Here is the discussion topic for Law & Order “The System” which aired on Thursday, December 8, 2022. Please feel free to add any feedback you have about this episode in the comments!
I am still not a fan of having the main characters in the first minute of the show. Perhaps I am too rigid in my belief that they should just follow the damn formulas of the opening. And that includes the awful one-liners.
I applaud the writers' attempt at relevant social commentary especially about the criminal justice system and how it can (and often) fails. The actual writing...
This season really feels like they're trying to inject a lot of more action into a series that was not a cornerstone of the show. You got it occasionally and, because of that, it got a great effect. This season, it seems like every episode this season has a manhunt, a chase, and potential (or actual) shootout. I find it exhausting at this point. I understand this was advertised as the "Fall Finale" so they wanted a bang before the hiatus but... man we already got the three-hour premiere event.
Good on the writers for having Shaw be the one to get the false confession. I think Shaw's realization that what he wants to do versus what the system demands he do are different and if not outright contradictory. Yes, the criminal justice system is outright racist. No, an individual cannot sway the institution unless a lot of factors go their way, and a Manhatten Homicide Detective ain't that. If this was an actual season finale, I'd wonder if Mehcad Brooks was only sticking around for one season (truly hope not, I really like Shaw).
Also, good on the writers for not having a pure romantic angle between Booker and the corrections officer. Even though that does actually happen (see the Kay Beeman story from way back in the day). I also do like the fact that everyone was, rightfully, hostile to the cops.
The capture. Okay, was I was watching Law & Order or Miami Vice there? Honestly, the best scene of the show, though, was when Frank was holding Booker's gun away from him. That was a nice level of seriousness and intensity. HOWEVER, I did not understand Shaw's logic on him being the one to talk to Booker. My dude, you're the one who got him to confess. You elicited a false confession. You'd be the LAST person I'd want to talk to. This is a writing issue, not necessarily Shaw. I don't care that Shaw "knew" Troy Booker. What Shaw did, while having the best of intent, was wrong and I truly believe Troy Booker should have demanded to speak to someone else or they should have waited for the Hostage Negotiator.
As for Price & Maroun. There's a couple of good things and a couple of contradictory things here where they need more lawyers on staff to help write or help check the scripts. First, I find it odd that a former defense attorney wouldn't take five damn minutes to talk to the suspects mother over the course of 18 months. I don't know the nature of the messages, but if she's claiming there's real evidence that he didn't do it, even if it is a mother trying to save her son... I feel like the old defense lawyer in him should have made an attempt to follow up.
/start Part 2 The exculpatory evidence. It took 18 months for someone get the video out there? In the year 2022. In New York City. No one posted it online? No cameras were there? The cops didn't hard enough. There's suspending disbelief and then there's this.
The good: McCoy versus Price. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WANTING SINCE PRICE WAS INTRODUCED. Discussions like this where the defense attorney brings up the moral argument and how the system fails. To being that "different perspective" that was mentioned in the revival premiere. I wish it was a minute or two longer. There was a comment on the subreddit about how McCoy went all rightwing and I'm like, "have you all watched McCoy?" Guy went after literally anyone who broke the law. Yes, sometimes he'd want actual justice but he never ever let anyone off of committing an actual crime even if there was a good reason for it. He might have gone for a lesser charge OR, if I am remembering correctly, a mental hospital (I want to say this was a season 7 or 8 episode that had Robert Vaughn as a guest star and the perpetrator was a mentally ill family member - grandson?).
The bad: I realize the defense attorney was relatively in-experienced. For such a high profile case at this point, you'd think they'd get a more experienced lawyer pro-bono for all the coverage and issues this brought up. As a result, we have found a lawyer worse than Price. Also, again, it took a last minute realization that they needed to investigate the claim that Booker's life was in danger if he stayed at Rikers? Come on...
Overall, a cromulent episode. It didn't leave me raging made like some episodes have this season.
I can't add much to the previous comments - all valid. I'm liking both Cosgrove and Shaw, individually and as a pair. Shaw had the interesting story line here and I felt Mehcad played the part wonderfully. And Jack is the Jack McCoy that I love to see. I'm still trying to figure out Price, he doesn't have the backbone that I would expect from a prosecutor at that level.
Seriously no way all 12 people would have voted to convict. It would have been a hung jury at best. Also the defense lawyer was terrible. She didn't point out that the guard shot himself. She didn't question the honesty of the warden. A real defense attorney would have brought up how often the cameras are down in prisons. She also didn't call the doctors of CO to point out it may have been negligence on their part.
