Full Moon
Directed By: Leslie Libman and Larry Williams
Teleplay By: Eric Overmyer
Kellerman and Lewis investigate a shooting at the New Moon Motel, and find a number of possible suspects.
This episode contains examples of:
- Back Story: Lewis reveals to Kellerman he grew up in project housing and had a large family crammed into his apartment as well. This is why he's less judgmental than Kellerman about the immigrant family crammed into the motel room.
- Book Ends: The episode begins and ends with various residents of the hotel at night going about their business.
- Call-Back: While sitting with the prostitute by the pool, Kellerman tells her about the fact he's divorced.
- Domestic Abuse: We see a salesman who's staying at the motel with his wife and children hit his wife, and judging by the bruises on her face, it's not the first time.
- The Illegal: The Gonzalez family, who Lewis allows to leave without being investigated, whereas Kellerman wants to have them prosecuted.
- Irony:
- Though Kellerman and Lewis don't end up solving the murder they were assigned to solve, they end up solving an unrelated murder when the motel manager confesses he shot someone in self-defense when they were trying to rob him.
- In addition, the only ones registered at the motel without a criminal record are the ones Kellerman and Lewis end up arresting on suspicion of criminal activity.
- Noir Episode: Though there's no Private Eye Monologue, this episode has a lot of other elements of Film Noir, with a number of residents with a shady past who either used to be involved in criminal activities, or still are.
- "No Peeking!" Request: Inverted - when the prostitute gets out of the pool (where she's been swimming stark naked), and asks Kellerman to hand her a robe, Kellerman does so without looking at her, and says while he wants to, he shouldn't.
- No-Tell Motel: As Munch ends up telling Kellerman and Lewis, 98% of the people staying at the motel have criminal records of some kind.
- Riddle for the Ages: Lewis and Kellerman never find out just who killed their initial victim.
- Side Bet: Kellerman and Lewis bet each other about, among other things, how many of the residents of the motel have criminal records.
