This episode had a unique and highly engaging story, as well as several other good aspects. A young child is found dead, and it turns out she was kidnapped, and her kidnapper killed her. Her parents, though separated, are equally devastated by this, and one of them becomes a vigilante. The plot line is initially similar to that of many other TV shows and movies that have featured revenge as a theme, but all of a sudden there is a huge twist, one which I will not reveal. It is completely unexpected, and thoroughly disturbing. This is perhaps the greatest aspect of the Law & Order series; a crime that at first seems straightforward but has a shocking complication. These complications are what make criminals and their crimes unique, and in the Law & Order series usually also reveal some terrible flaw of a character involved. Another good aspect shown is the drive and tactics of DA Jack McCoy; he is one of the most intelligent characters I have ever seen on the screen, right up there with Hannibal Lecter. He is ruthless in his quest for justice, and is willingness to bend and almost break the law is a startling difference from that of his predecessor Ben Stone. He upsets his assistant Kincaid by being so brazen, at one point basically encouraging a woman he is interviewing to lie for the benefit of her family. He is worthy of his own TV series, and clearly believes in the expression "The ends justify the means." Lastly, two other characters are worth noting, the cantankerous Lenny Briscoe and the young Ray Curtis, both detectives. Briscoe does not exactly embrace his young partner, making many sarcastic remarks about him, but Curtis quickly shows his merit, alertly moving them through the investigation. An exciting plot, a gem of a character in McCoy and two fine detectives make for an outstanding episode.
6 Reviews
Lots of twists... including to L&O itself
knucklebreather31 May 2011
Season 6 of L&O was a shot in the arm for the series - a new detective (Curtis) and even though he was a sometimes obnoxiously conservative addition, the show itself took a lot of welcome risks during his tenure. There was more action and more plot twists, and the franchise's biggest departure from its basic format in the season finale. I'm not sure what it was, but something lit a fire under the producers and writers starting with this season.
The season debut sets up some half baked conflict between seasoned, imperfect Lenny and inexperienced, holier-than-thou Curtis which is alright. The episode itself is about the abduction and murder of a girl who was locked in a caught despite between her parents, and features the kinds of plot twists and brief bursts of chaotic action that really made these seasons exciting for me.
This episode isn't the best example of the renaissance, for one thing it lacks the kind of character depth for such an emotional story, but it's still pretty good.
The season debut sets up some half baked conflict between seasoned, imperfect Lenny and inexperienced, holier-than-thou Curtis which is alright. The episode itself is about the abduction and murder of a girl who was locked in a caught despite between her parents, and features the kinds of plot twists and brief bursts of chaotic action that really made these seasons exciting for me.
This episode isn't the best example of the renaissance, for one thing it lacks the kind of character depth for such an emotional story, but it's still pretty good.
All they've dedicated their lives to
bkoganbing6 February 2016
Although Benjamin Bratt joins the Law And Order cast in this episode it's Sam Waterston who the spotlight is on in this story. Waterston likes to see justice even when he loses. And not only he but the justice system itself stood to lose here.
A young child is abducted by a man in a white glazier's truck. Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt apprehend John Ventimiglia soon enough and he's a lowlife of sorts and they have a pretty good case on him. But as happened in real life in California, the victim's mother Ellen Greene brings a gun to court and shoots him during arraignment.
Like in California there's a wave of sympathy for her. But as we dig deeper all was definitely not as it seemed. The victim died while being held by Ventimiglia so it's murder any way you slice it via the Lindbergh law. As for Greene she and her former husband Tom Tammi used the child in real life as the rope in a tug of war.
Waterston steps ever so gingerly into the realm of perjury to get to the real story. But he and Steven Hill see the court shooting as an attack on all they believe and all they've dedicated their lives to.
Note also a really good performance by Marilyn Chris as Ventimiglia's mother. One to look out for.
A young child is abducted by a man in a white glazier's truck. Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt apprehend John Ventimiglia soon enough and he's a lowlife of sorts and they have a pretty good case on him. But as happened in real life in California, the victim's mother Ellen Greene brings a gun to court and shoots him during arraignment.
Like in California there's a wave of sympathy for her. But as we dig deeper all was definitely not as it seemed. The victim died while being held by Ventimiglia so it's murder any way you slice it via the Lindbergh law. As for Greene she and her former husband Tom Tammi used the child in real life as the rope in a tug of war.
Waterston steps ever so gingerly into the realm of perjury to get to the real story. But he and Steven Hill see the court shooting as an attack on all they believe and all they've dedicated their lives to.
Note also a really good performance by Marilyn Chris as Ventimiglia's mother. One to look out for.
Doesn't leave me bitter
TheLittleSongbird14 January 2021
Quite the opposite. The previous five seasons, a few disappointments aside, were very solid and enjoyable so anybody that also liked them would not surprisingly expect a lot from Season 6's premiere "Bitter Fruit" and the rest of the episodes that made up the season. "Bitter Fruit" is also notable for being the debut episode of Briscoe's second 'Law and Order' partner Rey Curtis after the somewhat abrupt departure of Logan in the Season 5 finale "Pride".
