Post by Techguy on May 1, 2011 21:31:53 GMT -5
From Poptimal:
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Review: Returning to Form[/b]
May 1, 2011 by Inisia Lewis
Welcome back, detectives! Law & Order may be a fading brand, but you wouldn’t believe it after watching “Rispetto,” the season 10 premiere of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. As if no time had passed at all, Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe jumped back into their respective roles as Detectives Goren and Eames with the same easy rapport and subtle kick that I remembered.
There was a time when I watched three iterations of Law & Order franchise on a constant, weekend loop. At age 16, you truly can have nothing better to do. Then I hit the age, about 20-years-old, when I realized that I’d seen every possible episode of the original series and Criminal Intent, and I was well on my way with Special Victims Unit. It was a true milestone. Hell, I’d even watched Law & Order: Trial by Jury! Yet, there are very few modifications within a series that I recall more sadly than when D’Onofrio and Erbe left the show in Season 9.
It’s not that Jeff Goldblum and Saffron Burrows didn’t have their own allure or bring fantastic acting chops to the table, but both still always felt like a poor man’s Goren and Eames. And don’t get me started on the alternating storylines between two teams of detectives. Yes, an intriguing business model, but a horrible concept to sustain over the long run.
Still, we can forget about the past, at least a little. If you suspend any desire to address what occurred in season 9’s “Loyalty,” it would almost be a perfect episode. Let’s flashback a moment, or skip forward if you don’t want to be spoiled. When we last saw these two, their boss Capt. Daniel Ross had been murdered, Eames had to fire Goren and then she quit herself. Let’s just say they didn’t really go quietly into the night, so I expected a little more fanfare upon their return. Instead, with a new Captain in Joseph Hannah, played by Jay O. Sanders, the two are called back into the fold upon request and, well, there’s no time do dilly-dally. There’s a murder or two to solve.
I won’t spoil the mystery, but the season kicks off with an extremely timely storyline. In this Charlie Sheen-esque episode, Jay Mohr plays a fashion designer, named Nyle Brite, who is “going to make Marc Jacobs his prison B***h.” He’s drugged out, full to the brim with prostitutes and chockfull of surprises and secrets. (I’d forgotten how well Mohr plays completely loveable and exceptionally douchey.) When a call girl is found dead, the hunt is on to sift through the rockstar lives of the rich and fashionable and solve the murder.
Though there’s no retroactive look at how our leads fared in the last year, if anything, it’s clear they came back stronger and more determined than ever. I’m more than happy to welcome Goren’s virtuosity and ticks and Eames’ stoicism and silent power back to my screen for its final season.[/color]
Law & Order: Criminal Intent Review: Returning to Form[/b]
May 1, 2011 by Inisia Lewis
Welcome back, detectives! Law & Order may be a fading brand, but you wouldn’t believe it after watching “Rispetto,” the season 10 premiere of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. As if no time had passed at all, Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe jumped back into their respective roles as Detectives Goren and Eames with the same easy rapport and subtle kick that I remembered.
There was a time when I watched three iterations of Law & Order franchise on a constant, weekend loop. At age 16, you truly can have nothing better to do. Then I hit the age, about 20-years-old, when I realized that I’d seen every possible episode of the original series and Criminal Intent, and I was well on my way with Special Victims Unit. It was a true milestone. Hell, I’d even watched Law & Order: Trial by Jury! Yet, there are very few modifications within a series that I recall more sadly than when D’Onofrio and Erbe left the show in Season 9.
It’s not that Jeff Goldblum and Saffron Burrows didn’t have their own allure or bring fantastic acting chops to the table, but both still always felt like a poor man’s Goren and Eames. And don’t get me started on the alternating storylines between two teams of detectives. Yes, an intriguing business model, but a horrible concept to sustain over the long run.
Still, we can forget about the past, at least a little. If you suspend any desire to address what occurred in season 9’s “Loyalty,” it would almost be a perfect episode. Let’s flashback a moment, or skip forward if you don’t want to be spoiled. When we last saw these two, their boss Capt. Daniel Ross had been murdered, Eames had to fire Goren and then she quit herself. Let’s just say they didn’t really go quietly into the night, so I expected a little more fanfare upon their return. Instead, with a new Captain in Joseph Hannah, played by Jay O. Sanders, the two are called back into the fold upon request and, well, there’s no time do dilly-dally. There’s a murder or two to solve.
I won’t spoil the mystery, but the season kicks off with an extremely timely storyline. In this Charlie Sheen-esque episode, Jay Mohr plays a fashion designer, named Nyle Brite, who is “going to make Marc Jacobs his prison B***h.” He’s drugged out, full to the brim with prostitutes and chockfull of surprises and secrets. (I’d forgotten how well Mohr plays completely loveable and exceptionally douchey.) When a call girl is found dead, the hunt is on to sift through the rockstar lives of the rich and fashionable and solve the murder.
Though there’s no retroactive look at how our leads fared in the last year, if anything, it’s clear they came back stronger and more determined than ever. I’m more than happy to welcome Goren’s virtuosity and ticks and Eames’ stoicism and silent power back to my screen for its final season.[/color]
Patrick Roy, 2006 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame
