After the First 48 has its most important episode yet—with one major catch
SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for After the First 48 Season 11, Episode 7, “Brothers Down.”
A&E‘s After the First 48 is quite possibly the most underrated true crime series. Audiences know by now how iconic The First 48 is, but not as many people talk about the spinoff, which continues to follow homicide cases through to their prosecution. After the First 48 is almost as good as The First 48, with the production team upholding the same standard of quality, and it serves a critical purpose among true crime viewers. That relevancy is once again starkly clear in Season 11, Episode 7, “Brothers Down.”
The First 48 episode “Brothers Down” is a significant one in that show’s history. It’s the first episode featuring Lt. Brandon Watkins as the head of the Tulsa Homicide unit, following the retirement of Sgt. Dave Walker (as seen in the episode “The Invader”). But it’s also memorable because of how bone-chilling the case is. As the title indicates, it refers to the double homicide of brothers Keith and Glynn Williams, who were killed in a completely random act of violence by Ondriel Smith. The episode is one of those that an audience has so many questions about because of that randomness. 99 percent of the time, the viewer can understand how a homicide case came to be, no matter how tragic. That was just not possible with this case.
But that made it an excellent After the First 48 episode for multiple reasons. Like The First 48, the spinoff is obviously limited in the cases it can present for various logistical reasons, yet “Brothers Down” needed that legal and emotional throughline. And as the episode unfolds, the audience gets an incredibly honest look at the legal process that they need to see.
After the First 48 does for prosecutors what The First 48 has done for homicide detectives. True crime often loses sight of the fact that the criminal justice system is a process. It’s functionally easier and more dramatic to focus on the investigators, who get to unravel the mystery and put away the bad guy. It’s not quite so interesting to talk about the legal motions argued in courtrooms. And while neither one of them has a set timeline, the end of a homicide investigation normally doesn’t stretch as long as the journey of a trial, which can take years—one of several aspects “Brothers Down” brings back to public attention. The legwork done by Detective Mark Kennedy, then-Detective Chase Calhoun and Tulsa Police Homicide was no short affair either. But the span from arrest to trial to verdict took years… and per the postscript, there’s now an appeal pending.
It’s critically important that as the profile of true crime continues to rise, that not only do prosecutors get their due as the other half of the equation, but that viewers really understand the legal issues that can affect any criminal investigation. Not simply at the end of a show or in a superficial way, but that they’re able to dig deeper, as that goes a long way toward painting a complete picture. True crime has a responsibility beyond being just entertainment; it must be informative and most of all respectful. “Brothers Down” nails both of those elements, while being refreshingly honest.
The first part of the episode doesn’t just rehash what happened on The First 48. (It was much better when A&E used to repeat the relevant First 48 episode before a new After the First 48 aired.) Instead, it provides additional insight into some of the most pivotal moments for the police, most notably Kennedy and Calhoun’s questioning of Smith’s girlfriend. That was a disturbing and heartbreaking moment when it was aired, and it’s insightful to further hear from both Kennedy and Calhoun on how they approached that conversation as well as how they felt about it. The best true crime series aren’t just about what the police did; how and why they did it is equally meaningful.
Their commentary is one example of the compassion for everyone that runs through “Brothers Down.” Part of that is that’s how Tulsa Homicide as a unit carries themselves—let us take a sidebar to acknowlege the presence of the late Detective John Brown, who appears here in footage from the original episode, reminding us of just how much he cared about what he did and who he did it for.
That same heart appears again when After the First 48 includes Calhoun having to tell Mary and Cecily Williams over the phone about the shooting. That was one of the most wrenching moments The First 48 had seen in years; it still hurts to rewatch it now. Yet what stands out is how Calhoun handles it as best as he possibly can, and the chance to hear from him about what was on his mind at that moment adds another layer of understanding to it. (It’s also more evidence of why Chase Calhoun earned his way up to being a Lieutenant; people should be learning from his example.)
But it doesn’t stop there; when the episode pivots to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, there’s more heartbreak added on. The whole point of After the First 48 is to provide the pieces that The First 48 isn’t able to. In the case of “Brothers Down,” viewers learn that Jamila—the woman who called 911 and the primary witness—passed away during the legal process. Yet the discussion of this isn’t just because she was supposed to be the state’s key witness. There’s an acknowledgement of her as a human being, and there’s a sadness that she didn’t get to see justice done for her employer and his brother when she was deeply affected by their deaths. The same is true as viewers learn more about Ondriel’s girlfriend, in a way that The First 48 wasn’t able to explore, as her story really evolves after the arrest.
After the First 48 has its strongest moments when it steps back and lets Ondriel’s girlfriend have the spotlight. Producers don’t treat her solely as the major piece of the prosecutorial puzzle, even though the case winds up hinging massively on her testimony. She is the core of the show in the final act. The prosecutors talk about what she went through emotionally on the stand and the strength that she had to be there. Viewers learn how she took steps to heal and better her life. Her story even becomes part of the interview with Keith’s son, as he feels for her—and in a bittersweet moment, points out that his late father would have appreciated knowing that he was able to help someone else even in death. That development is emblematic of how Keith Williams lived his life. It’s incredibly fitting, and also a reminder that crime does not happen in a vacuum; it affects so many people, and all of those people are important.
Sometimes it gets asked why we put true crime stories on TV… this is why. The real true crime shows, the ones that matter, are letting the stories of good people be heard, whether it’s detectives working in their communities, or witnesses finding their voice, or victims and their families making a difference that they might never know about.
And those stories don’t end with an arrest and they’re often a lot more complicated than people think. It’s also important to call out the mistake that gets revealed in this After the First 48 outing: someone within “the government” accidentally destroyed the murder weapon. Ondriel Smith was arrested with two guns in his possession, and while viewers don’t learn the exact process of how those weapons were handled they do learn that the murder weapon got mixed up with the other gun. It is a massive mistake, because it could have undermined the whole case against this man who was a clear violent threat to the whole city of Tulsa. But After the First 48 doesn’t soft-pitch it because the prosecutors are the show’s protagonists, and neither do the prosecutors themselves.
The attorneys explain how they found out, how they tried to recover the weapon, and how they pivoted when they weren’t able to. Again, that’s not something a lay audience member would even think about—but this show is putting it in front of them and taking them through that part of the legal process. From missing evidence to failed motions and deceased witnesses, “Brothers Down” is a touchstone in After the First 48 history because of how much new information it contains and how much it educates the audience. It provides a 360-degree look at what was already a memorable case.
There is one thing that keeps this episode from perfection, though—and it’s no small omission. The absence of Dion Graham’s narration is very noticeable. Graham, the longtime narrator for The First 48, has also lent his voice to After the First 48. “Brothers Down” features narration by Delbert Hunt (Monster High), and despite Mr. Hunt’s best efforts, he can’t match the gravity that Mr. Graham has always provided.
A less-talked about part of The First 48‘s success is that Graham’s voiceover sets the tone for the show, with a straightforward dignity that doesn’t overdramatize or distract. And at this point, decades later, his voice is synonymous with the entire First 48 brand. It’s impossible not to notice that he’s missing. “Brothers Down” does everything After the First 48 ought to, but it feels incomplete without Dion Graham. It is, however, still refreshing that A&E remains as committed to this series as they do to the original program—because both are integral in the world of true crime.
After the First 48 airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on A&E. Photo Credit: Courtesy of A&E.
Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
