Law & Order (TV Series) The Brotherhood (2004) User Reviews

Brotherhood's more than a gang, it's a virus. Inside the prisons and out.

[Mrpalli77 · 7/10 · 11 December 2017]

A girl was about to give birth on a dark alley when her boyfriend noticed a man died on a staircase. The victim was a piece of work who spent more time inside the jail than outside. He was a member of the Aryan brotherhood and when he was not behind bars he lived with his troubled sister. Detectives realized he had an argument with his former girlfriend at a pizza parlor because she left him; anyway her new fiancée (Marco Verna) was too scared of the criminal and he had a poker alibi that night. Later on, detectives found out the victim used to threaten a correction officer; the poor C.O. became the target of all the brotherhood gang, by receiving menace letters and anonymous calls; they even managed to set his son up in a drug bust. After the murder weapon had been found (a kind of gun stolen months before at the prison), the officer was locked up. Anyway it's hard to deal with this kind of gang (they threatened even the judge's life) and the verdict is not an easy one.

Writers want to show us that sometimes a criminal association can put all the criminal justice system at stake, when it becomes too strong at the point to subdue policemen and lawyers to its own will. That's what usually happened at trials against "Cosa Nostra" members.

Correctors need to Corrected too

[madisuncle · 8/10 · 17 March 2008]

I think this show was excellent. The only thing I disagree with was the ending. A Correction Officer chooses his or her career. I served time in a NY prison myself. I bumped sleeves with every major gang. This didn't phase me in the least. If a small country white boy can get along with them all I'm sure that a CO can. If they learned to keep their mouth shut and pick their fights their lives would flow along easier. I knew CO's that were behind the "badge" for years and quickly learned this. Then there were those that thought the badge was a shield that created an impermeable defense system. The ones carrying that magically invisible shield are the ones tampered with all the more. You ask me every man is responsible for his actions. The Bible says "an eye for an eye." It doesn't say an eye for an equally moral eye.

An eye for an eye

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 25 July 2022]

While the premise on paper is not an innovative one, it was a great one (one of the best and most promising of Season 15) and when done right it is tense and chilling. When not done right, it is heavy handed, one sided and goes too far on the uncomfortably bigoted levels. Was not that bowled over by the previous two Season 15 episodes and Briscoe's replacement Fontana did not sell it really in those episodes. Absolutely love the show, which is brilliant at its best, so rewatched "Brotherhood" and the whole season anyway and willingly.

Am glad about doing so, as "Brotherhood" is a vast improvement over the previous two episodes and among the better episodes of the first half of Season 15. It is also an episode that does a great job with its subject, which was much more difficult than the subjects of the previous two episodes, and is closer to the tense and chilling side of the way it's executed than the preachy and one sided way it could have easily been. "Brotherhood" is far from being one of the best 'Law and Order' episodes but is proof that despite being well past prime that 'Law and Order' hadn't completely lost it.

"Brotherhood" isn't perfect. Its biggest problem being the anti-climactic and rushed ending that cried out for a second part.

Elisabeth Rohm seldom did anything for me as Southerlyn, likewise with the character herself, with a small handful of exceptions, and she doesn't here. There is just absolutely nothing to her and she never looks comfortable.

The rest of the performances are absolutely fine, Sam Waterston and Jesse L Martin faring best. Dennis Farina starts to bring out the grit and snap that was missing in his previous two episodes, though Fontana has a long way to go, and while his chemistry with Martin doesn't scintillate it's more connected than before. The supporting cast are even better, particularly a terrifying Chance Kelly. Gary Basaraba successfully makes his character interesting and rootable.

Lots of suspense can be seen in the second half, and quite a lot of the reason is because of how chilling the group is. The script is taut and thought provoking with uncompromising edge, a lot of what is said by the supporting characters really shocks and it is scary that there are actually people that speak and think like that but this is a case of it being about their way of thinking rather than the writers thinking and agreeing with it.

