Decided a while back (three years ago) to review all the episodes of the original 'Law and Order', 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent', being someone who really likes all three shows in their prime/early years. Really loved a lot of the early seasons episodes of all three shows, while also finding all three less consistent later on (with the original not feeling the same post-Briscoe and even began to lose consistency in Season 11 and all the seasons after).
"Married with Children" has one of the toughest and most controversial subjects of Season 14 and it is a subject that hits home with me and with anybody who has close friends and relatives in a same sex marriage (like me) or in one themselves. It handles it very well, in a very thought provoking way while also doing it tactfully with no prejudice. As an episode of 'Law and Order' and for anything, "Married with Children" is very good if not quite fantastic.
It is on the slightly routine and not much to write home about side story-wise at the beginning.
Elisabeth Rohm is still rather wooden, though Southerlyn's point of view in this matter is an interesting one and is actually the more relatable argument of the ones presented.
There is a lot that works very well in "Married with Children". The production values are slick and are simple without being simplistic. The music is haunting and not too over-emphasised when used. The direction is sympathetic while having momentum and personality. The script is tight and thoughtful, raising some interesting points about same sex marriage and relationships and how it would affect them in what the characters in question are fighting for.
Furthermore, once the story gets going it is very compelling, thought provoking and also sad. Really did appreciate that it tried to approach the subject tactfully and on the whole realistically and that it didn't try to take sides, acknowledging how hard it would be to prosecute with the issues that would have been needed to overcome to get a result. The acting other than Rohm is very good to terrific, Sam Waterston and Lucinda Jenney particularly.
All in all, very good and nearly great. 8/10.