4 comments:
That was something...
I am still not a fan of having the main characters in the first minute of the show. Perhaps I am too rigid in my belief that they should just follow the damn formulas of the opening. And that includes the awful one-liners.
I applaud the writers' attempt at relevant social commentary especially about the criminal justice system and how it can (and often) fails. The actual writing...
This season really feels like they're trying to inject a lot of more action into a series that was not a cornerstone of the show. You got it occasionally and, because of that, it got a great effect. This season, it seems like every episode this season has a manhunt, a chase, and potential (or actual) shootout. I find it exhausting at this point. I understand this was advertised as the "Fall Finale" so they wanted a bang before the hiatus but... man we already got the three-hour premiere event.
Good on the writers for having Shaw be the one to get the false confession. I think Shaw's realization that what he wants to do versus what the system demands he do are different and if not outright contradictory. Yes, the criminal justice system is outright racist. No, an individual cannot sway the institution unless a lot of factors go their way, and a Manhatten Homicide Detective ain't that. If this was an actual season finale, I'd wonder if Mehcad Brooks was only sticking around for one season (truly hope not, I really like Shaw).
Also, good on the writers for not having a pure romantic angle between Booker and the corrections officer. Even though that does actually happen (see the Kay Beeman story from way back in the day). I also do like the fact that everyone was, rightfully, hostile to the cops.
The capture. Okay, was I was watching Law & Order or Miami Vice there? Honestly, the best scene of the show, though, was when Frank was holding Booker's gun away from him. That was a nice level of seriousness and intensity. HOWEVER, I did not understand Shaw's logic on him being the one to talk to Booker. My dude, you're the one who got him to confess. You elicited a false confession. You'd be the LAST person I'd want to talk to. This is a writing issue, not necessarily Shaw. I don't care that Shaw "knew" Troy Booker. What Shaw did, while having the best of intent, was wrong and I truly believe Troy Booker should have demanded to speak to someone else or they should have waited for the Hostage Negotiator.
As for Price & Maroun. There's a couple of good things and a couple of contradictory things here where they need more lawyers on staff to help write or help check the scripts. First, I find it odd that a former defense attorney wouldn't take five damn minutes to talk to the suspects mother over the course of 18 months. I don't know the nature of the messages, but if she's claiming there's real evidence that he didn't do it, even if it is a mother trying to save her son... I feel like the old defense lawyer in him should have made an attempt to follow up.
/End Part 1
/start Part 2
The exculpatory evidence. It took 18 months for someone get the video out there? In the year 2022. In New York City. No one posted it online? No cameras were there? The cops didn't hard enough. There's suspending disbelief and then there's this.
The good: McCoy versus Price. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WANTING SINCE PRICE WAS INTRODUCED. Discussions like this where the defense attorney brings up the moral argument and how the system fails. To being that "different perspective" that was mentioned in the revival premiere. I wish it was a minute or two longer. There was a comment on the subreddit about how McCoy went all rightwing and I'm like, "have you all watched McCoy?" Guy went after literally anyone who broke the law. Yes, sometimes he'd want actual justice but he never ever let anyone off of committing an actual crime even if there was a good reason for it. He might have gone for a lesser charge OR, if I am remembering correctly, a mental hospital (I want to say this was a season 7 or 8 episode that had Robert Vaughn as a guest star and the perpetrator was a mentally ill family member - grandson?).
The bad: I realize the defense attorney was relatively in-experienced. For such a high profile case at this point, you'd think they'd get a more experienced lawyer pro-bono for all the coverage and issues this brought up. As a result, we have found a lawyer worse than Price. Also, again, it took a last minute realization that they needed to investigate the claim that Booker's life was in danger if he stayed at Rikers? Come on...
Overall, a cromulent episode. It didn't leave me raging made like some episodes have this season.
I can't add much to the previous comments - all valid. I'm liking both Cosgrove and Shaw, individually and as a pair. Shaw had the interesting story line here and I felt Mehcad played the part wonderfully. And Jack is the Jack McCoy that I love to see. I'm still trying to figure out Price, he doesn't have the backbone that I would expect from a prosecutor at that level.
Seriously no way all 12 people would have voted to convict. It would have been a hung jury at best. Also the defense lawyer was terrible. She didn't point out that the guard shot himself. She didn't question the honesty of the warden. A real defense attorney would have brought up how often the cameras are down in prisons. She also didn't call the doctors of CO to point out it may have been negligence on their part.
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