Criminal Intent Stirs Things Up

Goren and Eames in Happier Times
I wrote a recap and review of the recent episode on Law & Order Criminal Intent – “Purgatory” - on one of my Law & Order blogs (here). But now, after thinking about this episode for a few more days, I think I like it even more and have a lot more to say about it.

First, to bring people up to speed who haven’t seen the episode – or haven’t read my blog – Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) goes undercover in order to catch a drug dealer. Goren, on a 6-month suspension for going undercover without approval, hopes that his work in the new case will get him reinstated. It does, but it costs him his relationship with his work partner Eames (Kathryn Erbe) and makes him personae non grata with possibly others at One Police Plaza.

Earlier this season (season 7), and part of last season (6), the show has slowly been making Goren seem more unhinged and unbalanced. His personal life, which was always mysterious and hidden in the Law & Order universe, began to rear its ugly head. His mother Frances (Rita Moreno), who had mental problems of her own and with whom he seemed to have a somewhat pained relationship, passed away. Making matters worse, Goren discovers that imprisoned serial killer Mark Ford Brady (Roy Scheider) is likely his biological father. His brother Frank (Tony Goldwyn) is a drug addict and all out loser, and he lays the guilt on Goren to the point where Goren undertakes the unsanctioned undercover job to help Frank’s son. It is this undercover operation (in the Emmy-worthy episode "Untethered” that gets Goren suspended.

Long time viewers of Criminal Intent know the series began with the image of Goren as a quirky, intense genius who has an uncanny way of solving crimes, both by finding evidence and with psychological trickery. Now, the cocoon protecting Goren’s inner person is opening, and we are seeing a Robert Goren who takes dangerous risks, who is detaching himself from others close to him, and who seems to put his job above all else. Will this make him a better detective? Will it help him focus back on himself and HIS life, and begin to wipe away the problems with his mother, brother, and parentage?

While I’d like to have the Goren persona that we saw in the earlier years of the show, things could get a lot more interesting since his partner Eames has put him on notice. In “Purgatory,” all the aggravation she’s had with Goren – and all the hurt – boiled to the top and she let lose a verbal smackdown. It was a long time coming, but now, what will it mean to them going forward? I’m very interested to see how the dynamic with these two will play out, and my only hope is that they don’t just let them do the proverbial “kiss and make up” too quickly. Eames was burned just too deeply this time, and just like a physical bad burn, mental bad burns take a long time to heal and often leave scars. Those two may never be the same again. This could be one of the best things that happened to the show – even a slight ripple in the Goren/Eames space-time continuum could add a huge spark to the show.

Of course, the scene with the dead rat in Goren’s desk opens up another can of worms for Goren. Who will be working against him? Will paranoia get the better of him? Is Eames friend or foe? Will Goren crack under the pressure?

All these questions about the show and the characters mean only one thing – that a spark has ignited with Law & Order Criminal Intent, and the show could be on fire as this season 7 finishes and season 8 begins. Let’s hope the writers can keep up the pace, and keep up expectations. Not to do so would be…criminal.



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