In Search Of Crimes Past
Hours before Michael Bigelow is about to be executed for murder, his daughter takes Barnfather hostage, demanding his execution be stayed because she believes her father to be innocent, or she'll kill Barnfather and then herself. Since the original murder Bigelow was tried and convicted for was Bolander's case, he, Felton, Howard and Munch try to find out if the right man is in prison. As it happens, Lewis investigates a suicide that becomes related to Bolander's case. Meanwhile, Bayliss and Pembleton investigate the death of an elderly woman who drowned in her bathtub, which Pembleton thinks is natural causes but Bayliss thinks may be murder, and Munch hires a new bartender (Jerry Stiller) for the Waterfront Bar, only to regret his choice.
This episode contains examples of:
- Clear My Name: A variation - although Bigelow has maintained his innocence the entire time he was in jail, it's his daughter who will stop at nothing to prove his innocence.
- Continuity Nod: There's still some tension between Giardello and Russert because of the fact Russert has been promoted over him. When Russert brings in hostage negotiators, Giardello tells her he doesn't think negotiators will do any good. Later, Russert tells Giardello he shouldn't have undermined her in public like that.
- Contrived Coincidence: The suicide Lewis is investigating just happens to be related to the case Bolander has to investigate (although it may be partially justified in that it's possible the man committed suicide on the date of Bigelow's impending execution because of his guilt).
- Insistent Terminology: When the neighbor of the elderly woman asks Bayliss if Scheiner has to poke her like that, Scheiner snaps, "I am not poking! I'm examining!"
- Spit Take: Munch does this when he drinks the beer his new bartender has made for the bar.
- Waxing Lyrical: When Bayliss and Pembleton talk about growing old, Bayliss says, "I'd rather burn out than fade away."
- Wham Line: Zwick's wife tells Lewis she found his suicide note, and adds, "It's also a confession to a murder."
- You Didn't Ask: When Bolander wants to know why the bartender didn't tell him before that Zwick had been having an affair with the wife of the man Bigelow was falsely accused of murdering, the bartender replies, "You didn't ask."
