Criminal Intent “Assassin” A Confusing Plot

The one thing I dreaded about writing this review was the word “assassin.” You see, I lost the title for my school spelling bee when I was in the 5th grade on that word. We had to write out the words on a blackboard rather than recite the spelling, and for a 5th grader, it was hard to write out the word “ass” twice for all to see. Seriously now, I won’t be able to do a full recap on this episode because of some time constraints. So I’ll provide a brief summary and spend a little more time on the review.

It appears that an assassination attempt was made a foreign politician named Bela Khan (Indira Varma). During one attempt, her assistant is killed, and Khan’s bodyguard then kills the apparent assassin. Later, her bodyguard is killed during transport to a hearing, and her bother is killed while Bela is giving a speech. The subsequent probe leads detectives to believe she was behind the attacks, which of course, she was.

I’m not a real fan of “Ripped from the Headlines” and this show managed rip off two, maybe three real life situations. Logan (Chris Noth) only specifically mentioned one of them – the shooting of Bobby Kennedy, who was assassinated in a hotel kitchen after a speech. What Logan failed to acknowledge is that the main character – the apparent target – was based on Benazir Bhutto. I suppose the show didn’t think it could get away with mentioning two real life stories in one episode, and one that was so glaringly obvious. The detectives also make an issue of Bela wearing a pink suit when her brother was shot, so his blood that she got on it would look better on photographs. Jackie Kennedy also wore a bright pink suit the day President Kennedy was assassinated; I doubt that she wore that color suit anticipating that shooting. After mentioning Bobby getting shot, and now this more subtle reference to Jackie’s pink suit, I found these parallels cheap and frankly, offensive.

As with the Mike Logan episodes of late, this episode seemed a little uneven. There were some glimmers of the real Mikey that showed through – his pointed interrogation, the tinge of sarcasm, and the plaid-looking tie. Those hints of the old Logan were great and I think that if the Criminal Intent writers had a better clue of who Mike Logan was when he was with the 27th precinct, they could have made him seem a little more edgy now. Instead, Logan just seems tired. This could be the way the show wants to portray him after his banishment to Staten Island, but for me, well, I would have taken a different approach. Still, he was better presented in this episode than in the previous episode, "Contract."

Detective Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) seemed to be a little in the background at first, but then had a little more to offer to the investigation. What I didn’t like about this episode is that both detectives seem to be a little too low key, and their personalities a little buried. Unlike Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) who seem to have very distinct styles and behaviors, Logan and Wheeler both seem too low key. After all the time that Logan has been at Major Case, and now with Wheeler’s return to Major Case, it seems we still don’t know much about what makes these people tick. Wheeler seems even more of a blank slate than before. One funny comment was when she acknowledge that Logan had become “quite the diplomat” while she was gone. It’s more like someone sucked the life force out of him instead.

And while I didn’t dislike this episode, I found it incredibly hard to follow with all the people involved in the story and the complex chain of events surrounding the shootings. I think I’m glad I didn’t have time to do a full recap because I was having a hard time following all the players. I also didn’t like the preachiness interspersed within the storyline. Sometimes the Law & Order franchise goes a little overboard on the social commentary. If they did it more subtly maybe it would seem more interesting. I did, however, like Indira Varma in her role, she was a perfect fit.

So all in all, this episode was OK, but it does take some work to follow all the players. One still can see a peek at some of the old Mike Logan – get it while you can!







Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Assassin” Episode Preview

Here’s the episode information and previews of Law & Order Criminal Intent “Assassin”, scheduled to air on June 29, 2008 on the USA Network. This episode stars Chris Noth and Julianne Nicholson. The USA promo and two clips from the show are below.

“Assassin” Air Date June 29, 2008
An apparent assassination attempt on a politician from Kashmir is followed by separate shootings of members of her entourage, including her brother. The subsequent probe leads detectives to believe she was behind the attacks.

My recap and review of “Assassin “ can be found here.











Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order Criminal Intent June Episode Information

Goren Shoots His Way Out Of Purgatory?

Here are the episode synopses so far for the June episodes of Law & Order Criminal Intent on USA Network. I wish USA released more information about the episodes like NBC does for Law & Order and SVU. Oh well, I can hope, can’t I?

It looks like we have an interesting month ahead for Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio), Eames (Kathryn Erbe), Logan (Chris Noth) and Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson).

Law and Order Criminal Intent “Purgatory” Air Date June 8, 2008
While Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) awaits a decision on his reinstatement, he tries to prove his worth by going undercover to pursue a big-time drug dealer. Dean Winters guest stars.

My recap and review of “Purgatory” can he found here.

Law and Order Criminal Intent “Contract” Air Date June 15, 2008
A gossip columnist's murder case has a large list of suspects. Jeff Garlin, Illeana Douglas, Mo Rocca and Federico Castelluccio guest star.

My recap and review of “Contract” can be found here.


Law and Order Criminal Intent “Betrayed” Air Date June 22, 2008
A jilted wife becomes a suspect in the disappearance of her husband and his younger lover. Brenda Strong and Eric Roberts guest star.

My recap and review of “ Betrayed“ can be found here.


Law and Order : Criminal Intent “Assassin” Air Date June 29, 2008
An apparent assassination attempt on a politician from Kashmir is followed by separate shootings of members of her entourage, including her brother. The subsequent probe leads detectives to believe she was behind the attacks.

My recap and review of “Assassin “ can be found here.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order Criminal Intent June New Episodes

Some very sketchy information has been released on the upcoming new Law & Order Criminal Intent season premier episode on June 8, called "Purgatory":

While Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) awaits a decision on his reinstatement, he tries to prove his worth by going undercover to pursue a big-time drug dealer.


There are also several additional episodes where only the episode titles and air dates have been released. They are “Contract” (June 15), “Betrayed” (June 22), ‘Assassin” (June 29), and “Ten Count” (date not confirmed). But – that’s all I know about them. Hopefully USA will be more forthcoming with information as the season opener nears.

By the way, Criminal Intent has been renewed for an eighth season. USA has ordered 16 episodes. The series' stars, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Chris Noth, Julianne Nicholson and Eric Bogosian, are set to return next season.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.