Well, it’s late, so I’ll just come right out and say it: For a finale, this was a big disappointment. While last week’s trailer made this ep look like a killer-hunting-cops thriller, it turned out to be a standard-issue case with a side of sentimentality.To its credit, this episode remained interesting throughout, probably because of the unusual decision to follow two separate cases. But the problem, at least for me, was that we’ve been so well-trained by Law & Order to try to put the pieces together that I kept searching for a nonexistent connection between the cases. Definitely a missed opportunity for a nice twist and a satisfying resolution.Of the two story lines, I preferred Logan’s, mainly because it was so personal and character-driven. This was the first chance we’ve really had to connect with the Noth since he joined CI, and I was so impressed with his performance, which relied on genuine emotion and subtlety rather than sarcastic quips. I ...
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Wow. Hands down, this was the best episode of the season, and it certainly ranks among the top Criminal Intent outings to date. The craftsmanship was just far more superior to what most crime dramas offer today — particularly in the way Killer Scheider’s death-row countdown dovetailed with the deathwatch over Goren’s cancer-stricken mother. I loved the whole format of this episode, the way we worked backwards to slowly unearth decades of brutal crimes and long-buried bodies. And it was made all the more disturbing by Roy Scheider’s chilling portrayal of a serial killer delighting in his murderous reminiscences, lovingly flipping through his scrapbooks of victims like they were cherished family albums.Like Goren, I knew it was all leading somewhere (thanks in part to those overly revealing previews last week), but I never would have guessed the trail was leading back to his own mother — and the possibility that the detective’s father was that very same k...
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Well, this one was pretty much what I expected — some really bad Anna Nicole Smith impersonation (not that there’s really a good Anna Nicole impersonation) and a few murder suspects in the form of “fictionalized” versions of the late Playmate’s various hangers-on. And, of course, a little limoncello for taste.Having seen all of “Bombshell,” I feel exactly the same way I did seeing the clips last week: There was just no reason this episode needed to be made. I don’t think Criminal Intent viewers are big tabloid-news followers (i.e., they probably don’t care who the father of Anna Nicole’s baby was) — and if any of you actually are, then this was just a rehash of yesterday's news. Basically, a no-win proposition for all concerned.So how in the name of all that is criminal and intent did they manage to attract not one but two decent guest stars to this mess? OK, three, if you count Kristy Swanson, but she was on Skating with Cele...
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Well, what to say about this episode? It was... sort of interesting. At times. As you faithful readers know, this ripped-from-the-headlines stuff is a pet peeve of mine, and definitely not why I watch Criminal Intent. I’d prefer the writers get off their butts and actually come up with some original crimes for the detectives to solve. Leave the “news-inspired” stories to the L&O mother ship and all of those lame CSI spin-offs.That said, you couldn’t ask for crazier source material than the Lisa Nowak astronaut-murder plot, so this episode was guaranteed to be at least mildly entertaining. And between all of the bed-hopping, adult-diaper-wearing, deep-sea-diving, steroid-cream-rubbing antics, it certainly wasn’t boring. But seriously, as one of the detectives pointed out, don’t astronauts go through some kind of rigorous psychological testing before they can enter the NASA program? Do the people piloting our taxpayer-sponsored, multi-million-dollar s...
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After last week’s lackluster episode, this one totally pulled me back into Criminal Intent. While the previews made it look like we were in for a killer-stalking-deaf-women thriller, what we actually got was no gimmick of the week, but rather a poignant and fairly in-depth (at least from a hearing person’s perspective) look at the deaf community.Back when cochlear implants first became available, I heard a bit about the debate over whether deafness was something to be “fixed,” but didn’t truly understand why it was such a big issue. From my limited understanding, if you were deaf, you'd want to gain/regain hearing if it was medically possible. However, this episode brought the conflict to life in the way only a good drama can and — in typical Law & Order fashion — gave both sides nearly equal time, and provided some food for thought. Though, in the end, it did make the “pro-deafness” advocates seem just a little loony (what with the h...
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Here’s the thing about giving your detectives more backstories: They can’t come at the expense of interesting cases, which are always the driving force behind every Law & Order incarnation. But that’s exactly what’s been happening on Criminal Intent lately. Surrounding nearly every emotional glimpse into Det. Bobby’s troubled family life, there has been a by-the-numbers case that wouldn’t have stood so well on its own, but was buoyed by the “behind-the-scenes” drama. And tonight’s episode was the best (or worst) example of this problematic duality I've seen yet. On the one hand, we had a whole bunch of clichés: another semi-rapper-related killing, more spoiled rich kids turned criminals, and such a convoluted web of motives and machinations, it was hard to keep all the “players” straight, let alone care. And that rapper’s name was Apocalypto? Seriously? Of course, it’s a well-known fact that nothing gets you m...
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This was definitely a highlight of the season, but one that required you to pay very close attention. All the Law & Orders, of course, are known for their twisty-turny plots, but this episode had so many balls in the air, it was tough to keep an eye on each of them. Interesting? Absolutely. But simply a lot of international intrigue and espionage to cram into one hour of TV, minus commercial breaks. If they ever made another Law & Order movie, this story might have been a good fit, but it was all a little much for 40-odd minutes of TV. That said, it kept me guessing as to who was behind what, what their agendas were, who the real targets were — even who the good guys and bad guys were ('cause it’s hardly ever that simple, is it?).With so much happening on a global scale — from Palestinian terrorists to Israeli nationalists to (fake) ex-KGB agents — it was a good idea to give Logan a personal connection to Radioactive Man. Their history provided a nice ent...
