Cutter is forced to play hardball with his mentor after her Innocence Project group gets his guilty verdict in a murder trial set aside, but is he ready to handle the unexpected consequences... Read allCutter is forced to play hardball with his mentor after her Innocence Project group gets his guilty verdict in a murder trial set aside, but is he ready to handle the unexpected consequences of his actions?Cutter is forced to play hardball with his mentor after her Innocence Project group gets his guilty verdict in a murder trial set aside, but is he ready to handle the unexpected consequences of his actions?
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Did you know
- TriviaDespite playing a character being accused of murder motivated by gay hatred, Robin Lord Taylor is in fact gay.
- GoofsWhen the title card states that the next scene takes place in Sylvia Corgan's realty office and gives the date, the month is spelled "Febraury".
- Quotes
Cedric Stuber: This guy's not even a lawyer. Can he even make a deal?
Connie Rubirosa: Yes, he can, Mr. Stuber. And if you have any doubts, I'm here for your peace of mind.
Cedric Stuber: [sarcastic] Oh, that's sweet of you.
[sitting down]
Cedric Stuber: So what do you got?
Michael Cutter: Man one. Twenty years.
Cedric Stuber: [derisive laugh] Screw that.
Emily Ryan: Come on, Mike. You can do better than that. If he is going to blow trial, the minimum is fifteen years.
Connie Rubirosa: Everyone in this room knows he won't get less than twenty-five to life after a conviction for a hate crime.
Cedric Stuber: You know what? I'm sick of this hate crime crap. It's not like he was a black guy or a spic.
Michael Cutter: Our offer just went up to twenty-five.
Emily Ryan: Mike.
Michael Cutter: Go to trial if you don't like it.
Emily Ryan: How about our motion for dismissal? How about your law license?
Michael Cutter: You can have my license! It'll free me up to testify about the hate speech your client just spewed in here. And after he's convicted of murder in state court, I'll walk across to the U.S. Attorney's office and have your client prosecuted for violating the Matthew Shepard Act. Hate murder against gays is a federal offense now. Are you ready to do back to back life sentences, Mr. Stuber? You will die in jail.
They certainly don't here, quite the opposite. The whole legal portion is to me one of the best of Season 20 and of the post-Fontana episodes, it sees Cutter at his best and "Innocence" is an excellent episode. One of the best of the season, certainly of its second half, and one of the ones that leaves me intrigued, unsettled and saddened. High expectations were more than lived up to and close to exceeded. There could well be a chance that anybody who wasn't a fan of Cutter before may find themselves converted.
"Innocence" is only not quite as compelling in a rather nothing out of the ordinary first quarter.
Can't see any issue with everything else though. Can find nothing to fault the production values for though, the slickness and grit still present and likewise with the more fluid editing. The music is used relatively sparingly and is not too intrusively orchestrated, fitting too with the mood. The direction is generally alert but also sympathetic, shining in the character interactions in the legal scenes. Liked the tautness, edge and thought-probing of the second half's writing.
Furthermore, the second half is absolutely riveting. Suspenseful, intricate without being convoluted, ethically intriguing. A tough subject handled with force and tact, and with no preachiness or one sided-ness. It is a great showcase for Cutter, making here his meatiest appearance since Season 18's "Quit Claim" and it is an appearance that is even meatier than that. It is also the closest Cutter ever came to being true to and capturing what made Jack McCoy such a great character.
All the performances are spot on, with Linus Roache giving a contender for his best performance of the show and Amy Madigan touches. Then we have the truly frightening Robin Taylor.
Summarising, excellent. 9/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 21, 2023