Censure

This episode is based on the Sol Wachtler which stunned the legal and political world of New York State. Sol Wachtler was the Chief Judge of the Court Of Appeals and he threatened a woman who wanted to break off an affair he was having. You think that people who reach his kind of pinnacle are above such things. We learn time and again they are not.

A threatening message in a disguised voice demanding extortion and later a VHS tape of the child of Jane Kaczmarek threatening kidnap is sent to Kaczmarek. The apprehension of a lowlife who was hired to pick up a ransom left in a Central Park trash bin and a logo he recognized on the car of the man who hired him and the good work of the police lab technicians lead to the arrest of Apellate Court Judge David Groh.

To make matters more complicated Jill Hennessy before she joined the DA's office worked for Groh and had an affair with him which she broke off and left him and her job with him. As she said she hoped that she could keep that a secret, but who could ever figure this man would do what he did no matter how much of a satyr he was and how much of a satyr's ego he had.

Jill Hennessy resigns from the DA's office and as a private citizen is actually better able to help the case.

Groh is a frightening figure in both the power he wields and his monstrous ego.

Not a story we can forget either this episode or Sol Wachtler in real life.

"Censure" is most interesting for seeing some development to Claire Kincaid, newly introduced in Season 4 and who had by this point settled very well. It was a shame that she didn't last longer and she had good chemistry with Stone, which is very evident here especially in how Stone reacts to what she reveals. The case sounded very interesting, as did the defendant, and seemed less obvious than the cases of a few previous episodes of the season.

After a slight quality slump, not by much though, post-"American Dream", Season 4 is back on track with one of the better episodes of its second half "Censure". The case is suitably twisted, just as much as the previous episode "Breeder", and is a good deal more intricate than "The Pursuit of Happiness" especially and not as predictable. You do feel uneasy about the defendant, but that doesn't feel overly obvious here in "Censure". Kincaid's character writing is done very well here.

Only the agreed slightly abrupt ending disappoints. Other than that, "Censure" is near-classic 'Law and Order'.

Throughout all the performances are excellent. Michael Moriarty really shines in his chemistry with the equally excellent Jill Hennessy (here giving one of her best performances of her run on the show in my opinion), his shock and upset very believable, and when trying to get the truth out of Thayer (a very suspenseful moment that). Dave Groh is creepiness personified and George Grizzard brings a lot of energy to his recurring role. Jane Kaczmarek is affecting and John Ramsay also shines in that aforementioned moment with Stone.

Moreover, although the investigative/procedural elements are intriguing and entertain, but the legal scenes are even better and very honestly and thoughtfully written. The tension between Stone and Kincaid is beautifully played and written with real tension boiling between the two. The case doesn't get obvious or convoluted and is one of the most twisted of Season 4 along with "Breeder" where one is truly rooting for a conviction. That scene between Stone, Thayer and Schreiber is one powerful piece of writing and storytelling.

Production values are typically slick, as are the direction and pacing. The music is haunting without being over-emphatic.

All in all, wonderful and a near-classic. 9/10

In this episode, we find out more more of Claire Kincaid's backstory - namely that she worked for, and had an affair with, a judge before joining the DA's office. This isn't the only previous job they mention in various episodes - an earlier episode revealed that she clerked for a different judge - and BTW these judicial clerkships are generally at least year long gigs.

The problem is that Jill Hennessy was just barely 25 when this episode was filmed, and Claire Kincaid certainly doesn't look any older than that. Generally one graduates from law school at age 25. How did she get all of this judicial clerking experience AND then subsequently spend anough time in the DA's office to rise to an ADA sitting second chair on 1st degree murder trials at her age? Not possible. Even being generous, she would have had to have been at least four or five years older.

I can get past her romantic affair here with a judge who was nearly 30 years her senior, and her subsequent romantic relationship in seasons 5 and 6 with Jack McCoy who was also nearly 30 years her senior. Maybe that's just how she rolled. But she is just way too young to have the position she has, and especially if she had two or more judicial clerkships before ever even joining the DA's office, as this episode indicates.

As for the episode . . . It's OK, nothing more than that, especially because the unconvincing ending just seems to come out of nowhere since they're running out of time.

Jill Hennessy as ADA Claire Kincaid is the central figure here, where her past affair with a corrupt, blackmail-happy judge (David Groh, who played the execrable Dr. Jacob Lowenstein in season 1's memorable "Indifference") is brought into play. She is, as the title implies, censured by the court after the judge files a complaint - which means she's no longer allowed to practice law. Her resignation letter proves to be useful for EADA Ben Stone, however, who is able to use Kincaid's status as a private citizen when he renews charges against the judge.

It's a redemption arc for Claire, with the excellent Groh as a supporting player alongside the always versatile Jane Kaczmarek (perhaps most famous for her role as Lois on "Malcolm in the Middle") as one of his victims and George Grizzard as the lively defense attorney he's played twice before on L&O.

While it did strike me as a bit odd that a character as strong and smart as Claire would've been involved with this guy (and if my math is right, there was about a 30-year difference between the actors at the time of this episode), the whole thing is well-written enough that I was able to let it slide. I docked a point for the uninspired ending, though, which feels especially abrupt given the elegant closures we're used to from this show.

I had of course remembered David Groh in another episode of Law and Order based on a true incident involving a therapist, his wife and the horrific death of his young daughter for which he was convicted.

Recently, I saw the Law and Order episode "Censure" on cable TV. In it, David Groh plays Judge Joel Thayer, and is accused of stalking an ex-lover, and of threatening her daughter. During the course of the investigation, the detectives interview several witnesses -- one of whom is a suspect caught attempting to retrieve money left in a trash can in Central Park.

In an effort to identify the "black sedan" observed with a distinct crest or decal in the vicinity of the victim and her mother, THIS SUSPECT is brought in for questioning and is ultimately able to recognize this insignia on the car as "a Roman profile, like on a coin." (Was he eating a sandwich, triumphant and declaring " Yeah, I think you got it"?????)

NOW, AM I COMPLETELY OFF BASE HERE, OR IS THIS ACTOR IN FACT NONE OTHER THAN David CHASE - THE CREATOR OF THE HBO SERIES, "THE SOPRANOS???"