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Bayliss is also unusual in the annals of queer characters on television simply by virtue of being a long-standing, regular character with a range of attributes that are unrelated to his sexuality. Where queer characters have been introduced on TV shows, it has often been for a limited series of episodes. They are there as a way for the show to deal with the ‘issue' of homosexuality or bisexuality, and as such are seen purely in terms of their sexual orientation. Bayliss, however, is defined at least equally, or perhaps even primarily, in terms of his job. Throughout Seasons 6 and 7, there are many episodes that simply show him as a detective at work.

Season 7 did take on the issue of workplace prejudice, however, as news of Bayliss's bisexuality begins to spread in the macho Homicide unit. Season 7 is in many ways about pressures beginning to accumulate on Bayliss. And one of those pressures is the loss of his partner, Pembleton (due to actor Andre Braugher's decision to leave the show at the end of Season 6). Bayliss and Pembleton will be reunited in the movie that concludes the show. But for this season, Bayliss has to deal with the gap left by Pembleton's absence. And he - and the audience - have to consider the depth of his feelings for his heterosexual, married partner.

In episode 7:16, ‘Truth Will Out', Bayliss finds himself drawn to a gay man who bears a physical resemblance to Pembleton. Secor says that the resemblance was definitely a deliberate move on the part of the show's casting directors. He adds: “You know, and it was in Tim [Bayliss]'s mind too. Even if he wasn't quite...” He laughs. “Tim was just a little bit behind the count, as we say. He was always just catching up to himself, always catching up to what was really going on. And maybe in the - you know, in the middle of that episode, he finally went ‘Oh, this guy's black and he's bald. God, he's like Frank [Pembleton]! Oh, my God! Wow!'” He laughs.

Secor says that the closeness of the relationship between Bayliss and Pembleton always raised the question of where you draw the line between platonic and romantic love. He says: “It brings up the great question of ‘What kind of love is there between men?' It goes to the deeper questions that all writers attempt to [address]. You know: ‘What is love?' The detective thing: ‘What is truth? What is justice?'

“And with Frank and me, it really was about that. How deeply can love go between two comrades, and not include sex in that? It's unrequited [love on Bayliss's part]. And it's a marriage, and it's all of these things, but it's....... you know, they don't go at it.” He laughs.

Without giving away too many plot details, the climax of the Homicide movie is a rooftop confrontation between Bayliss and Pembleton, who have both returned to the unit following the shooting of someone close to them. Secor recalls that “finally at the end, in the movie, [there is] that kind of cathartic moment [...] And it was to where we... it felt we were close enough that we were gonna kiss, and, you know... Andre's incredibly magnetic, and it would have been very interesting, and weird if [the writers] would have gone down that way with these characters.”

He reflects on the nature of Bayliss's feelings for Pembleton, which are never explicitly stated in the show: “[The writers are] very good about leaving a lot of stuff unspoken. And Andre's such a powerful, masculine presence, but within the masculine presence he has a great feminine quality to him, a soft quality, and it comes through in his eyes and in his smile.

“And that's the thing that gets to Tim, when he gets the smile.” He laughs. “Andre was, you know, sort of my perfect unreachable lover.”

Homicide is a show that would be worth watching simply for the quality of its writing and acting. With Bayliss's coming out, it became a show that was groundbreaking in its sustained and thoughtful treatment of a queer lead character. But it was also a show where the queer lead character's feelings for another man were integral to the arc of the series. As an anonymous commentator on popular TV website JumpTheShark.com wrote:

“Homocide [sic] was the best drama on television. Without question I can say this. However, what most people, and in the end, the show itself, did not seem to understand was that Homicide was about Bayliss falling in love with Frank. It wasn't about them falling in love with each other, as Frank would not cheat on his wife. But Bayliss discovers himself through Pembleton and falls in love with his creator - a beacon of strength, charisma, and passion.

“If you have the movie on tape, watch the scene where they walk out of the bar after talking to a drug dealer. Bayliss says ‘I really loved... working with you' or something to that effect. The gap is powerful and speaks for itself.”

Homicide: Life On The Street Complete Series Megaset
is available at amazon.com.

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