Colors
Directed By: Peter Medak
Written By: Tom Fontana
Bayliss' cousin Jim (David Morse) shoots and kills a Turkish exchange student who thought the house was where a party was. The resulting investigation drives a wedge between Bayliss and Pembleton.
This episode contains examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: When Pembleton is first asking Jim questions about the shooting, Jim mentions his nickname for Bayliss is "Teej", which brings together his first name and Bayliss' first name.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After the spectators in the courtroom cheer when the grand jury decides not to bring any charges against Jim, Pembleton asks Bayliss if he thinks people would have applauded if the person Jim had killed had been white. Bayliss has no reply.
- Dramatic Shattering: As he becomes increasing agitated about the tone of Pembleton's questions towards Jim, Bayliss pounds on the window separating the boxnote from the observation room so hard, he ends up breaking the window.
- Heel Realization: As Jim is watching basketball on TV with Bayliss, Jim remembers how his father used a lot of racial slurs growing up, and he wonders if that might have unconsciously absorbed that, while also wondering if that might have led him to shoot the Turkish exchange student (which Pembleton had tried to point out to Bayliss).
- On Second Thought: Lewis asks Pembleton at one point if he wants to get something to eat, but when Pembleton, angry at Bayliss, slams his desk draw closed, Lewis responds, "Never mind."
- Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: Neither Pembleton nor Bolander recognize the makeup the Turkish Exchange Student was wearing was associated with the band KISS.
- "Rashomon"-Style: We see the shooting, and events surrounding the shooting, from three points of view - Jim's, his wife, and the friend of the murder victim. It's when the latter brings up the fact his friend had his hands up that Pembleton starts to wonder if there's more to Jim's story (as well as when Jim's wife mentions he gets upset when someone doesn't speak English in his presence).
- Ripped from the Headlines: The shooting of the Turkish exchange student was inspired by the killing of a Japanese exchange student
, who also went to the wrong house when looking for a costume party.
