"Armed Forces" was one of those 'Law and Order' episodes on first watch that had a number of good things but did feel on the ordinary side and didn't stick in the mind long after. There are episodes of the show and the 'Law and Order' franchise in general that felt like this, but there are many on both counts where that type of episode on first watch fared better on rewatch and were better than remembered seeing it through older eyes.
My generally positive, if not entirely enthusiastic, opinion of "Armed Forces" is pretty much the same and is one of those episodes described above. There is a lot to like about it, but considering the subject there was room for it to have been even better than it turned out. The right amount of emotion is here, but it is a bit lacking in the subtlety department (which is actually not easy to do for this subject when recounting horrific experiences).
Beginning with the not so good, the investigative scenes are a little routine and ordinary with some of it feeling too much like familiar ground. Also did think that it was heavy handed on occasions with everything concerning Vietnam where the writers' stance on the issue is made clear rather than seeing it from all sides.
Elisabeth Rohm is still incredibly wooden and there is no warmth at all to Southerlyn.
However, so much succeeds. Production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic.
The dialogue is smart and always intriguing and on the whole the story is very compelling and wrenches the gut to intense and heart-wrenching effect. The recounting of the horrific events are truly unspeakable. The acting is very good, with Rohm being the one exception.
Concluding, good if not great. 7/10.
My generally positive, if not entirely enthusiastic, opinion of "Armed Forces" is pretty much the same and is one of those episodes described above. There is a lot to like about it, but considering the subject there was room for it to have been even better than it turned out. The right amount of emotion is here, but it is a bit lacking in the subtlety department (which is actually not easy to do for this subject when recounting horrific experiences).
Beginning with the not so good, the investigative scenes are a little routine and ordinary with some of it feeling too much like familiar ground. Also did think that it was heavy handed on occasions with everything concerning Vietnam where the writers' stance on the issue is made clear rather than seeing it from all sides.
Elisabeth Rohm is still incredibly wooden and there is no warmth at all to Southerlyn.
However, so much succeeds. Production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic.
The dialogue is smart and always intriguing and on the whole the story is very compelling and wrenches the gut to intense and heart-wrenching effect. The recounting of the horrific events are truly unspeakable. The acting is very good, with Rohm being the one exception.
Concluding, good if not great. 7/10.