It was with Season 5 in my view where 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' became less consistent. Having really liked on the most part the previous four seasons, with a few episodes disappointing of course, the quality of Season 5 was a lot more disappointingly variable with both alternating partnerships featured (Logan and Barek as well as Goren and Eames, especially the former). Having great episodes but also episodes that are merely average or just above it.
While there were great episodes such as "Grow", "In the Wee Small Hours" and "To the Bone", there were a few episodes that could have been so much better such as "Wasichu", "Unchained" and "Dollhouse". The season's final episode "The Good", notable mainly for it being Deakins' final episode (it turned out to be Barek's too) is closer sadly in my opinion to the latter category. Not a bad episode at all but it could have been so much better and is a lesser episode of the season, it didn't feel like a season finale somehow and Deakins was handled a lot better in the previous episode "On Fire" (also not the greatest of episodes).
"The Good" definitely does have a good number of things done well. The production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything, and liked that the photography was intimate without it being claustrophobic. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud. There are thoughtful and intelligent moments in the script, especially towards the end.
Likewise there are good moments in the story, how the confession is gotten out of was very clever (the closest Logan ever got to being on Goren's level) and everything with the drugs pulls no punches but is also handled tastefully. The episode starts off quite well too and with there being no shortage of suspects it is not too obvious too soon who the perpetrator is. Chris Noth and Jamey Sheridan are both reliably good, though Noth's material is much meatier, and Kevin Dunn and Keith Nobbs give fine supporting turns (especially Nobbs).
Sadly this is another episode where Annabella Sciorra is too subdued and she also doesn't have an awful lot to work with. Actually did like the relationship generally between Logan and Barek, but like with "Wasichu" the chemistry was too much of a disconnect and it was almost like Noth and Sciorra had started not getting along. The episode also could have done a much better job writing Deakins out, with "On Fire" actually feeling like a much more fitting and more final exit this felt like a tack on and too anti-climactic. Barek is handled indifferently and too open-endedly, one can tell that Sciorra's departure was an abrupt one.
While the story has good moments, the motive was pretty ordinary and predictable. Also thought one character's lack of co-operation was rather far-fetched, especially seeing that what they witnessed was something that would make anybody crack realistically very quickly. The dialogue is thoughtful moments, but the script could have done with a lot more spark and flow on the whole and the episode could have done with more excitement and an ending that didn't have as incomplete a feel.
In summary, not so good but not bad. Not the best way to end a variable season. 5/10
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