As some may have gathered already, 'Law and Order' is a show that has often been of very high quality to me and have always admired its exploring of heavy and sometimes controversial themes and complex moral dilemmas. Some may disagree but, and the same goes for 'Criminal Intent' and 'Special Victims Unit', the earlier seasons for me are better than the later ones, maybe not quite as taut or as refined but did prefer the writing and acting in the earlier years and nobody annoyed me.
Season 2 started off very well, if understandably a bit unsettled. It did very quickly get a lot better, with a few very powerful episodes and all the previous episodes before "Renunciation" (though some were better than others) are well worth watching. Season 2's ninth episode, of twenty one, "Renunciation" is the third solidly executed if slightly disappointing episode in a row. As indicated, definitely not a bad episode but not a great one like it could have been, with the second half being better than the first.
"Renunciation" has more good than it has bad, most 'Law and Order's' episodes were like that. It is slickly made as usual and the production values generally improved with each season. The music is not over-bearing or over-used. It is an intelligently and tightly written episode, more the second half than the first half though. Much of the story compels, where one does root for the case being solved and how the trial turns out. All the acting is fine, Michael Moriarty dominating the second half with such authority and shares great chemistry with Richard Brooks.
'Law and Order' was very strong when it came to exploring heavy themes and having complex moral dilemmas, which we do get here in "Renunciation" and explored further and with more tact than in the previous two episodes. The character interaction is handled very well, Carreta and Logan continue to gel and Stone is such a juicy character. The supporting characters are not particularly innovative and can be seen in most similar dramas but they still intrigue and are well written and played. One is glued to the screen and connected enough to care for what happens next and how the case is resolved and brought to trial.
The early portions though are a bit ordinary, the investigative/procedural elements not being as taut or as tense as everything with bringing the responsible to justice and a bit on the dull and bland side.
While enough of the story compels, it is something with tropes that one has seen frequently in similar shows or shows in the same genre and with not an awful lot of freshness or surprises.
In summary, good if not great. Pretty ordinary first half but the second half really redeems the episode. 7/10
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