Law & Order (TV Series) I.D. (1996) User Reviews

The Name's The Same

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 3 December 2010]

This episode of Law And Order is concerned not so much with the arrest and trial of the guilty. It is mostly about a judge who lets his discretionary power go to his head and the judge is played by Jerry Adler in a fine performance.

One firm rule in the practice of law is that judges never like being overruled because it shows they erred in the first place. Sitting on that bench you are God in that courtroom and when higher Gods tell you that you blundered in a case they don't like it at all.

What happens here is that the police and the DA's office was conned by the defendant who is played by Pamela Gray. They arrest her, but under the wrong name. She is in fact her own sister and she murdered her sister and assumed her identity because she was on the run. Gray's husband was a conman and was also killed and Gray hatched a scheme to lure her sister in from Terre Haute, Indiana kill her and assume her identity. The police mix up the identities of the defendant and the victim because she lies to them and they look enough alike to be believable.

In addition to everything else from the beginning Jerry Adler is constantly making sexually harassing remarks to Carey Lowell. When he dismisses Sam Waterston's case and Waterston wins it on appeal, it is remanded back to Adler's court where he does everything to destroy the prosecution case out of spite.

The shocking thing about this episode is that a really coldblooded killer was going to get away with her sister's murder because of a judge's pique. Things like this probably happen in our judicial system more than we realize.

Complex plot; simple-minded judge.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 1 November 2012]

There are really two things going on in this episode. A young woman has murdered her own sister and assumed her identity. It takes a while for Briscoe and Curtis to figure this out. It came as a surprise to me too.

The trial becomes a legal shambles because the judge -- a fine performance by Jerry Adler -- started off as an idealist but his sensibilities have declined into narcissism. He begins by making salacious remarks to Carey Lowell, about her silk blouse, and asking her how it feels to leave a man's apartment at eight in the morning without having had breakfast. More important, he interferes with Waterston's interrogation of witnesses, always in favor of the defense, and when Waterston objects, the judge has him arrested, cuffed, and put in a cell with three other guys, one of them a murderer. Justice prevails though.

I rather like stories in which the bureaucracy slips a gear and something goes wrong. That's known as verisimilitude. A professor of mine used to illustrate the need for bureaucratic "slippage", as he called it, by telling the true story of his Army service in Europe during World War II. He was a captain in the infantry and was ordered to set up a machine gun position at a certain location on the map. The position faced nothing more than a blank cliff from which no attack could possibly come. Jack pointed out to the major that the map was inaccurate, that this was a matter of life and death, and that the company might be slaughtered. The major agreed. The map might be wrong and the orders possibly suicidal, but the position goes HERE -- period.

This judge is a real lulu. Everything has become fair game for him. He takes dissidence personally. And I also approve of the way the script handles Waterston's time in the cell. When the DA visits him in jail, Waterston casually introduces his cell mates, using the title of "Mister" for each of the criminals.

Ingenuity and drama

[L_O_Addict · 10/10 · 15 October 2013]

This episode combines two brilliant ideas, either of which on its own would have been sufficient to make a great hour of TV. Put together, they make this one of the finest episodes of Law & Order ever made.

First, there is a devilishly ingenious murder plot. Joanne Sullivan is on the run from underworld casino bosses whom she has been cheating along with her husband. To escape her pursuers, she murders her sister, leaves her body naked in an elevator, and assumes her identity. Because Joanne resembles her sister, the plot succeeds: the police believe that she's really her sister Lucy Sullivan, who leads a quiet and unexciting life in their hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana.

However, it's easy to overlook the intricacies of the crime, because they are quite overshadowed by another drama: the escalating sexual harassment of new ADA Jamie Ross by Judge Nathan Marks. Jerry Adler's performance makes Marks, with just this one appearance, the most memorable judge of the entire series. In Adler's hands, Marks is supercilious, condescending, arrogant -- an easy character to hate, yet also brilliant in his wit and wordplay.

Carey Lowell, in just her second appearance as Ross, handles herself with aplomb, seemingly relishing much of the verbal combat. And McCoy gets to go to jail for contempt. The scene where he introduces DA Schiff to his new cellmates (including a murderer) is hilarious.

This episode also raises some worrying questions about the extent to which the human frailties of judges affect the integrity of the criminal justice system. In this case, the system works and Judge Marks eventually gets put in his place. In the real world, perhaps he would not.

