Law & Order (TV Series) Teenage Wasteland (2001) User Reviews

Takeout order leads to death

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 9 November 2014]

Four boys and a girl from Queens out for a good time with no money decide to call for Chinese takeout and rob the delivery man. It goes bad though when the stories are compared and the oldest of them, the only one legally an adult turns out to be a stone cold killer and the one who actually did the deed.

The victim owned a Chinese Restaurant and a last minute order placed by these kids had him deliver after the restaurant officially closed and led him to his demise. Not just testimony but forensic evidence separates Alex Feldman from the rest of the herd as the one who gets the murder charge.

The kid is a serial killer in the making. District Attorney Dianne Weist has to decide about the death penalty, not popular in liberal Manhattan.

Of course even since Pataki restored capital punishment we haven't had an execution yet in New York. That doesn't detract from this being a fine episode.

Wasteland of death

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 4 May 2022]

When it comes to talking about the early seasons of 'Law and Order', 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent', those for 'Law and Order' were to me the most consistent in quality. Seasons 1-10 had some disappointments but were overall of a solid standard, whereas 'Special Victims Unit' was already inconsistent by its Season 7 and 'Criminal Intent' for half its run (both with outstanding episodes, but when 'Special Victims Unit' in particular missed it misfired big time).

Season 11 was a hit and miss season, and the start of when 'Law and Order' started to not be as strong as it was. It did have its winners though and "Teenage Wasteland" is one of them. Reading the synopsis, it is a plotline that could easily have passed for an early seasons episode. And the episode in quality is pretty much likewise on the most part, and this is meant as a good thing and not in any way suggesting a going backwards in development quality.

"Teenage Wasteland" has very little to fault it for. Was a bit mixed on the conclusion, absolutely agreed with the verdict (for the case it was the only right one) and it was gut-wrenching, such as the mother's reaction. The disagreement is with the sentence, it was a horrific crime and the perpetrator is one where a conviction is strongly rooted for but it was too harsh and their age should have been taken into account.

Other than that, "Teenage Wasteland" is excellent. The production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden. The script is tight and thoughtful, especially in the conflict in regard to the death penalty and its moral dilemmas.

Personally didn't see any death penalty defamation, whenever the death penalty was brought up in any episode the show showed more than one point of view on it (McCoy and his assistants have always clashed on it) and in a way where one can see both sides. It doesn't feel one-sided here, despite the pressure. The story is absorbing throughout, especially when it comes to trial. The policing scenes are very intriguing and how Briscoe and Green figure things out never felt too simple or convoluted. The case does hit hard and makes one feel disgust at the crime and those responsible.

All the acting is very good, Sam Waterston does authoritative and ruthless so well. Jerry Orbach and Jesse L. Martin carry the policing scenes beautifully, while Alex Feldman effectively gives off an unease without being too overt in it.

In summary, excellent. 9/10.

Law & Order: Teenage Wasteland

[Sunshine4121960 · 10/10 · 9 August 2009]

I liked the part when atty. Edmund defending the boy from prison time. And when the judge denied the boy sentence, thats when the atty. asked the lawyer's for help to reduce his time in prison. They made a deal out of court. thats one of my favorite shows on Law & Order. I hope I can watch it again very soon, the atty. made the show very interesting to watch, by standing up for that teenage boy that he believe in, who he had confidence in as a defender. I miss watching it, I would like to watch more of it again, if possible instead of watching the same thing. I want to watch some more because, it makes the show more exciting. I like the way the atty handle the case in court and how he talk the lawyer to reduce his sentence term, and the boy agree to drop his sentence to the maximum.

You wanted to kill him all along

[Mrpalli77 · 6/10 · 6 November 2017]

A moving company was about to arrange a flat (actually a basement located below ground) when they bumped into a man brutally beaten to death. The victim is a Chinese family man, who owned a take-away in the neighborhood. As you may imagine, he was a workaholic, working 15 hours a day, seven days a week. The apartment was actually vacant, so detectives reckon maybe a homeless (John Heffernan) was the one who placed the order, an old tramp used to sleep nearby. Even if he had nothing to do with the murder, he helped detectives by pointing out a bunch of kids used to hang around in the empty flat. These kids, all Caucasian and all coming from average income family, used the apartment for having fun (smoking weed, drinking booze and so on). One night they were hungry but with no money in the pocket, so they placed the order well aware they couldn't pay. The argument against the delivery man went bad: was it manslaughter? or was the perp willing to cause the victim's death?

Legal system want to pursue the victim ignoring the racial contest: why a crack addict is easy convicted after the crime while an educated white man can get away with everything he had done? Anyway trying to put him in a death row is too much for me.

Guilty as Charged

[ummajon2003 · 5/10 · 5 November 2021]

Let me get this straight--DA Nora is so outraged at the idea of killing a white 18 year old male who purposely and brutally beat an innocent family man to death for no reason other than to get a free Chinese take out meal--that she even takes it to the end scene when we're supposed to beg God for forgiveness cause this evil murderer just might be 21 when he gets the rightly deserved death penalty? Oh, I knew there was something I did not like about this lady---and this episode's weak argument against punishment for the worst of crimes--complete with the killer's Mom screaming like a banshee when her kid has to pay the price for his actions. If it was meant to make the audience feel sorry for her or her kid--it did not work. Sheesh.

Writers concocted a story to defame the death penalty

[evony-jwm · 1/10 · 30 March 2021]

Moralizing about an adult of 18 fitting the pattern of a future serial killer.

Just guilty enough for a weak death penalty.. this would've been played out without a trail.

BS of "strap them to a gurney before he's 21." Because for the most hideous serial murderers the automatic appeals process takes over 20 years. Check wiki.

Predictable, One to skip when binge watching.