Furilo (Daniel J. Travanti, splendid as ever) finds himself caught in a fierce public maelstrom after two men rape a nun during a robbery at a church. Meanwhile, Belker (essayed with trademark growly gusto by Bruce Weitz) goes to bat for gay prostitute Eddie (a touching performance by Charles Levin) and Calletino (a fine Rene Enriquez) frets over a tax audit. Director Gregory Hoblit, working from a strong and riveting script by David Milch, builds plenty of sweaty tension -- the story occurs during a heat wave -- and maintains a quick pace throughout; the central plot about the nun proves to be quite potent and gripping, with the chaos created by the incident especially well captured. Hunter (a delightfully droll James Sikking) has a funny scene with Furillo in the men's room and Esterhaus (a marvelously vibrant Michael Conrad) delivers a hilarious roll call spiel about the unnecessary use of excessive profanity. Moreover, there are stand-out guest turns by George Wyner as shrewd D.A. Bernstein, Allan Rich as the no-nonsense Judge Schiller, Maurice Sneed as despicable hoodlum Gerald, and Silvana Gallardo as the distraught Mrs. Rodriguez. Best of all, this episode doesn't pull any harsh dramatic punches with Furillo being forced into a real moral tight spot that finds him bending the law out of brutal necessity in order to see that justice gets served in a swift and satisfying way.
3 Reviews
I'm Sorry Joyce; What Was He Supposed to Do?
Hitchcoc13 July 2021
Frank is at the center of this offering. A nun has been raped and mutilated and a few artifacts have been taken from the church. There is little if any doubt the guys who did it are in custody. The city people are in an ugly mood and these guys are in danger. The problem is they won't confess, naturally. But if a capital case can't be made, they can only be charged with theft. I know this is 1982, but some of Sarge's homophobic comments were a bit hard to take. When Belker questions a gay prostitute who is kind and caring, especially about Belker's "senile" father, we see how Mick can show compassion. He is the most frightening and yet the kindest guy on the force. Howard again makes an ass of himself with his gestapo talk. I think Joyce's assault on Furillo should be witnessed by those who love the victim. Great start.
A superb third season opener.
Hey_Sweden8 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This excellent debut episode of the third season sees J. D. back in action and once again partnered with Neal. Ray is worried about an upcoming tax audit since he had made some income that he didn't report. Belker takes an interest in the welfare of a gay male prostitute named Eddie Gregg (Charles Levin, "Honeysuckle Rose"). Andy and Bobby must deal with a cuckolded husband whose wifes' lover has gotten his head stuck between the toilet bowl and bathtub during his attempted escape. But the main through line is far and away the most powerful material: a nun was raped and brutalized, and an angry mob calls for the heads of the two perpetrators. After a conversation with Howard, Frank realizes that he can put this to his advantage.
'Trial by Fury' is a fantastic showcase for series star Daniel J. Travanti. While at first he is satisfied with his method of handling the assault case, he has a conversation with Joyce that forces him to re-examine his actions. This leads to a quietly effective resolution to the episode. This obliges the viewer to think about how they might have handled the situation were they in Franks' position. Personally, this viewer doesn't blame him, even if he admits that he may have "bent the binding" if not outright disregarded going against the book. The relationship between Belker and Eddie (who became a recurring character in five subsequent episodes) is well-written, with guest star Levin and Bruce Weitz establishing a good rapport. (When Eddie says that he's through degrading himself, it actually leads to a fairly amusing comic capper on the subplot.) It *is* very nice seeing J. D. back in action and presumably on the wagon, even if he doesn't get much to do here.
Director Gregory Hoblit, working from a smart script by David Milch (who went on to create such series as 'NYPD Blue' and 'Deadwood'), does an exceptional job of orchestrating all of the chaos in 'Trial by Fury'. Not a single moment is wasted.
Also guest starring such recurring favorites as Allan Rich & George Wyner, as well as Silvana Gallardo ("Death Wish II"), Alex Colon ("Invasion U. S. A."), and Paul Willson ("Office Space").
Nine out of 10.
'Trial by Fury' is a fantastic showcase for series star Daniel J. Travanti. While at first he is satisfied with his method of handling the assault case, he has a conversation with Joyce that forces him to re-examine his actions. This leads to a quietly effective resolution to the episode. This obliges the viewer to think about how they might have handled the situation were they in Franks' position. Personally, this viewer doesn't blame him, even if he admits that he may have "bent the binding" if not outright disregarded going against the book. The relationship between Belker and Eddie (who became a recurring character in five subsequent episodes) is well-written, with guest star Levin and Bruce Weitz establishing a good rapport. (When Eddie says that he's through degrading himself, it actually leads to a fairly amusing comic capper on the subplot.) It *is* very nice seeing J. D. back in action and presumably on the wagon, even if he doesn't get much to do here.
Director Gregory Hoblit, working from a smart script by David Milch (who went on to create such series as 'NYPD Blue' and 'Deadwood'), does an exceptional job of orchestrating all of the chaos in 'Trial by Fury'. Not a single moment is wasted.
Also guest starring such recurring favorites as Allan Rich & George Wyner, as well as Silvana Gallardo ("Death Wish II"), Alex Colon ("Invasion U. S. A."), and Paul Willson ("Office Space").
Nine out of 10.
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