Blood Is Thicker...

We have some unlikeable rich people at the center of all this. They are high profile family. The wife of the son has been murdered and unceremoniously tossed aside.

The matriarch, played by Nancy Marchand, whom I remember from the Lou Grant show, decides to throw her economic weight around to get the dork exonerated. Things rest on the identification of a pin that was worn, then found.

Once again, the lawyers manage to drive deeply into the principles and turn the tables.

With those two words Nancy Marchand sums up her view of the world. Her upper class family has its own set of values and standards and it sure doesn't involve associating with people of different backgrounds and religion. Values she instills in her idiot son John Bedford Lloyd.

It's both a good and a bad thing that Lloyd is born so wealthy. He's got mother Nancy Marchand's money, influence, and connections to keep him away from prosecution in the beating death of his wife and mother of his children which by the way he tries to fake as part of a mugging pattern. I will say though that Paul Sorvino and Chris Noth get very lucky in finding a witness that can swear Lloyd knew about the other crime so as to fake it.

With Ryder connections though both Michael Moriarty and Richard Brooks have a bad time trying to get this one prosecuted. Let's say some severe justice is given to more than one Ryder.

"Blood is Thicker" is the fourteenth episode of Season 2 of 'Law and Order'. The second half (so post-"His Hour Upon the Stage") of the season started off very well indeed, excellently actually, after a solid if slightly unsettled first half, so there were hopes for "Blood is Thicker" to be equally good. And it did have potential to be, being quite intrigued by the story on paper. Despite worries as to whether there would be enough tension or enough of what made 'Law and Order' so great in its prime.

Luckily "Blood is Thicker" does have enough of those great things, and although it does feel that there is something a little missing it is a very good episode. With so much right with it, and not much majorly wrong with it actually. One of Season 2's best? No. One of the show's best? No again. Instead it is one of those episodes that is neither among the best or worst of both the second season, a solid season on the whole despite preferring the first one, and the whole of 'Law and Order'.

Occasionally, "Blood is Thicker" is ever so slightly bland. Do have a preference for the ripped from the headlines-inspired sort of stories and stories that have more moral dilemmas regarding sensitive and controversial themes which generate more tension. This was the sort of story that could have had either or both of those things and the episode missed out somewhat on that, other than the tension created by one character.

So much is good here however. It is slickly shot with a more refined visual style than with the first season. The music didn't feel to me too much, used sparingly and only properly dramatic, without being overly so, when all is revealed. The direction is accomodating but also alert. The writing is deft and thought-provoking, not trivialising the subject but not over-complicating it either. The story could have done with a little more tension and emotion by a smidgeon, but everything with the legal side of the case is still absorbing and one does root for an outome.

Paul Sorvino proved himself throughout his short tenure to be a worthy successor to George Dzundza and his chemistry with dependable Chris Noth grew with each episode and by this episode had settled quite well. They work with cohesion and their detective work provokes thought even if the procedural element is occasionally on the routine side. Michael Moriarty carries everything concerning the trial with authority and the character hasn't lost any of his juice. Showing some nice teamwork and coflict with Richard Brooks. John Bedford Lloyd, his genuine bewilderment making one root for the case to have a satisfying resolve, and particularly Nancy Marchand, somehow managing to bring class to a chillingly domineering character, give two of the season's best guest star turns.

In conclusion, very well done. 8/10