Homicide: Life on the Street (TV Series) Thrill of the Kill (1995) User Reviews

Notable for the guest star

[Angel-Ireul · 7/10 · 8 July 2012]

This episode is a bit jarring and out of sync with Homicide's standard format and not one of the shows strong episodes.

However, it is an interesting episode for fans of Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice etc).

Bayliss and Pembleton are tapped by Giardello and the FBI to anticipate and assist in the hunt and capture of a spree killing working his way up from Florida north on I-95.

The twist reveal that concludes the episode is well supported by visual and audio evidence hidden in plain sight throughout the episode, which, considering the potential ridiculously clichéd nature of the reveal serves as a counterpoint and a bit of nyah-nyah-so-there to naysayers.

While a weak episode for Homicide it must be noted that this would be a standout episode for any contemporaneous (or even more modern) crime show.

Key Word for this Episode: DEPARTURE (*Spoiler Maybe*)

[tiptop-1 · 8/10 · 18 August 2013]

I loved this episode. It was clearly a departure from the format of the series.

During the run of this series I only caught snippets of it. It intrigued me so much that when I retired, I purchased the entire series in boxed sets from Ebay, and I couldn't be happier.

While this episode might not "stack up" to the gritty, urban "Homicide" format, it certainly does stand out on it's own due to it's storytelling style.

Tuning in to this episode, you follow the criminal rather than the friendly detectives, and with the ethereal music, we don't realize it's "Homicide--Life on the Street" until the theme starts.

I agree, the guest star's performance did, indeed, carry the show. (Directed by Tim Hunter.)

My only complaint was that Detectives Tim Bayliss and Frank Pembleton were identically dressed in plaid shirts and ball caps as truckers, whereas a better disguise for Frank would have been a dread lock or jerry-curl wig. But the gas attendant's salute to urban legend, and the surprise ending totally redeem the episode for any of it's faults.

I even own Season 7, but watch it far less than Seasons 1 - 6.

The first cracks in the series

[petra_ste · 4/10 · 28 October 2008]

Thrill of the Kill gives off a bad vibe - not because it's creepy or disturbing (which it isn't), but because it's cheap and shallow, the kind of cheese-fest shows like CSI Miami would be proud to dish out. As much as I enjoyed the fourth and fifth seasons, it's with this kind of episodes Homicide started to show its first, unsettling cracks.

The episode features a serial killer (first alarm bell ringing) and a final twist which is appallingly poor and offensive in its disrespect of the show's realistic, intelligent formula. An evil twin? Seriously? Give me a break.

Although Bayliss (Kyle Secor) and Pembleton (Andre Braugher) are always great to watch, it's sad to see them mucking around in this silly case.

A misstep and the season's weakest episode.

4/10