When I first found out what Under the Influence was about, I had already seen the episode Aftershock. (This comment also contains spoilers from that episode.) I was hoping that I would enjoy this episode, I'm pleasantly surprised to say that Under the Influence, out of every episode that I have seen, is one of my favorite episodes. In the episode, a hit-and-run incident results in the deaths of three people. Those three people are a man, his young son, and another man. Detectives Lennie Briscoe and Rey Curtis and Lt. Anita van Buren are put on the case to find the driver. At one point, it is hinted that Curtis's wife was a victim in a hit-and-run, although it is not explored like another important plot point. When they finally do find the man, they discover that he hit the people to scare his girlfriend, also in the car. However, it is also revealed that he had about fifteen drinks in the airport bar before the killings occurred. This means that it is possible that his judgment was too impaired for him to have formed motive or intent. Executive ADA Jack McCoy, ADA Jamie Ross, and DA Adam Schiff bring the case to court. But McCoy teams up with Judge Gary Feldman to conceal the fact that the suspect was too drunk to think clearly. Feldman is doing it for political purposes, but McCoy is still enraged over the death of Ross's predecessor Claire Kinkaid, under similar circumstances. McCoy's moral sense of what's right and wrong returns when he realizes that the suspect is truly sorry and brings in the evidence to make sure the man gets a fair sentence, much to the disapproval of the angry Feldman. The episode is slow going at first, but the way it picks up is what made it great. With another beyond great performance from Sam Waterston, McCoy once again proves that he's not just doing his job, but also doing what he knows should be done. He may be the Executive ADA, but he's also a hero as well. Although he is still enraged over the injustice involving the drunk driver who killed Kinkaid, (only served 12 months) McCoy comes to understand that the man on trial is not responsible for that crime and that by trying to send him to an unlawful death would be an injustice in itself. He also genuinely forgives the driver, even though he doesn't give a formal apology. With the evidence of the driver's drinking (for lack of a better term) in the mix, McCoy offers the man a five to fifteen year sentence that is completely acceptable. The driver accepts and the sentence is past, therefore ending the trial. The episode triumphs in getting the audiences interested and keeping them interested throughout. Next time it shows up on TNT, take the time to give it a watch.
Review of Under the Influence
