This episode was a ripoff from Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Season 6, Episode 16. In that story, Josh was a journalist and was poisoned with polonium. Josh was friends with Mike Logan from long ago. Josh contacts Logan and tells him the same thing "I want to report a murder - MINE." The writers didn't even change the line in this script! Same line used in this episode. Why oh why can't they come up with something different? Do they think the viewers won't remember? With L&O: CI reruns running on several different networks (as well as streaming on various platforms) - a lot of people WILL remember the episode! It's too bad - Jesse L Martin is a good actor ... and likable. Give him better stories and scripts - that aren't directly ripped off from another series.
7 Reviews
Like the premise but getting too 'pat' already?
billsoccer4 October 2023
Liked the 'DOA' treatment - the movies (2 that I know of) treatment of someone fatally poisoned who knows it and tries to find their killer. Not everyone has seen these and there have been a few high-profile similar assassinations in my lifetime so this was an interesting premise for an episode. However, Mercer - played by Jesse L Martin, figures out the motivation and killer in seemingly record time. This is a tried and used-to-be true formula - solve the problem in your allotted time slot. To avoid this boring your audience, would the writers consider having a multi-hour episode? Also - keep fleshing out the other characters?
Good but fluffy and obvious
lbowdls25 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This is not a bad show, first episode was rather interesting and this one isn't too bad either; except a very predictable culprit.
And I and I'm sure others were one step ahead of the so called amazing main character who's supposed to be such an expert. Like I knew that the engagement at the restaurant was staged before he did? Come on! And I knew who would turn out to be the attempted murderer the moment we met him! That always means a bad directing and plotting job. This kind of thing happened a lot during cheesy 80s crime shows and also 80% of the time in NCIS the original.
Nonetheless a bit of retro style lightness isn't that bad, I'd like to see how it spans out. Especially the running theme of working out who's responsible for his explosion escape.
And I and I'm sure others were one step ahead of the so called amazing main character who's supposed to be such an expert. Like I knew that the engagement at the restaurant was staged before he did? Come on! And I knew who would turn out to be the attempted murderer the moment we met him! That always means a bad directing and plotting job. This kind of thing happened a lot during cheesy 80s crime shows and also 80% of the time in NCIS the original.
Nonetheless a bit of retro style lightness isn't that bad, I'd like to see how it spans out. Especially the running theme of working out who's responsible for his explosion escape.
Hey, don't drink the tea!
lor_15 October 2023
I liked the topical tie-in with the Russian policy of poisoning enemies as the jumping off point for the whodunit story. (It was interesting that a disclaimer was shown at the end regarding this gimmick.) Not as enthralling as the pilot episode, this followup is more conventional in following clues and watching the ensemble cast of regulars help solve a mystery as well as filling in more and more relatable details as to their characters' back stories and special abilities.
My favorite element here, which is actually not significant in the overall story of the segment, is having a prime character, Yuri the chess player, referred to and finally tracked down cleverly by Jesse and then immediately killed after just a few seconds of screen time and a few words of dialogue. That struck me as a fun, throwaway gimmick, as I had been led to believe he would be a central character in the episode. So getting rid of him like that was a reflection of the art of misdirection that Jesse recognized as a key to solving this segment's particular mystery.
My favorite element here, which is actually not significant in the overall story of the segment, is having a prime character, Yuri the chess player, referred to and finally tracked down cleverly by Jesse and then immediately killed after just a few seconds of screen time and a few words of dialogue. That struck me as a fun, throwaway gimmick, as I had been led to believe he would be a central character in the episode. So getting rid of him like that was a reflection of the art of misdirection that Jesse recognized as a key to solving this segment's particular mystery.
Oof, did anyone even try to make this a mystery?
roobeedoo5 October 2023
This episode was so bad it was almost comical. Unoriginal "Someone poisoned me, I need to find out who before I die" storyline was so poorly introduced it was laughable. The victim pulls out a handful of her hair as proof it was a certain type of poison, ummm lots of toxins (acute or long term exposure) cause hair loss, it proves absolutely nothing. It was clear who the guilty party was in their first scene, but of course no one figures it out until a very overdone "these are all the reasons I hate you so much I'm killing you" revelation speech *groan* The side story with the college student/aide (or whatever she is) and her mother was no shock when it was revealed, also it was so quickly introduced and then tied up, took two scenes and maybe six lines of dialogue, that it was pretty pointless.
As others mentioned the show is full of boring cliche characters and situations, there's nothing new here at all.
As others mentioned the show is full of boring cliche characters and situations, there's nothing new here at all.
Whodunit by scene 3?
laue-1064525 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I confess I have watched many whodunnit TV shows over the year and I pick up a few tricks as to how writers formulate ot structure their scripts to hide the killer for a surprise review at the climax, usually at the end. I have never imagine that I will discover who the killer is by the third scene.
Let's recap. The first scene is a throw away scene, for this storyline anyways, he is home smelling burnt cologne. In the second scene he arrives at his office where the victim was waiting for him and ask him to investigate her murder. I have seen this type f storyline before, but that's ok. The victim mentioned she was poisoned by polonium and have a time to live and told him he have mentioned it to no one including her own estranged daughter. He said that may be she should tell her writing partner and she agreed that she should, at which point she collapsed.
At Commercial break....
Scene 3, she was in the hospital being rushed into the OR I think. He walks to the lobby where he saw her writing partner at the reception. The next meaning word out of her writing partner's mouth was "Is it true? She get poisoned?".
BAM, here's your killer. Scene 3.
Stop watching right there and then.
Let's recap. The first scene is a throw away scene, for this storyline anyways, he is home smelling burnt cologne. In the second scene he arrives at his office where the victim was waiting for him and ask him to investigate her murder. I have seen this type f storyline before, but that's ok. The victim mentioned she was poisoned by polonium and have a time to live and told him he have mentioned it to no one including her own estranged daughter. He said that may be she should tell her writing partner and she agreed that she should, at which point she collapsed.
At Commercial break....
Scene 3, she was in the hospital being rushed into the OR I think. He walks to the lobby where he saw her writing partner at the reception. The next meaning word out of her writing partner's mouth was "Is it true? She get poisoned?".
BAM, here's your killer. Scene 3.
Stop watching right there and then.
D.O.A. In more ways than one
terrylarosa4 October 2023
First of all that's the name of the movie this episode ripped off. I also guessed the killer in seconds. Martin unlike how he was on The Flash seems somnambulistic in his delivery and the other characters barely register. It's getting harder and harder to try out any new network shows since they're so heavily watered down. We gave it two eps but nope no interest or intrigue Going nowhere fast.. Ah we'll have to fill out some more to finish this post. Go watch the movie Reptile for a proper whodunnit done right. Uh barely watch any network shows anymore. Going to watch something exciting like the news now. Adios. Made it.
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