Bodies

When the body of a seventeen-year-old teenager is found in an alley, Detective Lennie Briscoe and his partner Jesse Detective Ed Green are assigned to investigate the case and soon they capture the psychopath Mark Bruner. Jack McCoy and Serena Southerlyn are assigned to prosecute the killer and soon they learn that his public defender is feeling uncomfortable with Mark and refuses the case. Defense attorney Tim Schwimmer accepts the case that will be his first one. Soon McCoy and Serena learn that Schwimmer knows where the corpses of fifteen of his victims are and they ask Schwimmer to disclose the information to give peace to the relatives and friends of the victims. But he refuses claiming attorney-client privilege and the D. A. Arthur Branch decides to prosecute Schwimmer.

"Bodies" is an excellent episode of "Law & Order", where the justice system is questioned and prevails. The plot is amazing and thought provoking in a world where ethics are frequently forgotten. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Bodies"

What an utterly creepy and scary performance.

He was so convincing and evil in his part it was impossible to turn away, but also impossible to be creeped out. Bravo.

L&O was the best drama series ever. And "Bodies" is arguably the best episode. There are two part of this story beyond the L&O format: Ritchie Coster and the rest.

Coster needs no costume, no props, just himself with a grubby two-day beard. In his shuttered, sordid abode, Coster's Bruner is truly the Prince of Darkness. The rapes, tortures and murders, as sensational as they are, seem almost incidental to the pure evil radiating from Bruner. When we first see him, he sits in his chair enthroned, the devil in his domain. Hospitably he ask of Biscoe and Greene, "Anyone want some cheese?" He brings out a clump of cheese in one hand and a long pairing knife with the other, the cops draw their pieces: "Drop the knife!" and Bruner replies, "Gouda?"

He's no less frightful at the station. He scares off his first attorney by pure creepiness, then, on Rikers, he startles with his mocking laughter and outbursts. Finally, as McCoy and Serena turn to leave, Bruner says, like a cobra to a rabbit, "You can't take your eyes off me." His head turns to face them square-on: "I'm everything your aren't; I'm the un-you."

The camera lets Brunner's face fill the screen. This is not just the face of a murderer but of murder itself. He's could be talking to his victims! Ritchie Coster does this with his face (he even has the devil's hairline!), his voice, his indifference for his victims, their loved ones, the police, prosecutors and the system. He achieves all this with only about ten minutes screen time, yet we'll never forget. I agree with another reviewer: this certainly deserves an Emmy!

Then, there's the rest, one of those moral conundrums that make L&O worth watching. We all know attorney-client privilege. We all understand why its needed. But that's not satisfying in Bruner's case, where there are compelling reasons to dispense with this particular privilege. One reviewer here, appropriately calling himself Garbage, goes off on an inane tangent, wrongly making the lawyer's trial about making the trial about privilege, when the trial was actually about the lawyer's unlocking the space to see the bodies, then locking it back up, thus, "facilitating," making the lawyer an accessory after the fact. That's a fault with the story, because as we all know, that issue was hardly touched on at trial, but rather the "privilege" question. The crime he was actually being tried for could and should have bee thrown out. But, as they cynically say, all it took was "one crying mother" on the stand.

But back to Coster. He's in an unenviable situation. He's a fine actor in other roles, but for those who know this one, any heavy he plays will always be measured against this one, the benchmark, the best ever by anyone.

"Bodies" is the season premiere of Season 14, which happened to be the final season for the iconic character of Lennie Briscoe (one of the longest serving characters of the franchise for good reason). A character that was much missed after his departure and 'Law and Order' didn't feel the same without him. On first watch, "Bodies" struck me as a very memorable episode for its suspense, the scariness of the ethical issues tackled and primarily the performance of Ritchie Coster.

The premise was a great one that had real potential to be good. "Bodies" turned out to be more than good. It was absolutely fantastic, one of the best episodes of Season 14 and one of the best in a while for the original 'Law and Order'. What a way to start the season. What stood out on first viewing stand out still now and even more so, but there is certainly more than just them to appreciate. Everything comes together wonderfully with no exceptions.

Production values are fine, have always liked the photography's intimacy and grit and the look of the show has come on a good deal over-time (and it was good to begin with). The music doesn't intrude and has a haunting quality, have not always remembered to say that the theme tune is easy to remember and holds up.

Script is full of tension, intelligence and tautness. Many of the lines given to Coster are truly chilling and the character interactions between the characters are some of the best and most riveting in a while. The story is neither too easy or hard to follow and especially shines in the truly scary legal ethics, that are intriguing and hard hitting. While the first half is very intriguing and absorbs, the second half is even better.

While all the regulars are excellent, especially Sam Waterston (and even Elisabeth Rohm is not a problem here, she conveys Southerlyn's distaste and fear effectively), "Bodies" belongs to spine chilling Coster. Who plays a strong contender for the most amoral supporting character of the original 'Law and Order' since Zeljko Ivanek's Swann in Season 4's "American Dream". When even the not usually easily flinched characters are intimidated by him you know that's the sign of an amoral character.

In short, fantastic. 10/10.

Ritchie Coster is a very underrated actor. He seems to have found his niche in being a serious criminal. In this case, he is so scary it is hard to watch at times. O very sinister and pure evil. Even Hannibal Lecter wasn't this bad. It's in Ritchie's eyes and his facial expressions. He doesn't have to say much, his face says it all. His first attorney in this episode is terrified of him, and as you watch the character develop, you understand exactly why. Coster should have received an Emmy for this performance. He was outstanding and makes everyone else look like amateurs. L & O was a good series with some great episodes. This one is probably one of the best ever because of Coster's portrayal. WOW!