User Reviews

Two teachers were talking about pupil's grade at lunch time. Suddenly, a shooting occurred at the canteen and all the kids ran away in a hurry. When policemen got in the school, they realized four people were shot dead and other eleven were severely wounded. The perp was a small guy wearing a ninja mask (in a completely black outfit) and someone managed to tape everything with a video camera. Detectives at first thought the shooting could be racially motivated, because the shooter left a black girl alive (a girl who was crying with hands on her face). Anyway, the perp was actually a Caucasian one, a dork just get in the big city from Virginia, very shy and teased everyday by his schoolmates. He's got mental issue that led him to break sister's arm in the past; her mother (Deirdre O'Connell) asserts his state of mind depends on a falling from horse some years back. But to convict him to life prison it takes some important testimony at trial.

Ross is back for the second time as the defense attorney. She manages to make detectives effort useless at trial, against Carmichael opinion. Abby is very stone cold in this episode and she doesn't feel any pity for the boy's grieving mother.

It was great to see Jamie Ross, McCoy's previous assistant, back. Except this time on the defence side. This is the main interest point of "School Daze". Another interest point being the subject matter, which is very hard-hitting and interesting. One that is enough to make one think long and hard long after about the points made, which is something that the original 'Law and Order' and the whole franchise in fact did very well many, many times before and since.

"School Daze" is in my view very good. It did have potential though to be great or more though, this subject has been done before on the show and it was done excellently and powerfully. It is a powerful episode and there are many truly fine things, but there is something that did put me off (and this is true for others as well) that brought it down a bit. As far as Season 11 goes, "School Daze" is among the better episodes and could pass easily for an early seasons episode.

Am going to begin with what didn't quite do it for me. Did not like Carmichael's character writing, normally do like her no nonsense take no prisoners approach but that is taken too far here in "School Daze". She was truly unsympathetic (in a way not usually seen with her), particularly to the parents, and it was like seeing a bloodthirsty rottweiller or something.

Did think too to a lesser extent that it was a little too talk-heavy in spots, particularly later on.

However, a lot works wonderfully here in "School Daze". The acting is uniformly good, can't fault Jerry Orbach, Jesse L Martin and Sam Waterston and despite disliking the way Carmichael was written here Angie Harmon does give it her best. Timmy Reifsnyder effectively makes one feel unsettled and Robert Ernest Lunney is movingly dignified at the end. Carey Lowell has lost none of what made Ross a great character, and while there is preference for her on the prosecution side it was interesting seeing this side and the different dynamic it shows.

The production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic. The direction has enough taut urgency when needed while giving the case breathing space. The writing is very intelligent and thoughtful, with the moral dilemmas of the controversial subject of guns being sensitively but not in a sugar-coated way handled.

What it has to say is insightful and having seen a number of 'Special Victims Unit' for example episodes where the writers' stance on a certain stance is presented heavy-handedly from one side, it was great to see a firm but not preachy argument that leans towards one viewpoint in particular but in a way where it is completely understood. Moreover, the story is very compelling and taut. It is not an easy watch and is sometimes sad, but appropriately so.

Concluding, very good and nearly great. 8/10.

I was disturbed by Abbie's total lack of empathy toward the perpetrator and his parents in this episode. She had no understanding of the parents as they portrayed how difficult and dangerous their son was and how gut-wrenching it was to not understand why this was so. My heart went out to the father as he made his final decision about his son's future. Why didn't Abbie's?

I doubt that Abbie was an "outie" in high school. But, I would have expected that by now she could walk in another's shoes without undermining her effectiveness as a prosecutor. Jack McCoy could.

Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin catch a truly heart breaking case of a school shooting where four are killed and eleven wounded. A school psychologist may have given the detectives too much information when they zero in on Timmy Reifsnyder as the kid who dressed like a ninja and sprayed the cafeteria with automatic weapon fire.

Reifsnyder is a truly pitiable and bullied kid and sadly the episode wasn't slanted to be more sympathetic to him. Back in the day that could have been me. I could not believe how bloodthirsty Angie Harmon was in this episode.

Former second chair Carey Lowell showed up and there was a real antagonism between her and Angie Harmon. She was Reifsnyder's defense attorney.

The young man came from a good background and the parents Robert Ernest Lunney and Mia Dillon become of different minds in regard to Reifsnyder. In the end Lunney shows great strength of character.

The law has not caught up to deal with these situations. Partly because of our wonderful gun lobby. In my day there was not the easy access to guns. Some of us senior citizens could have been Reifsnyder back in the day had there been available weaponry. And bullying for all concerned was some kind of rite of passage. Still is to some troglodyte minds.

This story will give you a lot to think about.

This episode says it is Story by Dick Wolf - and is different in how the actors talk - it's like a play- soliloquies and two-part dissertations abound

School psychologist? Who did not violate privilege because of imminent harm cause. Yep every school's got one. Where is that social(ist) worker when you need one.. And If changes dismissed it would've been prejudiced meaning no refile.

The rainbow coalition school bullied the jewish kid.. Arraignment goof not mentioned "semiautomatic", it's not.

Blueprint for MSD Parkland..