User Reviews

... to oneself, that is. Judge Denise Grobman (Lindsay Crouse) is shot when her car is stolen as she is returning from a weekend in the country. She is badly injured but not killed, plus she has a concealed carry permit and returns fire with the thief, who escapes but is presumed badly injured. But then detectives Lennie Briscoe and Ed Green begin their investigation and discover that a car thief could have easily lifted an expensive model in the same garage right next to the judge's car, because the owner always left the keys in it (he was always forgetting where he put them, so he left them in the ignition). Oh the eccentricity of the one percent, but that's another story.

Our able observant detectives follow the trail of the stolen car back to (eventually) the body of the car thief, dead from the judge's bullets. Large sums of money are found on him, showing that this might have been a hit. However, the judge came back early from her country house that Sunday, in response to a phone call from her assistant. Only three people knew about that call - the assistant, the judge, and the judge's husband of 27 years. More investigation is done. The husband (John Heard as Walter Grobman) doesn't play the field, doesn't gamble, in fact has no vices at all. But EVERYTHING points to him, including a half hour of time when he was out of the judge's company jogging, coinciding with a call made from a pay phone in the same town to the dead hit-man.

The judge will live - I guess I should say exist - through the shooting according to her doctors. However, she is in horrible pain, a paraplegic, on dialysis with one kidney removed and the other ruined. Plus she now needs a colostomy bag and will need round the clock nursing care for the rest of her life. When presented with all of the evidence, she still professes her husband's innocence and her willingness to testify on his behalf, but now she has a new request, she requests the right to discontinue dialysis and die.

So now the criminal justice system AND her husband are involved in a flurry of legal activity about this woman's right to die, none of it really being about her best interest. Did her husband do it, or was it somebody who had a grudge against the judge who happened to be watching her? Watch and find out. Sometimes Law and Order plays out just like you think it is going to, sometimes not, usually at the last minute.

'Law and Order' was a brilliant show in its prime and overall is actually my favourite of the 'Law and Order' franchise and out of it, 'Special Victims Unit' (the longest running) and 'Criminal Intent'. Despite not feeling the same post-Briscoe. Season 10 was a solid season on the whole and the newly introduced character of Green made a strong impression. It started off great with "Gunshow" and "Killerz" even better. Remembered "DNR" to be a very good episode, especially the emotional impact of the second half, the motive and Lindsay Crouse's performance.

While a bit of a let down after the previous episodes, "DNR" still stands out as a very good episode indeed, if more the second half than the first (not uncommon actually in previous episodes of 'Law and Order' and since). And for the same reasons as before in particular. It is not one of the best episodes of Season 10 or of 'Law and Order', but it is still highly recommended and handles a tough subject matter very well (again one of the show's biggest appeals).

Perhaps the first portion is slightly formulaic and not much unique content wise, with everything that stands out about the episode happening more in the second half.

Some of the truth, apart from the motive, was also not much of a surprise, having suspected the responsible due to it being a familiar trope.

But really there is not an awful lot wrong with "DNR". It does look good, with the usual slickness and subtle grit. Really liked too that the photography was simple and close up but doing so without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when used, and luckily it isn't constant, and when it is used it doesn't feel over-scored. The direction allows the drama to breathe while still giving it momentum as well.

Furthermore, the script is typically tight and intelligent with an uncompromising grit and lump to the throat emotion. McCoy gives another one of his spot on perpetrator summing ups. Much of the story is thoroughly absorbing and the second half is tense and poignant. The motive fascinates and really makes the perpetrator even more hateful than they already are. The subject is a tough one, it was explored very tactfully and powerfully here. The regulars are all great and Crouse's performance is still powerful especially once the truth is out. John Heard shows a different side to him expertly.

Overall, very good if not quite great. 8/10.

In a garage, a workaholic civil court judge (Lindsay Crouse) was shot and severely wounded. The shooter left the crime scene with the judge's car; some cigarettes butts were left near the body, Briscoe supposed an electrician worker might have known something. Some clues led to a doctor who bought the car shortly after the accident. It took some time for detectives to figured out who sold the used car the first time; anyway the perp was hired. Victim's husband, an unsuccessful architect, was the prime suspect; despite not so strong evidences, detectives arrested him, but the wife was ready to defend him (she can't believe her beloved husband could have done such a thing). Furthermore, she wanted to die because of the pain she was feeling (there's no way she could get back to a normal life). Anyway a call from a payphone set him up. Why did she protect him?

McCoy and Charmichael, as well as Dr. Skoda, found it hard to solve the case. There are some situation so irrational you can't understand from the outside.