Red, Red Wine
Directed By: Edward Bianchi
Written By: Sara B. Charno
Dr. Griscom tells Bayliss and Sheppard a person who apparently died of the flu was actually poisoned with phosphozine, and when several other people also turn up dead with the same poison, it becomes a red ball. Mike gets put in charge of the investigation, causing him to butt heads with his father, especially when Lt. Giardello leaks the story because he thinks the public should know about the poison.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: At the end of the episode, Mike calls his father to tell him he was right. Giardello thinks he means the investigation, but Mike corrects him, "The floor. It buckled."
- Better as Friends: When Bayliss asks Sheppard out, she tells him she always wished she had a male friend, and convinces him they would be better as friends.
- Chekhov's Driver: Wally Flynn (Pat Hingle), the same driver Bayliss and Sheppard see outside the bar, turns out to be the one responsible for the poisoning deaths.
- Continuity Nod: Gale Ingram returns to help Mike with the investigation.
- Conspiracy Theorist: Munch thinks the flu shot is part of a giant government plot.
- Driven to Villainy: Flynn lost his wife to cancer and his children to a car accident, plus he found out he has lymphoma, which gives him only six months to live. This led him to decide life wasn't worth living and to poison people.
- Groin Attack: Munch confesses to Lewis he bent his penis in a sexual accident when he and Billie Lou were away for the weekend. While the doctor Munch goes to gives him a clean bill of health, Munch does have to contend with Lewis leaving a balloon in the shape of a penis, bent in half, on his desk.
- Hypocritical Humor: When Ingram tells Giardello the FBI is taking over the investigation of the poisoning, Giardello tells her their department is always happy to work with the FBI. Then Ingram says Mike will be in charge of the investigation, at which point Giardello says, "I thought we were in charge."
- I Did What I Had to Do: Giardello says this word to word to Mike when he's justifying the fact he leaked the story of the poisoned wine to the press.
- Never Trust a Trailer: Sheppard coughing briefly in one scene was featured prominently in the trailer for this episode, as if she was going to be a victim of the flu epidemic, and maybe even come down with poisoning. After taking medicine, she feels much better, and has nothing to do with the main plot.
- Titled After the Song: Written and originally performed by Neil Diamond (though the most popular version was by UB40).
- What the Hell, Hero?: Ballard gets angry at Gharty for telling people about the fact she and Falsone went on a date.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Bayliss is like this when he finds out the reason why Flynn poisoned all of those people is because he feels like life is worthless and wanted to make his mark.
