User Reviews

A body burned beyond recognition other than it was a female is found right outside the door of the apartment of the Chinese consul. Even though it's looking like one of those Buddhist suicides reminiscent of Vietnam in the Sixties Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin have to investigate.

The consul Grant Chang immediately points the detectives in the direction of the Falun Gong people who the Chinese government is cracking down on. They say religion, the government says cult an argument almost old as written history.

An arrest is made and it's the wrong man. Fortunately the right culprit is discovered and the motive is both bizarre and banal at the same time.

What some don't consider a motive for murder.

A yuppie couple were making out in a elevator. When the doors opened up, they noticed a smell coming from the hallway, where there was a girl burnt to death. The body lied before an apartment owned by the Chinese government and inhabited by a consul (Tzi Ma). Detectives were not so sure the victim committed suicide or it could be regarded as a murder, but forensics help them figuring out she's killed by strangulation. The girl was a Chinese national whose mother died in her homeland because she was considered enemy of the people. As usually happened in China, all kind of religions were the target of authority (Christianity and Islam are always under close monitoring) and the victim's mother was a guru of a renowned religious sect called Falun Gong, with followers even in United States. The consul was together with a call girl at the time of the murder, anyway a lawsuit made by the victim to him that lead to his deportation could have touched someone else's feelings...

Prosecutors (mostly the chef) were afraid of the consequences in China-USA relations: "Another enemy is the last thing this country needs right now". Code of silence is something firmly fixed in Chinese people's mind, much more than what happened in Sicilian people's mind.

"The Wheel" could have been a good deal more, considering that it was following on from eight episodes that all ranged between pretty good and outstanding. 'Law and Order' in its prime is my personal favourite of the 'Law and Order' franchise, that 'Special Victims Unit' has gone on for longer may indicate otherwise but that show has not been the same for a long time. Seasons 1-10 had a small group of disappointments but the best episodes in each season were absolutely brilliant.

While the show became less consistent post-Season 10, each season did have truly fine episodes still. Really do wish that "The Wheel" was one of those fine episodes. Unfortunately this was not to be, to me this was Season 13's first disappointment and one of the season's weakest (being one of the very few to be not particularly good). Don't get me wrong, it is not a terrible episode and has good things. It's just came over as very odd in not a good way and could have handled the subject more tactfully.

Of course there are good things here. The production values are still slick and suitably gritty (without being too heavy in it). The music is not too melodramatic and is not used too much, even not being too manipulative in revelations. There are thoughtful and entertaining moments in the script, Briscoe's snappy one liners never get old.

Most of the acting is solid, although there have been better written supporting roles before and since. Sam Waterston dominating with his usual authority and cunning. The episode does start off well, with one of the latter season's most brutal deaths for example.

However, "The Wheel" disappoints in as many areas as it succeeds in. The story is lacking in tension, at times over-complicated, seldom surprising and too often downright bizarre. Anything that includes cults immediately has the danger of being too over the top and uncomfortably odd, and the episode is not just both it goes overkill on it. The ending does nothing for me, it's the part that is the most beyond strange, it feels rushed and there are not many motives for 'Law and Order' that were this trivial. One that goes against the brutality of the crime and what happens before it.

Furthermore, to me the second half was not anywhere as strong, which disappoints considering that with 'Law and Order' the legal portions tend to be superior to the investigating. In this case, the legal scenes were rather heavy-handed, especially towards the end and some of McCoy's dialogue. While the supporting cast are good enough, the characters themselves are not particularly well fleshed out and could have been written with a lot more subtlety. Elisabeth Rohm as was often the case on her stint is rather cold and stiff.

In conclusion, disappointing but not a waste of time. 5/10.

That is always poking their nose in their neighbor's business about how they raise their children, to the state of the neighbor's marriage, but is oblivious to the hellions she's raising or the fact that she's married to the King of adulterers.

Where do we get off always sticking our nose in another countries issues. How the heck can someone sue someone for crimes committed in another country. When our U. S. citizens, politicians and police force are all running amok.

The is a United Nations for a reason, America should stop being so damn sanctimonious, all the while turning a blind eye to its own cultural issues.