Television Review: The Subway (Homicide: Life on the Street, S6X07, 1997)

The Subway (S06E07)

Airdate: 5 December 1997

Written by: James Yoshimura
Directed by: Gary Fleder

Running Time: 46 minutes

The final two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street, though often overshadowed by the show’s celebrated earlier years, occasionally delivered episodes that transcended their dwindling ratings to carve out a unique place in television history. Among these, The Subway, the sixth-season standout from 1997, remains an anomaly: a harrowing, unflinching examination of human fragility and institutional dysfunction that balances technical brilliance with a refusal to soften its bleak premise. While the series as a whole never achieved the broad cultural resonance of contemporaries like Law & Order, The Subway stands out not just as a peak moment for the show but as a rare example of television daring to confront uncomfortable truths with unvarnished realism. Its grim tone and lack of catharsis alienated casual viewers, yet for critics and devotees, it became a touchstone for the show’s unapologetic ethos—a legacy that endures long after its initial airing.

The episode’s script, written by James Yoshimura, was inspired by a real-life incident recounted in the candid-camera documentary series Taxicab Confessions by a NYPD detective. Yoshimura transplanted the premise to Baltimore, weaving a narrative that felt both intimately local and universally resonant. The result was a story that mirrored the gritty, procedural authenticity that defined Homicide’s early seasons, even as the show’s creative energy waned.

The plot unfolds at a Baltimore Metro station, where salesman John Lange (Vincent d’Onofrio) bids farewell to his girlfriend, Sarah Flanigan (Laura MacDonald), before boarding a subway train. A chaotic altercation on the crowded platform leaves Lange pinned between the train and the platform, his spine severed, yet conscious and aware of his impending death. Detectives Pembleton (Andre Braugher) and Bayliss (Kyle Secor) arrive to find paramedic Joy Tolson (Wendee Pratt) informing them Lange has mere hours to live. With no family nearby, detectives Lewis (Clark Johnson) and Falsone (Jon Seda) are tasked with locating Sarah, while Bayliss focuses on Larry Biedron (Bruce A. McVittie), a visibly agitated man who may have triggered the incident. Pembleton, initially exasperated by Lange’s hostile demeanour, gradually develops an uneasy rapport with him as the dying man’s defiance gives way to vulnerability.

To dismiss The Subway as mere “sensationalism” or a “redball” case—Homicide’s term for high-profile investigations—would be to overlook its fidelity to the series’ core themes. The episode confronts a scenario that, while undeniably grim, is rooted in the realities of urban life. Overcrowded transit systems, human error, and the randomness of violence are not fictional constructs; such incidents, though rare, occur frequently enough to underscore the precariousness of existence. In the 1990s, before smartphones and surveillance cameras turned such events into viral spectacles, the episode’s focus on the mundane horror of a preventable tragedy felt particularly raw. By avoiding melodrama, it amplified the poignancy of its central dilemma: how to find meaning in a death that defies resolution.

The script’s brilliance lies in its refusal to offer easy answers. Lange’s impending death is never in doubt, nor is Biedron’s guilt—he embodies the archetypal unstable perpetrator, his erratic behaviour leaving little room for doubt. Yet the victim himself, portrayed as an arrogant, self-absorbed figure, resists immediate sympathy. His transformation from antagonist to pitiable figure occurs incrementally, mirroring Pembleton’s reluctant empathy.

Director Gary Fleder, known for 1990s independent crime dramas, brought a stark, documentary-like aesthetic to the episode. Baltimore’s authentic transit hubs and urban grit ground the story, while subtle touches—such as cameos by local band Love Riot as street performers—evoke the city’s lived-in atmosphere. Fleder’s pacing is deliberate, allowing scenes to linger in discomfort without devolving into exploitation.

Vincent d’Onofrio’s performance anchors the episode, showcasing his ability to convey complexity through minimalism. His Lange oscillates between defiance and despair, his physicality—clenched fists, strained breaths—communicating anguish without overacting. At the time, d’Onofrio’s agent reportedly balked at the idea of a TV guest spot, viewing it as beneath a rising film star. Yet the role became a career linchpin, foreshadowing d’Onofrio’s stellar role as Detective Robert Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a series ironically sharing the same fictional universe as Homicide.

The subplot involving Lewis and Falsone’s search for Sarah Flanigan provides a welcome respite from the episode’s bleakness. Their darkly humorous banter tempers the tension without diminishing the stakes. The futility of their mission (Sarah, it turns out, continued jogging) underscores the randomness of the tragedy, while highlighting the procedural’s trademark focus on human foibles.

Despite NBC’s promotional efforts, The Subway failed to attract significant ratings, its grim tone ill-suited to a network audience accustomed to tidy endings. Yet critics hailed it as a triumph. Perhaps its most enduring legacy lies in its influence on Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad. Gilligan has cited the episode as an inspiration for The X-Files’ Drive (1998), a similarly grim tale of a doomed protagonist, and later for Breaking Bad itself. In The Subway, Gilligan found a blueprint for stories that blend technical precision with moral ambiguity—a template that would redefine television drama in the 2000s.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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