Couples

This is an atypical day for Jerry Orbach and Messe Martin. Usually episodes concentrate on only one homicide for the cast. Orbach and Martin solve four homicides and a kidnapping.

And the solutions for the most part seem to fall in their lap. One homicide has a talkative perpetrator talk himself into a confession before any investigation is done. Another just rambles on and on in an alcoholic stupor, bit there's just enough information to lead to the right conclusions.

The kidnapping they are alerted to while one of their other perpetrators is using a filling station bathroom to relieve himself and Martin finds a note written in lipstick on the mirror.

But my favorite is the one committed by Judith Blazer on her husband. In broad daylight in front of numerous witnesses, Briscoe and Green catch her running over her husband multiple times with her car. Blazer gets the acting award her, she's truly one whack job.

All in a day's work.

A runner was jogging on a park early in the morning. He suffered from a heart attack and he died shortly after. That's the beginning of four different stories:

1-A woman was shot dead near the jogger; she was a laborer who changed her name after running away from her former husband (Otto Sanchez); he had already spent ten years of jail time for her murder, so a double jeopardy could come up;

2-On their round Briscoe and Green noticed a crazy woman run over her cheating husband much to the mistress despair; in the questioning room, the perp quoted Schopenauer before Green;

3-At a gas station toilet, the detectives look a message in the mirror wrote by a kidnapped girl; she is eight months pregnant and her husband is the prime suspect.

4-Forensic chef figures out the runner was poisoned before the jogging by pure nicotine; he's gay and his lover may know something.

An unusual episode, a common day work for Briscoe and Green; lawyers made only a brief appearance, so it looks almost entirely a police drama. Now I understand why they don't have time to raise a family.

This is, without doubt, my favorite Law & Order episode.

First, it's unique, in that instead of the usual 1/2 cop and 1/2 lawyer format, the cop side dominates. I guess half the cast wanted some time off. The lawyer side probably did all their work in one day, instead of the usual 5-6 days.

Second, because of it's unique format, it surprises you, and keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see the lawyer side of the show. But when they show up, even the legal question is really unique.

Third, while some the of the murders are simple to solve (very unusual for L&O), some are twisted, really twisted.

Lastly, it shows that 'one of those days' happens to cops as well as to the rest of us working schmucks.

The below is not a spoiler, just funny: Last lines in the show:

Detective Green: "We got a jumper."

Detective Briscoe: "I may join him."

This is the Best episode of Law and Order ever. I've seen it at least five times and I still love it. Great stories and Briscoe and Green make it my favorite!

Season 13's penultimate episode "Couples" left a major impression on me on my first watch of it. Just loved its complex case, its uniqueness (in that it is police procedural heavy rather than one half investigating and the other legal) and its surprisingly twisted atmosphere. Reading the basic plot summary here, it does sound like a strange episode but it didn't feel like a strange episode to me on first watch. Have seen some strange episodes of other shows recently, and "Couples" is a long way from that.

On re-watch, "Couples" was every bit as brilliant as remembered and actually even better. It is without question one of the best episodes of Season 13, in fact if there is a contender for the best of the season "Couples" would be an extremely worthy winner. Everything that was so good about it on first watch still came over as more than good and even brilliantly, more so this time in my view.

As usual for 'Law and Order', the production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden.

The script in "Couples" is gritty and tight, as well as entertaining. Anybody that loves Briscoe's one liners and Jerry Orbach's sassy delivery of them will be in absolute heaven, this episode is a real showcase for them. Loved the story, it is very different in structure to the usual 'Law and Order' structure and it was great to see the police shine the most they did all season. Don't get me wrong, the policing always intrigued while also not being as inspired, but here the teamwork and how they go about getting the truth engrossed from the get go and never stopped. Briscoe and Green's interactions are a joy.

It has also got a good deal of suspense and the case is complex and has a lot going on without being crowded or incoherent. The murders are also surprisingly twisted, especially the brutal one with the car. The performances are very good to brilliant all round, Orbach and a chillingly unhinged Judith Blazer coming off best. Orbach's chemistry with the also great Jesse L Martin does not disappoint.

Concluding, brilliant penultimate instalment. 10/10.