Law & Order (TV Series) Ego (2001) User Reviews

Control Freak

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 11 May 2013]

Two fishermen hook a dead body out of the Hudson River and it turns out to be an investigator for the State Attorney General's office. It's been there for weeks and yields few clues except a big hole in the back of the head. No doubt it was a murder.

As per the title of this episode the investigation leads Jerry Orbach and Jesse Martin to the trail of one of the higher ups in the Attorney General's office played by Nestor Serrano, a man with a big ego. In fact he's misdirected the missing person's investigation from the beginning, having the trail start in Albany where the victim was originally from.

Serrano is some piece of work, he's even clinically diagnosed by his psychiatrist as a total control freak. He's juggling a wife and two mistresses, the deceased being one of them. And he's up for a big promotion.

Spousal privilege and the doctor's obligation are the issues that Sam Waterston and Angie Harmon have to deal with. The doctor can't testify because of some real roadblocks that Serrano's sharp defense attorney Gerry Bamman has thrown. Bamman a cool customer too throwing a nice alternate theory of the crime saying one mistress killed the other and it's plausible.

A scary episode considering this defendant has a big job in the criminal justice system and going for a bigger one.

Sociopath 101

[refinedsugar · 8/10 · 17 April 2024]

If you're like me you don't watch a random episode of Law & Order anymore on tv. You find one of countless lists compiling an opinion on the best this show had to offer. 'Ego' from the eleventh season is one such example that pops up and was worth the watch. The meat here isn't the whodunit element that becomes quickly apparent - sooner for the viewers than the characters - but the juicy aftermath, courtroom theatrics.

A body surfaces in the Hudson River and is identified as Karen Hall an investigator for the AG's office. Briscoe (Orbach) & Green (Jesse L. Martin) backtrack and early assumptions that it was a random turn out to be not only false, but signs point to the investigation being incorrectly steered in this direction by Karen's boss Alec Conroy (Nestor Serrano). With more digging they uncover the two had been seeing each other plus more girlfriends, a physiatrist, crumbling marriage and a picture of man driven by absolute control.

Actor Gerry Bamman who most will know from 'Home Alone' puts in an effective role as the defense lawyer. Alexandra Neil plays Alice who almost completely under the accused spell supplies him with a fake alibi initially. Honestly though it's known face Serrano that really sells this episode with decent writing. He has no problem portraying an intelligent narcissist who in his sick head thinks he did nothing wrong. That leaves Waterston, Harmon to get a few good quips at him especially when the chips are down.

Picking out an episode to watch has lead me to realize the best in the L&O universe have something memorable to hang your hat on. A straight forward investigation is fine, but the more tawdry pieces that bubble to the surface the better. It doesn't hurt if the tale has a really despicable, highly unlikable character or that it's based on some small part of reality. It's those latter elements that really makes 'Ego' a solid watch that holds your interest.

Chilling ego

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 5 May 2022]

The idea for "Ego" had classic 'Law and Order' written all over it. And this is meant in a good way, being another concept that would have been right home in the early seasons. This is the kind of story that 'Law and Order' and the franchise did well a lot, and there are plenty of meaty and think they're invincible characters in all three major 'Law and Order' shows. These are not subtle characters and can be potentially too overt, but it is always fun to see how their mind works and how they work under pressure.

Despite not being one of the very highest rated episodes of Season 11, to me "Ego" was fantastic and in the top 5 of the best episodes of the season. As has been said, the season left me mixed but it did have some truly fine episodes and "Ego" is one of them. Made even better by one of the most interesting and most terrifying supporting characters of Season 11, matched only by the perpetrator in "Hubris" (another one of the season's best episodes).

"Ego" works brilliantly in so many ways, in fact every way. The production values as ever are slick and with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear with the theme tune still memorable. The direction keeps things tight while allowing time to breathe.

Script is tight and intelligent, with nice tension in the exchanges in the second half and Briscoe's one-liners and wisecracks will never get old. It is particularly good when exploring the roadblocks that complicate the case. Conroy's line about that he loved the victim being a surprise is chilling. The story is suspenseful, twisty, crackling in tension in the legal scenes and one of the season's most disturbing. After many ridiculous defense arguments this season, it was refreshing to have one that had some plausibility.

Admittedly, the perpetrator's guilt is never in doubt when put on trial, but the way their mind works and what lengths they go to complicate things for the prosecution that disturbs. As well as their motives. All the regulars are excellent, but Nestor Serrano is unforgettable and gives one of the most unnerving performances of the season.

In conclusion, brilliant. 10/10.