Law & Order (TV Series) Double Down (1997) User Reviews

Great and fast paced episode with a lot of twists and turns

[JurijFedorov · 8/10 · 11 June 2018]

This is a very well written episode. There are so much to appreciate here.

Firstly the dialogue is very believable. The words and connotations they use makes one think they are real cops and lawyers. There are also a lot of real laws and rules used in this episode so it's clearly written by experts on law and New York.

The acting blew me away. Every single actor in this episode brought their A game. Just watch it for the acting alone.

But what really made it great compared to other episodes is the twist and turns. The average Law & Order episode is not great. It's too fast paced and too focused on plot. We rarely see who the people involved are or how their personal life is. It's a collection of short scenes that really don't bring us close to the people. But for this episode it works as it's build up on twist after twist and it's not about single people feeling some deep emotion. And many of these twists just barely succeed as the judge can rule either way. It's a battle between intelligent equals but at the end the good guys win because well, they are the good guys. The judge chooses good over evil but just about. And it even requires that one lawyer and 2 police men don't tell the whole truth during the trial. So this victory was really hard fought. It's dirty, it's real, it feels realistic and it's some amazing writing!

Back When Law and Order was Good

[bkkaz · 9/10 · 6 May 2023]

The Law and Order franchise could be uneven, but until the reboot, it never dipped below "good." That's remarkable for a TV series let alone one that ran this long. Most of the episodes are excellent or very good. This is one that is very, very good.

It manages to probe the notion of the law being manipulated by the criminals and then being manipulated the DA to get the criminals. There are, of course, the moral shades of gray inherent in such legal maneuvering.

You can't feel sorry for the criminal, and not just because he's a vile murderer. He's got one of those unlikable, squnity faces. He looks like an older version of Timmy, from the Seinfeld episode where George double dips. I remember the actor from way back in the original Equalizer series -- I'm pretty sure this guy shows up in the montage of the opening credits in the phone booth. He played a wormy husband who's wife steps out on him with, unbeknownst to her, a hired killer. Here, he's the killer.

He thinks he gets one over on McCoy, only for McCoy to turn the tables. The dialogue and performances are all top notch -- you not only understand the legal stakes, but the drama of the moral issue is handled well, too. Well, for the most part.

The one character in this era to the series who was often inconsistent was Ray. Though this was before the term got well known, he often seems to be virtue signaling in his opposition to what either his partner or McCoy are up to. Sometimes Ray is right in that the moral issue outweighs the legal one. Here, though, he just comes across as a self-righteous jerk. When McCoy tells him to stop talking n court but he keeps going anyway it's like a spoiled kid trying to push the adult too far. It wasn't even necessary because the objection could have been made elsewhere.

There's a difference between a Boy Scout and a little smart aleck.

Other than that, the episode is taut and well done -- miles and miles ahead of the dreck that is the reboot.

House of cards

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 13 May 2021]

'Law and Order' was a brilliant show in its prime and overall is actually my favourite of the 'Law and Order' franchise and out of it, 'Special Victims Unit' (the longest running) and 'Criminal Intent'. Despite not feeling the same post-Briscoe. 'Special Victims Unit' started off brilliantly, but became hit and miss Season 7 onwards and has not lived up to the early seasons generally for a long time. 'Criminal Intent' also was truly fine in its early seasons, but became wildly inconsistent mid-run.

One of the best episodes of 'Law and Order's' Season 7 is "Double Down". A very intriguing episode title, with story execution that intrigues and attention grabs just as much and even equally. Like the three parter consisting of "D-Girl", "Turnaround" and "Showtime", "Double Down" was one of the episodes of this period to make a big impression on me when starting to acquaint myself with the show's early seasons and had a lot of emotional staying power.

"Double Down" is superb in every area. The production values are still slick and suitably gritty (without being too heavy in it). The music is not too melodramatic and is not used too much, even not being too manipulative in revelations. The direction lets the drama breathe while making sure that the tension and emotion never slipped.

The script provokes thought throughout the length and is like a lean steak cooked just enough to not have too much fat while not losing the flesh. Nothing is contrived and it comes over as realistic and natural. With so much plot and so many twists and turns, all unexpected and far from simple, "Double Down" could easily have been rushed, over-plotted and over-complicated. The story didn't strike me as either of those things, and has a lot of tension that never slips.

Character writing is on point and all the regulars and supporting performances are without fault as well. And equally so. Sam Waterston and S. Epatha Merkersen (always of great value to the show and not talked about enough) are particularly good of the regulars, though Jerry Orbach's steel and comic timing never got old and still doesn't. Edie Falco, Luke Reilly and Theresa Merritt are more than up to their level.

All in all, brilliant. 10/10.

An unenforceable contract

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 2 October 2020]

In lower Manhattan in broad daylight there's liquor store holdup where an off duty policeman is killed but who managed to wound one of the robbers. In making their getaway they grab a car service car and kidnap the driver.

The wounded robber is caught at the Port Authority, but no sign of the other holdup man or their hostage.. From his hospital bed with his lawyer Edie Falco, Luke Reilly tries to make a deal. Location of the hostage for a manslaughter plea.

What it is is unenforceable extortion, but Falco gives Sam Waterston to live up to the agreement. This part is for the lawyers and the law students.

Besides Falco and Reilly there's a strong performance by Theresa Merritt the wife of the car service driver. Her scenes with S. Eptha Merkersen and Sam Waterston stand out.