I may be in the minority here, but I felt that the series finale was the perfect end to the Homicide saga. Tonally, it was right on the money, and it was pretty obvious that Bayliss killed the Internet Killer if you read between the lines. Bayliss's discussion with Munch about Gordon Pratt--which was pretty much asking Munch if he was able to live with killing a suspect--was followed by the scene where he apologizes to Danvers, seemingly at peace. This was artful, and requires multiple viewings to unlock, but in retrospect it's as clear as day.
Evidently people didn't get it, though, so the TV movie was made to spell it out literally. The moment where Tim confesses is a compelling one, largely because of Pembleton's presence, but those of us who figured it out earlier didn't feel the full power. The rest of the movie plays like a mediocre Homicide episode--Gee's transition into politics was sudden from a guy who, in the last episode, was complaining about ascending too high in the department and being too far from the streets. I guess he solved this problem by moving even further up the food chain (and nobody seems to remember that he was a Captain). To some extent the move to legalize drugs makes sense as most homicides in B-more were/are drug related, but this connection isn't made in the movie. And the movie functions mostly as an exercise in nostalgia as everyone ever associated with the show makes a return, and most are given little or nothing to do aside from being present. Die-hards may get a kick out of seeing Munch and Bolander together again, or seeing Brodie stop by, but that is most of the movie.
It looks like the movie has gone out of print, and honestly it's not essential viewing. If you felt like the final episode was a letdown, just watch it again, and I promise you you'll appreciate it more. The Homicide movie eventually winds up feeling more generic and less authentic than the show, and far too sentimental to truly count as part of the Homicide canon. It's sort of like The Clash's Cut The Crap--a swan song that doesn't live up to the greatness of the rest of the canon, and that is more or less forgotten.
Evidently people didn't get it, though, so the TV movie was made to spell it out literally. The moment where Tim confesses is a compelling one, largely because of Pembleton's presence, but those of us who figured it out earlier didn't feel the full power. The rest of the movie plays like a mediocre Homicide episode--Gee's transition into politics was sudden from a guy who, in the last episode, was complaining about ascending too high in the department and being too far from the streets. I guess he solved this problem by moving even further up the food chain (and nobody seems to remember that he was a Captain). To some extent the move to legalize drugs makes sense as most homicides in B-more were/are drug related, but this connection isn't made in the movie. And the movie functions mostly as an exercise in nostalgia as everyone ever associated with the show makes a return, and most are given little or nothing to do aside from being present. Die-hards may get a kick out of seeing Munch and Bolander together again, or seeing Brodie stop by, but that is most of the movie.
It looks like the movie has gone out of print, and honestly it's not essential viewing. If you felt like the final episode was a letdown, just watch it again, and I promise you you'll appreciate it more. The Homicide movie eventually winds up feeling more generic and less authentic than the show, and far too sentimental to truly count as part of the Homicide canon. It's sort of like The Clash's Cut The Crap--a swan song that doesn't live up to the greatness of the rest of the canon, and that is more or less forgotten.