Any episode for anything dealing with this subject always sounds interesting. The premise is not an innovative one, but it does intrigue despite having traps with how it would be executed. With the risk of it being too complicated and/or with too much going over the head. This is not the first episode to have any form of anti-semitism either as a general theme or in the form of a character, but "In Vino Veritas" turned out to be one of the better faring examples.
"In Vino Veritas" is a very good episode, often quite powerful later on, and has a lot positive to say about it. And very little wrong. It is a case of one half being superior to the other, which can be the case with 'Law and Order' (happened in a lot of episodes actually in all the twenty seasons it ran for), but only because of the superior half being so absorbing and hard hitting. The topic is a very tough one, and "In Vino Veritas" handles it with good balance and no sugar coating.
It does start off a little on the nothing out of the ordinary side with what happens being not much different to similar themed episodes. Milena Govich is still rather bland.
Maybe the conclusion could have had a little more time to unfold, a lot to digest with too short a time to tell it.
However, there is so much that is good about "In Vino Veritas". The production values are suitably slick and gritty, with photography that is reliant on close ups that have an intimacy without being too claustrophobic. The music is didn't come over as too melodramatic or like it was emphasising the emotion too much. The direction is sympathetic while still giving momentum.
The writing is intelligent and although, like the show in general, there is a lot of talk (as always for the 'Law and Order' franchise) it doesn't feel like there is too much or too loose. The story is always compelling that gets quite intricate in the second half, it really hits hard in the second half but doesn't become over sentimental or preachy. No over-generalising either. The acting is near-uniformly great, you know a writer and director are good when they even get a good (well actually great, despite hating his character) performance out of Chevy Chase. Am usually indifferent at best to him so that was a nice surprise.
Concluding, very good. 8/10.
"In Vino Veritas" is a very good episode, often quite powerful later on, and has a lot positive to say about it. And very little wrong. It is a case of one half being superior to the other, which can be the case with 'Law and Order' (happened in a lot of episodes actually in all the twenty seasons it ran for), but only because of the superior half being so absorbing and hard hitting. The topic is a very tough one, and "In Vino Veritas" handles it with good balance and no sugar coating.
It does start off a little on the nothing out of the ordinary side with what happens being not much different to similar themed episodes. Milena Govich is still rather bland.
Maybe the conclusion could have had a little more time to unfold, a lot to digest with too short a time to tell it.
However, there is so much that is good about "In Vino Veritas". The production values are suitably slick and gritty, with photography that is reliant on close ups that have an intimacy without being too claustrophobic. The music is didn't come over as too melodramatic or like it was emphasising the emotion too much. The direction is sympathetic while still giving momentum.
The writing is intelligent and although, like the show in general, there is a lot of talk (as always for the 'Law and Order' franchise) it doesn't feel like there is too much or too loose. The story is always compelling that gets quite intricate in the second half, it really hits hard in the second half but doesn't become over sentimental or preachy. No over-generalising either. The acting is near-uniformly great, you know a writer and director are good when they even get a good (well actually great, despite hating his character) performance out of Chevy Chase. Am usually indifferent at best to him so that was a nice surprise.
Concluding, very good. 8/10.