User Reviews

Focus shifts a lot in this Criminal Intent story as Vincent D'Onofrio and his temporary partner Samantha Buck go after various suspects in the murder of Michal Sinnott a news photographer and girlfriend of reporter Anthony Mackie of a New York Times like paper.

The Times motto 'All The News That's Fit To Print' could have applied in this story. This paper that Judd Hirsch edits prides itself on its veracity, this is no tabloid piece of junk.

In fact he sponsored the career of Mackie and during the course of the investigation D'Onofrio and Buck discover that he's been fabricating these feature stories that have gotten him and the paper awards. It's embarrassing to Hirsch and to his friend and Mackie's father Glynn Turman a respected journalism professor.

I won't reveal who, but take your choice as to thinks they have lost the most.

A journalist for a newspaper is found murdered in an apartment and Goren and Bishop start uncovering scandals at the paper she worked for. This episode is very close to being an amazing one and I do agree that it should have had a more focused story as another reviewer stated. As for the rest, I really liked the themes they conveyed in this episode and the plot's resolution, once it comes together, is really chilling once you find out who the perpetrator is. The antagonist is honestly one of the most hateful I've seen in "Criminal Intent". As for Goren and Bishop, their chemistry doesn't really mesh well but I honestly laughed at an interaction they had in a scene where they're at a diner.

Overall, "Pravda" is a really good episode mainly because of its plot (especially the resolution). I do miss Eames and Goren, Bishop does not have much chemistry with him in my opinion.

After the outstanding previous episode in "But Not Forgotten", one does expect a lot from any subsequent episodes if they loved it too. Other than my high appreciation for 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent', my main reasons for seeing it was to see how Goren would fare working primarily with a detective other than Eames. And also for the subject, it is not a novel one as such but it is an intriguing one and will always admire anything that covers it and the themes of betrayal, falsehoods and hypocrisy (the media for example are full of all three).

Did find "Pravda" somewhat of a disappointment after "But Not Forgotten" and one of the lesser episodes of the first half of Season 3. Despite how it sounds, that doesn't mean that to me "Pravda" was a bad episode. Actually thought that it was quite good, with so much that is very well executed and more, albeit with a couple of things that bothered me. And sadly not just by a little, which is somewhat frustrating as they were things that could have been avoided quite easily.

Somehow, it just doesn't feel the same without Goren and Eames together. One misses Eames' wisecracks and more understated contrast to hard-boiled Goren. Samantha Buck does do her best but Bishop is rather bland and the chemistry between her and Goren doesn't gel or sparkle as much.

"Pravda" also could have benefitted from a tighter pace and more tension. As well as a more focused story that didn't shift quite as much.

Vincent D'Onofrio though is as ever a joy, can find nothing to fault him for. Goren is a meaty character that D'Onofrio gives so much further meat too without descending into ham. Judd Hirsch is scarily cranky and Glyn Turman is similarly solid. "Pravda" is intelligently scripted, with Goren's "bull in a china shop" approach when questioning being an effective way to get answers without resorting to unprofessionalism.

The story doesn't trivialize its themes of falsehoods, betrayal and hypocrisy, quite the opposite. It's also scary how true to life and still relevant it is, perhaps more so now. Nor does it feel convoluted. The episode looks good and the tone and placement of the music is appropriate. The denouement is somewhat chilling, particularly how indifferent the culprit is to what he had been doing being wrong.

On the whole, pretty good but could have been a good deal more. 7/10