Decided a while back (three years ago) to review all the episodes of the original 'Law and Order', 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent', being someone who really likes all three shows in their prime/early years. Really loved a lot of the early seasons episodes of all three shows, while also finding all three less consistent later on (with the original not feeling the same post-Briscoe and even began to lose consistency in Season 11, 'Special Victims Unit' was the one that declined the most though).
This is a very harrowing subject. Season 11 did a lot of not easy subjects (which was always one of 'Law and Order's' main selling points), but the execution varied. Some episodes handled them very uncompromisingly and powerfully. Others did them rather too on the heavy-handed side and a few times with hard to swallow legal scenes. One of the toughest subject matters of the season is with "Phobia". Which is one of the finer examples of the former category, so uncompromising and powerful.
It does seem quite ordinary at first, but it does quickly become an episode that is often anything but.
"Phobia's" production values continue to remain high, while the direction lets the dramatic intensity of the second half to blister. The music doesn't sound melodramatic. The script is lean and thoughtful, especially in the legal scenes and indeed the priceless interrogation scene with the hilariously dumb Santo Fazio.
Story hooks one in early on and never lets go, and is also shocking, tense and heart-breakingly tragic in the second half. Which is absolutely riveting, pulls no punches and never comes over as too simple or over-complicated. The supporting characters are more real here than most supporting characters this season, though not many characters come off well afterwards. One does hate the perpetrator, certainly so these days where reactions towards homophobia are a good deal stronger, but one hates even more the character that made them act that way.
Cannot find anything to fault the performances for, Jerry Orbach (Briscoe being one of the best loved characters in the franchise is very much deserved) and Jesse L. Martin always were my favourite police pairing of the show, while Sam Waterston is in full command of his role. Catherine Kellner makes the skin crawl. Fazio is hilarious in his screen time.
All in all, excellent. 9/10.
This is a very harrowing subject. Season 11 did a lot of not easy subjects (which was always one of 'Law and Order's' main selling points), but the execution varied. Some episodes handled them very uncompromisingly and powerfully. Others did them rather too on the heavy-handed side and a few times with hard to swallow legal scenes. One of the toughest subject matters of the season is with "Phobia". Which is one of the finer examples of the former category, so uncompromising and powerful.
It does seem quite ordinary at first, but it does quickly become an episode that is often anything but.
"Phobia's" production values continue to remain high, while the direction lets the dramatic intensity of the second half to blister. The music doesn't sound melodramatic. The script is lean and thoughtful, especially in the legal scenes and indeed the priceless interrogation scene with the hilariously dumb Santo Fazio.
Story hooks one in early on and never lets go, and is also shocking, tense and heart-breakingly tragic in the second half. Which is absolutely riveting, pulls no punches and never comes over as too simple or over-complicated. The supporting characters are more real here than most supporting characters this season, though not many characters come off well afterwards. One does hate the perpetrator, certainly so these days where reactions towards homophobia are a good deal stronger, but one hates even more the character that made them act that way.
Cannot find anything to fault the performances for, Jerry Orbach (Briscoe being one of the best loved characters in the franchise is very much deserved) and Jesse L. Martin always were my favourite police pairing of the show, while Sam Waterston is in full command of his role. Catherine Kellner makes the skin crawl. Fazio is hilarious in his screen time.
All in all, excellent. 9/10.