Agreed. Donofrio is really good in this series. In fact I'd say this is now the only Law and Order series that is consistently good. The only problem I have with this show is that Donofrio character is so smart it almost makes his partner seem pointless. Although she does go along with his 'interrogation' procedures very well.
there's also a really good movie he stars in with marisa tomei, called happy accidents, where he's a time traveler from the future. caught it on cable recently and he was really fun in it. recommended.
I personally think it's the weakest of the L&O shows, but still enjoyable. It seems to be very much Gerry Conway's show -- a bit more prone to gimmick murders than the other two, and sporting at least one recurrent adversary.
One thing I noticed -- and this is based on having seen only 2 episodes, remember -- is that LO/CI seems to make a little greater effort disguising what I have come to call the "Luck Factor". The original series has gotten a little sloppy with this, with significant clues and reveals dropping into the detective's or DA's laps sometimes much too conveniently, and the show depending mostly on their speed of storytelling to gloss this over. (An episode I watched the other night had an incredible stretch of luck in it, but they whipped it by so fast that it was not until the next day that I sudden went "Hey! Wait a second!")
With the way they play Goren's near superhuman intellect, they can cover some of this by having him "know stuff". It's a Reed Richards trick, really. "I had heard there was a giant two headed monster guarding this island. . . "
"One thing I noticed -- and this is based on having seen only 2 episodes, remember -- is that LO/CI seems to make a little greater effort disguising what I have come to call the "Luck Factor". The original series has gotten a little sloppy with this, with significant clues and reveals dropping into the detective's or DA's laps sometimes much too conveniently, and the show depending mostly on their speed of storytelling to gloss this over."
I'm inclined to agree with you, but the show (L&O: The Original Flavor) has recently undergone a change at the helm of the writing staff, so I'm curious to see if you -- and other members of this board -- notice an improvement in this area.
"(An episode I watched the other night had an incredible stretch of luck in it, but they whipped it by so fast that it was not until the next day that I sudden went "Hey! Wait a second!")"
Just out of curiosity, do remember what episode this was?
I like the episodes that provide little bits of insight into Goren's background, especially the ones that hint that some of his tics relate to mental illness that runs in his family -- i.e., his eccentricities probably have a genetic component.
A friend of mine wants desperately to see Goren meet Monk (from MONK) and watch them "out-twitch" one another.
_______________________
Watch for THE INCONSTANT MOON, my SF trilogy.
Book One coming soon from Ace Books.
This message has been edited by PierceAskegren on Mar 1, 2004 12:49 PM This message has been edited by PierceAskegren on Mar 1, 2004 12:49 PM
In a similar vein, is anyone still watching this show? It's somewhat floundering these days, with the loss of several good cast members, but recently they did a 4-5 week serial killer arc that I thought was pretty good, partially due to the brief return of Kim Delaney.
That happened to me too. They replaced it with that wannabe Sopranos show "In the Line of Fire" in November and planned to resume NYPDB in February, which they did. Of course, I forgot when they were resuming it so I missed a few weeks. I think it's ABC's way of telling the NYPD Blue folks that their days are numbered. Which it is, since next season will be its last. Still, lasting 12 seasons is very impressive.
I hate when networks mess with schedules. It really makes it hard to maintain a fanbase that way. Futurama and Family Guy both suffered from low ratings and eventual cancellation as a result.
"(An episode I watched the other night had an incredible stretch of luck in it, but they whipped it by so fast that it was not until the next day that I sudden went "Hey! Wait a second!")"
Just out of curiosity, do remember what episode this was?
******
The episode featured a young woman being murdered and her plasma TV being stolen. Checking tickets on her car the detectives found a photo-tag, which inspired them to check the camera outside the girl's apartment, which led them to an out of town couple who had been videotaped actually videotaping the robbery!
A few too many bits of luck, but they ran past it so fast I didn't pick up on it immediately.
Incidentally, I took a chance and picked up the first season of L&O/CI on DVD and watched the first 4 episodes tonight. It was interesting to note how fully formed Eames and Goren were, right from the start. I'm enjoying the show a lot, and mostly for their performances and unexpected chemistry.
D'Onofrio was terrific in a film called "the Whole Wide World" with Renee Zellweger. He played Robert E. Howard and really made that movie come alive. He was freakin' brilliant. He never ceases to amaze me with his acting chops.
I liked him in The Blood of Heroes (Salute of the Jugger in Australia) which was a very crappy Mad Max-inspired Rutger Hauer vehicle, also starring Joan Chen and Delroy Lindo.
____________________________________________
You are a god among insects. Never let anyone tell you different.