Furthermore, the episode is slick-looking and visually doesn't try to do anything too fancy or indulgent while also not being too safe. The music is not too dramatic and to me doesn't over-emphasise. The treatment of the subject is scary but also tactful enough.

In conclusion, very good. 8/10.

Great episode

[dwood-74794 · 10/10 · 28 August 2021]

Makes me wish they had a second episode dedicated with the ending!

Reality isn't black and white...thank goodness for jurors

[labenji-12163 · 10/10 · 12 December 2020]

I believe in law and order; however, I know that the law and justice are imperfect, and there may be those rare occasions when one feels compelled to take the law into their own hands. The Brotherhood's leader was a scary person.

If I were on that jury, I would have stood firm on a not guilty verdict--there is evil that cannot be controlled or confined by man's law--4 life sentences - what the heck can the law do to this man but kill him?! Oh yeah, we no longer have the death penalty.

Truly scary people

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 14 December 2014]

Some truly scary people are the real villains in this Law And Order episode and one of them is found shot execution style in the East Village.

The victim is a newly released prisoner from Sing Sing who was a member of the Aryan brotherhood. The gangs are well organized there, the Latin Kings, the black gangs and this white supremacist crowd. This particular individual is having it out with correction officer Gary Basaraba and the gang may have framed Basaraba's son on a drug rap. He's got plenty of reason to do what he did.

But murder is murder and Sam Waterston has to prosecute. The scariest one of all is the Aryan Brotherhood leader in Sing Sing Chance Kelly.

In the end the Aryan Brotherhood isn't finished with Basaraba.

Finally a little realism

[djray65 · 7/10 · 11 January 2008]

I have enjoyed Law & Order for many years. I like the stories because they don't dwell on sub-plots. I don't care about inter office romance, or which back stabbing doctor is jockeying for head position, I just want a good trial mystery. My only contention with L&O in the last few years is during the trials it can get a little preachy. Every so often a case comes along where some one take the law in to there own hands. While for the most part I think this is wrong, some times life does not fit into a neat little box. Rules and laws need to be bent. In this episode we have a prison guard on trial for killing a gang member that has threaten his family when he gets out of jail. In far too many episodes I feel Justus is not served. In this case the trial ends in a hung jury and the guard gets off, only to have his wife kidnapped at the very end. Life is not like a TV show. I always laugh when people get a restraining order. That is a piece of paper not a shield of armor. If some crazy person is hell bent on hurting you that paper will not save you. The guard did the right thing to try and protect his family. I hope this episode makes people think. The law is there to serve and protect us, but some times it falls short.

Justification for Murder

[refinedsugar · 5/10 · 29 April 2024]

L&O was often a commentary on real life events, people, topics in their wheelhouse. When it was carried out effectively the results really stood out and when it wasn't they had the habit of missing by a mile. 'The Brotherhood' is one of the latter. Supposed to be a powerful piece on prison gangs and their scary reach, but the delivery is botched leaving one to feel any sweeping message they were going for is lost. You can piece together the intent, but the end result is weak.

An ex-con recently released from prison is found with a bullet in his brain and after a few conversations, Det. Fontana (Farina) & Green (Martin) learn he had history with corrections guard John Worley (Gary Basaraba). Evidence supports the theory that he killed him because of a beef with 'The Brotherhood' gang who was using their reach to harass him & his family on the outside. At trial his defense is one of fear that the man was going to do something leaving McCoy (Waterston) & Southerlyn (Rohm) to note there was no immediate threat and what he did amounts to premediated murder.

You get a bunch of faces to fill out roles. Daniel von Bargen is head of the prison guards, Candice Bergen the judge overseeing the trial and Giancarlo Esposito as the defense attorney. However none of them are memorable. The episode goes down in predictable fashion showing how awful the gang is. The head boogeyman for a leader with threats, threats and more veiled threats. You're supposed to sympathize with Worley and what he did because of some scary sentiment. A reveal in literally the last 30 seconds doubles down on this viewer manipulation as to say "look he was right all along". I went into 'The Brotherhood' hoping for a standout episode and was highly disappointed here.