Amy Carlson in Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)

Bebe Neuwirth

Amy Carlson

Kirk Acevedo

Chris Levinson

Kibre tries the case of a man who shot up a bank and killed a woman. The case quickly becomes a strange affair when the man accused decides to represent himself despite having no legal training. When the jury shows signs of sympat...

Caleb Deschanel

Bang &amp; Blame

Truly harrowing

&apos;Law and Order: Trial by Jury&apos; &quot;Bang and Blame&quot; (2005)

Opening thoughts: The &apos;Law and Order&apos; franchise often excelled with tackling tough and controversial topics, many still relevant today (more so in some). There were times where heavy handedness could be seen, especially in latter seasons &apos;Special Victims Unit&apos; and the closing argument of &quot;Baby Boom&quot; in &apos;Trial by Jury&apos; is an example of this too. But many of the franchise&apos;s episodes tackled their topics very powerfully in an unyielding but sensitive fashion, like the original in its prime.

One of the episodes that comes closest to tackling difficult subjects in the latter way is &quot;Bang and Blame&quot;. On paper, some of it does not sound plausible, but it actually did manage to just about be so. To me though, it is one of the best episodes of &apos;Law and Order: Trial by Jury&apos; and the first great one. Not that there had been a bad episode before, none of the show&apos;s episodes were bad but also few were great. Luckily &quot;Bang and Blame&quot; is one of the great ones.

Bad things: Maybe it starts off on the ordinary side and very much how one expects an episode of the franchise to start.

Good things: Otherwise, there isn&apos;t really anything that bothered me massively. The photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it&apos;s mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has momentum but also breathing space.

In terms of writing, &quot;Bang and Blame&quot; is taut and thought provoking, while the story is a hard hitting one explored unflinchingly and intelligently without preachiness. On paper, the defense argument does not sound probable (having come fresh off seeing episodes of the franchise that had a lot of improbable defense arguments) and had the trap of being flimsy, but it is thankfully a lot more compelling and plausible than it sounds.

As for the performances, no issue can be found. While the regulars are fine, with Bebe Neuwirth fully warmed up and relaxed now and Amy Carlson a more than solid contrast, the supporting cast are even better. It is great to see Carey Lowell again and it feels like she had never left the franchise, as there is nothing tired or &quot;forgot what made her character so great&quot; about her acting here. Jeff Perry is truly unnerving and one of those characters where one roots for them to be sent down.

Closing thoughts: Concluding, great.

9/10.

'Law and Order: Trial by Jury' "Bang and Blame" (2005)

Opening thoughts: The 'Law and Order' franchise often excelled with tackling tough and controversial topics, many still relevant today (more so in some). There were times where heavy handedness could be seen, especially in latter seasons 'Special Victims Unit' and the closing argument of "Baby Boom" in 'Trial by Jury' is an example of this too. But many of the franchise's episodes tackled their topics very powerfully in an unyielding but sensitive fashion, like the original in its prime.

One of the episodes that comes closest to tackling difficult subjects in the latter way is "Bang and Blame". On paper, some of it does not sound plausible, but it actually did manage to just about be so. To me though, it is one of the best episodes of 'Law and Order: Trial by Jury' and the first great one. Not that there had been a bad episode before, none of the show's episodes were bad but also few were great. Luckily "Bang and Blame" is one of the great ones.

Bad things: Maybe it starts off on the ordinary side and very much how one expects an episode of the franchise to start.

Good things: Otherwise, there isn't really anything that bothered me massively. The photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has momentum but also breathing space.

In terms of writing, "Bang and Blame" is taut and thought provoking, while the story is a hard hitting one explored unflinchingly and intelligently without preachiness. On paper, the defense argument does not sound probable (having come fresh off seeing episodes of the franchise that had a lot of improbable defense arguments) and had the trap of being flimsy, but it is thankfully a lot more compelling and plausible than it sounds.

As for the performances, no issue can be found. While the regulars are fine, with Bebe Neuwirth fully warmed up and relaxed now and Amy Carlson a more than solid contrast, the supporting cast are even better. It is great to see Carey Lowell again and it feels like she had never left the franchise, as there is nothing tired or "forgot what made her character so great" about her acting here. Jeff Perry is truly unnerving and one of those characters where one roots for them to be sent down.

Closing thoughts: Concluding, great.

9/10.

Kibre tries the case of a man who shot up a bank and killed a woman. The case quickly becomes a strange affair when the man accused decides to represent himself despite having no legal training. When the jury shows signs of sympathizing with the man, Kibre and Gaffney must resort to some quick detective work that reveals several holes in the murderer's argument that he has been constantly victimized.

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