one of the great things about Law & Order was the way truly terrific actors, many of them theater pros who live and work in the NYC area, would appear on this show, often in major roles, and this is a prime example, with the wonderful Victor Garber as the bad guy. He's known to musical theater devotees in particular -- he's been in several Encores! productions, among other things.
another feature of this particular episode is the highly realistic dialog on the politics of the death penalty in New York, with McCoy saying -- accurately -- in a show filmed in 1995 -- that Pataki rode the issue to Albany. Mario Cuomo lost to Pataki in 1994 because he consistently vetoed death penalty bills. Rarely do you hear such politically astute dialog on a TV show.
I also loved the scene in the "Magistrate's Club" (could be a stand-in for the University Club, Harvard Club, Yale Club etc.) where Adam Schiff seeks guidance from his friend, a judge, on what to do -- he has to make the call whether or not to seek the death penalty. Such conversations do happen.
and as a lawyer myself I always appreciate the scenes of lawyers working late at their desks, eating take out Chinese (although unlike McCoy I don't sip scotch at my desk).
and even the appellate court argument over "substantive due process" was well done for an hour-long show -- and I say this as someone who's briefed that issue (albeit not in a death penalty case).
One of the great Law & Orders.
another feature of this particular episode is the highly realistic dialog on the politics of the death penalty in New York, with McCoy saying -- accurately -- in a show filmed in 1995 -- that Pataki rode the issue to Albany. Mario Cuomo lost to Pataki in 1994 because he consistently vetoed death penalty bills. Rarely do you hear such politically astute dialog on a TV show.
I also loved the scene in the "Magistrate's Club" (could be a stand-in for the University Club, Harvard Club, Yale Club etc.) where Adam Schiff seeks guidance from his friend, a judge, on what to do -- he has to make the call whether or not to seek the death penalty. Such conversations do happen.
and as a lawyer myself I always appreciate the scenes of lawyers working late at their desks, eating take out Chinese (although unlike McCoy I don't sip scotch at my desk).
and even the appellate court argument over "substantive due process" was well done for an hour-long show -- and I say this as someone who's briefed that issue (albeit not in a death penalty case).
One of the great Law & Orders.
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