All the previous five episodes ranged from very good ("Wrong is Right", "Honor") to fantastic ("Closure Part 2", "Baby Killer", though "Legacy" benefitted hugely from some of Munch's best character writing and one of Richard Belzer's best performances as the character). So Season 2 started off, as one can tell, very promisingly and despite undergoing big changes it did settle quicker than how the Season 2 of the original 'Law and Order' started).
Part of me was a little disappointed in "Noncompliance". It is certainly not a bad episode, there weren't really any that fitted that distinction at this early stage of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit', and in the character interaction and case stakes it is well above average and quite good. It is for me the weakest Season 2 episode up to this point, a lesser Season 2 episode and one of the lesser ones of the show up to this point somewhat (though there are certainly far worse episodes overall). Let down by its slightly lacking portrayal of mental illness.
Will start with "Noncompliance's" good things. It is as ever slickly made, unobtrusively and not overused scored (complete with the ever memorable main theme) and sympathetically yet also alertly directed. The script is thought-provoking and has tautness, Munch's dry wit shining, while the story has the usual twists and turns and compelling story that handles its subject mostly quite harrowing.
Complete with the typically great character interaction, Stabler and Olivia work so well together and were a big reason as to why 'Special Victims Unit' works as well as it does. The suspects are not too few and they are hardly un-engaging, the prime suspect being an interesting character poignantly played by Kevin Breznahan embodying his tortured character. All the acting is great.
Not quite as great is the portrayal of mental illness. It is certainly tragic and hits hard, but it could have delved further into the psychology, and generally could have dealt with the subject with more depth and accuracy. It didn't really go into, or at least not enough into, how the wrong medication makes things worse and how symptoms are different for every person with the intensity varying, which is a shame.
It also felt a bit predictable structurally and the surprise ending was not a massive shock to me, it did admittedly cross my mind as a possibility fairly early on.
Summing up, a lot of great things but only a good episode and a step down from the first five. Mystery-wise it is fine, but one major aspect felt under-developed for my tastes. 7/10
Part of me was a little disappointed in "Noncompliance". It is certainly not a bad episode, there weren't really any that fitted that distinction at this early stage of 'Law and Order: Special Victims Unit', and in the character interaction and case stakes it is well above average and quite good. It is for me the weakest Season 2 episode up to this point, a lesser Season 2 episode and one of the lesser ones of the show up to this point somewhat (though there are certainly far worse episodes overall). Let down by its slightly lacking portrayal of mental illness.
Will start with "Noncompliance's" good things. It is as ever slickly made, unobtrusively and not overused scored (complete with the ever memorable main theme) and sympathetically yet also alertly directed. The script is thought-provoking and has tautness, Munch's dry wit shining, while the story has the usual twists and turns and compelling story that handles its subject mostly quite harrowing.
Complete with the typically great character interaction, Stabler and Olivia work so well together and were a big reason as to why 'Special Victims Unit' works as well as it does. The suspects are not too few and they are hardly un-engaging, the prime suspect being an interesting character poignantly played by Kevin Breznahan embodying his tortured character. All the acting is great.
Not quite as great is the portrayal of mental illness. It is certainly tragic and hits hard, but it could have delved further into the psychology, and generally could have dealt with the subject with more depth and accuracy. It didn't really go into, or at least not enough into, how the wrong medication makes things worse and how symptoms are different for every person with the intensity varying, which is a shame.
It also felt a bit predictable structurally and the surprise ending was not a massive shock to me, it did admittedly cross my mind as a possibility fairly early on.
Summing up, a lot of great things but only a good episode and a step down from the first five. Mystery-wise it is fine, but one major aspect felt under-developed for my tastes. 7/10
