User Reviews

A wealthy couple were celebrating the 25th anniversary; shortly afterwards they're found dead in their residence. They have got two siblings and the son owes some money to a drug dealer (not too much to be honest, just 6 grands). Anyway dealers don't kill a john's family for few dimes, the truth is elsewhere. The junkie (Keith Nobbs) dropped out school and a former creepy schoolmates (who lost a leg in Iraq) the night of the murder called him to watch videos took in Iraq as an excuse to ask his father's help in getting a job. However it's not what it seems, the one time soldier must do something for the greater good; anyway his family is just the filth wheel of a wagon of a bigger scam.

I like the way Logan manages to pull the confession out of the suspect. They both grew up poor and they have to show the world they're nothing like their dads.

It was with Season 5 in my view where 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' became less consistent. Having really liked on the most part the previous four seasons, with a few episodes disappointing of course, the quality of Season 5 was a lot more disappointingly variable with both alternating partnerships featured (Logan and Barek as well as Goren and Eames, especially the former). Having great episodes but also episodes that are merely average or just above it.

While there were great episodes such as "Grow", "In the Wee Small Hours" and "To the Bone", there were a few episodes that could have been so much better such as "Wasichu", "Unchained" and "Dollhouse". The season's final episode "The Good", notable mainly for it being Deakins' final episode (it turned out to be Barek's too) is closer sadly in my opinion to the latter category. Not a bad episode at all but it could have been so much better and is a lesser episode of the season, it didn't feel like a season finale somehow and Deakins was handled a lot better in the previous episode "On Fire" (also not the greatest of episodes).

"The Good" definitely does have a good number of things done well. The production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything, and liked that the photography was intimate without it being claustrophobic. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud. There are thoughtful and intelligent moments in the script, especially towards the end.

Likewise there are good moments in the story, how the confession is gotten out of was very clever (the closest Logan ever got to being on Goren's level) and everything with the drugs pulls no punches but is also handled tastefully. The episode starts off quite well too and with there being no shortage of suspects it is not too obvious too soon who the perpetrator is. Chris Noth and Jamey Sheridan are both reliably good, though Noth's material is much meatier, and Kevin Dunn and Keith Nobbs give fine supporting turns (especially Nobbs).

Sadly this is another episode where Annabella Sciorra is too subdued and she also doesn't have an awful lot to work with. Actually did like the relationship generally between Logan and Barek, but like with "Wasichu" the chemistry was too much of a disconnect and it was almost like Noth and Sciorra had started not getting along. The episode also could have done a much better job writing Deakins out, with "On Fire" actually feeling like a much more fitting and more final exit this felt like a tack on and too anti-climactic. Barek is handled indifferently and too open-endedly, one can tell that Sciorra's departure was an abrupt one.

While the story has good moments, the motive was pretty ordinary and predictable. Also thought one character's lack of co-operation was rather far-fetched, especially seeing that what they witnessed was something that would make anybody crack realistically very quickly. The dialogue is thoughtful moments, but the script could have done with a lot more spark and flow on the whole and the episode could have done with more excitement and an ending that didn't have as incomplete a feel.

In summary, not so good but not bad. Not the best way to end a variable season. 5/10

Jamey Sheridan said farewell to Criminal Intent with this episode. Over the life of the series he was replaced by various bosses of the Major Case detectives.

Chris Noth and Annabella Sciorra get sideways into a Nassau County homicide when they capture the fleeing suspect within the city. He gets arraigned in the city on a minor charge before Nassau County and lead detective Kevin Dunn get a crack at him.

The suspect Keith Nobbs is a wealthy wastrel of a rich family from Roslyn deep into drugs. He's taken the family car and totaled it on the Long Island Expressway, but he was so whacked out on drugs he can't remember anything of the crime, let alone if he did it.

Nobbs's father was business partners with a commercial Norman Rockwell type artist who has franchised himself. Tom Riss Farrell was an ex-con who employs other ex-cons. No shortage of suspects there.

They should have given Jamey Sheridan a better episode and maybe more of himself in the show to leave on. Too much was left open ended with the plot. Not well constructed, but the hardcore fans should like it.