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« Law & Order: Criminal Intent
February 13, 2007: Flipped
Cop: "You listen to rap music, right?"
Logan: "Regularly."
So, I wasn’t really looking forward to this episode — another rap-murder case when we’ve seen way too many of these Tupac/Biggie slayings. And yet, I have to admit, I really enjoyed it – probably because the rap murder was only the “inciting incident” (pardon the high-school English term) for a complex case.
The real heart of this episode was deep-undercover detective Williams, played with surprising depth by rapper Sticky Fingaz — that’s right, I said Sticky Fingaz. It’s a subject that’s been dealt with sporadically (the excellent drug-cops drama Rush comes to mind), but not so much from the hip-hop underworld angle. It wasn’t hard to see why Williams became torn between protecting his family and carrying out his duty as a police officer — and why he crossed the line in the end.
Though he finally turned in his badge, I’d actually like to see a little more of this Williams character. Conflicted cops are always more interesting than the self-righteous, crusading ones — and he sure knew how to push Logan’s buttons. After The Noth put Sticky through that window, it’s a real toss-up as to who needs anger-management classes more: Logan or Special Victims Unit’s resident hothead, Elliot Stabler.
Of course, as usual, good old Captain Danny barely batted an eyelash at all this. I mean, one of your guys just put a fellow officer through a window; can you at least try to look a little perturbed, Bogosian ?
And while Julianne Nicholson still doesn’t thrill me overall (and that Howdy Doody dig was dead on), I actually felt some heat from her this time around, particularly when she snuck up behind the G-Man when he had Logan in his sights. Wheeler, with a gun to the cop-killer’s head: “G-Man, you shoot another cop, this time, there won’t be a trial.” Nice, Wheeler.
Another element that made this episode work for me was the decision to cast real rappers (including hip-hop scene vet Fab Five Freddy as the slain Fulla T) in the key roles, when producers could just as easily have hired actors to pretend to be rappers. I’m not the biggest fan of the genre (though I have been known to blast a little Nas when the mood strikes me), but I think the hip-hop authenticity is what made this episode succeed where others may have failed. All around, nice work.
Next Week: Tom Arnold as a psycho preacher? Gee, that won’t be offensive on several levels....
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Feb 13, 2007 10:51 PM
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I really enjoyed this episode. I don't know the rappers, but everything was played so real. I really did not think at first that the Stick Fingz or whatever his name is was going to kill Bokeem Woodbine - Fulla T's killer, in the end of the show. (Bokeem, by the way, is the guy I love to hate, as in every show he plays, he usually plays bad guys). He was also a killer doctor in City of Hope, the short-lived black medical series which I loved, and which to me was not given even time to survive. All in all I enjoyed this episode.
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Feb 13, 2007 11:52 PM
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Mr Big in tha hizz-ouse!
I liked this ep too. the only thing that bugs is the choppy "gritty" camera work that's new this season.
with all the broken interrogation room windows between CI and SVU tonight, maybe the NYPD should consider a new glass company. there appear to be quality issues.
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Feb 14, 2007 2:14 AM
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I think that the music video beginning of last week's episode would have been much more appropiate for this episode. Now I'm going to admit up front I don't listen to rap music and I didn't recognize any of the rappers that appeared in tonight's show. Having said that, this show could have been about any kind of music and I still don't think I would have liked it. Half-way through I just felt myself getting bored with what was going on. Maybe it was because we had the same old no-one-wants-to-get-involved cliche storyline we've all seen a hundred times before. Then we have the killer getting rid of the witness...yawn. Whether or not the undercover cop was in on the murder, was the only thing that kept this plot remotely interesting. Seeing G-man getting shanked was also no surprise - saw that coming as soon as he was arrested. (Although, I thought it would be a fellow inmate and not the undercover cop who did the deed.)
Hope next weeks episode is better.
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Feb 14, 2007 2:24 AM
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I stopped watching CI this season because the new captain just annoys me to no end. Rarely have I felt the urge to to see a character get killed off; with this guy, I feel that urge every week. Even seeing him in the previews makes me angry.
Anyway, last night was the first ep I've watched since Sept. The story was pretty good and other than muting the TV everytime the capt spoke, I enjoyed it. Who doesn't love a little Fab Five Freddy in their life? LOL
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Feb 14, 2007 9:08 AM
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I liked this episode, despite the fact that it was quite an effort to keep track of all the major players.
Bogosian has surpassed "wooden" and had now graduated to the "constipated" look. Please, Eric, learn to let loose and EMOTE!
I'm not a big fan of rap either, but I really liked the song in the intro. Im fact, I like what this show has been doing as far as the intros lately. It's giving the show a very different feel.
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Feb 14, 2007 12:17 PM
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What struck me about the episode was that both Sticky Fingaz and Bokeem Woodbine were in Spike Channel's "Blade: the Series" this summer, playing pretty much the exact same characters.
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Feb 14, 2007 2:12 PM
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I enjoyed Kirk Jones/Sticky Fingaz's work in this episode. I became a fan of his via the short-lived Blade series.
I think Logan's knocking out the window was an accident; I feel like I saw a surprised look on his face. I liked how Logan got in Williams' face about identifying himself earlier, in light of Logan's shooting of that cop last season.
Personally I'm enjoying that they're trying to change up the visual style a little bit this season. I like that they're trying something new.
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Feb 14, 2007 7:16 PM
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