LAW & ORDER:

THE FOURTEENTH YEAR

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: cases dealing with sexual crimes, language, violence

Rated:

A classic is a form of entertainment that fully captures society as a whole. Only one crime drama has moved into the annuals of classics. Law & Order, the hard-hitting drama that remains one of the longest success stories in the history of television, is one of those rare shows that makes you think.

When the body of a murdered girl turns up in an alley, the resulting police investigation turns up a disturbing pattern of abuse. Detectives Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) suspect the man responsible is a local cabbie driver with a penchant for underage girls. It's not difficult to place him under arrest and build evidence against him, but the heartless individual has no interest in self-preservation. He is more intrigued with the prospect of playing games with the prosecution. Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) knows the man has killed no less than fifteen girls, and is willing to make a deal to cover the murders simply for the emotional release of notifying the parents of his victims. But the murderer would rather place the responsibility of turning them over to the police on his court-appointed attorney's shoulders. When the man refuses to testify under attorney-client privilege, McCoy places him under arrest. 

The case encourages tension between McCoy and his assistant, Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Rhm), while putting the DA's office under public scrutiny. The public wants to know the truth, and there's no way to give it to them. From there, in the twenty-two episodes the season offers, we forge into uncharted waters fraught with political quagmires, racial differences, and every form of manipulation of the public justice system that you can imagine. What makes the show compelling and keeps fans coming back for more is the unique and fascinating look we get into the justice system. Along the way, issues of social reform, modern politics, and current issues ranging from homosexual marriage to the military are raised. 

The fourteenth season is one of the finest simply because it opens with a slew of fantastic episodes. The attorney willing to go to prison to uphold a set of ideals; the homicide that turns into a reverse case of racism, arguing that black men advanced beyond their experience simply to appease public opinion should not be held responsible for their actions; the wife that may or may not have lied to frame her husband on the stand. This season also features the presence of former Republican Senator Fred Dalton Thompson as the District Attorney. Some of the issues dealt with range from a custody battle between a gay couple to a reporter accusing a soldier of shooting him on leave; then there are the surrogate mothers, neo-Nazi sympathizers, bioterrorists, and serial murderers. We see corrupt judges, liberal panels, evidence thrown out on technicalities, unorthodox plea bargains, and deals benefiting the system. If you want a first-class look into the legal system in this country, this is a good place to begin. It's honest in its portrayal and maintains that good must triumph over evil. The show is designed for thinkers and encourages the audience to really think about the issues raised. 

None of the cases are pretty and some are downright brutal. There's never any hanky panky going on in the government offices, but cases do deal with sex-related crimes. On occasion these are talked about in fairly brutal terms ("Bodies" sports a serial rapist who murders his twelve-year-old victims; in "Bounty," a prostitute is framed for murder). There are two cases involving homosexuals ("Married With Children" brings up controversy about gay adoption; "Hands Free" involves a cross-dressing transvestite) and others with adulterous relationships. "Blaze" hinges on whether or not a fifty-year-old rock star's alibi of sleeping with a college girl is accurate. "Married With Children" skates around the issue of gay marriage for as long as it can, then advocates it. (An irony when you consider that a year later, that same character went out of his way to argue against gay marriage in court.) Language can be rough and criminals occasionally use the term "screwed" sexually. They are found in possession of illegal weapons and drugs. Bodies are bloody.

Religious and supernatural issues are also present. In "Compassion," we learn the victim was a con man professing to be a psychic. His murderer is a believer in communication with the dead. Some of the more interesting episodes involve social issues (in "Darwinian" an attorney attempts to prove homeless people are little better than animals) and sketchy modern ideals ("Ill-Conceived" revolves around feminism and the use of surrogate mothers rather than natural motherhood). For the most part, the program pleases mainstream audiences. By far the most controversial case this season was "Embedded," which contains heated war arguments and revolves around a case of treason against a reporter accused of giving away American troop movements, causing three resulting deaths. The case seems to be building into an anti-military statement before we learn the shocking twist (at the risk of giving it away, it debunks the anti-war message).

No one is perfect, everyone has harsh convictions, and there's a quip for every occasion. It must be Law & Order.