A jogger is mauled to death by a pit bull, and detectives discover that the dog's original owner may have tortured it and trained it to be a killer.A jogger is mauled to death by a pit bull, and detectives discover that the dog's original owner may have tortured it and trained it to be a killer.A jogger is mauled to death by a pit bull, and detectives discover that the dog's original owner may have tortured it and trained it to be a killer.
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- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on the Dana Whipple case. Whipple was a California college lacrosse coach who was mauled to death by two Presa Canarios in the hallway of her apartment building in San Francisco on January 2001. The dogs had been given to her neighbors, Marjorie Knoller and her husband Robert Noel, both attorneys, by the dog's owners, who were in jail at the time. Knoller failed to restrain her dogs when they attacked Whipple. Noel was not present during the attack. After a long legal battle, Knoller was sentenced to serve 15 years to life for the death of Diane Whipple. In addition to the criminal charges, Whipple's partner, Sharon Smith, also succeeded in suing Knoller and Noel for $1,500,000 in civil damages.
- GoofsThe veterinarian testifies the dog is an American Pit Bull. The full name is American Pit Bull Terrier.
- Quotes
Narrator: [opening narration] On September 11th, 2001, New York City was ruthlessly and criminally attacked. While no tribute can ever heal the pain of that day, the producers of "Law & Order" dedicate this season to the victims and their families, and to the fire fighters and police officers, who remind us with their lives and courage what it truly means to be an American.
- ConnectionsReferences Cujo (1983)
"Who Let the Dogs Out?", which struck me as very memorable on first watch for the case, is one of those episodes that does hold up in a positive way. It is a very good episode, both as a season opener and as an episode of 'Law and Order'. It's not the greatest of introductions to Southerlyn, but there is plenty in "Who Let the Dogs Out?" that is great and shows why the original 'Law and Order' was as good as it was when on form and in its prime (pre-Season 10, and even Season 10 onwards had winners).
The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it. Most of the acting is very good, especially from Sam Waterston. Love the way that McCoy acts, his ruthlessness and how his mind works continue to captivate.
As expected, the script is lean, even with a lot of talk, and incredibly thought provoking and gritty. A very difficult topic, that is sadly still a problem today (dog-related attacks and whether owners should be culpable when there is an attack) is raised here and it is handled uncompromisingly yet also tactfully on the whole, where more than one side is raised and where each viewpoint is worth pondering on. The story is very compelling, the investigating element of the story pulls no punches and is intriguing. Starting off really well with one of the show's most brutal and most gruesome deaths, even thinking about it and hearing about it makes the stomach churn.
On the other hand, there are a few issues. Did think that the defense argument was on the naive and not so realistic side (the show has had worse though) and that the verdict was not completely satisfying in a case where equal culpability would have been the most realistic sentence if found guilty.
Faring weakest is Southerlyn, who is such a cold fish presence and not really all that memorable in this episode, and sadly that was the case throughout her entire time on the show. Have never been a fan really of Elisabeth Rohm, and while not every character/actor is expected to settle (heck even McCoy took a little time to get used to) straightaway Rohm was consistently wooden and had the charisma of a robot.
In summary, very good start to Season 12, despite Southerlyn. 8/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 23, 2022