Television Review: Birthday (Homicide: Life on the Street, S6X04, 1997)

Birthday (S06E04)

Airdate: 7 November 1997

Written by: Julie Martin
Directed by: Alison McLean

Running Time: 45 minutes

The latter seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street are sometimes regarded as solid in their own right, yet they fall short when compared to the refreshing realism and seriousness that characterised the show's earlier seasons. As the series progressed, it began to rely on a formula that many hardcore fans had already deciphered, transforming what should have been surprising twists into predictable clichés. Birthday, an episode from Season 6, serves as a prime example of this trend. While it maintains the show's high production values and strong performances, it struggles to break free from the familiar patterns that had begun to define the series.

The main plot of Birthday follows the typical "case of the week" structure, but with a twist that sets it apart from other episodes. The homicide victim in this instance is not technically a homicide victim at all, as Grace Rivera, played by Alison Foland, is still alive when Detectives Falsone, Lewis, and Dr. Cox are called to the scene. Rivera is a young woman found nearly dead in an alley, the victim of a savage rape and beating. After a brief jurisdictional conflict between the Homicide and Sex Crimes Units, with Detective Steevers representing the latter, the team led by Falsone learns that Rivera has regained consciousness and can be interrogated. However, Rivera's heavy drinking habit has left her with no memory of the attack, and she is reluctant to recall any details. The most obvious suspect, a convicted rapist whose taunts during interrogation provoke Falsone into striking him, cannot be linked to the crime due to a lack of physical evidence. A recanvass of the scene by chance leads the detectives to the real perpetrator, but Falsone later discovers that Rivera has died from her injuries.

In addition to the main plot, Birthday continues the Luther Mahoney saga with another major twist. Georgian Rae Mahoney, who had been bailed out of jail for her role in the attempted murder of Kellerman, calls her intended victim to gloat about a surveillance video recording of the events in her brother's home. This video could potentially exonerate Luther Mahoney by showing that Kellerman's shooting was not as "clean" as initially believed. Upon discovering that Luther Mahoney's home indeed had cameras installed, Kellerman becomes desperate and resumes his drinking habit.

The third storyline focuses on Pembleton's personal life, specifically his marriage to Mary. Mary is expecting their baby, which is overdue. Acting on questionable advice, Pembleton serves her seaweed salad in a restaurant, hoping to induce labour. The plan works, and Mary goes into labour, although the initial stages are dicey. Fortunately, everything turns out well in the end, and the couple welcomes a new son.

Directed by Alison MacLean, Birthday is a well-acted episode that unfortunately does not bring anything truly innovative to the show. The fate of Grace Rivera is telegraphed early in the cold open, with flashbacks employing a colour scheme that casts all characters' faces in a blue hue, foreshadowing her grim outcome. Her ultimate demise is not particularly surprising, and it occurs in the same hospital where the Pembletons are celebrating the birth of their new son. This parallelism symbolically ties both events to the cycle of life and death, but it feels more like a contrived narrative device than a genuine emotional resonance.

The revelation about the surveillance video, on the other hand, comes across as a cheap attempt by the show's producers to artificially prolong the Luther Mahoney saga. Georgia Rae Mahoney, who was initially portrayed as an unhinged homicidal maniac, suddenly transforms into a manipulative crime lord, seemingly smarter and more efficient than her brother. The episode never adequately explains why she bothered to orchestrate the attempted murder of Kellerman, Lewis, and Steevers when the surveillance video could have achieved her goals in a more spectacular manner. This plot development feels rushed and incongruous with Mahoney's previously established character, further highlighting the episode's reliance on familiar tropes and conveniences.

At the end of the day, Birthday is a competent but unremarkable entry in the Homicide: Life on the Street canon. While it benefits from strong performances and a compelling central mystery, it ultimately succumbs to the formulaic storytelling that had begun to plague the series in its latter seasons.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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