User Reviews

The murder of a 12 year old boy and a housekeeper of a pair scientists is the case that Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson catch in his Law And Order episode. The murderer in this case does return almost to the scene of the crime to gloat over his handiwork. He also snipped a lock of the victim's hair and sends it to the mother of the victim in a condolence card.

The sick puppy that did this is played by Martin Malloy who really dominates the episode. Convicting him will be a problem because the person who really gives them the evidence they needed is Malloy's daughter Brooke Bloom. She does it because L&O's mythical Hudson University offers a $100,000.00 reward. That certainly taints her testimony though without the reward Bloom has ample motive to rat her father out. He's that lovable a guy.

It all goes back to college days where the mother of the victim kicked him out of their snobbish sorority party. As one who was never part of the crowd that blue collar kid Malloy aspired to he's almost a sympathetic figure. I say almost because we never forget that he killed a child to hurt her. People get rejected, but we don't get so twisted as to do what this guy did. And there's hints out there Malloy might have done more. This guy could have been the protagonist for some slasher flick.

If he didn't have a client who couldn't control himself, Malloy's attorney Jefferson Mays might have gotten a dismissal. But Linus Roache really comes up with a legal strategy that presses Malloy's buttons in open court. The expression Mays's face in the end is priceless.

"Pledge" left a generally positive impression on me on first watch, while not blowing me away. Benefitting primarily from the main guest turn and the opening, but hurt a little by that there is too much familiar ground and not enough surprises which made the story feel too predictable and ordinary and a miscast. My general opinion of Season 19 was generally positive while not being blown away which is not too bad a position to be in, beginning exceptionally strongly.

On recent re-watch, my feelings are pretty much the same, well almost. There is a lot to like about "Pledge", with the standout things on first watch being the main reasons to view it (as well as 'Law and Order' completest sake). At the same time, it did feel like something was missing and that more could have been done with the premise perhaps. It is a good episode, albeit not a great one (and Season 19 did show greatness a lot) that is neither one of the best or worst.

Am going to start with the good. The photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way. The script is thought-provoking and doesn't ramble.

The story on the whole intrigues a lot and does pose some interesting questions, had no issue understanding what was going on while not finding it too easy to figure out. The opening is unusually graphic and creepy. The regulars are excellent and so is an unnerving Matt Malloy as a juicy character (that actually could have afforded to be even more developed).

However, it doesn't have enough surprises and could have done with more tension as well as attacked its subject with more edge and grit perhaps.

It also suffers from an overwrought turn from a too young Erin Dilly. Did feel that the motive was far too extreme.

Concluding, good but not great. 7/10.

A twisted obsessed man named ned lasky played by Matt malloy who murders a child and his babysitter just because he was obsessed with the kappa sorority girl called Susan at his college.

Poorly written, poorly cast (a 30ish actress playing a character who has to be in her mid 50's) make this one of L&O's worst episodes.