Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) Broad Channel (2010) User Reviews

Nobody's Fool

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 18 October 2015]

This Criminal Intent episode takes us to Broad Channel a most insular community in New York City. Of mostly ethnic Irish population if you look on a map of New York City right above the Rockaway peninsula you'll see that the Cross Bay Boulevard passes over some islands right near the middle of the peninsula. That would be Broad Channel and it's connection to the rest of the city is the Cross Bay Boulevard. It's a fishing community and I remember it as a kid because I did two summers there with two kids day camps located there.

A crooked detective is murdered there and the control of the investigation develops into a turf war between Major Case and 116th precinct. That's wrong because Internal Affairs would have had that no questions asked in real life.

But if we followed real life we would miss a great performance by Kevin Conway as the political/gang boss of Broad Channel. He knows everyone and everything that goes on in that community. It becomes quite a battle of wits between Jeff Goldblum who has history between them and Saffron Burrows and Conway.

Is he guilty or does he just know who did it? That's the question you'll be asking right up to the end of the episode. Conway is nothing short of brilliant.

Like you said, Dooley's old school. They won't kill a cop.

[Mrpalli77 · 7/10 · 9 October 2017]

A cop serving his duty in Queens was shot inside his car at night in Broad Channel neighborhood. Detectives right away figured out he lived above his means (fancy home, overseas property in the Caribbean); it's not hard to imagine he was dirty. Then the investigation lead to the local boss, an old style Irish mobster who now plays the informant in order to keep the place clean from outsiders (he doesn't want any Jamaican or Russians inside the island); he's very stoned cold, he doesn't care of anyone except him, not even his next to kin. The Major Case detectives have to work hard to deal with the reluctant local police officers, who wants to take the law into their own hands. Anyway they managed to get out.

After Ross' death, a new police officer is in charge in the squad: Zoe Callas (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, aka Gina Montana, Scarface's sister); we saw her briefly at the beginning of the episode.

Worth watching if unsettled

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 1 September 2021]

"Broad Channel" saw a lot of change. It is most interesting for introducing two new characters that were replacements. One being Serena Stevens (technically her second, but this felt more her first) replacing Megan Wheeler. The other being Zoe Callas replacing Danny Ross, after he was killed off in the Season 9 two part opener "Loyalty". Apart from that two parter, Season 9 saw no signs of Goren and Eames and focused on Nichols and Stevens. Season 9 to me was very up and down, though not as rocky as that of 'Special Victims Unit' (certainly not as many show low points).

After being so impressed by the "Loyalty" two parter, expectations were high for "Broad Channel" on first watch. Watching it, and on subsequent rewatches, it certainly isn't wasted but the high expectations weren't quite lived up to. It was definitely better than expected considering how much change 'Criminal Intent' had in this season, but the changes did not feel settled here and didn't completely settle throughout the whole season in my view.

There are a few big debits. Somehow "Broad Channel" didn't feel like a 'Criminal Intent' episode, though this was not the only episode of the season to feel like this ("Palimpsest" fared a lot worse in this regard). As said a lot of change is undergone and it did feel like too much change too soon, especially considering that understandably the changes don't quite gel yet.

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (though her role is not massive) looks bored and the chemistry between Nichols and Stevens is fairly bland as a consequence of their personalities being too much of a disconnected odd couple. Nichols being quirkier and Stevens being even more understated than Wheeler. The music distracts occasionally in the early stages.

However, a lot is great here in "Broad Channel". It is a visually slick episode, typical for 'Criminal Intent' and the 'Law and Order' franchise, and one with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear past the early stages with the theme tune still memorable and the direction is accommodating yet tight enough.

Script is thoughtful and intriguing, though could have been tighter at times. The story on the whole does engage, more so in the second half when things become twistier and more intricate. Jeff Goldblum is more than watchable and in full command of his role not overplaying the quirkiness. Saffron Burrows doesn't do too bad a job. The best thing about "Broad Channel" though is Kevin Conway, who is brilliant.

Overall, decent but not great and unsettled. 6.5/10.