Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) Blink (2003) User Reviews

A Fearless, Gambling Psychopath

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 31 December 2006]

A math wizard-nerd's brain is being used by someone who promises he'll have a sex life, too, if he continues to help them solve how to beat the house in blackjack with some "system."

Working in pairs and having several math wizards from the local college into this gambling thing, proves fatal when one of them, "Penny Chai" is chased down and killed by the thugs in the private club.....or so it looked.

The leader of the group trying to obtain riches through cheating in gambling is so bold, so unafraid, that he actually walks into the police room at looks at material off Goren and Eames' desks during the lunch hour, trying to find out what the cops know about the killers and the gambling kids. That's when Goren knows he's up against someone who is totally fearless and a psychopath.

Goren and Eames discover the scam artists are up to much more, however, than "counting cards." The big payoff is rigging up a program to beat the horse races, fixing a race and then cashing in a longshot, but not being detected. It also about having an inside guy change the bets before they become officials. It's a little confusing, but it's all illegal.

The main focus is simply about this one guy "Ken Harris" (Ian Kahn) who is crazy, which is not an unusual theme in this successful television. Usually the last eight minutes of each show are devoted to Goren breaking down the suspect but this one covered 12-13 minutes. It was a fascinating ending.

Fear just wasn't built into his makeup

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 20 December 2016]

If you remember both in Murder My Sweet and Farewell My Lovely both Philip Marlowe and Moose Malloy are ambushed and as the Marlowe character is ducking for cover behind parked cars, Malloy just goes out and after the ambushers. In both films Marlowe remarks "fear just wasn't built into his makeup."

That's about what Goren and Eames are dealing with in solving the murder of a young graduate math student Olivia Swan. She's part of a group of kids who are developing sophisticated gambling systems in order to win big money. The group is headed by Ian Kahn and like Moose Malloy fear just isn't part of him.

Which makes him a particularly dangerous foe and someone it will be a real challenge to break down and confess. Kahn performs one particularly brazen act and gets away with it, but it also lets Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe know exactly what they're dealing with.

Kahn is mesmerizing character and it's worth watching to see Goren and Eames go up against one of their most dangerous opponents.

Death without fear

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 30 April 2020]

All the previous episodes of the high-standard Season 2 range from pretty good to outstanding, with a few episodes faring better on re-watches after being unsure about them on first watch. So it's hard not to expect much from "Blink", especially with such a fascinating premise and a villain that sounded like an opponent worthy of Goren. Thought on first watch that "Blink" was a very good episode, though it was not always easy to follow on first watch.

On re-watches, to me "Blink" strikes me as great, one of the best later episodes of the second season and another one to be better with each viewing. The story is easier to digest, though still a touch over-complicated in spots from perhaps a couple too many twists, in comparison to first watch. The villain makes even more of an impression than before when one appreciates more what makes them so memorable. The ending is one of the season's best. And it's more atmosphere.

"Blink" occasionally could have had more clarity, but on the whole it is very cleverly plotted and suspenseful, thanks to that the perpetrator is one of not many to fit the distinction of "Goren meets his match" ("Anti-Thesis" is another prime example of this). A very dangerous adversary indeed and chillingly so. Nothing is obvious, even the way the episode ends which was actually one of the early seasons' most shocking ones in my view, and the twists keep coming and taking one in directions that they don't expect.

Really loved the ending, it actually takes its time to unfold without being drawn out without trying to cram everything in in 5-8 minutes. It is tense stuff and one doesn't even expect how the truth comes out, a pretty genius method. The dialogue is lean and thought-provoking with some nice banter between Goren and Eames, edge of the seat suspense and Goren's description and summing up of the perpetrator couldn't have been more apt or perfectly summed up.

Have no problems with the acting, leads and guest supporting turns. All terrific, with Vincent D'Onofrio continuing to be a delight as Goren. Ian Kahn plays a fascinating character pretty mesmerisingly, this is how to portray psychotic in a frightening manner without being over-the-top.

Production values are slick as usual and the placement and tone of music is always appropriate and not intrusive or melodramatic. The direction keeps the suspense going and doesn't let it go.

In a nutshell, great. 9/10

Goren, the ultimate psychoanalyst

[Berlinerin2020 · 10/10 · 17 January 2021]

Without giving away the ending, I'll say that this is my favourite Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode due to Goren's spectacular psychoanalytical roping in of the prime suspect, a psychopathological man completely lacking in the fear response and clearly narcissistic as well. It reminds me of the main character in the Grimm's fairy tale "The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear."

Goren is always spectacular, but this particular episode really makes clear how brilliant a detective (and psychoanalyst!) he is. Having trained for 2 years in psychoanalytic theory in Switzerland at the C. G. Jung Institut, I can honestly say that this episode is the crowning glory of Law & Order: CI's psychologically-oriented storytelling. When Goren "goes in for the kill" at the end, he hits all of the marks of a good psychoanalyst who clearly sees the destruction, and yes, evil (otherwise defind as "unconsciousness") created by neurotic complexes in the psyche of Ken Harris.

I was rapt watching Goren close in on Harris and his masterful last words must rate as THE quote of all time on Law & Order: CI. Not to be missed for anyone interested in psychopathology and its devastatingly destructive effects.

Fearless

[pepper_f · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

"Blink" is a pretty great episode in my opinion. The villain is interesting and there are some compelling events that happen in this episode. My only gripe with this is that it's perhaps the plot is a bit complicated and the motive for the murder should've been made a lot clearer in my opinion. There are some good things as well though. The main cast is great (as usual), did like how the villain was portrayed (even if a bit minimally), and the plot was pretty great! I do think, however, that somethings should've been explained more in the resolution.

Overall, Blink is pretty good mainly because of the compelling plot and antagonist. However, some of the events that happen do need a little bit more of an explanation.