This episode was my first introduction to the exotically-named yet All-American-looking Arija Bareikis. She plays Kim Triandos, the drastically younger wife of a Manhattan philanthropist. Turns out she had conspired with Triandos' financial adviser to meet and marry him, and get his will changed in her favor. But did she murder her husband and hasten getting her hands on her inheritance? This is a terrific episode of the classic series, with an interesting story, a good red herring lead, and featured performances by Broadway stalwart Boyd Gaines and Anna Holbrook, a frequent guest star. She's fantastic as Kim's mom who came to help her "get settled after her marriage" and stayed on for over a year. She has the best line towards the end of the episode; I won't give it away here and spoil it for you. But Ms. Bareikis is charming and even a little flirty with Ray. She genuinely seems to have liked her poor old husband too, which adds a nice level of complexity to her character.
5 Reviews
"You earned it on your back like a Laredo whore"
bkoganbing13 October 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The most interesting thing about this Law And Order episode is that it left me with questions about the victim. The victim was a 70 something multi-millionaire with a barely 20 something wife. No other heirs were mentioned that were blood relatives and the viewer is left with the notion that the guy never married until he was possibly a little too old to really appreciate what he had.
In any event he did and after investigating the possibility that the victim was killed by one of a group of inner city kids from his old public school, Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt focus on Arija Bareikis who is his widow. Turns out she used to be a dancer at a topless bar Boyd Gaines who was the deceased's lawyer and who patronizes such places introduced them. Gaines is the kind of lawyer you make lawyer jokes about, mannered, but at heart a bottom feeding shyster. Note however that Bareikis does not use him in criminal court, but the eminent George Grizzard in one of his many appearances as a high priced criminal lawyer.
The one to watch however is Anna Kathryn Holcomb who plays Bareikis's mother who is a bottom feeding piece of southern white trash. Their final scene together crackles like fried egg.
Nice story with some great guest star shots.
In any event he did and after investigating the possibility that the victim was killed by one of a group of inner city kids from his old public school, Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt focus on Arija Bareikis who is his widow. Turns out she used to be a dancer at a topless bar Boyd Gaines who was the deceased's lawyer and who patronizes such places introduced them. Gaines is the kind of lawyer you make lawyer jokes about, mannered, but at heart a bottom feeding shyster. Note however that Bareikis does not use him in criminal court, but the eminent George Grizzard in one of his many appearances as a high priced criminal lawyer.
The one to watch however is Anna Kathryn Holcomb who plays Bareikis's mother who is a bottom feeding piece of southern white trash. Their final scene together crackles like fried egg.
Nice story with some great guest star shots.
Companionate Marriage.
rmax30482329 December 2013
Warning: Spoilers
An ancient millionaire is found in his opulent apartment strangled with a cord of his own Christmas tree lights. The only other person known to be in the house was his personal assistant upstairs, dead drunk. The millionaire's wife shows up. She's a cute blond, roughly seventy years younger than her husband.
As the knotty plot is slowly unraveled, it involves the wife's mother, who is pretty and looks younger than she is and has the features and expressions of a carefully groomed moray eel. As his, well, his mother-in-law, I suppose, although she's many years younger than the old fellow, she's been put up in a swank New York apartment for herself.
The old gentleman had been giving college grants to outstanding students at a minority school at some $25,000 a year per kid. Waterston and Lowell discover that the philanthropist's accountant had been writing checks for twenty-five students instead of the seventeen who had qualified. The extra money went into the accountant's pocket.
Now, there is a moral lesson in all these interwoven developments. Sub specie aeternitatis, we should all pity the very rich because nobody loves them for what they are. Their inner spirit may be aglow with virtue and good will, but nobody gives a damn. Everyone just wants their money. The same holds true for beauty. Since I'm old, ugly, and poor, I find a certain comfort can be taken from this position. As the Bible says, no camel ever entered the kingdom of heaven by passing through the eye of a rich man.
I particularly enjoyed the young blond wife's protestations regarding her innocence. "I would never murder my husband! He was nice. He was old and had medical problems anyway!" Good performances all around. Anna Kathryn Holbrook is the mother-in-law. She's an attractive women from Fairbanks, Alaska, but make up and talent have turned her into a greedy, manipulative, murderous Southern shark with a face that looks like the prow of a ship. For some reason I found Michael Lombard's enactment of the philanthropist's personal secretary compelling as well, although he keeps it steady and never over acts, not even when just roused from a drunken sleep.
As the knotty plot is slowly unraveled, it involves the wife's mother, who is pretty and looks younger than she is and has the features and expressions of a carefully groomed moray eel. As his, well, his mother-in-law, I suppose, although she's many years younger than the old fellow, she's been put up in a swank New York apartment for herself.
The old gentleman had been giving college grants to outstanding students at a minority school at some $25,000 a year per kid. Waterston and Lowell discover that the philanthropist's accountant had been writing checks for twenty-five students instead of the seventeen who had qualified. The extra money went into the accountant's pocket.
Now, there is a moral lesson in all these interwoven developments. Sub specie aeternitatis, we should all pity the very rich because nobody loves them for what they are. Their inner spirit may be aglow with virtue and good will, but nobody gives a damn. Everyone just wants their money. The same holds true for beauty. Since I'm old, ugly, and poor, I find a certain comfort can be taken from this position. As the Bible says, no camel ever entered the kingdom of heaven by passing through the eye of a rich man.
