(Spoiler for future episodes) I was ready to give this 8 of 10. But I liked the ending: Goren's empathetic response to the suspect's schizophrenic disorder. Nice acting on the part of guest actor Christopher Evan Welch. Along with the ending of the episode 'Sweet Sorrow,' darker things are being foreshadowed for Goren and his own family's struggles with mental illness.
4 Reviews
He Wasn't A Big Help
ccthemovieman-129 December 2006
Can you ruin people by trying to help them? Well, if you're insane, it helps. That's what is pictured here as a "disturbed opthamologist" thinks mental illness comes through the eyes. However, everyone he operates on only gets worse.
Just as "disturbing" are the GARCIA couple who is lauded throughout the city for years for their work giving rooms and service to the homeless but it turns out to be a big Medicare scam. The Garcias have gold-plated facets in their bathrooms, for one example!
Good people on the outside, but not-so-good on the inside. That's the theme of this emotional and somewhat odd episode.
Just as "disturbing" are the GARCIA couple who is lauded throughout the city for years for their work giving rooms and service to the homeless but it turns out to be a big Medicare scam. The Garcias have gold-plated facets in their bathrooms, for one example!
Good people on the outside, but not-so-good on the inside. That's the theme of this emotional and somewhat odd episode.
Dark shadows
TheLittleSongbird26 March 2020
Season 2 saw a step in the right direction with "Baggage", after a brief slight dip between "Malignant" and that episode. Things got even better with "Suite Sorrow" which saw the season back completely on track and returning to form. So there was high hopes for "See Me", especially considering having heard so many good things about it before watching it first time some years ago and that it is one of the most hard-hitting and relatable concepts of the season.
The execution is also equally as hard-hitting, poignant and relatable, in what turned out to be one of Season 2's, which was a solid if more variable compared to the previous one season overall, best episodes. And one of the best of the early seasons, despite a darker and more emotional approach here compared to what was seen before "See Me" is still classic 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent'. This more comparitively serious approach was more than appropriate for such a heavy subject matter and should not be a strike against it.
As usual, the production values are high and like as what has been said before, to me they improved in Season 2. More finesse, more sharpness. The music fits the tone of the episode very well, without going overboard. Nothing melodramatic here and the use of it doesn't get too much in placement. The script provides a lot of insight and some of the dialogue is among the most poignant of the season.
Have no issues with the story either. This is one powerful story, that doesn't trivialise or dumb down its themes while not laying them too thick. What sets "See Me" apart from a lot of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' is the character development for Goren, harrowing stuff that sees a more personal side and foreshadows what was to come later on in the show. The episode does a great job with Goren trying to understand the perpetrator's actions and with it getting personal for him wanting insight into schizophrenia itself, while not losing what makes him a great character in general. The final scene is an emotional powerhouse.
Vincent D'Onofrio shows that he can do truly affecting drama as well as hilarious comic timing and intensity. Christopher Evan Welch also gives a powerful performance, giving complexity to a character that could easily have been completely detestable.
Overall, brilliant episode and a season high-point. 10/10
The execution is also equally as hard-hitting, poignant and relatable, in what turned out to be one of Season 2's, which was a solid if more variable compared to the previous one season overall, best episodes. And one of the best of the early seasons, despite a darker and more emotional approach here compared to what was seen before "See Me" is still classic 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent'. This more comparitively serious approach was more than appropriate for such a heavy subject matter and should not be a strike against it.
As usual, the production values are high and like as what has been said before, to me they improved in Season 2. More finesse, more sharpness. The music fits the tone of the episode very well, without going overboard. Nothing melodramatic here and the use of it doesn't get too much in placement. The script provides a lot of insight and some of the dialogue is among the most poignant of the season.
Have no issues with the story either. This is one powerful story, that doesn't trivialise or dumb down its themes while not laying them too thick. What sets "See Me" apart from a lot of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' is the character development for Goren, harrowing stuff that sees a more personal side and foreshadows what was to come later on in the show. The episode does a great job with Goren trying to understand the perpetrator's actions and with it getting personal for him wanting insight into schizophrenia itself, while not losing what makes him a great character in general. The final scene is an emotional powerhouse.
Vincent D'Onofrio shows that he can do truly affecting drama as well as hilarious comic timing and intensity. Christopher Evan Welch also gives a powerful performance, giving complexity to a character that could easily have been completely detestable.
Overall, brilliant episode and a season high-point. 10/10
Murder at Gracie Mansion
bkoganbing17 February 2021
When you get a murder committed at the park where Gracie Mansion sits you
know that the Mayor would want Major Case involved in this one. So Goren and
Eames catch this one.
They would have anyway as the victim was a doctor on an errand of mercy. He was looking for a homeless relation known to hang out in the area.
The trail leads Vincent Donofrio and Kathryn Erbe to a shelter where the married couple wo run the place have this unbelievable scam going bilking Medicaid out of thousands of dollars. Some of the schemes are so incredibly outrageous. It's what happens when you have lousy government oversight.
But he murder itself is for far more esoteric reasons than that/ Only the eclectic mind of Robert Goren could have figured this one out,
Nice turns by the regulars and guest cast/
They would have anyway as the victim was a doctor on an errand of mercy. He was looking for a homeless relation known to hang out in the area.
The trail leads Vincent Donofrio and Kathryn Erbe to a shelter where the married couple wo run the place have this unbelievable scam going bilking Medicaid out of thousands of dollars. Some of the schemes are so incredibly outrageous. It's what happens when you have lousy government oversight.
But he murder itself is for far more esoteric reasons than that/ Only the eclectic mind of Robert Goren could have figured this one out,
Nice turns by the regulars and guest cast/
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