Maltese Cross

Guessing I'm more grandiose than I ought to be about this episode; but I thought it was well crafted storytelling both in its writing n production that unusually opened with a highly atypical way; maybe leaving some viewers wondering if they accidentally fast forwarded this episode...It didn't matter to me anyway if maybe that specific choreography was perhaps crapola; still thought the whole story n plot was sensational

Forget the name of the writer of this one; not necessarily among its usual but a talented presentation between writer and director.... Noth particularly understated versatile..

Have always liked Logan ever since the early seasons of the original 'Law and Order'. Not everybody likes Wheeler, have actually never had a problem with her and found her consistently written than Barek (who was a bit up and down, but overall didn't mind her). Also liked them together, not the best duo on 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' but nice enough in its own way. Ross didn't do it for me for a while though to be honest.

"Maltese Cross" as of now is the highest rated Logan and Wheeler episode (of Season 6 anyhow) and one of the higher rated Logan episodes overall of his three season stint on 'Criminal Intent'. To me, it is very easy to see why and absolutely agree personally that it is up there with the best on both counts. And if anybody suggested that it is the best Logan and Wheeler episode, that would definitely not be a problem with me and consider it a worthy contender. "Maltese Cross" is a great episode and does show well why Logan and Wheeler episodes don't get enough credit and why it is a shame that Wheeler wasn't more popular.

There is actually very, very little wrong. My only real complaint was really not liking that Wheeler's role in the brawl scene was pretty much useless. Ross is still neither interesting or easy to connect with yet, at the moment he is too much of the stock aggressive boss.

Chris Noth however is great, love his gritty edge and dry humour that he always showed as Logan and there is a little conflicted edge too. As said, Wheeler has never been a problem for me (to me she is probably the best of Noth's three partners he had on the show). Julianne Nicholson plays her with enough subtlety without being too low key. Their chemistry works well, it doesn't have the same amount of fire as Goren and Eames' but they at least gel, contrast well and work well as a team.

All the other performances are fine. The script is tight and well balanced and the story engrosses throughout with plenty of unpredictable and intriguing turns to satisfy. Was surprised by the identity of the perpetrator and the why wasn't immediately obvious either. The chase is well choreographed and exciting, a welcome change of pace for a show that is heavy on talk.

Production values are slick and are simple without being simplistic. The music is haunting and not too over-emphasised when used. The direction is sympathetic while having momentum and personality.

On the whole, great. 9/10

A 9/11 hero firefighter (Jason Pendergraft) is stabbed death for 12 times. He was a front man speaker in defending his fellow workers who died or dealing with health issues. At the beginning detectives believed it had something to do with a beating of a drag queen (the fireman prevented him from being beaten even further), but the teenage attackers had strong alibis and in Logan's eyes they weren't capable to kill someone. So the murdered must be linked to the fire station. Later on they figured out there was a strong connection to a homicide occurred 12 years before, so they took a trip to Philly to collect some information about it. Policemen at the end managed to solve the case by using the tool of jealousy.

Not the usual episode, it starts with a situation occurred later and then there's a flashback that explains everything. The fist fight between NYPD and FDNY is sadly comic, it looks like wrestling royal rumble.

I've come to appreciate the alternating partners situation that evolved after D'Onfrio had a meltdown over the workload. Goren and Eames will always be the heart of the show but it's refreshing to see other duos break up the monotony. Logan is a wonderful character and Noth is fantastic in the part. He shines in this episode but I don't feel Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) gets the credit she deserves for her role in the series. She is so unique and has such a refreshing beauty and way about her. I love her restrained sarcasm. She and Noth have great chemistry and this episode is a perfect example. I wish she had stayed on longer.