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Post by DonnaJo on Nov 13, 2008 11:42:39 GMT -5
Copied from Annabelle's description on the general thread: The first episode under production for L&O's historic 19th season is called "Challenged." The story centers on a character who, though mentally (and socially) disadvantaged, proves himself invaluable to the NYPD and New York D.A.'s office. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. For those of you who watch the mother ship for possible tidbits of LOCI relevance, there are several cast members we know & love from LOCI in this one To name a few..... Michael Rispoli, the low life former Chief Of Det's from "My Good Name" is the central character, playing a mentally challenged man so convincingly that I barely recognized him. Kudos to the casting people for choosing him for the role. Carlos Leon, the underwear model whose girlfriend was murdered in "Blind Spot" plays a nice guy who works with the mentally challenged. And delightfully, Rutanya Alda, the actress who had the "stone baby" in Season 4's "In The Dark"plays a similar character (in terms of temperament) in this episode. I'll post more a bit later.....
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Post by jeffan on Nov 13, 2008 12:12:49 GMT -5
Thank you DJ for this review of L&O. Even though I watch this show irregularly, it has been self-contained for me. Maybe now with Jeff appearing on CI, I shall watch L&O differently.
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ZackNicholsgirl
Detective
I love both doggies and kitties. I could just scrunch up their cute little faces! - Jeff Goldblum
Posts: 423
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Post by ZackNicholsgirl on Nov 13, 2008 13:04:06 GMT -5
I'll be honest, I never really watched LOCI before. I probably only watched 2 Episodes from Season 3 and it was because I wanted to see Olek Krupa and Brent Spiner lol
But just like Jeffan said, I might watch it with a different view now that Jeff will be on the show! And I think it will bring more fans for this show, cause there is a lot of Blummies out there XD
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Post by Jefferaldo on Nov 13, 2008 18:32:50 GMT -5
And don't forget Harris Yulin from "Players"
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Post by NikkiGreen on Nov 13, 2008 19:08:32 GMT -5
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Me, too. Two weeks straight, the show has held my undivided attention ( I, most times, have a tendency to do other stuff while watching TV ), even during the commercials and previews*. Two of the best lines of the night belong to McCoy: (to Cutter) "You're screwed" and "I thought I was supposed to be the bad ass around here". The scene with Cutter slowly raising hand was kind of cute. The best scene was between Mr. Yulin and Ms. Alda. He's checking off the reasons for going ahead with the case and she remembers he used the same method, years earlier, in deciding to institutionalize Pete. I was left wondering if Pete confessed to killing his brother on his own or if the family talked him into it. *Three noticeable previews: (1) Mr. Vance will be guest starring again in tonight's episode of ER (he was having quite the intense moment in the background while Drs. Greene & Banfield were in the foreground) (2) Colm Meaney will be in next week's episode of L&O guest starring, I presume, as a man with multiple wives. (3) Elliot gets shot next week.
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Post by DonnaJo on Nov 14, 2008 12:18:30 GMT -5
(3) Elliot gets shot next week. Please.........when isn't there over the top, unrealistic angst & drama on that show? That is EXACTLY why I adore LOCI and the mothership, and refrain from watching SVU. I dread to think how SVU would have handled this episode. Stabler & Benson would have been on their high horses, all sanctimonious, and the family would have been stereotypic ogres instead of real people who were torn between what is right & what is easy. I love how Law & Order is so subtle and shows us the different shades of grey in a situation. This is all Balcer's influence, IMO. Detective Lupo is very much like Goren used to be better portrayed. Very kind to children, animals, the elderly, the mentally challenged.....basically all who cannot take care of themselves. And he's very understated about it. I see a possible crush coming on.
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Post by dragonsback on Nov 19, 2008 7:24:57 GMT -5
Yes, the best of many great lines in this ep was Jack's assessment of the case: "You're screwed." And the DA's office should have, would have stayed screwed back in the old days of L&O. No deus ex machina mother ( oddly costumed as a kind of Granny Clampett) to turn the tables against her own family's case because - er, because why? Had she stuck with the master plan to have the retarded son take the fall, both her remaining sons would have been off the hook.
How many times have we heard 'not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect'? Now, the one time this argument would have been an incontrovertible plea, the writers awkwardly ditch it at the last minute to balance the ledger. No guts, but goodie two shoes, this ending. Truer to the edgier mothership format of old, both men should get off scot-free.
The acting was good all round. Enjoyed everyone's performances (except poor actress stuck in permanent moist handkerchief mode). I still don't sense any chemistry between the detectives - and that fingernail-on-the-blackboard shout-out to "Lupes" was just a shade away from going down the matey maw to "Lupester". The ADAs and their contrived patter seem to take their cue from the ops room in NCIS.
On the subject of ops rooms, Jack's office is not one and the same, either. The few tines the cops came into Adam Schiff's office, you had the sense of pecking order.
And whoever keeps pushing the camermen and their dollies in for the thousandth close-up should stop it. This may mean you, Mr Director du jour.
It may sound as if I dislked this ep, I didn't. Just that I am on my 19th season of L&O,(and personally have passed through many demographics, too), and pretty much have bonded with most of the cast/characters that have made up the core fivesome of the series over the years. I haven't bonded with this new mob yet, though.
Hope Linus Roache begins to fill the room a bit more, but Sam Waterston may be too hard an act for LR to follow. I am not sure that this most pivotal of the new characters has been cast with an actor who possesses the charisma necessary to command a scene the way that Sam did - and still does.
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