Shrunk

This was one of those 'Law and Order' episodes on first watch that had a number of good things but did feel on the ordinary side and didn't stick in the mind long after. There are episodes of the show and the 'Law and Order' franchise in general that felt like this, but there are many on both counts where that type of episode on first watch fared better on rewatch and were better than remembered seeing it through older eyes.

Season 14's "Shrunk" is one of those episodes. It's not one of the best episodes of Season 14, which was not a bad season at all and much better than the Season 14 of 'Special Victims Unit', while also not one of the worst. On paper it sounds fairly standard and is a bit ordinary to begin with, but the execution is a lot more complex than that. When things become meatier and twistier "Shrunk" becomes very intricate and it is one of those episodes that induces anger and outrage by its end.

As said, "Shrunk" starts off a little on the ordinary side and didn't immediately grab me straightaway and did think too that the final 5 minutes or so were on the rushed side from trying to cram a lot in.

Elisabeth Rohm plays personality free Southerlyn as too much of a cold fish.

However, a lot is done very well indeed. The production values are still fully professional, the slickness and subtly gritty style still remaining. The music is sparingly used and is haunting and thankfully non-overwrought. The direction shows some nice tension in the legal scenes, which is where "Shrunk" fares a good deal better. The script is intelligent, lean enough and thought-provoking on both sides of the arguments, although it doesn't quite have the extra spark.

The character writing for the prime suspect and the perpetrator are especially well done, the manipulation always giving me the chills. The perpetrator, one of the most cold blooded ones in some time, is one of those that makes one feel uneasy even just talking about them. Almost all the regulars are great, while Robert Foxworth is even better. Showing once again how excellent he was playing detestable characters, his character is as detestable as they come and Foxworth portrays him frighteningly.

Overall, very good. 8/10.

When the maid of the famous composer John David Myers finds the body of a murdered woman, she immediately summons the police. Briscoe and Green are assigned to the case that appears to be that someone had broken into the house during the night, as showed by Ms. Margot Dalton that has been working for Myers for a long period. Soon they also identify the victim, the aspiring actress Carrie Gunderson, that had spent the night with Myers at a play and drinking later. But their further investigation shows that the home invasion was staged by Ms. Dalton. Myers is brought to the police station and asks for the presence his psychiatrist, Dr. Frederick Barrett. McCoy and Serena prosecute him, and his defense lawyer enters a plea of insanity. But soon they learn there was a relationship between Barret and Carrie and the unbalanced Myers was manipulated by his psychiatrist. What will happen next?

"Shrunk" is an episode of "Law & Order" that discloses a weird case of manipulation. Good performances as usual and another interesting story make this show attractive and worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Shrunk"

A maid (better known as personal assistant) found a dead girl stabbed eight times in her employer's kitchen. The man (John Shea) lied on his own bed in a state of shock. He is a well-known theatrical composer and the night before he staged a brand new opera in Broadway; after the show he had a night party to celebrate the event and he met the victim, a wannabe actress, before taking her in his hometown. The man is keen on knives, owning a collection of rare daggers (one maybe belonged to Custer). Detectives realized that the alarm system was off, so maybe someone related to the victim's life could have committed the murder. They questioned her former fiancée, her roommate and the participants in shrink sessions she usually attended. Actually the maid staged everything to make it looked like a break in: the composer stabbed the victim the same way his mother (still alive and locked up in a nuthouse) had stabbed his father when he was a child. Defense attorney claimed mental defect, but someone else behind the defendant pulled the strings...

Nice episode, in which we see that even successful person could be easily manipulate. An advice: don't go to any shrinks unless it's strictly necessary.