Highly entertaining, well-written episode

[jbirks106 · 10/10 · 30 May 2017]

One of the more ingenious plots, combined with an amusing assortment of minor characters (the officious elevator operator, the harebrained receptionist, the opportunistic New Jersey detective, the scheming CPA) make this as entertaining as L&O ever got.

Now, sexual harassment is not a laughing matter, but it's handled in a way that's subtle yet effective, two traits that later treatments of the subject conspicuously lack. Ross brushes off the judge's remarks with aplomb (to McCoy's bemusement). Only when his handling of the case threatens to derail the trial altogether does Marks receive his comeuppance.

Even the role of defendant, often an afterthought in the "Order" half of the show, gets genuine star treatment. Pamela Gray is excellent in this role, morphing from bewildered, grieving sibling to manipulative defendant and finally to pitiless killer.

Identity

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 31 March 2021]

Season 7 started off very, very well with "Causa Mortis". Not as brilliant as 'Criminal Intent' with "Amends", but a lot better than 'Special Victims Unit' with "Demons". The plot synopsis really does sound fascinating on paper and suitably complex (not a problem, 'Law and Order' often did complexity very well indeed) and Jamie Ross (only introduced in the previous episode and showed a lot of promise in it) to me was always one of McCoy's better partners.

"I. D." is as fascinating and as intricate as it sounds. It continues the high standard set by "Causa Mortis" and manages to build upon it and be an even better episode. Season 7 was solid on the whole, and "I. D." is one of the standouts when it comes to talking about Season 7's best episodes. As has been said, it is two stories in one structurally which faces the problem of being disjointed and the quality not being equal. Both problems are successfully avoided.

Can't think of anything to fault "I. D." for. It is shot with the right amount of intimacy without being claustrophobic and that the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time has been great too. Nice use of locations too. The music doesn't get over-scored or overwrought, even in the more dramatic revelation moments. The direction doesn't try to do too much and is understated but never flat or unsure. The writing is intelligent and although, like the show in general, there is a lot of talk it doesn't feel long-winded. Marks' dialogue is as juicy as the juiciest of peaches, is witty and is very high up on the skin crawl factor.

Both the investigating and legal subplots are brilliantly done and it doesn't feel to me too much like two stories in one, instead two different subplots that connect together. Although it's the legal story that is always mentioned whenever "I. D." is discussed for good reason, one shouldn't overlook the case. Which is an incredibly clever and intricate one, and that there is much more to the perpetrator than what it initially seems has the definite shock factor. The truth was so unexpected on my first watch, didn't even consider it as a possibility until it was revealed.

The case does deserve to be discussed more but it is easy to overlook it with the legal/harrassment subplot being so juicy. Thanks to the unforgettable character of Marks, one of the most memorable judges in the franchise with a larger than life creepiness and contempt without unbalancing everything else. A favourite scene of mine from the episode is when McCoy introduces Schiff to his cellmates when in contempt. The ending is one of the stand up and cheer in complete satisfaction ones.

Performances are excellent all round, with Jerry Adler standing out as Marks. He was very clearly enjoying himself without veering into pantomime. Pamela Grey brings out many dimensions to her role, one of those performances that brilliantly makes one feel at first sympathy for the character but revile her by the end.

Overall, brilliant and a Season 7 standout. 10/10.

For a Different reason

[hiltonsmithjr · 10/10 · 31 July 2021]

I Love this episode for the Fact that at the End Adam saves the day.

The DA uses his Real Power in Ensuring that a trial is Truly Tried with Transparency And Fairness!

The trial judge handling the eventual murder case has let Power go to his Head Which, can NEVER happen.

As he is reminded judges aren't supposed to care who wins.

This trial judge is a Real jackarse.

Full of Himself due To his position.

What's tough on Adam, as has happened before and I think happens again in at least one episode, he has to call out a colleague for malfeasance.

He hates to do this But, this is What makes him the Best DA the show had.

(However Arthur was a VERY Strong 2nd) Dealing with what hurts But, upholds the Law is What Makes the Law the Law.

SALUTE, Adam.

Beautiful Episode on This Tangent Alone.

I Must let out my Cynical side...... as good as the lead Culprit was, COULDN'T L&O have selected an actress withOut any NOTICEABLE "Facial Markings"??!!😜

Watch it again and YOU'LL See!

PS - I've seen this episode 10+ times and Make A Point to Watch Everytime it comes on!!

GOOD STUFF!!!