"Bogeyman" is the first episode to have Lupo and Bernard (introduced in the previous outing "Burn Card" but as part of another squad) paired together. It did take time for me to get used to their pairing, which for a while was one of the blander police pairings of the original 'Law and Order' and was never iconic. It was hardly non existent though and it did get better, once there was a little less of the one character being more interesting than the other vibe.
For a first episode of theirs, "Bogeyman" shows that there was a long way to go and it is not a success yet. As an episode overall it's not bad at all, made better by the legal portions, but it also could have been a lot better and there was a bland and (understandably) unsettled feel at times. A bit of a letdown after the brilliant "Burn Card", one of the weaker episodes of Season 18 and closer to the uneven quality of the first six outings of the season rather than the vast improvement seen with "Quit Claim" onwards. Again, it's above average with quite a lot to like, just a bit lacking.
Am going to start with the good. It's slickly shot and tightly edited with no drabness or garishness in sight, even with the gritty tone. The music is not too melodramatic and is thankfully not constant. The direction is not consistent but is strong and has the right amount of momentum and sympathy in the legal portion. Which have come on a long way since the start of the season, and the legal scenes here are not the dull and over predictable ones seen pre-"Quit Claim".
The second half is much better than the first, not amazing or mind blowing but Cutter commands the courtroom every bit as much as McCoy and Linus Roache is getting better and better with each appearance. The acting is very good from lead and supporting, the only debit being Jeremy Sisto whose acting seemed on the fatigued side.
Lupo was on the bland side, he worked really well with Green as a co lead but in the main lead role as Green's replacement the position needed a lot more of the gritty edge that Green had and Lupo doesn't yet. Anthony Anderson is a good deal more animated as the more interesting character of the two, you wouldn't be blamed if you thought that he was Green's replacement. The chemistry between them doesn't gel enough here and comes over as too much of a disconnect.
While liking the second half, the first is rather routine and predictable and the whole could have done with more tension and surprises.
Concluding, not bad but also not great. 6/10.
For a first episode of theirs, "Bogeyman" shows that there was a long way to go and it is not a success yet. As an episode overall it's not bad at all, made better by the legal portions, but it also could have been a lot better and there was a bland and (understandably) unsettled feel at times. A bit of a letdown after the brilliant "Burn Card", one of the weaker episodes of Season 18 and closer to the uneven quality of the first six outings of the season rather than the vast improvement seen with "Quit Claim" onwards. Again, it's above average with quite a lot to like, just a bit lacking.
Am going to start with the good. It's slickly shot and tightly edited with no drabness or garishness in sight, even with the gritty tone. The music is not too melodramatic and is thankfully not constant. The direction is not consistent but is strong and has the right amount of momentum and sympathy in the legal portion. Which have come on a long way since the start of the season, and the legal scenes here are not the dull and over predictable ones seen pre-"Quit Claim".
The second half is much better than the first, not amazing or mind blowing but Cutter commands the courtroom every bit as much as McCoy and Linus Roache is getting better and better with each appearance. The acting is very good from lead and supporting, the only debit being Jeremy Sisto whose acting seemed on the fatigued side.
Lupo was on the bland side, he worked really well with Green as a co lead but in the main lead role as Green's replacement the position needed a lot more of the gritty edge that Green had and Lupo doesn't yet. Anthony Anderson is a good deal more animated as the more interesting character of the two, you wouldn't be blamed if you thought that he was Green's replacement. The chemistry between them doesn't gel enough here and comes over as too much of a disconnect.
While liking the second half, the first is rather routine and predictable and the whole could have done with more tension and surprises.
Concluding, not bad but also not great. 6/10.
