His Hour Upon the Stage

After a brilliant, season high point previous episode in "Heaven", which saw Season 2 back on form, it is hard not to expect a lot from "His Hour Upon a Stage" and certainly was for me on first watch to be honest. Also because the story on paper was one of the most interesting-sounding of all the stories for 'Law and Order's' second season, which generally was well done if not as consistent as the previous. Hard not to be grabbed either by the grand sounding title, which seemed wonderfully theatrical.

"His Hour Upon a Stage" is not a great episode or one of Season 2's best. It was a little bit of a disappointment after "Heaven", but namely because that episode was so good, and the synopsis is a little more interesting than the actual episode itself in my view. That does sound misleading and gives the impression that it is to me not a good episode. Not the case. There is more good than bad here and the good things are done very well indeed.

Good things that were also good things in all of the show's previous episodes. It still looks slick and doesn't feel too claustrophobic without trying to resort to overblown gimmickry. Do think generally that the look of 'Law and Order' improved even more in Season 2 than in Season 1, it seemed sharper and slicker while still in keeping with the show's tone. The music isn't constant or over-emphasised, even when something dramatic is happening. The theme tune is easy to remember and doesn't grate. Paul Sorvino has settled well and Carreta and Logan's chemistry gelled better with each episode, evident here.

The writing doesn't ramble and plenty of it really provokes thought. There is a good deal of talk but it doesn't feel too much. Stone's exit speech sums up the character of Leslie Hart to a tee. The story is nothing extraordinary and is not the most tension-filled or emotionally investable episode of Season 2 and even of the whole of 'Law and Order', but it still intrigues and has enough turns in the plot that one doesn't predict. Leslie Hart is an interesting character and Finn Carter is chillingly sophisticated in it. Still continue to like Stone very much as a character and Michael Moriarty has a lot of presence as him.

With all that being said, the story can be a complicated one and the second half at times does feel like too much being revealed in a short space of time and some of it is not so simple. So if anybody is a little confused on first watch at times, they can't be blamed. If it tried to do a little less and focused on one or two less characters, with only Hart being particularly well drawn of the supporting characters in my view, "His Hour Upon a Stage" would have been even better.

Although the story is enjoyable and well done, more tension and emotion wouldn't have gone amiss.

Summing up, solid episode but something a little missing and slightly over-complicated in the latter stages. 7/10

A man who has been frozen for five years has been thrown in a dumpster. It turns out that he is an unsuccessful movie producer. By the time we are done we have a driver, an actress, and a few others ého were up to no good.

There are lots of problems because of the five year period, but the forces at work manage to get all their ducks in a row.

The frozen body of a fledgling Broadway producer is discovered after it's being dumped in a restaurant freezer and there for over five years. That makes it a homicide and those three holes in head and chest make it a homicide. Nobody likes cold cases especially Paul Sorvino and Chris Noth.

They zero in on the responsible parties which turn out to be the deceased's producing partner Frank Converse and the deceased girlfriend Finn Carter who became a star as a result of appearing in the last property the victim produced.

When it gets to the District Attorney it's a question of assigning the blame in portions and who gets the biggest share. It becomes obvious that Carter is the prime mover in the homicide and the motive turned out to be some shady financing of the show itself. For most of the episode Carter seems just out of reach. Not helping is the fact that the actual shooter was picked up on another charge and died in prison. But Richard Brooks is the one who makes the connection between Carter and the deceased hit man which nails her in court for Michael Moriarty.

Jerry Orbach says he loves it when they're stupid, I love it when they outsmart themselves.