The murder of a prominent Japanese model visiting New York City may have been a Yakuza-related murder for hire.The murder of a prominent Japanese model visiting New York City may have been a Yakuza-related murder for hire.The murder of a prominent Japanese model visiting New York City may have been a Yakuza-related murder for hire.
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- DA Arthur Branch
- (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"Gaijin" (the episode's title) means "outsider" or "alien" in Japanese. It is a term, often used in a negative or pejorative context, for foreigners and non-Japanese. While some people maintain that it is a neutral term without any negative implications others prefer to use the term "Gaikokujin" (translates to "foreign-country person") as a formal neutral term for non-Japanese persons.
- GoofsThe trial judge's name changes throughout the episode. When we first meet him, the caption identifies him as "Harrison Taylor". Later, we see that the name on his office door is "Thomas Sommers". In the final scenes, as the verdict is being read, the name plate on his bench reads "Thomas Everton".
- Quotes
Arthur Branch: I guess you won't be joining us for the bar association gala tonight.
Jack McCoy: I'm hoping for a verdict.
Arthur Branch: You said that two days ago.
Jack McCoy: Olson called. They're willing to plead to murder two.
Arthur Branch: Yeah, well, tell him he's got a better chance of catching a bat in a fly trap.
Jack McCoy: We might have a hung jury, Arthur.
Arthur Branch: The man made a cynical and heartless decision to murder his wife for money. And the fact that he tried to exploit racial divisions makes it even more heinous.
Jack McCoy: I agree.
Arthur Branch: I have faith in this jury. And the good sense of New Yorkers.
On first watch, this was a good episode if not great. My feelings on rewatch are still the same in that it is worth watching but not essential 'Law and Order'. Not the worst of the season ("Blaze", which was still well above average), but it's no "Bodies", "Identity", "Darwinian" and "Nowhere Man" which were all extremely powerful episodes. A lot is done right here in "Gaijin", there are just things here at the same time that are a little lacking or things that other episodes do better.
Not everything works. It does start off on the ordinary and familiar side, with familiar plot tropes, though it still intrigued and Briscoe and Green are a great team. The conclusion is somewhat over-crowded and rushed.
Elisabeth Rohm plays a dull character like Southerlyn with a very limited range while also looking uncomfortable.
However, as said above a lot is done right. The rest of the acting is very good, in the policing and legal scenes. The supporting cast do very well and the characters aren't as stereotyped or as unsubtle as feared. The more intricate the plot becomes, the more involving it gets as well without getting over-complicated. It is not a simple story, with a good number of twists and turns, but it wasn't hard to follow at the same time. It is also one of those episodes that doesn't hold back on its subject without going over the top.
Moreover, it doesn't look drab or gaudy, and the editing is far from slapdash. The music avoids getting too melodramatic in the more dramatic moments while not being too low key, it has always been a good move that it is used relatively sparingly. The direction especially shines in the character interaction in the second half. The script is beautifully balanced, there is a lot of talk but taut enough to avoid it from waffling.
In conclusion, not great but worth watching. 7/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jul 8, 2022