Frank Pembleton quotes from Homicide: Life on the Street

Giardello

I don't know if Bayliss should be the primary on this case.

Howard

You can't take the case away from him, Gee.

Giardello

He's had a bad history with murdered children and I don't want that interfering with his ability to do his job.

Pembleton

It won't interfere.

Giardello

How do you know that?

Pembleton

I trust my partner. We'll put this case down.

Giardello

He trusts his partner? The forgiving Frank Pembleton?

Bayliss

It wouldn't kill you to show some enthusiasm. Smile every once in a while.

Pembleton

Well, I'm not a smiler, I'm not a hugger, I'm not a sensitive guy. That's you, not me.

Pembleton

What, you're feeling sorry for yourself cause you lost a case?

Bayliss

I've spent my life trying not to feel sorry for myself. See, Adena Watson, Janelle Parsons, Tonya Thompson. Every murdered child, every abused child, I understand. Cause all those children are me. Yeah, I know what that's all about. You see, my uncle, my father's brother, I was 5 years old, and he would follow me into the bathroom and he would close the door and he would take my hand in his and he would.... After he was done, he would smile and he would say what a good boy I was and oh, yeah, shhh....And this went on for years, years. My, my parents, they couldn't understand why I cried at every holiday, every family get together. So when I was 8 years old, I told my father, what had been going on, and I remember it was a struggle to get those words out and my father just stared at me and he asked me why I was lying. And he was my father and he was supposed to protect me Frank, but he didn't. See, for him, whatever was happening, it was like an inconvenience. See, to him, I wasn't a real person, and he never saw me, he never really looked at me. Ever.

Pembleton

Tim, I'm sorry.

Bayliss

I don't want your comfort Frank. That's not why I told you.

Pembleton

Alright.

Bayliss

By the way, I don't wanna be partners with you anymore.

Lewis

Nothin's missing, so I guess we can rule out a robbery, huh?

Pembleton

We don't guess, Meldrick, we hypothesize. We infer. We extrapolate from the evidence. We do not guess.

Lewis

Go easy on me, would you Frank? It's early in the morning, I haven't had my first donut yet.

Lewis

And you know what else, Frank? Love spelled backwards is "evil." E-v-o-l.

Pembleton

That's not love spelled backwards. That's live spelled backwards.

Lewis

Cut me some poetic slack, will ya, Frank?

Giardello

[to Frank, about Bayliss] Whatever problems you two are having, just remember one thing... 'all we are is dust in the wind.'

Pembleton

I had no idea you were a Kansas fan.

Pembleton

Okay, we got multiple chest wounds, an open door, and a weapon halfway across the living room.

Dr. Cox

It's going to be hell writing this one up as a suicide, I'll tell you that much.

Pembleton

This man was a bastard.

Bayliss

Yeah, he was.

Pembleton

He got what he deserved.

Bayliss

Yes, he did.

Pembleton

Manslaughter, 5 years suspended.

Bayliss

What are you talking about? It doesn't work that way!

Pembleton

[laughs] It doesn't?

Bayliss

No! No, you can't just go through this world giving every bastard what he deserves!

Howard

Bastards killed him in his own bathroom.

Pembleton

They murdered him. Beau believed there was a distinction between murder and killing.

Howard

We don't close this case, it's on me. I should've known it wasn't a suicide. I let the case get cold because I believed the worst of Beau. I believed he was capable of killing himself and ughhh, I hated him for that. For his being weak, selfish, everything I hated about him when we were partners. But with Beau, it was always when hating him the most, that he would turn around and do something incredibly, stupidly, sweet. Just got to hate him all the more... Don't tell anyone I cried.

Gharty

What is it then?

Pembleton

I'm on the street. I'm working. I need to know that if push comes to shove, my partner will fight for me. I don't wanna go through a door or down some alley and then find out nobody's got my back.

Gharty

So, that's it.

Pembleton

How am I supposed to trust someone who won't go through the same doors as me? Howard, Lewis, Bayliss, every cop on this shift will fight. Every cop will fight. I know that. I depend upon it.

Pembleton

Where's Brodie?

Munch

PBS aired his documentary. He won an Emmy.

Bayliss

An Emmy? They give those things to anybody.

Pembleton

I told Lange I'd put our best detectives on it.

Lewis

Don't try to back-door me with that "best" business, Frank. You ain't about compliments.

Pembleton

What is your name? Mr Lange, where are you at? Mr Lange, look at me.

The leaves on the sugar maple tree, when a storm is coming they'll turn over so the tree can take in the rain.

Bayliss

You all right?

Pembleton

Did you ever notice when a rain is coming leaves on a sugar maple will turn over? Learn something new every day.

Pembleton

The guy, he says to me "I'm okay."

Bayliss

I'm just speaking my mind here, Frank. I can do that with you because you are a man.

Pembleton

Well, pretend I'm a woman. That way you can keep your thoughts to yourself.