User Reviews

This is the first great episode of season 5; it's got a lot of meat on its bones, with a juicy, thoughtful script and a variety of strong supporting performances.

The plot involves a group of militant antiwar protestors (think the SLA or the Weather Underground) who killed a cop Detective Briscoe knew in the '60s and robbed a bank vault in the present day.

There's lots more to chew on here then simply "whodunnit"; plenty of great lines explore the craziness of the '60s, and Sam Waterston as EADA Jack McCoy is unusually sympathetic to the antiwar aspirations of these aging activist-turned terrorists - at least he is at first, before the extent of their activities/intent comes pouring out by episode's end.

Mary-Joan Negro is great as a GOP donor trying to hide from her extremist past, as are Norman Snow, Peggy Roeder, and Dick Anthony Williams playing the other members of her group. Williams in particular has only two scenes in the episode (he's the only one of the band to have been put in prison), but he perfectly sells a character who was always cynical about "the cause," admitting that he simply tagged along in the hopes of bedding some "free love" hippy-types back in the day.

Other highlights include the detectives working with the FBI in the front half of the episode, where they get something of a history lesson on how surveillance was conducted in the '60s, and famed real-life lefty lawyer William Kunstler putting in a legitimately awesome performance as himself.

This is one I'll definitely be re-watching in the future!

The investigation of a robbery of a bank vault with a lot of safety deposit boxes yields clues for Jerry Orbach and Chris Noth. A lot of money, proceeds from a robbery and a pistol used to kill a beat cop who responded to the robbery are found and not so strangely not claimed by whoever owned the box.

This was some robbery. It was of a defense plant that was a Vietnam war contractee. Two men and two women robbed the place. One man was killed and the other arrested and one woman was arrested and did her time and now Peggy Roeder is your basic community activist, leaving one out still unaccounted for. A twisted trail leads to Mary-Joan Negro who is now a suburban housewife with a husband and two kids and no idea who mom really is.

So now Sam Waterston and Jill Hennessy have the task of prosecuting your ideal soccer mom who has led an exemplary life. The family even contributes to the Republican National Committee. That makes no difference to William Kunstler who defends her playing himself.

I have to give kudos to Dick Anthony Williams who plays a career criminal and the surviving male on the job. He fully bears out Waterson's contention that all he was interested in was a big score and a chance to bed some radicals with a few choice quotes from Chairman Mao to get in their pants.

In the end the fact that the FBI was doing some highly illegal wiretapping that gives Waterston some extra leverage.

It was interesting watching Waterston and Hennessy who come at this case with different perspectives argue things out.

This is one my favorites. Start with the title, which is a great song. Growing up in the 70s, this brings back a lot of memories. Then we have Lennie and Jack who, initially, kind of want to let this go (Lennie - "you had to be there, Mike"; Jack - "it was the 70s, Claire"). All around great episode.

While liking the first four episodes of Season 5, loved actually in the case of "Family Values", "White Rabbit" was the first episode of the season to have a concept that sounded very complex and above the ordinary. The other four had quite simple concepts, though mostly their execution was more twisty (only "Blue Bamboo" was over-derivative). And when reading all the plot synopsis's for all the Season 5 episodes, "White Rabbit" struck me as one of the more complex ones.

The execution is even more surprising than the synopsis sounds, while not being overloaded or convoluted. While the previous episode "Family Values" for me was great, and for me it was the first great Season 5 episode, "White Rabbit" was just outstanding and even better. In my view too, it is overall one of Season 5's best episodes, one of the ones that really holds up to repeat viewings and one that really sticks in the mind after. It is far from a hollow episode, emotionally it is one of the more investable ones of the season.

Everything here in "White Rabbit" works, and brilliantly. The slick grit and the sharper and tighter visual look that the previous four seasons had is still maintained, and equally had no problems with the generally understated and not too melodramatic music. Nor with the sympathetic but crisp direction in primarily the second half.

Some of Season 5's most thoughtful and concise writing is in "White Rabbit". The exploration of the 60s was quite insightfully handled and a subject that had potential to be heavy-handed in the wrong hands is done with both force and tact thankfully. The story (based on a true story) has plenty of twists and turns, again though without feeling like there are a couple too many and without muddling what happens. Had no trouble following it, there is some good nail-biting suspense throughout, a lot surprises and there is much more to the episode than your average whodunnit.

Furthermore, the character writing is some of the meatiest, Susan especially, and McCoy makes his most sympathetic and most professional appearance up to this still early point of his long run. The performances are all spot on, cannot say anything bad about the regulars and Dick Anthony Williams is riveting in his screen time. Susan is also powerfully played.

In conclusion, outstanding and one of the season's best. 10/10