Enemy

Two teenagers were making out in a condo hallway when they heard a shooting downstairs. Detectives got into the crime scene: 4 "soldiers" in drug trafficking, together with another 3 prep school students (come to the stash house to shot heroin). The only survivor was a girl severely wounded; she managed to recognized the shooter: he is a low profile businessman in trading gravels with many priors as hitman. The killer was hired by a local antique dealer, a drug lord subordinate. The one who called the shot was an Afghan drug lord, well known by american intelligence for supporting the army against the Taliban and very respected by his community because his militia restored order in some afghan provinces. A local smuggler set him up, so the motive is clear, but there are too many things involved (including the diplomatic limo where he confessed the crime).

Writers want us to think over the consequences of Afghanistan shelling. Drug lords flourished from the ruins and they could be worse than the Taliban.

A squad of killers from one drug gang wipe out some dealers at a drug house in Washington Heights and in the process kill three teenage girls who were there doing some recreational snorting. As these were Ivy League college bound young women that gets everybody upset.

It all traces back to the war in Afghanistan and wouldn't you know it one of our tribal allies who is in the heroin business is in town to supervise getting his product back. The young women were collateral damage in his war, a bit of blow-back we have to expect.

It was interesting to see how first our federal government first tried to cut a deal for Christopher Maher and then left him hung out to dry in court. Also interesting the way that Dennis Farina and Jesse Martin with some simple forensics tied the shooter to the crime scene.

The episode is a commentary on not our foreign policy per se, but on war in general. Until that's gotten rid of people and nations will find themselves with allies they're uncomfortable with at best.

"Enemy" was one of those 'Law and Order' episodes on first watch that had a number of good things but did feel on the ordinary side and didn't stick in the mind long after. There are episodes of the show and the 'Law and Order' franchise in general that felt like this, but there are many on both counts where that type of episode on first watch fared better on rewatch and were better than remembered seeing it through older eyes.

My generally positive, if not entirely enthusiastic, opinion of "Enemy" is pretty much the same and is one of those episodes described above. There is a lot to like about it, but considering the subject there was room for it to have been even better than it turned out. The right amount of emotion is here, but it is a bit lacking in the subtlety department (which is actually not easy to do for this subject when recounting horrific experiences).

Beginning with the not so good, the investigative scenes are a little routine and ordinary with some of it feeling too much like familiar ground, do think though that Fontana and his chemistry with Green have come on quite a lot since the beginning of the season. Also did think that it was a little heavy handed on occasions with everything concerning the subject where the writers' stance on the issue is made clear rather than seeing it from all sides.

Did feel too that Elisabeth Rohm is rather wooden and there is no warmth at all to Southerlyn.

However, so much succeeds. Production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic.

The dialogue is smart and always intriguing and on the whole the story is very compelling and wrenches the gut to intense and heart-wrenching effect. The recounting of the horrific events are truly unspeakable. The acting is very good, with Rohm being the one exception.

Concluding, good if not great. 7/10.