Punk

At first, in this episode the story seems contrived. A corrections officer is murdered in the community and a female inmate is accused of arranging the murder from inside a prison. The inmate claims that the corrections officer was raping her But the murder is not the main element that drives the story. The assistant DA, Harmon, who is female, is hostile toward the defendant and does not conceal her hostility. The question is: why is this assistant DA so hostile toward this one defendant? No one understands it. Out of all the cases this assistant DA has handled, why is the so focused on this one defendant? This mystery transform a rather unoriginal plot into something that creates interest. Soon, attention shifts away from the defendant to the assistant DA as she continues to fume over what she claims is one of the lowest human beings on the planet. Although the defendant has a checkered past, her rap sheet does not seem to suggest a record that is especially egregious. That means nothing to the assistant DA who is absolutely determined to get a murder conviction, even though the defendant was allegedly being raped. To find out why the assistant DA was so hostile, watch the episode. It contains one of Angie Harmpn's stronger performances.

Cara Buono's performance here as the working class girl who makes some bad choices and winds up in the state prison system dominates this particular Law And Order story. What also drives this story is the history between her and Angie Harmon.

Back in the day when Abbie Carmichael was working in the Narcotics Bureau Buono was one of hundreds of people she prosecuted. Buono made a really bad choice in that one, she was left holding the bag with her boyfriend's drugs. So instead of turning him in, she took the rap for him out of some misplaced sense of street loyalty. It wound her up in a women's prison where she joins the ladies' auxiliary of a gang called the Paganos and uses those connections to get a certain correction officer killed because he was harassing her.

The portrait of this victim is one of a true sleaze-bag, but one who would probably never be caught because of the code of silence among prison guards. After all they're the ones you have to rely on to get yourself out of tight spot if you find yourself in one with all those prisoners.

Tovah Feldshuh makes one of her guest appearances as Sam Waterston's favorite defense lawyer Danielle Melnick. The jury hears all about the victim and has a real problem here. I love Feldshuh's character she's such a passionate advocate in all her appearances.

I've known people like Buono in my life. They make bad choices and continue to make them. You love them, but you want to strangle them at times. I also have to say there's an element of narcissism in Buono's character the way she personalizes what Angie Harmon did back in the day. It's called doing your job.

Law & Order S9,E8 'Punk' : a 1998 episode I'm viewing again on Prime. I probably saw the first presentation 25 years ago without noticing anything wrong. Now a senior, I realize I've become more attentive to details, more observant of mistakes, and less forgiving.

'Candy' is a young female inmate testifying in criminal court. Her acting is fine but something struck me as bizarre : her eyebrows are perfect, her eyelashes also perfect, her lipstick just perfect. Since when do inmates get to benefit from a professional makeup artist before going to court ?

Obviously a blunder by the support staff. They got the principal inmate character right (no makeup at all), but goofed for the other.

As I said, I notice more with time passing. Pros must act like Pros, and supervisors must supervise...

I've never warmed to Abby Carmichael as assistant DA, but she's utterly unbearable here. Her smug self-certainty and complete lack of empathy come to a head in this story of a woman, previously convicted by Carmichael of drug offenses, who has been a victim of repeated rape by prison guards. There's a revelation at the end of the episode that is supposed to put a new spin on Carmichael's attitude, but it's too brief and superficial. The overall feeling is one of frustration and anger, despite the terrific performance by Cara Buono.

This is a gripping story, but Cara Buono made this episode. Her performance is a standout! Why is she listed below the men? I had a difficult time finding out who she is. I just rewatched the episode for about the 4th time, always taken by her portrayal.