Homicide: Life on the Street (TV Series) A Doll's Eyes (1995) User Reviews

A new generation of HLOTS fans?

[deemo31 · 10/10 · 10 July 2008]

If you see one episode of Homicide: Life On the Street (HLOTS,) this is the one to see. As the previous poster stated, rarely has television enjoyed such insightful drama. The series took us to the highest of highs and lowest of lows...often several times in any given episode. From "Bop Gun" with Robin Williams to "The Subway" where a doomed victim fights for his life while pinned to a subway train, HLOTS always delivered intelligent and moving drama that I feel has never been matched.

In this episode, we see two parents struggling with the ultimate decision. To take their gravely injured child off life support after a senseless attack in a mall. Marcia Gay Harden and Gary Barsabara offer stunning performances. Often so realistic that you can get lost in the fact that it's just a performance. They blame each other for the child's pending death. As is often the case, they appear to grow apart during the ordeal. We are not sure if they stay together. But one thing IS sure. The scene where they boy is taken off life support and dies in his mother's arms is the mother of all tear jerkers. ("I'm going to give yo to mommy now" Barsebara says.) If that doesn't make your blood boil, you probably have no blood.

This is possibly the greatest episode of probably the greatest drama television has ever produced. Many of us HLOTS fans have not gotten over the demise of this show. The reruns are usually on at 3:00 a.m., and we are left jonesing for a shot of HLOTS most of the time. To anyone who hasn't seen the show, wait until you do. You will know what we mean.

How a Lifetime's Hard Work and Devotion can be Snuffed Out in One, Insane Moment!

[redryan64 · 10/10 · 29 February 2008]

Television rarely has seen the likes of a series which produces consistently high quality of work in the field of Drama. Even much rarer are individual episodes that stand on their own as individual works of Art.

The 1950's actually brought us several such series, thank you! We then had the likes of "WESTINGHOUSE STUDIO ONE", "CLIMAX" and "PLAYHOUSE 90", to name a few. On these weekly Dramatic Outlets we saw live, uncut and un edited the likes of such plays as "The Miracle Worker", "Marty". "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and even the world premiere of "NO TIME FOR SERGESNTS".

But in all fairness to the Nostalgiasts (like meself), all of these fine TV Series were anthologies. To find a continued storyline Dramatic Series with regular characters facing up to new and different challenges we have to fast-forward our time frame just a little to find one, true, prime example! (No, Schultz, it's not "THE PRUITTS OF SOUTH HAMPTON.") It is of course "HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET" (Baltimore Pictures/NBC, 1993-99).

WE find many examples of these Hour Long masterpieces. The aptly titled episode: "Subway" (1997), guest-starring Vincent D'Onofrio always comes to mind; having had the distinction of being the subject of a PBS Documentary; being a sort of show within a show. But there were others, and I do have some personal favourites; like that which is discussed in the following paragraphs.

OUR STORY………………….In the episode entitled "A Doll's Eyes", Detectives Bayliss (Kyle Secor) and Pembleton (Andre Braugher) respond to the shooting of a young boy a Shopping Mall. The victim, Patrick Garbarek ( Stephen Francis Quinn), is a happy, healthy and inquisitive 10 year old out on a trip to the Shopping Center with his Parents, Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) and Paul Garbarek (Gary Basaraba). While doing some harmless, innocent window shopping and coming upon a Dinosaur Window Diarama, young Patrick catches a stray bullet; fired by some punk gang bangers, who have gone on a senseless shooting joy ride in the Mall.

Rushed to the Hospital ER and Trauma Center, the boy is rushed into emergency surgery, where all is done for him; but all indications are of the child's having sustained injuries rendering him to be "brain dead." It is to this Hospital that Detectives Pembleton & Bayliss arrive in their conducting of the Serious Shooting (Potential Homicide) and have the unenviable job of interviewing the stunned, shock and horrified, yet still hopeful Parents. AS the family's emotional carousel moves from total disbelief, to shock, to denial and false hope, to grief and finally a reluctant acceptance of the still unbelievable; the Detectives Pair find themselves to be the outlets for the ultimate frustration of Mr. and Mrs. Garbarek.

In the curse of the story (though not done in real time), the Couple realizes that the worst did happen and know that they must have to face up to having the life support systems disconnected; thereby removing all doubt and false hope.

The grieving Parents even give their approval of having their Son's Organs harvested and donated to needy recipients, including one right there at the Hospital. The irony of the whole situation's being underlined to Bayliss by the Father of the local boy receiving a transplant, who posits about why did one child have to die in order for his to live.

Wow! We go from a disgusting and senseless juvenile crime to philosophizing about the Nature of Life and Death itself! Every tool at hand is used to the utmost in painting a fine masterpiece of an episode. The Acting by the Guest Starring parents, Marcia Gay Harden and Gary Basaraba is the very finest and deserved consideration for Emmy! Whereas an abrupt, heavy-handed expositional exchange could well have worked, Director Kenneth Fink chose to inform us indirectly; that, for example that the Garbarek family weren't wealthy; but rather decidedly Blue Collar, Working Folks and Proletariatan, even! We are informed of this, not via the spoken word; but rather in the untold essentials of their life. We see their manner of dress, he with flannel shirt and old jeans; she having an equally "Shabby, but Neat" look. Our visit to their home reveals to us an old, though neatly maintained small, single family cottage; definitely no Summer at the Hamptons for this family Producer Barry Levinson, Writers Tom Fontana, Tom Bromell & James Yoshimura and Director Kenneth Fink all started us down one street and brought us out another in rendering this Police Drama into a tale of understanding for the Victims, their Loved Ones and even those who are sent to investigate.

Episdoes like this are when HLOTS shines the brightest!

[rockito_estalon · 10/10 · 7 October 2022]

Homice: Life on The Streets had a variety of narratives for the various episodes the presented after Season 2. I wish the show was way more focused in the aftermath of the crimes and how it affects the detectives, the victims and also the guilty. I think it's at the top of the game when it does that, and in turn suffers when it tries to be action-packed or tries to present a mystery-type of story.

This time around, a kid is accidentally shot in front of his parents by a group of teens running with guns on a mall. The solving part goes smoothly in a "Point A to Point B" basis: Bayliss and Pembletton pick a one of the teens who in turn points them to the actual culprit and they can call it a day.

What gets us at the edge of our seat is not the crime itself but the consequences. The injured kid is sadly confirmed to be brain dead, the parents refuse to aknowledge this is a homicide investigation despite their son being technically dead and our "main" duo have to deal with the greaving situations that presents itself on the crime investigation.

After a decent enough start of the season that struggles with not having Detectives Bolander and Felton as active members anymore, A Doll's Eyes helps it get it's stride once again.