Anything race related is covered and depicted a lot, but that is in no way a bad thing. Racism, a major issue for decades, is a very brave and difficult topic, it also is a very important thing to address and explore and today it maybe should be addressed more with it being just as bad. As was what was said about "Progeny" for abortion, a lot of admiration would have been had for even tackling the subject regardless of the execution, it being a subject that has been tackled variably on both film and television.
"Rage" is an example of a courageous, well balanced and brilliantly executed on all fronts episode that hits hard. 'Law and Order' was no stranger to racism and anything race related, it had been done a few times before and continued to be a frequently tackled topic in the whole 'Law and Order' franchise. One of the finest examples being Season 4's outstanding "Profile" from the original 'Law and Order'. "Rage" is as great as that episode, although not quite as powerful it is as smart, insighful and brave and it is one of the best episodes of Season 5.
The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it.
Loved the script here in "Rage", one of the best written scripts of the season. It is very intelligently crafted and has intensity and edge while handling the topic sensitively too, really admired it too for seeing the subject from all angles and sides which is not easy to do for such a divisive and harrowing topic. The story is lean and pulls no punches without getting preachy or overwrought, with edge of the seat tension and raw emotional power. The proposed motive for the crime isn't ridiculous and sparked some interesting and thought-probing debate between me and a family member at the dinner table when talking about equality.
Character writing is spot on with genuinely tense conflict in the chemistry for the legal scenes. As is the acting, with Courtney B Vance showing a different side to him and doing so truly chillingly.
In conclusion, outstanding. 10/10
"Rage" is an example of a courageous, well balanced and brilliantly executed on all fronts episode that hits hard. 'Law and Order' was no stranger to racism and anything race related, it had been done a few times before and continued to be a frequently tackled topic in the whole 'Law and Order' franchise. One of the finest examples being Season 4's outstanding "Profile" from the original 'Law and Order'. "Rage" is as great as that episode, although not quite as powerful it is as smart, insighful and brave and it is one of the best episodes of Season 5.
The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it.
Loved the script here in "Rage", one of the best written scripts of the season. It is very intelligently crafted and has intensity and edge while handling the topic sensitively too, really admired it too for seeing the subject from all angles and sides which is not easy to do for such a divisive and harrowing topic. The story is lean and pulls no punches without getting preachy or overwrought, with edge of the seat tension and raw emotional power. The proposed motive for the crime isn't ridiculous and sparked some interesting and thought-probing debate between me and a family member at the dinner table when talking about equality.
Character writing is spot on with genuinely tense conflict in the chemistry for the legal scenes. As is the acting, with Courtney B Vance showing a different side to him and doing so truly chillingly.
In conclusion, outstanding. 10/10