"Baby It's You" is the second 'Law and Order' crossover with 'Homicide: Life on the Street'. The other being Season 6's "Charm City", which was not great but decent. Both are also episodes where the cases are continued on that show, yet unfortunately the second part of the case for "Baby It's You" is rarely shown. Which makes one somewhat unsatisfied at the end of this episode when one can tell that there is so much more to the case than what has already been revealed.
As a first part of this two part crossover, "Baby It's You" is highly intriguing and impressive. And while not one of the best Season 8 episodes or one of the best of 'Law and Order', it is a very good episode with a lot of great things. Of the two 'Law and Order' and 'Homicide: Life on the Street' crossovers between this and "Charm City", "Baby It's You" is the better of the two. With it feeling a lot more like a 'Law and Order' episode with the 'Homicide: Life on the Street' cast guest starring, whereas it was too much of the other way on that episode which didn't feel right.
Is "Baby It's You" perfect? Not quite. Even for a cliffhanger leading into the second part that is shown on 'Homicide: Life on the Street' the ending was just too abrupt and incomplete. Love the exchange that concludes it, which is very well written and gives JK Simmons a real chance to get a lot of meat out of it, but the ending was too in the air. Personally did think there were a few too many characters and some of the 'Life on the Street' cast weren't that crucial.
Munch is entertaining here and gels better here than he does in "Charm City", but his character writing and dry humour works a lot better on 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit'.
Did love his one liners though and his chemistry with the ever terrific Jerry Orbach carries the episode very well indeed. The regular cast are excellent, Sam Waterston has real presence and Simmons brings a perceptive and no nonsense character to life. Dan Hedaya excels too as a type of character he specialised at. The writing is tight and thought-provoking, leaving one intrigued throughout. The story is not deliberate or too thin and doesn't feel predictable or convoluted, story-wise only the abruptness of the ending disappoints.
Furthermore, being anti-media/press (very frustrating that they still get away with too much too lightly and also that there are people that believe what they say), it was great to see the media/press portrayed negatively when committing an unforgivable and illegal act here. Something that is made clear in the episode, and one doesn't need to have knowledge of the violated laws to know that they are violating them, so shouldn't be considered a plot hole. Briscoe standing up to them was one of his most satisfying moments of the show up to this point.
Production values are well done, subtly stylish and intimate without being claustrophobic. The music isn't too melodramatic and the direction lets the drama breathe while not dragging the momentum out.
On the whole, very good. 8/10.