While a somewhat uneven episode and better in the season was to follow most definitely, "Bitter Fruit" was still a very well crafted and promising start to Season 6 that makes one excited for what was to follow. "Bitter Fruit" in my view does have a feel of one half being better than the other, with in this case the legal scenes intriguing more than the policing, though other episodes in the whole 'Law and Order' franchise did this far worse. There are a lot of great things and much of the episode is very good.
Those great things will be started off with. As usual for 'Law and Order' and its spin offs, the production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough while also taut. The script is typically, certainly for early 'Law and Order', tight and thoughtful. Shining in Briscoe's ever cracking one liners and the intriguing and well balanced questions raised in the legal scene interactions.
Regarding the legal scenes, they are very absorbing and it is in these scenes where "Bitter Fruit" comes to life and where the twists are. Including a big one that shocked me. There is as usual great acting, especially from Jerry Orbach (as one of the franchise's longest serving characters for good reason) and Sam Waterston who has really settled well, McCoy has settled well now as a character. The perpetrator is suitably nasty played unsettlingly.
Did feel however that "Bitter Fruit" wasn't quite as good or as surprising in the policing scenes, where there is intrigue but with not an awful lot of tension and a slight blandness. While Benjamin Bratt does what he can as newly introduced Curtis, Curtis is not an interesting enough character yet and doesn't have an awful lot of likeability (on the sanctimonious side at times). Am aware that this is his debut episode, but Briscoe made a far bigger impression in his first introduced in Season 3 in more difficult circumstances.
It is admittedly a tall order following on from Mike Logan so soon after he left, but the chemistry between Briscoe and Curtis doesn't have enough fire yet, like they are not quite connected.
Concluding, very well done start. 8/10
While a somewhat uneven episode and better in the season was to follow most definitely, "Bitter Fruit" was still a very well crafted and promising start to Season 6 that makes one excited for what was to follow. "Bitter Fruit" in my view does have a feel of one half being better than the other, with in this case the legal scenes intriguing more than the policing, though other episodes in the whole 'Law and Order' franchise did this far worse. There are a lot of great things and much of the episode is very good.
Those great things will be started off with. As usual for 'Law and Order' and its spin offs, the production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough while also taut. The script is typically, certainly for early 'Law and Order', tight and thoughtful. Shining in Briscoe's ever cracking one liners and the intriguing and well balanced questions raised in the legal scene interactions.
Regarding the legal scenes, they are very absorbing and it is in these scenes where "Bitter Fruit" comes to life and where the twists are. Including a big one that shocked me. There is as usual great acting, especially from Jerry Orbach (as one of the franchise's longest serving characters for good reason) and Sam Waterston who has really settled well, McCoy has settled well now as a character. The perpetrator is suitably nasty played unsettlingly.
Did feel however that "Bitter Fruit" wasn't quite as good or as surprising in the policing scenes, where there is intrigue but with not an awful lot of tension and a slight blandness. While Benjamin Bratt does what he can as newly introduced Curtis, Curtis is not an interesting enough character yet and doesn't have an awful lot of likeability (on the sanctimonious side at times). Am aware that this is his debut episode, but Briscoe made a far bigger impression in his first introduced in Season 3 in more difficult circumstances.
It is admittedly a tall order following on from Mike Logan so soon after he left, but the chemistry between Briscoe and Curtis doesn't have enough fire yet, like they are not quite connected.
Concluding, very well done start. 8/10
Using Children as Pawns
refinedsugar28 April 2024
Issues of justice, vigilantism are a powder keg that often get lost in waves of emotions. Add an innocent young child slain into the mix and things become less logical. These elements could have been a slam-dunk for 'Bitter Fruit', but it doesn't stop there. This season premiere of 'Law & Order' adds an additional stop in the last third to make things even more juicier. I think it's up for debate if they needed to go with this final twist and if it dilutes the goodness that came before it, but the episode as a whole is still above average.
A 12 year old girl is found murdered, dumped in a vacant lot and the picture becomes clear she was kidnapped. Briscoe (Orbach) & Curtis (Bratt) trace the crime to a glass company employing ex-felon Nick Capetti (John Ventimiglia) and more evidence cements his obvious guilt. As McCoy (Waterston) & Kincaid (Hennessy) move with an open & shut case, the girls mother Karen (Ellen Greene) opens fire in court killing Nick. Given the circumstances she's given a slap on the wrist until it's clear she had more involvement that just being a grieving divorced parent overcome with vengeance.
'Bitter Fruit' was already strong with the initial themes in play. However the twist highlights a real issue with warped parents doing selfishly things without care. I can't lie and say the measure of justice felt sufficient at the end, but that moment of gunplay was one of the most shocking turns I've ever seen in an episode of L&O. Plus knowing actual people like the mother here brings it a sense of reality.