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I was a little worried that Criminal Intent would get too political with this reality-based preacher-murder case, but I should have known better. While some series function as tools designed to shove their creators’ political beliefs down viewers’ throats (a brief kick to Aaron Sorkin while he’s already down), the guys behind the Law & Order family know better than to talk down to the faithful. So while this episode raised complex questions about the adequacy of science, faith, even God, to fix what’s wrong with the world and its inhabitants, it didn’t offer any easy answers.For those who didn’t make the real-life connection (which was surprisingly not trumpeted in the previews), this episode’s case was based on the recent scandal that tarnished the National Association of Evangelicals when a male prostitute claimed he provided organization president Rev. Ted Haggard with some “booty bumps” of his own. (Side note: If you don’t kn...
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Cop: "You listen to rap music, right?"Logan: "Regularly."So, I wasn’t really looking forward to this episode — another rap-murder case when we’ve seen way too many of these Tupac/Biggie slayings. And yet, I have to admit, I really enjoyed it – probably because the rap murder was only the “inciting incident” (pardon the high-school English term) for a complex case.The real heart of this episode was deep-undercover detective Williams, played with surprising depth by rapper Sticky Fingaz — that’s right, I said Sticky Fingaz. It’s a subject that’s been dealt with sporadically (the excellent drug-cops drama Rush comes to mind), but not so much from the hip-hop underworld angle. It wasn’t hard to see why Williams became torn between protecting his family and carrying out his duty as a police officer — and why he crossed the line in the end.Though he finally turned in his badge, I’d actually like to see a little more of this ...
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Welcome back, new episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent — we missed you so. A marked improvement over the Goren/Eames episode of last month (because monthly is about how often they’re running now), this was actually one of my favorites so far this season. The acting was almost universally strong, from the detectives to the suspects — though I did pick up on some of that Captain Danny/Eric Bogosian woodenness others have complained of. When he “rushed” over to the dying judge’s aid at the duel and declared, “I’m a police officer” — well, there was just nothing there. No urgency, no shock at a murder taking place right in front of his kids. Heck, he even put the little scamps to work collecting video cameras from the crowd. Your fictional tax dollars fictionally at work, people.Speaking of that duel, the whole opening sequence really threw me for a loop. Guys in powdered wigs, MTV-style quick-cutting and a Bowie/Queen accompani...
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Privilege
Season 6, Episode 12
Goren and Eames uncover a deadly web of secrets when they investigate the murder of a prominent socialite's granddaughter. Doris Roberts.
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The death of a young, pregnant Pakistani woman leads Logan and Wheeler to question the man (Jason Cerbone) she was secretly dating, as well as both his and the victim's disapproving relatives. Raj: Erick Avari. Dani: Maulik Pancholy. Safia: Meera Simhan. Meena: Mihira Kakkar.
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The kidnapping of a popular video blogger (Michelle Trachtenberg) and her boyfriend---which is witnessed live on the Internet---seems suspicious to Logan and Wheeler.
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Blasters
Season 6, Episode 9
The investigation into the beating death of a former child star takes an intriguing turn when Logan and Wheeler discover that the victim had ties to the Albanian mob.
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Capt. Ross, Goren and Eames have their Thanksgiving plans interrupted when the deputy commissioner's daughter, a U.S. soldier home from Iraq, goes missing. At the same time, Goren has difficulty coping with the failing health of his needy mother (Rita Moreno). Elaine Dockerty: Fran Drescher. Leland Dockerty: Michael Biehn. Wesley: Shane McRae.
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Logan and Wheeler must sort through multiple motives as they investigate an award-winning music producer's death. ADA Patricia Kent: Theresa Randle. Flaherty: Griffin Dunne. Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers: Leslie Hendrix.
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Goren and Eames revisit the Oct. 31, 1992, murder of a young beauty queen after a man who's obsessed with her confesses to the crime. Liza Minnelli guest stars as the victim's mother, a suspect in the case. Nate Royce: Bill Irwin.
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Goren and Eames must sort through complicated family dynamics when the favorite son of a patronizing father's two grown children is found poisoned to death. The long list of suspects is reduced by one as the detectives stumble upon another murder. Jules: Rip Torn. Adlai: Will Kempe. Ted: Paul Fitzgerald.
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Logan and Wheeler investigate a firefighter's stabbing death, a crime that took place after the victim prevented a hate crime. Claudia: Nina Siemaszko. Brendan Keele: Geoffrey Nauffts.
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Brooke Shields plays a supermodel who crosses paths with Goren and Eames during their investigation into the murder of a teen with a party-girl reputation.
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Tru Love
Season 6, Episode 2
Det. Megan Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) teams up with Logan on an investigation involving the murder of a womanizer. Keith Cooper: Anton Yelchin. Danielle: Anne Dudek.
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Capt. Danny Ross (Eric Bogosian) closely oversees Goren and Eames as they hunt for a possible serial killer. This difficult and harrowing case brings Goren back in touch with his old mentor (John Glover), a profiler, and his mentor's daughter (Martha Plimpton).
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