'Law and Order', and actually frequently the whole 'Law and Order' franchise (especially 'Special Victims Unit'), often excelled when it came to having cases that made the viewer feel truly sad and angry. It also often excelled when it came to tackling difficult and even polarising topics, some with stories inspired by real life cases (hence what is meant when one calls a case "ripped from the headlines"). And doing so in a way that doesn't hold back and pulls a large emotional punch.
"Deadbeat" is not one of the best episodes of Season 7 and not one of the best of 'Law and Order'. It is still excellent and another winner in a season that was very strong in quality up to this point. It is one of those episodes with a case that makes one feel sad and angry, this time not with the responsible. It also has a hard subject that has hardly dated today, and handles it very well and in a way that does have emotional impact and make one think long and hard.
Very like the previous episode "Double Blind", there are other 'Law and Order' episodes that have more tension and complexity than "Deadbeat". Really though there is very little to be disappointed by here and not giving it a perfect score is only in comparison to other episodes that had the extra something.
As ever, the production values are slick, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid overtime). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key.
The script has class and grit and is thoughtful without rambling, the moral dilemmas being tactfully explored and not one-sided. Briscoe and Curtis' chemistry has really come on and that is evident in their gritty and sometimes witty dialogue, it was interesting too to hear Briscoe being the one to not have extreme negative thoughts about somebody out loud. The script especially shines in the exchanges between McCoy and Ross, whenever McCoy and any of his assistants disagreed on an issue (which was frequently) the show was often great at presenting all opinions and both sides of the debate and more often than not it was easy to see where everybody is coming from. Which was the case here.
Story is engrossing and leanly structured with no signs of fat, the moral dilemmas that come with the case are handled with a lot of tact yet force. The characters are interesting, with one of the show's most reprehensible victims (not many episodes where even the detectives are not sorry about him being dead) and while one absolutely agrees with Ross about the responsible not being able to be above the law and being no statues of limitations it is understandable in a way as to why they resorted to the measures they did. As has been said, Billy is the one innocent person in the story and my heart broke for him. The acting is excellent all round.
Overall, great. 9/10.
"Deadbeat" is not one of the best episodes of Season 7 and not one of the best of 'Law and Order'. It is still excellent and another winner in a season that was very strong in quality up to this point. It is one of those episodes with a case that makes one feel sad and angry, this time not with the responsible. It also has a hard subject that has hardly dated today, and handles it very well and in a way that does have emotional impact and make one think long and hard.
Very like the previous episode "Double Blind", there are other 'Law and Order' episodes that have more tension and complexity than "Deadbeat". Really though there is very little to be disappointed by here and not giving it a perfect score is only in comparison to other episodes that had the extra something.
As ever, the production values are slick, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid overtime). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key.
The script has class and grit and is thoughtful without rambling, the moral dilemmas being tactfully explored and not one-sided. Briscoe and Curtis' chemistry has really come on and that is evident in their gritty and sometimes witty dialogue, it was interesting too to hear Briscoe being the one to not have extreme negative thoughts about somebody out loud. The script especially shines in the exchanges between McCoy and Ross, whenever McCoy and any of his assistants disagreed on an issue (which was frequently) the show was often great at presenting all opinions and both sides of the debate and more often than not it was easy to see where everybody is coming from. Which was the case here.
Story is engrossing and leanly structured with no signs of fat, the moral dilemmas that come with the case are handled with a lot of tact yet force. The characters are interesting, with one of the show's most reprehensible victims (not many episodes where even the detectives are not sorry about him being dead) and while one absolutely agrees with Ross about the responsible not being able to be above the law and being no statues of limitations it is understandable in a way as to why they resorted to the measures they did. As has been said, Billy is the one innocent person in the story and my heart broke for him. The acting is excellent all round.
Overall, great. 9/10.
