Briscoe and Logan investigate when the son of a wealthy friend of Adam Schiff is kidnapped.Briscoe and Logan investigate when the son of a wealthy friend of Adam Schiff is kidnapped.Briscoe and Logan investigate when the son of a wealthy friend of Adam Schiff is kidnapped.
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This one involves an old friend of Schiff's, as did season 2's finale "The Working Stiff." Here, Theodore Bikel plays Sol Bregman, a rich gentleman whose son appears to have been kidnapped by mysterious forces. When it becomes apparent that the kidnapper may be a little closer to home, Stone, Claire and Schiff must grapple with a father-son relationship that isn't exactly reciprocal.
I like L&O episodes where ghosts and figures from the characters' pasts make up the plot; you definitely get that here, as Schiff must balance his loyalty to Sol with his duty to pursue the leads wherever they go. Let's just say this is one friendship that probably isn't bound to last past the end credits...
Nice casting in this one, with Bikel as the concerned dad, Vyto Ruginis as one of the kidnappers (he's always got a chilly look about him, like he's planning on gouging someone's eyes out) and Leo Burmester as a quirky defense attorney with a taste for Chinese food who hails from Dade County.
I like L&O episodes where ghosts and figures from the characters' pasts make up the plot; you definitely get that here, as Schiff must balance his loyalty to Sol with his duty to pursue the leads wherever they go. Let's just say this is one friendship that probably isn't bound to last past the end credits...
Nice casting in this one, with Bikel as the concerned dad, Vyto Ruginis as one of the kidnappers (he's always got a chilly look about him, like he's planning on gouging someone's eyes out) and Leo Burmester as a quirky defense attorney with a taste for Chinese food who hails from Dade County.
The type of story here might be old and one that one sees many times in shows of this genre, but it is the kind of story that has often been done incredibly well with a lot of intrigue and tension. Am a fan of 'Law and Order', especially the early seasons (on the most part too Season 4 was a very good representation of how great the show was), and Theodore Bikel was always watchable. Seeing more of a focus on Schiff was welcome.
"Snatched" may not be an exceptional episode or one of the best episodes of Season 4, not like "Profile" or "American Dream", or of 'Law and Order'. It is very good though, improving upon the previous two episodes "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "Golden Years", with one brilliantly written character relationship and one performance in particular that save the episode from being standard and making it a very good one instead.
Perhaps the case isn't anything extraordinary, was not that surprised by the truth with it being a fairly familiar trope.
It was also for me a little on the rushed side at the end.
What elevated "Snatched" to a better level were a few things. Bikel gives a very strong performance and dominates the screen whenever he's present, could understand his character's dilemma as a father. Absolutely loved his chemistry with Steven Hill, here giving for me one of his best performances of the show with his conflict in one of his most personal cases being acted in a very subtle yet authoritative way. The relationship between the two characters was what gave the episode its heart and seeing them together was both tense and moving.
Michael Moriarty is typically strong as Stone and Jerry Orbach (showing why Briscoe deserves his high critical reputation) and Chris Noth's rapport has both entertainment value and edge. The writing is taut and thought-provoking, shining particularly with Stone and the dialogue between Sol and Schiff. The story absorbs on the whole regardless of it not being mind-blowing case-wise.
As ever, the photography and such are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way.
On the whole, very well done with Bikel, Hill and their character relationship raising the episode from being potentially standard to something better. 8/10
"Snatched" may not be an exceptional episode or one of the best episodes of Season 4, not like "Profile" or "American Dream", or of 'Law and Order'. It is very good though, improving upon the previous two episodes "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "Golden Years", with one brilliantly written character relationship and one performance in particular that save the episode from being standard and making it a very good one instead.
Perhaps the case isn't anything extraordinary, was not that surprised by the truth with it being a fairly familiar trope.
It was also for me a little on the rushed side at the end.
What elevated "Snatched" to a better level were a few things. Bikel gives a very strong performance and dominates the screen whenever he's present, could understand his character's dilemma as a father. Absolutely loved his chemistry with Steven Hill, here giving for me one of his best performances of the show with his conflict in one of his most personal cases being acted in a very subtle yet authoritative way. The relationship between the two characters was what gave the episode its heart and seeing them together was both tense and moving.
Michael Moriarty is typically strong as Stone and Jerry Orbach (showing why Briscoe deserves his high critical reputation) and Chris Noth's rapport has both entertainment value and edge. The writing is taut and thought-provoking, shining particularly with Stone and the dialogue between Sol and Schiff. The story absorbs on the whole regardless of it not being mind-blowing case-wise.
As ever, the photography and such are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way.
On the whole, very well done with Bikel, Hill and their character relationship raising the episode from being potentially standard to something better. 8/10
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on several separate kidnapping cases:
- The 1973 John Paul Getty III kidnapping case. In July 1973, 16-year-old John Paul Getty III, grandson of oil magnate J. Paul Getty, was kidnapped in Rome by the 'Ndrangheta, a Calabrian mafia group. The kidnappers demanded a $17 million ransom, but Getty Sr. initially refused to pay, fearing it would encourage further kidnappings of his grandchildren. After five months, during which the kidnappers severed and mailed Getty III's ear to a newspaper, Getty Sr. agreed to pay $2.2 million-the maximum amount that was tax-deductible-and lent the remaining $800,000 to his son at 4% interest. Getty III was released in December 1973, but the trauma led to lifelong struggles with substance abuse and health issues, culminating in a stroke in 1981 that left him severely disabled until his death in 2011.
- The 1975 Samuel Bronfman II kidnapping case. On August 9, 1975, Samuel Bronfman II was abducted in New York. He was held for more than a week when his father, Edgar Bronfman, personally paid a $2.3 million ransom. He was later rescued by the FBI and New York City police from a Brooklyn apartment where he was found with his hands bound and his eyes and mouth covered with adhesive tape. The captors, both natives of Ireland, were a former limousine operator, Dominic Byrne, and his neighbor, former fireman Mel Patrick Lynch. Byrne claimed that he and Samuel were homosexual lovers and that Bronfman's nine-day disappearance in August 1975 was a hoax abduction engineered by the 23-year-old whiskey heir himself. Both Byrne and Lynch--acquitted of kidnapping but convicted of extortion charges--spent several years in prison.
- The 1968 Barbara Mackle kidnapping case. In December 1968, 20-year-old Emory University student Barbara Jane Mackle was kidnapped from a Georgia motel by Gary Steven Krist and his accomplice, Ruth Eisemann-Schier. Pretending to be law enforcement, they abducted her and buried her alive in a ventilated fiberglass box in a remote area. The kidnappers demanded a $500,000 ransom from her wealthy father. After the ransom was paid, Krist provided vague directions to her location. FBI agents located and rescued Barbara after she had spent 83 hours underground, dehydrated but otherwise unharmed. Krist was captured shortly thereafter and sentenced to life in prison but was paroled after ten years. Eisemann-Schier was apprehended months later, served four years, and was deported to Honduras.
- GoofsWatson's lawyer accuses Stone of intentionally delaying getting an indictment from the grand jury because he doesn't have enough evidence and doing an end-run around the fifth amendment by holding his clients in jail without bail or a trial thereby violating their right to habeas corpus. However, the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution deals with protecting a defendant from being compelled to be witnesses against themselves at trial. It is the sixth amendment to the constitution that deals with a defendant's right to a fair and speedy trial by a jury of their peers.
- Quotes
EADA Ben Stone: Mr. Bregman, in all my years as a prosecutor, you are possibly the stupidest criminal I have ever met.
- ConnectionsReferences A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
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