Law & Order (TV Series) Great Satan (2009) User Reviews

Like an onion...

[fidgette · 7/10 · 13 October 2009]

I found that this episode had several different layers, which really worked for the show. Yes they talk about terrorism again, but isn't it still a hot subject, or are we supposed to just forget all about it because it hasn't happened in America for a few years? Saying they've done terrorism episodes in the past before, is like saying "well they've done episodes about murder before, so they should move on to something else".

Considering they had the one side featuring the Islamic terrorists, and the other featuring a middle eastern kid who was avidly pro America, I'm not sure why the other commenter mentioned propaganda so much, maybe he should look up the meaning of the word.

"You were supposed to be on top of this!" Um, nooooo...

[AlabamaWorley1971 · 8/10 · 18 October 2009]

A great episode with lots of twists and turns. Actor Ben Youcef as Sameer is excellent. But when their case goes pear-shaped after a revelation in court, the cops jump on informant Sameer and tell him, "You were supposed to be on top of this!" Um, NO, guys. Sameer is a 23-year-old kid, and YOU are the cops. And Lupo's supposed to have all this experience from 4 years overseas. Why weren't YOU guys watching the suspect in question more closely? I'm kind of enjoying season 20 so far, but everybody's brains seem to have checked out. Lupo is making REALLY UNSMART decisions, between last week's getting involved with a witness and this week's operation getting away from him. Come on, guys, you're generally smarter than this.

Best line: when the FBI agent is told about Lupo's service overseas, he asks, "What were you doing?" Lupo smiles. "You don't have clearance." (Bernard, Connie, and Cutter grin.)

The intimidation game

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 19 February 2023]

The subject matter immediately is enough to grab the attention. It is a very sensitive and difficult topic to discuss, and if anybody has doubts about whether the execution would be tactful enough without being preachy, one-sided and too heavy that is understandable (those are common traps with this kind of topic and similar). Anybody though that has always admired how 'Law and Order' approached tough subjects and how it did so will be intrigued.

"Great Satan" could easily have been preachy and one sided and have seen episodes and films that tackle similar topics or the same and are exactly those two things. Not the case with "Great Satan", which turned out to be enormously absorbing, complex and full of suspense and for me among the best episodes of the season and certainly of the consistently solid first half of it. Yes, terrorism has been covered quite a lot in the franchise but quite variably, they have covered many topics more than once (racism being very common) but that goes to show how important it is to address what is addressed. This was an important and relevant topic at the time and there should be no limit in how often it's covered.

My only real issue here is that the police don't always come over as very smart, especially blaming Sameer for something that was actually their fault.

Everything else is great. As usual for 'Law and Order' and its spin offs, the production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden.

Furthermore, the writing is thought probing and intriguing. Particularly in the second half. The story absorbs and has a lot of tension and intrigue in the second half. The subject is not easy to pull off, but it does have a harrowing edge at least and has urgency, the relevance of it is scary.

Can't fault the acting, with Ben Youcef absolutely marvellous and manages the difficult task of balancing sympathetic and conniving adeptly. He plays a character who could easily have been a stereotype as is too often the case with terrorist and informant portrayals, but he manages to make Sameer surprisingly complex.

All in all, great. 9/10.

fascinating character

[sativioleta · 10/10 · 18 November 2009]

I just saw Ben Youcef as Sameer Ahmed on Law and Order, "Great Satan." His character is fascinating. He did a great job at straddling the line between sympathetic victim and conniving terrorist. Really excellent performance; I couldn't take my eyes off the screen during his scenes, so dammed good!so honest! This approach to middle eastern characters brings light to the common humanity we all share as human beings as well as breaks away from the usual stereotype found in other t.v. shows. I hope this new approach would influence today's entertainment industry since this industry highly influences the mind of the viewers especially when it has to do with the perception of "others."

Thanks for great episode!

One of the best

[smermet · 10/10 · 28 November 2009]

Excellent episode, kept me on edge 'till the very last moment. I was on my way out the door when I caught a glimpse of this episode and instantly was hooked and had to watch it 'till the end. Needles to say, I was late to my destination but without any regrets. As rare as quality television is now days this is really a breath of fresh air.

Thematically, the subject matter is as prominent now as ever and it's refreshing to see another way of multidimensional portrayal of characters. Specially with some great new talent emerging. The young actor that played Sameer (Ben Youcef) really stands out and I expect to see more of him in the near future.

Virtual kidnapping

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 17 January 2016]

This Law And Order story operates under the mantra of better to err on the side of caution. Also Sam Waterston now running for office in his own right as DA is making more decisions based on politics.

The old Waterston probably would have dropped this one for the hot potato it is and Adam Schiff, Nora Lewin, or Arthur Branch would have taken the heat. But he's got a race coming up and a governor backing his opponent.

This one starts out as a shooting of a young man who was looking through trash. Poor kid just happened to pick a trash can where a ransom drop is being made. The distraught father of a kidnapped girl shoots him. And then it turns out the daughter isn't dead, the whole thing is a scam, a fairly new racket called virtual kidnapping. You just pretend that the victim is being kidnapped, collect the money and run.

So when the virtual kidnapper is arrested it turns out to be a Syrian refugee Ben Youcef who leads the police, the DA's office and the Feds on a merry chase. I can't describe the plot further, it's so unbelievable.

Proving also that even law enforcement will err on the side of caution as no one wants to have another 9/11 on their watch. Prosecutors who are elected officials would like a terrorism conviction or two under their belt also, good for re-election points. People who are in the USA as refugees will do anything to say. Youcef has certainly found this country to be a land of opportunity as a professional terrorism informant.

You have to see how this all turns out.

Conflictive

[naphiah · 10/10 · 11 June 2023]

This is the second time I've watched this episode (within a few years) and was unsettled both times.

Bravo to L&O for not resting in easy, one sided answers.

Ben Youcef, playing Sameer, an ersatz reprobate with a golden heart shows the true meaning of what it is to be a patriotic American, earning him deportation (I hope not!!) to Syria.

"You know what's Paradise?" he asks. He answers: "this. (this lovely uneventful day in America by the Hudson, looking at the Statue of Liberty.) "

Special, sorrow filled mention to Michael Williams, that great actor who left us too soon. Here he embodies human conflict like nobody's business.

Sick of The War of Propaganda

[halfrocentric1975 · 1/10 · 9 October 2009]

This is straight up propaganda. Law & Order has been riding this terrorism train too long. I'm so sick of the Hollywood War on Terror propaganda machine. Find a new theme. Its cliché. I'm a huge L&O fan but so far this season is starting off bad for me. I hope they find a new horse to ride.

Typically I am hooked on every episode. So far this season has ridden two cliché horses. Terror and Black men as criminals. Its so typical and wrong. When will they find some original material?

Something new is needed. Something quick.

Trying to fill the extra line. How many more ways can i say that I'm sick of this propaganda bull.