It seems to be a theme with season 5: many of the episodes are riffing on or tackling subject matter from seasons 1-4. I'm not knocking that - there's only so many ways someone can get murdered, after all. Here, the hot topic is abortion and "pro-life" terrorists, a la season 1's excellent "Life Choice."
This one is filled with great performances. James Rebhorn, who I knew as Carrie Mathison's dad on "Homeland," is awesome as the defense attorney; he's one of those actors who just has a powerful screen presence, even before he opens his mouth to speak. Thomas Schall does a lot of great nonverbal work as a religious zealot with a history of violence, and Ted Kazanoff is also forceful as the trial judge.
And then there's Edward Herrmann (probably most famous for his work on "Gilmore Girls") as a defrocked priest-turned anti-abortion activist. He goes head-to-head with Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy in some absolutely awesome, emotion-packed scenes; both actors are really giving it their all here. Some of the trial scenes feel like a movie - they're that good!
Look out for ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) actually doing some cross-examination in this one; rarely is she ever shown standing up and speaking during trial (the last occurrence I can recall is a brief scene in episode 3 of this season, "Blue Bamboo"). And everyone's favorite smart aleck forensic examiner Elizabeth Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) takes the stand for a tense face off with Rebhorn; his wily rhetorical strategies are no match for her intellect!
This is the first episode of season 5 that felt, to me, like Sam Waterston was really coming into his own and staking his claim on the L&O series with the Jack McCoy character - kind of a "I'm here, and I'm here to stay" vibe.
I liked this one a lot.
This one is filled with great performances. James Rebhorn, who I knew as Carrie Mathison's dad on "Homeland," is awesome as the defense attorney; he's one of those actors who just has a powerful screen presence, even before he opens his mouth to speak. Thomas Schall does a lot of great nonverbal work as a religious zealot with a history of violence, and Ted Kazanoff is also forceful as the trial judge.
And then there's Edward Herrmann (probably most famous for his work on "Gilmore Girls") as a defrocked priest-turned anti-abortion activist. He goes head-to-head with Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy in some absolutely awesome, emotion-packed scenes; both actors are really giving it their all here. Some of the trial scenes feel like a movie - they're that good!
Look out for ADA Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) actually doing some cross-examination in this one; rarely is she ever shown standing up and speaking during trial (the last occurrence I can recall is a brief scene in episode 3 of this season, "Blue Bamboo"). And everyone's favorite smart aleck forensic examiner Elizabeth Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) takes the stand for a tense face off with Rebhorn; his wily rhetorical strategies are no match for her intellect!
This is the first episode of season 5 that felt, to me, like Sam Waterston was really coming into his own and staking his claim on the L&O series with the Jack McCoy character - kind of a "I'm here, and I'm here to stay" vibe.
I liked this one a lot.