homicide’s refusal to sentimentalise its ensemble, even as it underscores the show’s behind-the-scenes turbulence .
The Gas Man exemplifies Homicide’s strengths and limitations. Its bold narrative structure and character-driven focus showcase the series’ innovative spirit, yet the underdeveloped Sister Myra subplot and occasional tonal unevenness reveal its constraints. Levinson’s defiance against network pressures yielded a standalone gem, but one that feels slightly unmoored from the show’s broader tapestry. Nevertheless, the episode remains a testament to Homicide’s willingness to prioritise human complexity over procedural formula—a legacy that would later inform The Wire .
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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