Reviews

Simon Williams as James Bellamy gives a nuanced performance and that's why he's my favorite in the UD cast--before the war started we see him descend into an unlikeable and privileged man with little purpose.

Then, James goes to the front and like most there he sees political and military incompetence first hand and the mismanagement of the war effort is getting people killed by the thousands each day. James has the courage to speak his mind about these conditions and as a result is punished with a promotion and a desk job, away from the front.

Brilliant performance by Williams, important turning point episode. I recommend the series The Great War on YouTube as a good way to learn about the complexity of the carnage that took place between 1914 -1918, and continued into WWII due to more incompetence negotiating the Versailles Treaty.

A lot going on in this penultimate episode of the series. Two storylines were particularly touching for me and explain why even after decades, Hill Street led the way in showing how cops live and work. Since Amazon Prime released all of the series a few months ago, I have been rewatching it, and it doesn't disappoint.

Kiel Martin, as JD LaRue, comes close to death, saved only by a pistol that misfires when pointed at him. For a brief moment, JD experiences an artificial high and a feeling of being invincible. Then, reality sets in and his loneliness and sadness burst through. The late Kiel Martin never garnered the acting awards others in the cast earned, and he is just as good here.

Dennis Franz was a later addition to the Hill. He's being framed for a drug theft and fighting back as best he can. Franz later went on to another groundbreaking series, NYPD Blue, making history there as the linchpin of arguably the best cop show ever made for US television.

Rating = 10.

Poor Captain Jerry Fuchs--he had not one, but two over the line detectives in his crew, and Benedetto is surely as dangerous as Mizel was--and will meet a similar end. This is the first show I recall seeing Dennis Franz on, in the 1980s. You know from his first scene a few episodes back why the producers of Hill Street hired him as a cast regular after this first role. He's unlike anyone on a TV series, even now, and later went on to define the flawed cop on NYPD Blue. Now I read he's retired from acting, and that's sad for us.

Franz's character is on temporary assignment to Hill Street--partnered with Neil Washington. Every scene he is in we are waiting for something to implode--and it does, right at the end of the episode. The rest of the storylines weren't as compelling for me, with the exception of how Mick Belker is handling his father's recent death.

Dennis Dugan and Bruce Weitz become unlikely friends in a multi episode story arc that ends tragically in this episode. Captain Freedom has some of the best lines in these episodes.

Recently learned that four members of the Hill Street series went to Carnegie Mellon together, and ended up cast in the series-Steven Bochco, Barbara Bosson, Charles Haid, and the amazing Bruce Weitz, who makes this episode come alive for me. Weitz created one of the most unforgettable characters in television history, and I'm appreciating him more this time around-the series airs without commercial ads, on Amazon Prime. Reminds me that excellent scripts like this are all too rare today.

This episode marks the final appearance of Dennis Farina and Annie Parisse on the series. Farina was one of our finest screen actors, and we lost him too soon. His performance in the HBO series Luck was his final project I believe. Highly recommend that series if you haven't seen it.

Two psychopathic killers invade a home and kill an informant's whole family. And it gets worse for ADA Jack McCoy. His colleague Borgia is kidnapped and brutally murdered for exposing a drug crime. The scene where Borgia is found, bloodied and dead, in the trunk of an abandoned car, is beyond sad. The reactions of all who see her in that trunk, are heartbreaking.

Outstanding writing and performances-especially Sam Waterson. Season 16 was one of the best in Law and Order's long history.

James Cosmo is a Scottish born actor who plays Luka, a Russian Colonel, in this series. I didn't recognize him as he is made up here. His character carries the guilt of following a deadly order in the USSR era. It has haunted him ever since-- his platoon killed innocent people because his superior officer told them to.

For this reason he becomes an unlikely ally to Jack Ryan, working to stop a nuclear war, led by a rogue faction of the Russian government. Cosmo is magnificent--he knows he will die because he's doing this. The series ends with his character's words. Fitting, poignant, a message that true heroism requires real risk.

Fro me the episode isn't so much about the death penalty as it is about one man facing his worst demons. We already know that Detective Lupo(Jeremy Sisto) has served in the military, and think that, or his brother's suicide, may be why he's having such a strong reaction at seeing a whole family murdered.

Those aren't the reasons why. We learn a LOT more about Detective Lupo later in this episode. I was riveted throughout, especially the scene where Lupo testifies in court. Trauma has done its worst to him, and he has come out the other end and is able to do his job well even in the most horrific circumstances.

Jeremy Sisto really shines as Lupo, and he continues to do that on the series FBI, which he currently stars in. Thank you, Dick Wolf, for casting him in both.

The best episode of the series--this one describes the brutal nasty politics leading up to the election of 1800. John Adams fought valiantly to keep the new nation out of a senseless war. He held fast while others wanted to give in. Division threatened to destroy the United States, and that is a parallel to the situation post the 2016 election. We must learn from the history, not repeat it. Kudos to Paul Giamatti for his brilliant acting work--Adams isn't a flawless icon. He was a real man with real problems. The death of his son, depicted here, is probably his worst failure in life. Kudos also to the production team for the set design--the White House, but by slaves, is shown in its less than gorgeous face, probably truer to life than we've seen before.

The writer Timothy Prager has delivered a top notch script/story in this two part episode. Having worked as a dietitian in care homes/nursing homes for several years, this story got my interest right away. I wanted to know which uncomfortable truths the episodes would tell.

Adults in care, such as those portrayed here, experience abuse and gain independence is these homes. The outer appearance of the homes masks the abuse in these episodes. The character Clarissa and the two adult clients are the real stars, and all three give amazingly real performances. The villainous carer is so scary to watch. Kudos to the casting director for hiring such skilled actors.

Those investigating the unexplained death of a woman in a car crash come off as caring and clueless at times. The most painful truth is that adults in care are often not listened to, and their opinions don't matter to some carers and even family. One Day refers to the dream of the character Serena to visit a park she has found a picture of in a magazine. She does visit it, and tragedy ensues. These episodes will stay with me for a while.