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.

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...

One of the biggest appeals of 'Law and Order' has been the topics it addresses and issues that come with the topics addressed. Also with how they are explored, the execution more often than not was hardly sugar coated or trivialised and was often pull no punches in quality. On first watch, "Punk" struck me as a very good episode that does so much right. Despite disliking Carmichael's, speaking as somebody who usually likes her, attitude.

My feelings on "Punk" are pretty much exactly the same. It is still a a very good episode on the whole with many fantastic things, as well as a couple of things done not so well that were also sporadic recurring problems. It's not one of the best episodes of Season 9 and not one of the best of 'Law and Order', but still has plenty to show why 'Law and Order' is such a fine show and why it in its prime was my personal favourite of the franchise.

"Punk" is another case of one half being better than the other, with it starting off quite unexceptional and routine.

Also really didn't like Carmichael's selfish and non-empathetic attitude towards the case, which is laid on too thickly.

However, so much is done fantastically. It is a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key.

Furthermore, "Punk" has a thoughtful script that like a lot of 'Law and Order' episodes raises interesting questions worthy of debate with somebody, the moral dilemmas of the case treated intriguingly. The story is tactful but also pulls no punches, making one feel sad and angry. Nothing is too simple or too complicated and the second half even is riveting and keeps one guessing the more complex it gets. The character writing and interaction are near-on point and the conflict has genuine tension.

While not caring for Carmichael's character writing, Angie Harmon still plays her very well and has settled likewise. Melnik is a great character with a lot of passionate energy. A big selling point with "Punk" is the exceptional performance of Cara Buono, who has a complex unsettling presence and makes her character feel real.

Concluding, very good. 8/10.

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.

Last night I watched a season 24 episode of L&O featuring Cara Buono and I found her performance so good that when a reviewer here mentioned that she'd been on the show previously I decided to go back and rewatch her other episodes. Good decision. Very good decision.

In her first episode, Buono played an absolute b**** of a spoiled student who ran a prostitution ring at her college and had no problem accusing her own father of the murder that she'd committed. Here, she's a far more complex character who you end up feeling very sorry for. She portrays the contrasting mixture of little-girl innocence, world weariness, fear and defiance brilliantly. If she'd won an Emmy for this role, I wouldn't have any objections.

Angie Harmon also does a great job here, even though it portrays her character in a very negative light. Abbie really does seem to have a personal grudge against Alice and doesn't hide it, to such an extent that Jack and Adam are shocked when she eventually softens a little. I'm not sure that the reveal of a trauma from her past at the end of the episode really explains or justifies her extreme hostility against Alice, but the antagonism between the two women is what makes this episode special. A special mention for the always excellent Tovah Feldshuh as Jack's perpetual antagonist, Danielle Melnick. And I have to admit that the team of Orbach, Bratt, Merkerson, Waterston, Harmon and Hill was always my favourite of all the numerous combinations over the show's run. It would have been hard for this episode to let me down. And it didn't.

Okay, that does it! After I watch Buono's next episode, in season 17, I'm going to have to go back and watch the entire series from the beginning. I did it in 2011, so it's been long enough that I won't remember all the plots beforehand. Special thanks to two gorgeous ladies, Angie and Cara.