Frank Pembleton didn't want to partner with anyone, then he saw something in Homicide rookie Tim Bayliss and agreed to be his partner. Who would've guessed that over the course of six seasons, they'd become such fine partners... and (whether or not they chose to admit it) such good friends.

On the surface, they didn't have much in common. But they bonded as they worked tough cases. They argued, they fought, they ticked each off. They also learned from each other, and they were there for each other when it counted. Of course it wasn't always fun or great, one of Homicide's strengths is the portrayal of real people and real relationships.

There's a reason buddy movies and cop shows are popular, we like watching partners work together. They may bicker, they may fight, but they work together and when things get tough, you know they'll do anything for each other. There are levels of trust there, maybe we all wish we had a Pembleton or Bayliss or Someone to share our adventures (and boredom), to be there, to know us, to tease us, to question us, to respect us.

Someone who may know us better than we know ourselves. Someone who won't take any of your crap. Someone you may fight with, who may hurt you, but who's there anyway.

Homicide deals honestly with partnerships, often acknowledging that partners aren't necessarily friends, that the relationships may not last once one member of the team leaves the department. Partners may grow closer or drift apart as time passes. The partnerships are not idealized.

Partners shift and change, too. Sometimes new partnerships work, sometimes they don't. They grow, they evolve. It's fun watching Beau with Frank or Tim with Meldrick, but those pairings make you appreciate the truer pairings all the more...when it counts.

Partners spend so much time together, they know each other well. They don't choose their partner, usually, they're thrown together. Sometimes there's magic in these pairings. Frank and Tim. Meldrick and Crosetti. Kay and Beau. Bolander and Munch. Who could know that such different people would work so well together? And would grow to care so much.

What are your favorite pairings (partners) on Homicide? Why? What are your favorite scenes between partners? I want to collect these things and put 'em up on these pages. Do you have pictures or soundfiles that illustrate certain partnerships in a great way? Send me mail and tell me about these partners and other strangers.

The case for the Big Man and Munch as the best partnership on Homicide.