Marathon

Season 10, Episode 6, Aired

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A frustrating investigation of a purse-snatching victim who was fatally shot leads to tension between Briscoe and Green over age and racial innuendoes. Briscoe notices his partner has developed a dangerous habit.
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  • An elusive criminal continues to evade justice and grate on Briscoe's nerves.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By clarinetgoddess, Jul 29, 2005
    This episode is one of my favorites, because Lennie is my favorite character and the episode basically focuses around him and how he's dealing with this case. It also nicely shows conflict between Lennie and Ed.

    A woman is gunned down in the street, for basically no reason. It looks like a mugging gone wrong, for both parties: (1) she was killed, and (2) the criminal didn't get her money. Lennie and Ed have to track down the bike the perp was riding when the murder happened, because none of the eyewitnesses could give a good description, especially the German couple. (Lennie: "Now I know why they needed a wall.") The bike is located, and Lennie makes a remark that doesn't exactly make Ed happy.

    Eventually, they track down the perp, Bobby Sabo. The first time they try to arrest him, he gets away. Next, Ed and Lennie try to arrest Bobby in the men's room at the bus station, and he flashes the detectives. They end up having to let him go again. Lennie now feels vengeful. The third time the cops arrest Bobby, he confesses the crime to Lennie, but Lennie is the only one who heard it. Regardless of what everyone else says, they definitely don't believe him. Lennie testifies about the confession ("I gave that white [...] what she deserved") at a hearing. The judge throws the confession out because it is uncorroborated and because she thinks Lennie's just out to get Bobby. He is, but he's right. Once again, the charges are dismissed.

    Also thrown out is a gun sold to a Pizza Land employee by Bobby. Lennie and Ed obtained the evidence by finding Flaco, who has the original murder weapon. Lennie can tell Flaco has the gun in his right pocket by watching his walk. Abbie, try as she might, defends the tactic to the judge, but he throws it out. Flaco was supposed to testify against Bobby, but refused when the gun was thrown out. Lennie almost beats the stuffing out of Flaco, but Ed pulls him off, and Lennie is, of course, angry about it.

    Back at the squadroom, Lennie and Ed argue at their desks.

    Ed: We get the gun, they toss it, we get the confession...
    Lennie: "We"?
    Ed: I been sayin' "we" to cover your ass, outta respect for you.
    Lennie: I don't need that kind of respect.
    Ed: Good, 'cause I been walkin' on eggshells ever since we caught this case.
    Lennie: That's about as long as you've been pissin' me off.
    Ed: Pissin' you off? Why? 'Cause I don't blend in with the rest of the roaches?
    Lennie: Oh, is that what this is about? 'Cause you know that's not how I meant that.
    Ed: [stands up] No, no, I will tell you what I know: if it wasn't for your screw-ups, we'd-a nailed this guy a long time ago!
    Lennie: [stands up] My screw-ups? Your stuff's been gettin' thrown outta court ever since you got here!
    Ed: Maybe I take chances 'cause my partner can't get it up!
    Lennie: Or maybe you just get off on takin' chances! [throws transcript of hearing at Ed]
    Anita: BRISCOE! In my office!

    The essence of the scene in the office is Anita telling Lennie, "Pull yourself together, because it isn't over." Lennie goes back to his desk and asks for the transcript ("Can I have that transcript I threw at you?"), and notices in the transcript that Bobby testified he peed on his new sneakers when the cops arrested him in the bathroom. So? "What happened to his old felony flyers?" Lennie asks.

    The two go to Bobby's friend's apartment and ask if any of Bobby's clothes were around, like a pair of sneakers. The friend says sure and gives the sneakers to the detectives. There is blood spatter on the laces of one shoe, and Bobby's thumbprint also appears on the bottom of a shoe. Jack is unwilling to deal, but Bobby gives up the Murray Hill rapist, and Jack gives him 6 to 12. I agree with Abbie that that's a lousy deal. Sure, catching a rapist is great, but did they have to deal down that far? But Adam had a point.

    Abbie: Briscoe and Green went through hell to nail this guy.
    Adam: That's their job.

    By the way, Bobby finally corroborated Lennie's story of the confession after he got his deal.

    Lennie and Ed go into Anita's office toward the end of the episode, and she tells them about the deal (Lennie: "What, years or weeks?") and that the rapist was collared two hours ago, then tells Lennie that Bobby copped to the confession. Ever sarcastic, Lennie says, "How nice of my pal, Bobby." The episode ends with Lennie sitting at his desk, writing, while Ed goes off for a night of (presumably) gambling.

    I really really really like this episode. It's not often the writers allow Lennie to get violent. He punched a bounty hunter in "Hunters" and kicked a table across the room in "Promises to Keep", but that was basically it. He was also in top wisecrack form. Also, the tension between Lennie and Ed was one that was never previously explored between the cops. Granted, Mike was not happy when Phil showed up, but he and Phil never went at it like Ed and Lennie. That's about as personal as this show should ever get, and it did.

    Oh, and as a student and lover of the Spanish language, you can never go wrong with the Spanish phone conversations. You think you can keep it private by speaking Spanish in front of the cops, but then you hang up and one of them asks you a question about the conversation...in Spanish. Rock on, Ed!moreless
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