Anything related to music immediately grabs my attention, being a musician myself. It has been proven many times on detective shows and legal dramas that death/murder and music are a good combination, not just all three shows in the 'Law and Order' franchise but also the likes of 'Murder She Wrote', 'Midsomer Murders', 'Endeavour' (well actually all the 'Inspector Morse' franchise), 'Monk' etc. Despite being a familiar setting, it is a timeless one and the story did seem interesting.
"Bling" was a good episode on first viewing and a couple of rewatches later it still is. It is not one of the best episodes of Season 17, not like "Deadlock", but it is an improvement on the disappointing previous episode "Good Faith" (an example of botching a pretty good idea). It is not a perfect instalment by all means, none of the previous Season 12 episodes are and the same goes with the season overall, but it does succeed a lot more than it fails.
Still don't like bland Cassady or every bit as bland Milena Govich playing her, the personality just isn't there and the season never really fleshed Cassady out. They would have done so if she lasted more than one season but she didn't click enough in order to last longer.
The episode does start on the routine side and then feels a little rushed in the final quarter.
On the other hand, the good things are many. It is as ever shot with the right amount of intimacy without feeling too up close, even with a reliance of close up camerawork. That the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time is great too. The music isn't over-scored, manipulative or used too much. There is intimacy and tautness in the direction. The rest of the regulars are all fine, particularly Sam Waterston who dominates the legal scenes with great authority.
Furthermore, the script is intelligent and lean with no signs of fat. It also has intensity, emotional impact and even the odd sprinkle of humour with Briscoe's one liners. The debating intrigues and provokes thought. The story on the whole is securely paced and has some nice edge and grit. The legal scenes are riveting and have tension, where it was easy to care for what the verdict would be. The music setting is made good use of, although it is a style of music that is not my cup of tea.
In summary, not great but good. 7/10.
"Bling" was a good episode on first viewing and a couple of rewatches later it still is. It is not one of the best episodes of Season 17, not like "Deadlock", but it is an improvement on the disappointing previous episode "Good Faith" (an example of botching a pretty good idea). It is not a perfect instalment by all means, none of the previous Season 12 episodes are and the same goes with the season overall, but it does succeed a lot more than it fails.
Still don't like bland Cassady or every bit as bland Milena Govich playing her, the personality just isn't there and the season never really fleshed Cassady out. They would have done so if she lasted more than one season but she didn't click enough in order to last longer.
The episode does start on the routine side and then feels a little rushed in the final quarter.
On the other hand, the good things are many. It is as ever shot with the right amount of intimacy without feeling too up close, even with a reliance of close up camerawork. That the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time is great too. The music isn't over-scored, manipulative or used too much. There is intimacy and tautness in the direction. The rest of the regulars are all fine, particularly Sam Waterston who dominates the legal scenes with great authority.
Furthermore, the script is intelligent and lean with no signs of fat. It also has intensity, emotional impact and even the odd sprinkle of humour with Briscoe's one liners. The debating intrigues and provokes thought. The story on the whole is securely paced and has some nice edge and grit. The legal scenes are riveting and have tension, where it was easy to care for what the verdict would be. The music setting is made good use of, although it is a style of music that is not my cup of tea.
In summary, not great but good. 7/10.
