Echoes of My Father - Law & Order S1 E2 Prescription for Death - Retro Review & Memories
Episode Details
Season 1 Prescription for Death
Released September 12th, 1990
Main Cast: Sgt. Max Greevey, Det. Mike Logan, Cpt. Don Cragen, ADA Ben Stone, ADA Paul Robinette
Episode Notes
-For fans of The West Wing, Leo plays the father of the victim in the episode
-Detectives Greevey and Logan open the investigation with interviews of the parties we see in the opening. What really stands out is the escalation of deflection and avoidance from the medical personnel who treated the young woman and the variation in the details of the condition of the patient. This doesn’t happen as much as the series goes by, but we are witnesses to the crime as it is happening. When the Detectives hear about the case for the first time, we know more than they do. I like how the father convinces the Detectives while the audience sits there and hopes they will take the case seriously. I mean, we know they will, there are 40 minutes left in the episode. The acting in the pilot and this episode are really good. Which brings me back to the interview. All the supporting actors played their parts so well.
-We then learn a little about Sgt. Greevey when he tells a story to explain why he has an attitude with this case and the medical staff involved. He tells a compact story about a head injury and his medical journey from beginning to end. We now know that Greevey has issues with “god-like” doctors, and we can expand that notion to those who think highly of themselves and their standing in society. Considering the kinds of cases homicide detectives will be dealing with, this is an important character trait to reveal, and it’s done with a compact story that fits the current case.
-The investigation continues, and I really like that every scene is important but isn’t rushed. The clues of the case might feel like they are spoon-fed to the audience, but we are learning the same clues at the same time as the Detectives. In this case, the Head Doctor was late for rounds due to a party where he had been drinking. At this point in the episode, we can guess what happened and where this is going. It really comes down to how the case is built against the doctor in charge. That might be why the “reveal rate” of important clues is altered in later seasons to avoid early spoilers, but in later episodes, the one going on trial is usually the actor whose face you “recognize from that one show!”
Story Time with Greevey and Cragen
-We get another scene with some main character development and characters on different sides of the plot point. Det Logan believes in doctors and medical care because his father is alive thanks to a heart transplant. Sgt. Greevey replies that 99% of doctors are fine and it’s the 1% that make it a crap shoot. It’s a wonderful exploration of the nuance that comes with lived experience. Whether or not the viewer picks up on that is another question, but the writers were good enough to get this juxtaposition into the scene. We then learn about Captain Cragen and his experience with being an alcoholic. We learn that Greevey and Cragen are former partners until Greevey told Cragen he needed to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. We also see there is trust between the two characters as they share a knowing look related to a moment in their history. It’s the sort of look friends share and makes the relationship more believable. Just does a wonderful job of character exposition while keeping it relevant to the case at hand.
-A clever scene when the Detectives go to arrest the Doctors. Det. Logan, who hasn’t felt good about this case starts the words that usually lead to “you’re under arrest.” When the doctor squares up to him and makes eye contact, Logan pauses. Det. Greevey jumps in to finish the line for Logan. Subtle, and a nice touch.
-Ben Stone is a great character. The defense attorney shows up to where he is eating lunch and spouts a laundry list of medical and print accolades. Stone keeps eating and when the list is complete, he calmly replies with two legal points that lead to a charge of Manslaughter in the Second Degree. A quick sidebar, heyo, about good guys and bad guys. In too many tales the good guys are a step behind for too long. I find myself annoyed when good guys are behind for 95% of a story. I love it when good guys are capable and present a real barrier to the bad guys will. Ben Stone is prepared, calm, and ready to counter what the defense brings to this trial.
Ben Stone is unphased, and hungry
-The trial begins and I’m unimpressed with the line the defense is taking. One of the other doctors from the hospital testifies and the defense ends by pointing out the difference in where the defendant and the doctor went to medical school. The comparison was in response to the diagnosis and treatment suggestion, the same suggestion the intern gave at the beginning of the investigation by the police. When I watch these episodes, I put myself on the jury for fun. If this was me, I would be thinking about the lack of real evidence the defense presents.
Unimpressed with the defense strategy
-The trial breaks open when we find out the defendant asked a friend to lie for him while he was checked into a rehab facility. As the trial reached the end, we get to see a series of jury reactions to testimony. The reactions are comical and I’m glad they don’t make more appearances as the show goes on. The reactions don’t feel like they belong in the show for the reason that it takes me out of the world where the defendant is getting a fair trial. In this case, the defendant is clearly guilty but we knew that before the reactions. It’s clear the show was trying out these audible courtroom reactions and seeing the jury react the way they do doesn’t feel right, or true to the show.
ADA Stone is a better lawyer than a doctor
-The episode reaches its climax when Stone sends Sgt. Greevey to shadow the defendant as he goes to lunch. Stone has a hunch. When the trial resumes he puts the Doctor through a field sobriety test and the doctor fails. Turns out the doctor had two drinks with his lunch and for some reason, that means he is guilty of his crime. The case is built around the doctor looking or acting drunk and the fact that he practiced medicine while he was drunk led to the death of the girl at the start of the episode. Cue more dramatic courtroom reactions. I get the connection and the case is overwhelming, but the construction of this moment feels weaker than the body of the evidence already presented. The fact that the bartender at the party told us how many beverages the Doctor had not long before treating the patient tells me all I need to know if I was on the jury.
Dr. Auster takes a test and the Jury acting fails
Final Review
I like this episode. I like the power structure of an institution like a hospital being on display and the people at the top being held accountable. I like that the episode displays the underlying power has just because they are in power. When the Detectives press the other doctors they don’t want to risk the wrath of their boss. They all know he did something wrong but none of them are comfortable speaking up about it. When this episode was released, the powerful had a different image than they do today. The discussions around work-life balance and what people are looking for from their careers is very different than what we see in this episode. The message the writers may have been going for would have a more receptive audience today compared to those who were watching in the early 90s.
Overall the episode does not stand out amongst these early episodes. The individual storylines are better but the storytelling and the acting are very good.
Remembering Dad
My Dad and a Little Me
For years there was a painting of some tropical fish that made its way through the house. I feel like it started in the spare room where I think it was painted. The morning light in that room was great. I don’t ever remember seeing my dad painting. He did most of his painting when I was in my single-digit years. There was a painting of the Seven Dwarves walking across a log and a Winnie the Pooh and Tigger painting that sit in my memory. My Dad was an excellent pencil artist. I remember being able to see the pencil lines beneath the paint. Back to the fish. The painting always looked like it was unfinished. Each fish was in its own row and there were no plants or coral in the scene. It was just 4 fish and a light blue water background. I don’t think he ever went on a tropical vacation after my parents got married. I know he traveled a lot in his youth. He grew up in Europe where taking vacations, real vacations is part of the culture.
Part of the reason I’m doing this is to try and unlock those memories I’ve forgotten, and the Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Piglet painting is one of those moments. It had a silver frame and unfortunately, it was the kind of thing I appreciate more now as an adult than I would have as a child. I may not have a visual memory of seeing my Dad painting but I remember seeing his work around the house. I remember the bright colors of those painted tropical fish. My Dad was very talented, and he had an artistic mind. I think he liked living in Ojai so much because a mind like his was free to be at peace and exist in a relaxed space. The tennis culture in the valley also provided a physical outlet for his tennis talents. He was a decent bowler too. This is probably where I get my own jack of all trades, master of none skill tree.
OH, I would be remised if I didn’t mention the tongue he would stick out when he was doing something that took a certain level of mental focus. [Memory Unlocked] I can’t place the moments but I have these images of my Dad and the background of the house when he’d be working on something.
CHR;)
