These earliest episodes tend to be strongest when Pembleton works his mind-freak on suspects - see Three Men and Adena. In this episode the highlight is Pembleton's unrelenting breakdown of a suspect during eight minutes or so. I had to rewind and watch it again. He makes a cocky young black cigarette-smoking street punk break down by punching through the suspect's mental layers. He starts by wielding the race card ironically as a weapon, commanding Bayliss to leave and calling the suspect 'boy' repeatedly. Of course, it's not all about race, but what a great twist.
G's (Yaphet's) reaction to this interrogation is the other joy to watch. In a show full of solid characters, Giardello is perhaps my favorite. Maybe because he doesn't yell, but is blunt. Maybe because nothing gets by him. Maybe because he truly appears to have a better understanding of the bigger picture than the rest of the detectives.
Superior episode for these two actors/characters.