Law & Order (TV Series) Venom (1998) User Reviews

You have any idea how many insanity pleas are successful? Less than 10%

[Mrpalli77 · 9/10 · 15 May 2018]

Before enjoying a cigarette outside a theater, a couple heard a shot in the near alley. With the same slug, a man and a woman was shot, but the girl (Laila Robins) managed to survive. The shooter didn't take the pursue, the wallet and the gold watch, so he wasn't a burglar. At the hospital, the wounded girl said the victim was gay. Shortly after, detectives realized he wasn't the intended victim, but the shooter wanted to hurt his female partner (an escort not so young). She had an affair with a much younger guy and they usually met in a boat; he used to take a old-style bike to left their love nest. The 27 years old guy was married to a oldage woman and he was a real gold-digger, but the victim could put his fairy world at stake: after finding the gun, the police arrested him, but the gun belonged to another man, not so easy to find out for lawyers; judge ruled him out...but a deal between the two lovers was round the corner (Were they really "just" lovers?)

Nice episode, the plot shifted many times. I find it very original, there is no reason audience can find sympathy for the two suspects. Send them both to jail, McCoy!

What a trio

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 10 June 2019]

After a concert attended by society folks in tuxedos a man and woman were hit with the same bullet fired from about 20 feet away. The man who is described as a professional escort is killed, the woman Laila Robbins is wounded.

The investigation by Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt leads to Matt Keeslar who is the young husband of another society grande dame Penny Fuller.

I won't say any more other than information develops that puts none pf the principals in a decent light. I'm in agreement with Angie Harmon when she says let it all go before a jury and see who nauseates them the least.

They all may get justice, but not necessarily in New York County.

Law And Order regulars take a back seat to the trio of guest stars.

Role Conflict.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 30 December 2012]

An elegant blond woman is wounded outside a theater, her escort shot dead. Briscoe and Curtis are on the trail. They have little trouble tracking down the shooter, a 27-year-old man who is married to a very wealthy older woman of 64. It's probably a rewarding arrangement for both parties, if a little unorthodox.

But why did Junior shoot the elegant middle-aged blond? He'd been having an affair with her, was last seen arguing with her on a corporate yacht, and took off in a low dudgeon. Maybe the blond had threatened to reveal their affair to the aging but still very savvy wife? Nope. When all the snarls are unraveled, it seems that the young man was truly in love with the rich old widow. The blond turns out to be his mother. She's been dominating his every thought and move since his childhood. And the pair of them -- the blond and her son -- have been doing each other since his teens. On top of that, there are a string of mysterious deaths behind them, all involving rich older people.

The son shot his mother in order to stop her interfering with his love marriage. But the rich old widow isn't exactly innocent. She's been trying to help her young husband eliminate his mother. I told you it was twisted.

At the climactic meeting of the principals, the young son/husband is faced with the choice of testifying against his mother, who will then go to jail, or against his wife, who will then go to jail. What a conundrum, but in the end a boy's best friend is his mother, as Norman Bates told us. It's an unusual episode in that Laila Robins, as the blond mother, is probably guilty of murdering somebody and the kid knows all about it. But, since he won't squeal on her, she walks away.

The performances are all up to par, and Laila Robins looks the part of a yummy and elegant seductress. I can think of a number of men who might kill for her, though I can't think of any who would deliberately shoot her. Junior looks the part perfectly: tall, handsome, well groomed, weak and uncertain. I wish I could get with Angie Harmon, but she has a high scratchy voice. I miss the mellow throatiness of Jill Hennessy.

Disturbing, gut wrenching

[hanchilles · 10/10 · 18 March 2020]

You might think that this episode is fictional and the chances of such a case in real life is zero but you'll be surprised at how dark and twisted some people are across the globe and this episode is one such instance faced by the detectives and the attorneys, who themselves can't believe what's happening. I can only say, blood is thicker than water.

Blood is thicker than thieves

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 1 September 2021]

Actually started watching 'Law and Order' from the later episodes of the Briscoe and Green period. Am so glad since then about watching the whole show over-time since, because the early seasons are better, more consistent and where the show was at its best despite disappointments every now and then. They really should not be overlooked, despite being aired less frequently. Have found that to be the case with 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent' as well.

Much of Season 9 is very good, with the best episodes being outstanding. "Venom" to me is one of the best, not only very intricate in plotting but also one of the most disturbing episodes of Season 9. The subject matter alone is very twisted and enough to make one squirm, a subject handled hard-hittingly but also tactfully with nothing over-sleazy or cheap about it at all. Despite only being introduced in Season 9, Carmichael continues to show why she is my personal favourite of McCoy's assistants.

"Venom's" photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has a lot of nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way. The writing is intelligent and although, like the show in general, there is a lot of talk it doesn't feel long-winded.

Both the investigating and legal subplots are brilliantly done and it doesn't feel to me too much like two stories in one, instead two different subplots that connect together. The legal scenes however have the slight edge as that's when the case becomes more complex and shocking. Which is an incredibly clever and intricate one, and that there is much more to the truth than what it initially seems. The characters it centres around make a big impression and the chemistry between them is disturbing.

While all the regulars are excellent, "Venom" is an instance of the guest stars making an even bigger impression. Laila Robbins does the seductive kind of role with chills and class, and Matt Keeslar unsettles too. They are very interesting characters as is their interaction.

Overall, wonderful and a season high point. 10/10.

Sick Parade

[refinedsugar · 7/10 · 23 April 2024]

Sometimes 'Law & Order' used true stories as a jump off point for their tales and 'Venom' has one of the more sicker cases. Murderous men sometimes seem like a dime a dozen, but a woman - especially the black widow type - standout. The lack of conscious, the lust for greed and manipulating, grooming your son into becoming your accomplice makes it all the more vile. Built around the crimes of Sante & Kenny Kimes drops the background of abuse, neglect that created a monster & inserts a sexual component that is just disgusting.

Liann Crosby (Laila Robins) is wounded by a gunshot, her male escort killed where it first appears the latter was the target. Soon the picture emerges that the shooter was Dennis Pollock (Matt Keeslar) a young husband to the widowed wealthy much older Joyce Pollock (Penny Fuller). It smells like an affair going on he was trying to keep under wraps. So what a bombshell is it when it's discovered that Dennis is actually Liann's son and digging uncovers a long criminal history defrauding, killing people that come into their lives and two people very mentally unwell.

There's a fair number of L&O episodes that are made / broken on a last minute reveal or a satisfying piece of resolution, but 'Venom' doesn't get that honor. It's big surprise comes just past the halfway mark. Of the main cast, Abbie (Angie Harmon) gets to sink her teeth into the material the most, but reoccurring Dr. Skoda (JK Simmons) has an efficient piece too. The ending isn't shocking because you can sense it a mile away, but at least the real case it was based on served maximum justice. If you have a distaste for awful people, pathological liars this episode is a treat.