And the Rockets' Dead Glare

"And the Rockets' Dead Glare" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street.

Secret Service agent Gruszynski (Ed Lauter) confronts Lewis and Crosetti and tells them not to waste the embassy's time but agrees to give the detectives a tour of Washington before they go.

Howard testifies but nervously fumbles facts and allows defense attorney Darin Russom (Michael Willis) to create reasonable doubt to the jury.

Captain Barnfather (Clayton LeBouef) and Colonel Granger (Gerald F. Gough) offer Pembleton (Andre Braugher) a promotion to lieutenant and the vacant shift commander position working alongside Gee (Yaphet Kotto).

"And the Rockets Dead Glare" was written by Jorge Zamacona based on a story by executive producer Tom Fontana, and was directed by Peter Markle.

It marked the first appearances of defense attorney Darin Russom (Michael Willis) and Frank Pembleton's wife Mary, both of whom became recurring characters throughout the rest of the series.

[3] "And the Rockets' Dead Glare" also featured a guest appearance by actress and model Bai Ling, a student and apparent friend to the Chinese refugee murdered in the episode.

Homicide filmmakers sought to portray the trial scenes in a far more realistic light than most police drama shows, particularly with the inclusion of less dramatic courtroom elements such as Howard's waiting anxiously to testify and the awkward pauses during her testimony.

[1] An arrangement of Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C Minor, conducted by Louis Knatchvull, appears in "And the Rockets Dead Glare", as does the song "Rhythm and Blues" by Benjamin Antin.

In response, NBC announced to fans that a decision about whether Homicide would be renewed or canceled would depend on how the last four episodes of the season fared in the ratings, including "And the Rockets' Dead Glare".

[8] Harold Schindler of The Salt Lake Tribune praised the episode, making it one of his weekly recommendations and declaring Homicide "one of the better police procedural dramas to reach television".

[10] "And the Rockets Dead Glare" and the rest of the first and second-season episodes were included in the four-DVD box-set "Homicide: Life on the Street: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2", which was released by A&E Home Video on May 27, 2003, for $69.95.