An award-winning Chinese American high school science student is killed. Evidence points to the jealous family of one of the student's high school competitors.An award-winning Chinese American high school science student is killed. Evidence points to the jealous family of one of the student's high school competitors.An award-winning Chinese American high school science student is killed. Evidence points to the jealous family of one of the student's high school competitors.
Photos
- Claudia Chong
- (as Liana Pai)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on the 1991 Wanda Holloway case. Holloway was a Texas mom who asked her brother-in-law to hire a hit man--a hit man who was to kill the mother of a girl competing with her daughter for a spot on a Texas cheerleading squad. After a second trial, Holloway pleaded "no contest" to attempted murder. The judge found Holloway guilty and sentenced her to ten years in prison. She was released on March 1, 1997, after serving six months of her sentence. The event was later made into two films Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story (1992) and The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993).
- Quotes
Ben Stone: The Court of Appeals is moving with the Supreme Court.
Leonard Willis: The Court of Appeals changes its mind more often than I change my socks. That permit was for the Borland business. The warrant was for the Borland home. Any idiot can see the cops were relying on the phone call.
Judge Thomas Simon: I'm not even an idiot, I can see it.
"Intolerance" managed to be an interesting and mostly well executed episode in my view. Can see though why some may not be as enamoured, and it is very dependent on how people feel about how the story is executed. Personally didn't think that this aspect was flawlessly done, but it engaged me at least, provoked thought and was well acted, regulars and supporting. Generally well written too, but that could have been more consistent too. As far as Season 2 'Law and Order' episodes go, there are much better ones.
Will start with what is done well in "Intolerance". The acting from the regulars is all very good, particularly Michael Moriarty, and the chemistry all round gels incredibly well, particularly on the legal side but Cerreta and Logan's has come on a lot since the beginning of the season. The supporting turns make just as much of an impression. Rockwell impresses in an early role, skin crawling at his best, and even better is pre-'Gilmore Girls' Bishop as a mother figure you don't want to mess with.
The story is mostly absorbing, if more the second half than the first pace-wise and it just about avoids heavy-handedness, despite dealing with racial issues. The highlight scene is the interrogation, the scene which has the most tension of the episode in one that could have had more of it. The script is biting and thoughtful enough without rambling too much, the moral dilemmas the prosecution face during the trial process intriguing and shouldn't be too hard to understand. It also gives some powerful observations on street gangs and victory. The production values are slick and sharp, without being too dark or overly-bright. The music is not over-emphasised or overused.
Did too think though that the story gets slightly over-complicated at times with a lot to cover and more to the case than what it seems. Parts of the writing have the feeling of "what possessed the writers to come up with that", especially agreed when a character talks about being called an egg. That was a stretch and then there is the further problem of it being somewhat over-explained.
Moreover, "Intolerance" could have done with more tension. The best it gets being the interrogation. The one real source of conflict is with the judge, and anybody who is familiar with the episodes before watching this will find that conflict predictable as can be. Maybe it could have explored its subject with a little more grit, do appreciate its general tactfulness but sometimes the episode for its subject is a little too careful. And although it is true that people do go to great lengths to get what they want somehow the motive for the murder seemed on the extreme side, a more fitting crime for this motive would have been framing somebody for breaking rules or for cheating out of jealousy but resorting to murder seems a bit of a stretch somewhat. My view of course.
Overall, well done episode but a lesser Season 2 instalment. 7/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Apr 29, 2020