Television Review: Something Sacred: Part II (Homicide: Life on the Street, S6X13, 1998)

Something Sacred: Part II (S06E13)

Airdate: 30 January 1998

Written by: David Simon
Directed by: Uli Edel

Running Time: 45 minutes

The second instalment of Something Sacred, Season 6 two-part episode of Homicide: Life on the Street’s sixth and final season, marks a rare win in a series that had increasingly succumbed to the creative and logistical struggles of its twilight years. While the show’s later seasons often leaned into melodramatic arcs and sensationalist “redball” cases—flashy investigations designed to attract headlines—Part II subverts expectations by pivoting away from its own tropes. What begins as a high-stakes probe into a potential serial killer targeting Catholic clergy, with all the tabloid-ready themes of sexual abuse and immigrant exploitation, ultimately strips back the theatrics to reveal a grim, unvarnished portrayal of the banal yet insidious violence that defines life on the streets of Baltimore. In doing so, the episode recaptures the grit and moral ambiguity that defined the series at its peak, offering a poignant reminder of what made Homicide distinct among police procedurals.

The episode opens with the Homicide Unit scrambling to respond to a chilling development: the murder of Monsignor Jaeger, second Catholic clerygman to be killed in short time. The detectives, led by the show’s ensemble cast, immediately adopt their tried-and-tested methods, with officers dressing in clerical garb to patrol the streets in hopes of luring the perpetrator. Detective Munch, ever the eccentric outsider, manages to apprehend two street robbers, but their connection to the case proves tenuous at best.

The focus soon narrows on Pedro Velez and Paul Caranza, two young Guatemalan immigrants initially framed as prime suspects after their escape from custody coincided with the murder of Monsignor Jaeger. Their capture at a motel while attempting to flee to Canada sets up a tense interrogation scene between Detectives Pembleton and Stivers. The boys’ insistence on their innocence and their fear of deportation—valid given their status as undocumented migrants—add a layer of tragic realism. Their eventual exoneration from the murder charges, only to be handed over to the INS, highlights the systemic problems faced by immigrants, a theme the show had previously explored with nuance. Yet their storyline serves primarily as a red herring, underscoring the episode’s broader refusal to indulge in the sensationalism promised by its setup.

The true breakthrough comes through the diligent, if unglamorous, legwork of Detectives Ballard and Gharty, who trace a stolen chalice from Monsignor Jaeger’s murder to Roc Roc (Avery Kidd Waddell), a 17-year-old street dealer. Roc’s amateurish handling of the stolen item—pawning it with unsuccesful hiding of his identity—leads to his arrest. However, his role as a lone wolf is quickly dispelled: Roc admits to collaborating with two unnamed accomplices but refuses to “snitch,” a defiance rooted in the street code that defines his worldview. Detective Pembleton’s unorthodox tactic of forcing Roc to confront the street crime victims’ bodies in the morgue—warning him of his own inevitable fate if he persists in his lifestyle—becomes a pivotal moment of moral persuasion. While the method borders on unethical, it underscores the show’s willingness to explore the gray areas of police procedure, a hallmark of its earlier seasons.

Meanwhile, the subplot involving Detective Kellerman continues to chart his spiralling descent into self-destruction. Struggling with paranoia and alcoholism, Kellerman’s outrage over Detective Falsone’s collaboration with his suspended partner, Lewis, reflects the series’ ongoing exploration of institutional corruption and personal failure. This thread, though somewhat bogged down by familiar tropes of the “fallen hero,” effectively mirrors the episode’s broader theme of disillusionment. Kellerman’s inability to reconcile his past actions with his present circumstances serves as a microcosm of the series’ own trajectory: a once-respected institution now fractured by internal decay.

Directed by Uli Edel and written by David Simon—author of the 1988 nonfiction book that inspired the series—Something Sacred: Part II marks a return to the grounded storytelling that defined Homicide’s heyday. Simon avoids the temptation to exploit the case’s potential for sensationalism, instead framing the murdered priests as incidental victims of random street violence rather than symbols of institutional rot. This choice strips away the melodrama, focusing instead on the cold mechanics of crime and the flawed humanity of those caught in its wake. The dialogue, particularly in Pembleton’s harrowing morgue confrontation with Roc, is sharp and emotionally resonant, a testament to Simon’s knack for blending procedural rigor with thematic depth.

The acting ensemble, too, rises to the occasion. Peter Gerety delivers a nuanced performance as Gharty, balancing the character’s blue collar conservatism with a quiet gravitas that reflects the series’ more sombre tone. Conversely, Reed Diamond’s portrayal of Kellerman risks cliché, as the character’s downward spiral into drink and bitterness leans heavily on familiar tropes of the self-destructive cop.

Ultimately, Something Sacred: Part II stands as a bittersweet coda to a series that had lost its way in its final seasons. By rejecting the flashy excesses of its later storylines and returning to the quiet, unflinching exploration of urban decay, the episode recaptures the essence of what made Homicide exceptional.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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