The discovery of a dead body inside a Volkswagen van dumped in a river leads Briscoe and Curtis to investigate the disappearance of a campus radical from the late 1960s.The discovery of a dead body inside a Volkswagen van dumped in a river leads Briscoe and Curtis to investigate the disappearance of a campus radical from the late 1960s.The discovery of a dead body inside a Volkswagen van dumped in a river leads Briscoe and Curtis to investigate the disappearance of a campus radical from the late 1960s.
Photos
- Captain Gene Sayres
- (as Daniel Ziskie)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGuest star Roy Thinnes played D.A. Alfred Wentworth in the series pilot, Everybody's Favorite Bagman (1990) (produced 1988; aired 1990).
- GoofsWhen searching through a box of things, Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt ) mentions seeing a "Dr. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" tape. It actually was, of course, "Sgt." Pepper's.
- Quotes
Jack McCoy: Covering up the cover-up. Again.
A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael: For God's sake, Jack, why don't you just start your own country? No cops, no bad guys. Just sweetness and light as far as the eye can see.
Jack McCoy: I've cut you a lot of slack on this 'cause you don't know a damn thing about the '60s; you weren't even born yet.
A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael: I *was* born when the World Trade Center was bombed and the cops wouldn't have caught those people without undercover work.
Jack McCoy: I'm not saying it's never justified.
A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael: No, you just seem to think you get to decide.
- ConnectionsReferences The Graduate (1967)
"Ramparts" is a very good episode, if falling a little short of being great despite having a lot of great things individually. Like a lot of episodes in 'Law and Order's' mid period, it is a case of one half being superior to the other. But not because one half is bad, just that there is one half that executes the storytelling especially even better. "Ramparts" is not a season high point, but it was interesting to see it centered around a past cold case and how it is gone about solving it.
The second half is better than the first, which was slightly routine.
A lot is truly great on the other hand. . As usual, 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.
Moreover, the script challenges enough without being too much of a challenge in terms of understanding what's going on. It is taut and intelligent throughout. The story is always engrossing and tight in pace, with enough surprising twists and turns to be satisfied by.
Can't fault the acting of the regulars either and Michael Higgins is wholly successful in making one feel some degree of empathy towards someone that should on paper be detestable.
Overall, very good. 8/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Sep 16, 2021