For a while now, 'Law and Order' has been one of my most watched and re-watched shows and it is a personal favourite. While there is much to recommend about the spin-offs (do consider the early seasons of 'Special Victims Unit' quite a lot better than the later ones though), the original 'Law and Order' will to me always be the best. Especially in the Briscoe years, after him the show didn't feel the same.
"Prescription for Death" is a very good, great even, introduction to 'Law and Order' and establishes its tone and concept very well indeed. Better than quite a lot of shows in their very early stages, few settled straight away and some took at least half a season to do so. Even better though was to follow when the show properly hit its stride when the pacing became tighter and the characterisation meatier.
There is not an awful lot wrong with "Prescription for Death", though being based upon a real case maybe more could have been done with the facts of that case which would have brought even more dimension to a subject that's even more complex than shown here.
On the other hand, the episode is slickly photographed throughout, a perfect match for the gritty tone, and New York looks both striking and atmosphere-filled. The music is only used when necessary and when it is used it does stick in the mind and not done so ham-handedly. Both the main theme and opening voice over are memorable. It is directed with a confident and sympathetic edge.
Writing is thought-provoking and Stone's dry humour balances out the heavy subject matter very effectively. This heavy subject matter is handled with intelligence and dark poignancy, even if it could have done with more depth. The characters do intrigue, with the most interesting and juiciest being Stone. That of Auster doesn't come over as too biased or one-dimensional, neither is he cartoonish or implausible. George Dzundza carries the episode with the right amount of hard-boiled grit and Michael Moriaty embodies authority as Stone. Ron Rifkin is a solid contrast.
Concluding, great introduction. 9/10