Golden Years

Season 4 was on the whole another very solid season for 'Law and Order', and the first half of it had all the episodes ranging from very well done to outstanding. A higher and more consistent quality than the first halves of the previous three seasons and the substantial changes settled a lot quicker than those in Seasons 2 and 3. The story sounded interesting for "Golden Years" and is not an outdated one, one that does sound obvious on paper but actually the execution was surprisingly complex.

Perhaps a bit too much so at times. "Golden Years" is not one of the best episodes of Season 4, in comparison to the previous episodes it is nowhere near the level of "Profile" and "American Dream" (two of the season's high points). It is though a marginal improvement over the well done if unexceptional previous episode "The Pursuit of Happiness" and is another solidly if not flawlessly executed episode for Season 4 and of 'Law and Order'.

"Golden Years" does for my tastes have too much going on in the story and needed more time for developments to breathe properly. Loved that not everything was as it seemed on first glance and that it was twisty, but with the number of truths revealed and with so much doubt cast so many times it was not always easy to follow or take in immediately what was being said.

If it tried to do a little less and had more time to breathe, it would have been better.

With all that being said, "Golden Years" has a lot that is commendable. It looks good, slickly shot, cohesively edited and with nice use of locations. The music is haunting and has presence while staying understated. The direction has intimacy without being static. The writing is intelligent and taut and the story is always compelling, going at a controlled pace but tight enough.

The story is not perfect in its execution, but it is never dull at least, always intrigues and is never predictable. The ending was not expected. The acting is very good, all the regulars are on fine form (especially Michael Moriarty) and excellent Jan Miner and Julie Dretzin are more than up to their level.

Overall, good but not great. 7/10

Detectives Briscoe and Logan respond to the scene of an apartment where a woman in her eighties is found dead. No signs of bodily injury but it looks like the woman starved to death.

One thing does emerge from the investigation that she was a cantankerous old cuss. Her granddaughter Julie Dretzin took care of her and did hire an illegal alien to watch over the deceased. Denise Gonzalez plays the illegal woman who faces deportation to the Dominican Republic during the course of this show.

I don't want to go into the whole thing, but Dretzin is lucky to have the services of Tovah Feldshuh making one of her many appearances on Law And Order as Danielle Melnick. As the trial goes on even Michael Moriarty and Jill Hennessy start to have their doubts.

You're in for an interesting ending on this one.

There's frustration thrown 'Golden Years' way because it doesn't spell things out. As the law, real life tell us everything isn't always airtight. Customary suspects are here per usual, but it's clear what the real story is. People should be less upset about it not being cut 'n dry and acknowledge that in a roundabout way the lack of real justice at the end shows how little society cares about old people.

Mildred Bauer an elderly lady in failing health is found deceased and cause of death is ruled starvation. Enter granddaughter Laura (Julie Dretzin) who's law school is being paid for amongst other financial favors. Soon the lies, suspect decisions amount to a mole hill. She takes the stand in her own defense and presents a picture of a caring family member. A piece of evidence gained last minute casts more shade on her character. Suddenly a religious component is introduced to explain that Mildred herself wanted to die without any collaboration to the fact and Laura was just ceding her wishes.

The only problem I had with 'Golden Years' was the phony way Stone (Moriarty) & Kincaid (Hennessy) waiver near the end on Laura's guilt. Remind me to toss away my conscious, lie repeatedly to an elderly family member to gain favor. Then put them behind lock & key and wait for the financial windfall to come my way. When confronted with my series of suspect decisions by the legal system, I'll claim they wanted to die. Pull out some religious, suicide rhetoric as a defense. This episode works on your emotions - perhaps not as intended - but that alone makes it worth a view.

The detectives were walking by a cemetery and there was, I'm guessing, homeless lady standing there trying to get the attention of passersby's. I watched this episode several times and always wondered about her. I felt sorry for her.

When Mildred Bauer is found dead, it's between her maid Maria and her granddaughter Laura as to who might've done her in - or could it have been Mildred herself, old and infirm, who had simply given up all hope of living?

This one is a bit of a frustrating watch, because it takes the tack of casting a whole lotta doubt on who exactly did it, right up until the very end - and even then it's hard to say. Some Law & Order episodes feature late-game twists that suggest the DA's office might be on the wrong track, and some feature devilish fiends who the lawfighters are 99% certain are actually guilty; this one just kind of spins you around the whole way, so your mileage may vary.

Great performance by Jan Miner as the victim's friend, one of her last. She's funny and down-to-earth - probably the episode's standout. And look out for a young Daniel Dae Kim as the medical examiner; his scenes are brief but he comes across as supremely friendly and charming, to the point where I was disappointed to find that this is his only L&O appearance.