History Recap / HomicideLifeOnTheStreetS6E18FullCourtPress

--> '''David:''' I don't regret a damn thing!

* NiceGuy: Ironically, the school case killer is one of the most genuinely collaborative people in the episode, which only makes his ending more painful, not just for those watching but for those also for Munch and Gharty.

* TraumaButton: When Munch and Gharty are talking about the case after work at the Waterfront, Munch mentions how he was bullied at school. Gharty admits that he bullied other kids without showing much guilt about it, and patronisingly offers to let Munch punch him if it will make Munch feel better. Munch is so furious at this that he grabs an ashtray off the bar and tries to smash Gharty's head in with it.

* NiceGuy: Ironically, the killer is one of the most genuinely collaborative people in the episode, which only makes his ending more painful, not just for those watching but for those also for Munch and Gharty.

** Ballard, partnering Kellerman, is shocked by the extent of his cynicism and lack of interest in solving the drug murders.

* BrokenBird: David is a genuinely friendly and a little shy geek kid, unfortunately being bullied and ultimately sexually humiliated caused the poor boy to break down and be driven to commit murder.

* ChallengingTheBully: David's initial objective was to confront [=MaCarren=] but the taller guy, being TooStupidToLive, decided to provoke him even with a gun pointed at his face.
* DavidVersusGoliath: [=MaCarren=] probably never believed that David could actually shred, not only because his size and frame made it impossible, after all David was a weak 5'6” kid, but also because the school administration was grossly negligent at best and fatally incompetent at worst. Unfortunately for him David found a third way when he found his father's gun, killing him in his moment of vulnerability.

** {{Subverted}}. [=McCarren=] tried to be that, smiling when he saw David with a gun, probably believing he wouldn't have the courage to pull the trigger. This ends up being what kills him, as it encourages David to actually shoot, when he does that [=McCarren=] immediately stops smiling before dying.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: GenderInverted. Calling him a bad guy is an exaggeration, but David is a killer who doesn't feel guilty about killing someone and who maintains a proud smile the entire time, with the only thing that disturbs him being the mention of his father, whose involvement in his problems seems to be his only concern.

* NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead: Everyone (except the killer) apparently had a lot of good things to say about him (although it is implied that it was so they wouldn't become suspects) which only hindered the investigation as there was no real evidence at the crime scene pointing to anyone in specific, only when they encourage people to talk about the bad things Mark did they discover the killer.

* SchoolBullyingIsHarmless: No. David makes it clear how the bullying has mentally destroyed him to the point that the interrogation room where he is admitting to having killed someone is where he feels safest.. The other two boys have clearly become anxious from all the stress of being bullied by Mark, but having a hard time explaining because they [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead don't want to speak ill of the dead. ]]

* SympatheticMurderer: David Tarnofski, a kind and cooperative boy was driven to murder after being bullied into madness and sexually assaulted, when this is revealed, neither Munch nor Gharty can blame him for getting to that point.
* TooStupidToLive:[=McCarren=] doesn't get intelligence points for laughing in the face of someone who has a gun pointed at him.

** When Gharty is getting on Munch's nerves, Munch says Gharty is reminding him of Bolander.

* WhatTheHellHero: Falsone chews out Lewis because he thinks Lewis is responsible for many of Georgia Rae Mahoney's crew ending up dead.