'Law and Order' enjoyed a very promising and consistently solid first season that got stronger and stronger as it progressed. Its best episodes, which included "Indifference", "Mushrooms" and the "Torrents of Greed" two parter, were brilliant. And while there were episodes that disappointed a little, such as "Everybody's Favourite Bagman" (which was intended to be the show's pilot and it felt it at times) and "Prisoner of Love", they were still very decent with a good deal of great things.
"The Blue Wall", which ended the first season, leans more towards the latter category. It is a well done episode with many great things, but for a season finale it was hard to not expect more on my first viewing and a few re-watches later that is still the case. As far as Season 1 goes, despite having potential to be one of the best "The Blue Wall" for me is one of the lesser ones and not the ending with a bang sort of episode it could and perhaps should have been.
It is undone somewhat by that Cragen's innocence is never in doubt very early on to the viewer, not just because he is a regular character but also because one can see that he doesn't have it in him and wouldn't have the skills for how to do what he's accused of. And that is even when things look bleak and harden.
But undone more by Internal Affairs being portrayed as being rather stupid, do agree that, despite how it looked, Cragen being suspected in the first place just didn't ring true to me and for them to be still convinced of his guilt and not questioning enough whether he was capable and had the skills to do it likewise.
However, where "The Blue Wall" really excels is the character writing for Cragen who here is the most interesting he was all season. Here is a more conflicted Cragen compared to the previous episodes, and his moral dilemmas as he wrestles with his conscience are portrayed in a way that is both intense and moving. Greevey and Logan are also written very well, with Greevey having one of the episode's best lines which sums up the situation perfectly. While the story is not perfect, it is still absorbing and not overly predictable or obvious. The law and order elements are well handled individually and balances with each other just fine. The script provokes thought and is structured tightly with some nice sharp edge.
For me, nothing was wrong with the production values. Nice use of locations and slickly photographed. The music has presence and is not overused or over-scored. The acting is solid, with Dann Florek giving his best performance of the season with Cragen's conflict acted intensely and poignantly. George Dzundza and Michael Moriarty (Stone as juicy as ever) stand out too.
Overall, a pretty good episode but could have been quite a lot more. 7/10
"The Blue Wall", which ended the first season, leans more towards the latter category. It is a well done episode with many great things, but for a season finale it was hard to not expect more on my first viewing and a few re-watches later that is still the case. As far as Season 1 goes, despite having potential to be one of the best "The Blue Wall" for me is one of the lesser ones and not the ending with a bang sort of episode it could and perhaps should have been.
It is undone somewhat by that Cragen's innocence is never in doubt very early on to the viewer, not just because he is a regular character but also because one can see that he doesn't have it in him and wouldn't have the skills for how to do what he's accused of. And that is even when things look bleak and harden.
But undone more by Internal Affairs being portrayed as being rather stupid, do agree that, despite how it looked, Cragen being suspected in the first place just didn't ring true to me and for them to be still convinced of his guilt and not questioning enough whether he was capable and had the skills to do it likewise.
However, where "The Blue Wall" really excels is the character writing for Cragen who here is the most interesting he was all season. Here is a more conflicted Cragen compared to the previous episodes, and his moral dilemmas as he wrestles with his conscience are portrayed in a way that is both intense and moving. Greevey and Logan are also written very well, with Greevey having one of the episode's best lines which sums up the situation perfectly. While the story is not perfect, it is still absorbing and not overly predictable or obvious. The law and order elements are well handled individually and balances with each other just fine. The script provokes thought and is structured tightly with some nice sharp edge.
For me, nothing was wrong with the production values. Nice use of locations and slickly photographed. The music has presence and is not overused or over-scored. The acting is solid, with Dann Florek giving his best performance of the season with Cragen's conflict acted intensely and poignantly. George Dzundza and Michael Moriarty (Stone as juicy as ever) stand out too.
Overall, a pretty good episode but could have been quite a lot more. 7/10
