Of all the episodes of Season 6, the topic of schizophrenia and what entails when taking medication is stopped is one of the most difficult and any film or television episode that dares tackle it deserves praise for even trying. It is easy to overplay, easy to not go into enough depth with it being such a complex condition and it is easy to portray it from too much of one side. 'Law and Order' often deals with difficult topics so well.
And it does so brilliantly here in one of Season 6's high points "Pro Se", the best episode since "Hot Pursuit" in my view. And this is not by a little, we're talking about a lot as although there were great episodes in the period between the two it was the period when the season became inconsistent. It is an outstanding episode in every way, with a guest star that burns long in the memory and that it managed to make a well balanced and attention grabbing story from a difficult topic and explore it forcefully yet tactfully was truly admirable and to me worthy of a lot of respect.
Everything is superb in "Pro Se". What immediately stands out here is the acting. While all the regulars are excellent, "Pro Se" belongs to David O'Hare". Who really wrenches the gut in a demanding role that demands a lot on a psychological level and O'Hare is both unsettling and nuanced. The character interaction in especially the second half is spot on.
"Pro Se" contains one of the most powerful cases of Season 6. Its portrayal of schizophrenia is both chilling and heart-breaking, being truly scary and devastating to see how not taking medication suddenly does to you. Of the episodes of the 'Law and Order' franchise (it was explored more than once, like in 'Special Victims Unit's' "Noncompliance") to deal with schizophrenia, this is one of the most balanced and in depth ones.
The script is taut, thoughtful and emotionally varied, the tension and emotion (plenty of both here) nicely balanced by some humorous one-liners from Briscoe. The story pulls no punches and is not as obvious as it sounds. It was very surprising to see Schiff speak the way he does here to Kincaid, but it was an incredibly well written exchange and a good example of how difficult prosecuting cases can be.
Expectedly, it's a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key on the whole.
In summation, absolutely brilliant and a fine example of what 'Law and Order' is all about. 10/10
And it does so brilliantly here in one of Season 6's high points "Pro Se", the best episode since "Hot Pursuit" in my view. And this is not by a little, we're talking about a lot as although there were great episodes in the period between the two it was the period when the season became inconsistent. It is an outstanding episode in every way, with a guest star that burns long in the memory and that it managed to make a well balanced and attention grabbing story from a difficult topic and explore it forcefully yet tactfully was truly admirable and to me worthy of a lot of respect.
Everything is superb in "Pro Se". What immediately stands out here is the acting. While all the regulars are excellent, "Pro Se" belongs to David O'Hare". Who really wrenches the gut in a demanding role that demands a lot on a psychological level and O'Hare is both unsettling and nuanced. The character interaction in especially the second half is spot on.
"Pro Se" contains one of the most powerful cases of Season 6. Its portrayal of schizophrenia is both chilling and heart-breaking, being truly scary and devastating to see how not taking medication suddenly does to you. Of the episodes of the 'Law and Order' franchise (it was explored more than once, like in 'Special Victims Unit's' "Noncompliance") to deal with schizophrenia, this is one of the most balanced and in depth ones.
The script is taut, thoughtful and emotionally varied, the tension and emotion (plenty of both here) nicely balanced by some humorous one-liners from Briscoe. The story pulls no punches and is not as obvious as it sounds. It was very surprising to see Schiff speak the way he does here to Kincaid, but it was an incredibly well written exchange and a good example of how difficult prosecuting cases can be.
Expectedly, it's a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key on the whole.
In summation, absolutely brilliant and a fine example of what 'Law and Order' is all about. 10/10