Television Review: The Wedding (Homicide: Life on the Street, S4X21, 1996)
The Wedding (S04E21)
Airdate: 10 May 1996
Written by: Henry Brommell
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Running Time: 47 minutes
The episode The Wedding serves as a deliberate tonal pivot for Homicide: Life on the Street, following the grim, emotionally devastating Damage Done, which marked the inception of the Luther Mahoney saga. Having ventured into deeply unsettling territory with drug lord’s reign of terror, NBC and the production team likely feared the series might grow too bleak for mainstream audiences. The solution was an episode designed to inject levity and optimism, even if the result felt contrived. The Wedding succeeds in its aim to provide a respite from the series’ usual grimness but falters under the weight of its own artificiality, creating an episode that is as intriguing as it is uneven.
The main plot hinges on Detective Mike Kellerman’s discovery that his colleague, Detective Meldrick Lewis, is about to marry and insists the entire Homicide Unit attend the ceremony. Lewis’s sudden announcement catches Kellerman off guard—given Lewis’s luck of success in romantic entanglements. Kellerman’s bewilderment is mirrored by Frank Pembleton and John Munch, both of whom harbour scepticism. Their suspicion that Lewis is orchestrating a elaborate practical joke underscores the episode’s recurring theme of deception, setting up a narrative tension that eventually resolves in a heartfelt yet overly convenient manner. The dynamics here are well-observed, particularly Kellerman’s reluctant acceptance of the role as best man.
The arrival of Carrie Howard, sister of veteran detective Kay Howard, introduces a disruptive element. Played by Melissa Leo (credited under the pseudonym “Margaret May”), Carrie is an extroverted contrast to her reserved sibling. Her flirtatious antics with both Bayliss and Kellerman escalate into a near-confrontation between the two men, a subplot that leans into farcical comedy. This sequence, while humorous, feels tonally mismatched with the series’ usual realism. Lewis’s eventual revelation of his genuine bride, Barbara Shivers (played by Karen Williams), dispels the colleagues’ doubts, though the rushed nature of their relationship—presented without prior groundwork—strains credibility. The episode’s climax, where Pembleton’s wife Mary goes into labour during the reception, neatly ties together themes of life and renewal, but the pacing feels rushed, as if the writers were eager to resolve all plotlines hastily.
The secondary storyline involving the murder of radio shock jock Kevin Lugo (played by George Stover) offers a stark counterpoint to the wedding’s festivities. With most detectives absent, Lieutenant Giardello and Kay Howard are left to investigate. The case quickly takes a bizarre turn when a dubious informant, Simon Jackson (played by Russell Wilson), accuses his acquaintance DeBassy of the killing. Giardello’s subsequent confrontation with DeBassy—culminating in deadly shooting—exposes the episode’s disregard for procedural logic. DeBassy’s death, while dramatic, is rendered moot when it’s revealed he had an alibi. Jackson’s confession that he fabricated the accusation as a “practical joke” underscores the episode’s recurring motif of deception, but the sequence feels underdeveloped, its significance undercut by the show’s focus on the wedding.
The most overt thematic element in The Wedding is its heavy-handed juxtaposition of life and death. The simultaneous celebration of Lewis’s marriage and Mary Pembleton’s impending birth contrast sharply with the Lugo murder case and DeBassy’s avoidable death. This “circle of life” symbolism, while thematically sound, is executed with a clumsiness that undermines its profundity. The episode’s structure—alternating between the wedding’s lighthearted chaos and the grim realities of murder investigations—feels like a forced attempt to balance tone rather than an organic narrative choice.
Henry Bromell’s script cleverly layers the theme of practical jokes across multiple dimensions. The detectives’ belief that Lewis is hoaxing them mirrors the tragicomic irony of Jackson’s false accusation, which leads to DeBassy’s death. Meanwhile, the meta-joke of casting Melissa Leo as Carrie Howard—a deliberate nod to her prior role as Kay—adds a playful wink to viewers. This self-referential touch is inventive, yet it also highlights the episode’s artificiality. The wedding’s farcical elements, while entertaining, clash with the series’ established gritty realism, creating a dissonance that weakens the episode’s emotional weight.
The episode’s greatest flaw lies in its inconsistent adherence to the show’s trademark realism. The Homicide Unit’s decision to leave a high-profile case (“redball” in departmental parlance) understaffed while most detectives attend a wedding stretches credibility. Even more implausible is Giardello’s involvement in a violent confrontation without facing the standard bureaucratic fallout—suspension or internal investigation—that such incidents would realistically entail. These lapses betray the series’ usual attention to detail, rendering the subplot about Lugo’s murder feel rushed and underexplored.
The Wedding is a curious episode that succeeds as a tonal reset but stumbles under the weight of its ambitions. While its exploration of life’s dualities and layered use of deception showcase the show’s creative potential, its narrative choices—particularly the prioritisation of farce over realism—leave it feeling disjointed. The production team’s attempt to balance levity with the series’ gritty core ultimately results in an episode that is entertaining but uneven, a reminder that even the best-intentioned tonal shifts can falter when prioritised over narrative coherence.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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