A 12 year old girl is found murdered, dumped in a vacant lot and the picture becomes clear she was kidnapped. Briscoe (Orbach) & Curtis (Bratt) trace the crime to a glass company employing ex-felon Nick Capetti (John Ventimiglia) and more evidence cements his obvious guilt. As McCoy (Waterston) & Kincaid (Hennessy) move with an open & shut case, the girls mother Karen (Ellen Greene) opens fire in court killing Nick. Given the circumstances she's given a slap on the wrist until it's clear she had more involvement that just being a grieving divorced parent overcome with vengeance.
'Bitter Fruit' was already strong with the initial themes in play. However the twist highlights a real issue with warped parents doing selfishly things without care. I can't lie and say the measure of justice felt sufficient at the end, but that moment of gunplay was one of the most shocking turns I've ever seen in an episode of L&O. Plus knowing actual people like the mother here brings it a sense of reality.
Hammurabi, what do YOU think?
rmax30482312 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
A young girl is found dead of a blow to the head. Briscoe and Curtis use some interesting means -- some of them take us into the manufacture of antique glass -- to uncover the kidnapper and killer of the young preppy.
The presumed motive was ransom because the parents are both well off, although estranged from each other, the mother having had a drug problem and apparently filled with hatred because the husband got custody of the preppy daughter.
At any rate, the killer is brought to trial and has his head blown off by the enraged mother -- Ellen Green, of "The Little Shop of Horrors". Well, everyone can understand her reasons. The killer had a record that covered all the bases and, after all, the victim was her daughter. In light of these circumstances, the judge practically gives her a walk.
Then it gets a little more interesting, to the extent that "twisted" can mean "interesting." The mother had hired the kidnapper to make off with the daughter, just in order to harass the father who had legal custody. The daughter's death was an accident that put a crimp into the spiteful plan.
It brings up the question of mourning and revenge, which varies a great deal across particular cultures. Some cultures, as in Italy, call for blood revenge. Other cultures, like the Amish, invite the serial killer's parents to attend their services for the killer's Amish victims. Some cultures offer professional mourners who, for a small price, will not only attend the funeral but will wail most convincingly. Anyone interested ought to look up some of the work on the subject by the anthropologist Paul Rosenblatt who, in addition to being a fine scholar, is also a genuinely nice guy.
The episode might have provoked more thought if it had ENDED with the mother's murdering the perp in the courtroom. The spite motive that's revealed later seems a little tacked on and gives the viewer too easy an ending. A harder landing might have been accomplished if it had prompted us to wonder about just how far the act of revenge should be pursued. The Babylonian King, Hammurabi, about 1772 BCE, called for "a tooth for a tooth", but he used a sliding scale. Since the perpetrator was a douche bag and the mother a wealthy socialite, Hammurabi would have gone as easy on her as the judge in this episode did. The perp wasn't worth much so his death wasn't that important. That he was a human being, however flawed, doesn't enter into the equation. He was a slob and he was poor. Off with his head.
The presumed motive was ransom because the parents are both well off, although estranged from each other, the mother having had a drug problem and apparently filled with hatred because the husband got custody of the preppy daughter.
At any rate, the killer is brought to trial and has his head blown off by the enraged mother -- Ellen Green, of "The Little Shop of Horrors". Well, everyone can understand her reasons. The killer had a record that covered all the bases and, after all, the victim was her daughter. In light of these circumstances, the judge practically gives her a walk.
Then it gets a little more interesting, to the extent that "twisted" can mean "interesting." The mother had hired the kidnapper to make off with the daughter, just in order to harass the father who had legal custody. The daughter's death was an accident that put a crimp into the spiteful plan.
It brings up the question of mourning and revenge, which varies a great deal across particular cultures. Some cultures, as in Italy, call for blood revenge. Other cultures, like the Amish, invite the serial killer's parents to attend their services for the killer's Amish victims. Some cultures offer professional mourners who, for a small price, will not only attend the funeral but will wail most convincingly. Anyone interested ought to look up some of the work on the subject by the anthropologist Paul Rosenblatt who, in addition to being a fine scholar, is also a genuinely nice guy.
The episode might have provoked more thought if it had ENDED with the mother's murdering the perp in the courtroom. The spite motive that's revealed later seems a little tacked on and gives the viewer too easy an ending. A harder landing might have been accomplished if it had prompted us to wonder about just how far the act of revenge should be pursued. The Babylonian King, Hammurabi, about 1772 BCE, called for "a tooth for a tooth", but he used a sliding scale. Since the perpetrator was a douche bag and the mother a wealthy socialite, Hammurabi would have gone as easy on her as the judge in this episode did. The perp wasn't worth much so his death wasn't that important. That he was a human being, however flawed, doesn't enter into the equation. He was a slob and he was poor. Off with his head.
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