I particularly enjoyed the young blond wife's protestations regarding her innocence. "I would never murder my husband! He was nice. He was old and had medical problems anyway!" Good performances all around. Anna Kathryn Holbrook is the mother-in-law. She's an attractive women from Fairbanks, Alaska, but make up and talent have turned her into a greedy, manipulative, murderous Southern shark with a face that looks like the prow of a ship. For some reason I found Michael Lombard's enactment of the philanthropist's personal secretary compelling as well, although he keeps it steady and never over acts, not even when just roused from a drunken sleep.
Marriage of death
TheLittleSongbird22 April 2021
Season 7 was not a perfect season and not every episode was a winner (no real duds though). Of the thirteen episodes up to this point of it, six episodes are particularly outstanding and there are only two disappointments ("Family Business" and "Entrapment"). When it comes to the original 'Law and Order', 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent' and their respective Season 7s, 'Law and Order's' for me was by far the best, the other two's being very uneven.
One of the season's best is "Matrimony", the fourth outstanding episode in a row. There are episodes of 'Law and Order' that don't sound special on paper, but are executed fascinatingly and brilliantly. The previous episode "Barter" was a fine example of that. So is this, which has some familiar-sounding tropes but doesn't feel unoriginal or predictable at all. The supporting performances and the writing also make it a memorable episode.
It is an episode that succeeds in every way. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it.
The script is lean and intelligent, with many thought provoking moments in the second half and some scathing lines from Velma (do agree that the best line of the episode comes from her). The story is always hugely compelling, with the revelations not being obvious or too complicated. There have been more surprising ending this season, but the ending absolutely crackled in intensity with some of the best character interaction of the season.
While all the regulars are excellent with no exception, this is a case of the supporting cast being even better. An episode highlight being the very layered performance of Arija Bareikis, who has an interesting and complex character and plays her with charm, cunning and nuance. Every bit as good is Anna Holbrook who chills as a loathsome mother figure and smarmy Boyd Gaines. Good to see George Grizzard again, it's been a while.
Concluding, superb episode. 10/10.
One of the season's best is "Matrimony", the fourth outstanding episode in a row. There are episodes of 'Law and Order' that don't sound special on paper, but are executed fascinatingly and brilliantly. The previous episode "Barter" was a fine example of that. So is this, which has some familiar-sounding tropes but doesn't feel unoriginal or predictable at all. The supporting performances and the writing also make it a memorable episode.
It is an episode that succeeds in every way. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it.
The script is lean and intelligent, with many thought provoking moments in the second half and some scathing lines from Velma (do agree that the best line of the episode comes from her). The story is always hugely compelling, with the revelations not being obvious or too complicated. There have been more surprising ending this season, but the ending absolutely crackled in intensity with some of the best character interaction of the season.
While all the regulars are excellent with no exception, this is a case of the supporting cast being even better. An episode highlight being the very layered performance of Arija Bareikis, who has an interesting and complex character and plays her with charm, cunning and nuance. Every bit as good is Anna Holbrook who chills as a loathsome mother figure and smarmy Boyd Gaines. Good to see George Grizzard again, it's been a while.
Concluding, superb episode. 10/10.
Deadly matrimony
TheLittleSongbird22 April 2021
Season 7 was not a perfect season and not every episode was a winner (no real duds though). Of the thirteen episodes up to this point of it, six episodes are particularly outstanding and there are only two disappointments ("Family Business" and "Entrapment"). When it comes to the original 'Law and Order', 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent' and their respective Season 7s, 'Law and Order's' for me was by far the best, the other two's being very uneven.
One of the season's best is "Matrimony", the fourth outstanding episode in a row. There are episodes of 'Law and Order' that don't sound special on paper, but are executed fascinatingly and brilliantly. The previous episode "Barter" was a fine example of that. So is "Matrimony", which has some familiar-sounding tropes but doesn't feel unoriginal or predictable at all. The supporting performances and the writing also make it a memorable episode.
"Matrimony" succeeds in every way. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it.
The script is lean and intelligent, with many thought provoking moments in the second half and some scathing lines from Velma (do agree that the best line of "Matrimony" comes from her). The story is always hugely compelling, with the revelations not being obvious or too complicated. There have been more surprising ending this season, but the ending absolutely crackled in intensity with some of the best character interaction of the season.
While all the regulars are excellent with no exception, this is a case of the supporting cast being even better. An episode highlight being the very layered performance of Arija Bareikis, who has an interesting and complex character and plays her with charm, cunning and nuance. Every bit as good is Anna Holbrook who chills as a loathsome mother figure and smarmy Boyd Gaines. Good to see George Grizzard again, it's been a while.
Concluding, superb episode. 10/10.
One of the season's best is "Matrimony", the fourth outstanding episode in a row. There are episodes of 'Law and Order' that don't sound special on paper, but are executed fascinatingly and brilliantly. The previous episode "Barter" was a fine example of that. So is "Matrimony", which has some familiar-sounding tropes but doesn't feel unoriginal or predictable at all. The supporting performances and the writing also make it a memorable episode.
"Matrimony" succeeds in every way. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it.
The script is lean and intelligent, with many thought provoking moments in the second half and some scathing lines from Velma (do agree that the best line of "Matrimony" comes from her). The story is always hugely compelling, with the revelations not being obvious or too complicated. There have been more surprising ending this season, but the ending absolutely crackled in intensity with some of the best character interaction of the season.
While all the regulars are excellent with no exception, this is a case of the supporting cast being even better. An episode highlight being the very layered performance of Arija Bareikis, who has an interesting and complex character and plays her with charm, cunning and nuance. Every bit as good is Anna Holbrook who chills as a loathsome mother figure and smarmy Boyd Gaines. Good to see George Grizzard again, it's been a while.
Concluding, superb episode. 10/10.
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