A Doll's Eyes
Directed By: Ken Fink
Story By: Henry Bromell and Tom Fontana
Teleplay By: James Yoshimura
Patric, a 10-year-old boy, is shot while in the mall with his parents Paul (Gary Basaraba) and Joan (Marcia Gay Harden) are with him, and when he's declared brain dead, they have to decide whether to take him off of life support.
This episode contains examples of:
- Berserk Button: Paul gets angry when Bayliss and Pembleton show up, as he insists Homicide detectives should not be asking about his son since he's not dead yet.
- Billy Needs an Organ: At the end of the episode, the father of a boy who received one of Patrick's organs goes to Bayliss to ask him to get in touch with Paul and Joan, because he wants to thank them for his son's life.
- Bring My Brown Pants: One of the witnesses at the mall confesses spilling a drink on his pants isn't the only reason his pants are wet.
- The Cameo: Mandy Patinkin appears in character as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, awaiting a organ donation.
- It Has Been an Honor: A heartbreaking version - just before Patrick gets pulled off life support, a tearful Joan strokes his hair and says, "Thank you for being my son."
- Lower-Deck Episode: A variation in that the episode isn't being told from the point of view of a particular victim's family, but ones that are standing in for all victim's families, and how they cope with the grief of losing a loved one, especially one so young.
- Rage Breaking Point: When Bayliss and Pembleton explain to Joan she shouldn't have taken Patrick's clothes from the hospital (they're evidence), she snaps and starts talking about how Patrick had to stare at the window display for one more minute before dissolving into tears.
- Sibling Rivalry: What turned out to be the motivation of the shooter - he was mad his brother stole his girlfriend from him, and was trying to shoot his brother, but shot Patrick by mistake instead.
- Terminology Title: "A Doll's Eyes" refers to someone who's brain dead, which the doctor treating Patrick explains to Bayliss.
