Pembleton and Bayliss revel in their rotation back into homicide after a mostly boring
three-month stint in the robbery unit. Expecting Giardello to be waiting with open arms,
they instead find that they haven't been missed a bit; the new detectives have established
the best murder clearance rate in five years. Lewis and Kellerman also make their return
to homicide after spending their summer in vice and auto, respectively. Frank and Tim meet
the new detectives: Laura Ballard, a Seattle transplant with a spotless record; Paul
Falsone, the auto transfer who helped in the Felton investigation; and Stuart Gharty, who
hails from internal investigations (IID) and also assisted with the Felton case.
Lewis enters Gee's office and asks him for a new partner, saying that there's no real reason
he doesn't want to partner with Kellerman anymore. Gee grants his request and tells him to
pair up with Falsone. Munch gets a call from the dry cleaner and tells Gee his tux is ready for the
big event tonight: the honoring of Felix Wilson, snack-cake magnate and community
activist. Nighttime rolls around and a call comes in; Frank answers the phone. A murder has
occurred at the Belvedere Hotel, the same place the Felix Wilson dinner is being held. Ballard
says she wants to assist; after some arguing, Pembleton lets her, Gharty and Munch
tag along. When asked where Brodie is, Munch says that he won an Emmy for his documentary
and moved to Los Angeles.
Lewis and Falsone head for nowhere in particular after dinner when their Cavalier suddenly
gets a window blown out by an unknown assailant on a motor scooter; the shooter leaves
as fast as he arrives. Police immediately surround the scene; 50-caliber shell casings are
found, convincing Barnfather to order all plainclothes officers to wear vests. Lewis and
Falsone are suddenly called out to investigate the murder of Molly Bowman, who was shot
while talking to Detective Stivers of the burglary unit. No explanation is found as to
why Bowman was shot.
A young woman is found dead in the stall of a men's bathroom at the Belvedere. It is
revealed that the victim is Malia Brierre, 21-year old Haitian immigrant and domestic
employee of Felix Wilson's family. Kellerman is told by Giardello to partner up with Munch;
when Mike asks Meldrick why they're not partners anymore, Lewis doesn't give him a straight
answer. The detectives interview all 206 people who were at the Wilson event, but do not
get anything important. As Kellerman prepares to leave the hotel, he is shot in the
arm by an unknown assailant. 50-caliber shell casings are found near the Belvedere and a
50-cal bullet is found in Molly Bowman's head; Falsone concludes that
whoever the sniper is, he's taking shots at Lewis, Kellerman, and Stivers. That could
only mean one thing: Luther Mahoney. A roundup of Luther's former underlings reveals
nothing.
It is determined that Malia Brierre was beaten and strangled, and suggested that she had
consensual sex a few hours before she was killed. Pembleton and Bayliss go to the Wilson
home and interview Thea Wilson again. Thea had met Malia while serving in the Haitian Red
Cross; Malia had been beaten regularly by her boyfriend, a man named Kadja. Frank asks for
his last name; Thea declines, saying she can't remember. Back in the squadroom, Pembleton
states that there is only one solid lead: Kadja. Ballard tries to get the others to
concentrate on the Wilson family as suspects, but Pembleton and Giardello shoot her
down. Laura is amazed at how Frank and Gee are apparently trying to protect the Wilsons.
Lewis and Falsone visit Wilkie Collins, one of Mahoney's old suppliers; he readily gives up
Junior Bunk as the sniper. Junior is jacked up and brought into the Box, where it's his
turn to give up a name: Georgia Rae Mahoney, Luther's sister and Bunk's mother, who has been
taking care of Luther's finances in the Cayman Islands all this time. Bunk says
the sniper attacks were her idea and that killing Molly Bowman was entirely an accident; he
had been aiming for Stivers. Georgia Rae is captured by police while trying to take a jet
back to the Cayman Islands. As she is carted off to her cell, she tells the guard to relay a
message to Kellerman: their battle isn't over, not by a longshot. |
Starring
Richard Belzer Det. John Munch
Andre Braugher Det. Frank Pembleton
Reed Diamond Det. Mike Kellerman
Michelle Forbes Chief ME Julianna Cox
Peter Gerety Det. Stuart Gharty
Clark Johnson Det. Meldrick Lewis
Yaphet Kotto Lt. Al Giardello
Kyle Secor Det. Tim Bayliss
Jon Seda Det. Paul Falsone
Callie Thorne Det. Laura Ballard
Guest Starring
James Earl Jones Felix Wilson
Lynne Thigpen Regina Wilson
Toni Lewis Det. Terri Stivers
Mekhi Phifer Junior Bunk
Lenny Moore Himself
Ellen Bethea Thea Wilson
Hazelle Goodman Georgia Rae Mahoney
Jeffrey Wright Hal Wilson
With
Gary D'Addario Col. Jasper
Clayton LeBouef Col. George Barnfather
Walt MacPherson Capt. Roger Gaffney
Ralph Tabakin Dr. Scheiner
Sharon Ziman Naomi
Music heard in Blood Ties, Part 1
INXS Elegantly Wasted
Run On Bring Her Blues
Terrell Black and White Blues
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