Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy |
Jack McCoy: "I don't think he's going to confess."
Adam Schiff: "Why should he confess? You'll probably arrest somebody else tomorrow."
You had to take Law and Order with a grain of salt. To create suspense, far too many episodes had the police and prosecutors arresting more than one person -- sometimes as many as three members of the same family -- for the same murder, something that in real life would never happen (or the ADA wouldn't last very long). I think the writers even saw the silliness of this, prompting the exchange between McCoy and Schiff you can see above. When cops were dressed down by their higher-ups, the latter always came off like incredibly nasty and suspicious super-villains instead of real people.
Jesse L. Martin and Leslie Hendrix as the M.E. |
Then there's the case of ADA Serena Southerlyn (Elizabeth Rohm, who appeared on the show for several seasons). In "Ain't No Love" in which a rap star is murdered, Serena is fired for being too passionate about a case and supposedly acting on emotion instead of evidence. She asks D.A. Arthur Branch (Fred Thompson) if he's firing her because she's a lesbian (which comes out of nowhere). He says "of course not," but when you consider that she had every good reason to think the man on trial was innocent she probably was fired for being gay. McCoy, who sometimes gets so overly passionate about things you think he's demented or will have a stroke, doesn't go to bat for her.
Over twenty years the show had a huge cast, most of whom gave notable performances. Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe; Jesse L. Martin as Ed Green; S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. Van Buren; Linus Roache as ADA Mike Cutter (who told Jack off more than once); Chris Noth as Detective Mike Logan; Leslie Hendrix as the taciturn medical examiner; Angie Harmon as ADA Carmichael; Carey Lowell as ADA Ross. Paul Sorvino and George Dzunda also played detectives in the early seasons and were swell. Dianne Weist only lasted one season as the D.A.; she added nothing to the show.
"Misconception." There are terrific twists in this story of a pregnant woman who is attacked on the street. Season 2.
"Manhood." Cops let a gay colleague down by not responding to his calls for help. Season 3.
"American Dream" features Zeljko Ivanek as a killer who gets a new trial and goes up against Ben as his own lawyer. Season 4.
"Snatched." A wealthy man's son is kidnapped -- or was he? Season 4.
"Censure." A man terrorizing a woman and her child turns out to be a respected judge (David Groh). Season 4.
"Sanctuary." A superb episode with multiple points of view about racism and anti-Semitism as a Jew runs over a black boy and a a black man beats a white man to death. Season 4.
"Corruption." Lennie's old colleague (Kevin Conway) is accused of being on the take, then turns around and accuses Lennie. Season 7.
"Showtime." The trial of a director who murdered and dismembered his ex-wife. Season 7.
"Burden." A doctor murders a disabled boy, but he may be a serial killer and not a mercy killer." Season 8.
""DNR." A lady judge (Lindsay Crouse) is shot by a man who hired her husband; she wants to die but won't condemn him. Season 10.
"Marathon" A woman is shot in broad daylight, but Lennie Briscoe's allegedly hearing the confession of the killer is called into question. Good character development, especially concerning Briscoe. Season 10.
"Sundown." A man (George Martin) with Alzheimer's is accused of murdering his wife. Season 10.
"Identity." An elderly man's identity is stolen as well as his home; murder results. Season 14.
"Red Ball." Jack McCoy is forced to make a deal with a loathsome man in order to save a child's life. Season 16.
"Charity case." When a movie star adopts an African baby more than one murder results. Season 17.
"Captive." Sad (if somewhat contrived) episode in which McCoy actually prosecutes a boy for the murder of a child even though he had been kidnapped and molested. Season 17.
"Misbegotten." Interesting if imperfect, twisty episode about a bombing, the gay gene, and a brother-in-law accused of murder. Season 18.
"Quit Claim" Fascinating look at an illegal real estate scheme, who the real mastermind behind it is, and the manipulations of a mysterious female suspect. Season 18.
"Rumble." Jack charges a group of men who had a fight in a park -- with the resulting deaths of innocents -- as terrorists. Season 19.
"By Perjury." Mike (Linus Roache) matches wits with a lawyer (Dallas Roberts) who is representing relatives of victims of an airliner disaster.
"Anchors Away." A Bernie Madoff-inspired episode involving murders, a Ponzi scheme, and television reporters. Season 19.
"Shotgun." A storeowner (Elliot Gould) shoots men robbing his store but there are serious complications. Season 20.
"Innocence." Mike challenges the Innocence Project when they claim he wrongfully convicted a gay-basher. Season 20.
The last two episodes of the series beautifully illustrate the two main types of stories that appeared on the show. "Love Eternal" is an amusing, strange tale with a tacky woman arrested for murdering her masochistic, comics-collecting husband. The final episode, "Rubber Room," is a tense and suspenseful story of everyone trying to track down a boy planning to bomb a high school, while Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) waits for the results of her MRI regarding her cancer.
Verdict: Whatever its flaws, this was a compelling and intriguing series "ripped from the headlines." ***1/2.
2 comments:
My late mother's favorite show. When she was ill, I spent more and more time with her, and this was always on. Had never watched any of the original run in the 90s, not one, so I was amazed when it was PACKED with great actors and stars and literally hypnotic in its ability to absorb and engage. Fun.
I had the opportunity to meet the kind and lovely Jerry Ohrbach at a fund raiser my regional theater did back when he was starring on the show. Great actor, and even greater human being. So relaxed and approachable and sweet.
-C
Very glad to hear that, as I was an admirer of his, especially his work in musical theater. Have two or three original cast recordings of his.
After he ;eft the original show, he joined the cast of LAW AND ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY with Bebe Neuwirth. Apparently he was seriously ill but wanted to keep working, but he was, sadly, gone after only a few episodes. The show didn't last a season, possibly because of his death, possibly for other reasons.
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