Season 23: The One With All The Chase Scenes

[Theli11]

Now that Season 23 has ended, I felt like we should talk about the season as a whole and there's a *lot* to talk about.
This season was only 13 episodes due to the writers strike, but still manage to have a lot of cast changes surrounding it (Cosgrove leaves, Riley comes in, McCoy leaves, Baxter comes in and now at the end of the season it's announced that Dixon will not be returning). 

Out of every character this season, Maroun is my least favorite, easily. Her sympathy towards defendants reminded too much of Southerlyn. Usually it's her character that ties together the Cops and the Lawyers this go-around but it seems to have disappeared.  Jack McCoy's last 5 episodes were really lacking because of his lack of a role. Usually this doesn't bother me (old DAs have spent episodes with just 1 line or 1 tiny scene, notably Lewin), but those DAs had casts that could really carry the emotional weight of an episode and McCoy doesn't. After 3 seasons with this lawyer duo there still hasn't been anything that makes me like them. With McCoy gone, Baxter has unquestionably given me a new hope and given life to this character and this cast. Don't have a lot to say about the detectives this go-round because they're just great... for the most part. Shaw is wonderful, and episode 6 really does sell his character for me, if I haven't been sold on him already. I wish they'd let there characters have good conversations and let them investigate more. I do like Dixon's and Riley's relationship. It's subtle but it's nice when acknowledged. Connie Shi is so integral to the plot they should just give her the Also Starring credit and make her a principal cast member like J.K. Simmons and Carolyn McCormick were. 

A lot of my other issues is how formulaic each episode was up until the 6th episode. I find this season very iffy. With a pretty dry Cop side, and a Order side that seems to fluxuate between Great and "what the fuck was the writers smoking when they wrote this." Nuance is a word that must've been banned from the writer's room.

This season's highlights is "On The Ledge", Shaw's struggle with being a cop and his scene with Riley at the bar is really a favorite this go-around, "Castle In the Sky", does the same with Dixon's morals and has a really sad non-victim of a daughter. The last two episodes are incredible. "No Good Deed" gives me a Nolan Price that's on the verge of angry tears and that's probably the best thing this season has ever thought to have done. 

All in all this season seemed to get it's act together after a couple episodes of meandering about and flailing it's arms.. 

What are your thoughts about this season?

[Xeliou66]

Here are some of my thoughts on this season

The detective stuff was stellar for the most part - Shaw is very good and Riley was a strong addition - he fit in well from the start and has good chemistry with Shaw and I liked his friendship with Dixon - their prior connection helped make Riley’s intro smooth. I do wish they had given a satisfactory explanation for Cosgrove’s departure instead of one line that left me with more questions than answers - I had come to like Frank, after a very rocky start he became a lot more well rounded and likable in season 22, but I enjoy Riley even more - I like how both Riley and Shaw have mostly laid back, relaxed personalities but can bring the intensity when needed. Dixon was a good squad leader and I’ll miss her next season. The detective part of the show was mostly well done and had good investigations.

The legal stuff was shakier - there were frequently illogical and very predictable rulings to suppress evidence/toss out testimony by the judge used as a plot device to create drama and set the DAs back. Also a new witness emerging at trial or new info being discovered in the middle of trial happened too often - those are my biggest complaints with the show, how they’ll throw in something for shock value on the legal side that not only isn’t shocking but doesn’t make logical sense. I hope they can work these issues out in future episodes. As for the characters, Maroun is my least favorite of the current L&O main characters also, she doesn’t add much, very bland and at times she’s whiny sort of like Serena was. It was notable how Maroun didn’t do much in the last 2 episodes and I enjoyed the legal stuff more in those episodes. I wish Maroun was leaving instead of Dixon. I have mixed feelings about Nolan Price, sometimes I like him, sometimes he comes off as soft/low energy. I thought Price had more passion in the last 2 episodes which was good to see. Jack was awesome, L&O’s most iconic character, but it was probably time for him to retire given his age and the reduced role he had in most episodes. Still I miss him and am adjusting to L&O without him in the new episodes. Baxter is interesting and has a commanding presence which is needed for a DA and adds some intrigue, and while I was nervous after his first 2 episodes that he would just cause a lot of conflict, he’s settled in since then and I like what he’s brought to the show and I’m interested to see how they use him next season and how his relationship with the others continues to evolve.

Some brief thoughts on each episode

Episode 1 - Total garbage. Ridiculous plot, clunky and preachy dialogue, cartoonish characters and controversial just for the sake of being controversial. Definitely my least favorite episode of the season.

Episode 2 - Strong case with an interesting plot about the murder of the tech executive and the AI program. Good episode overall.

Episode 3 - Average episode, felt like the case took a backseat to Riley’s backstory, I would’ve liked more exploration of the perp, not bad though.

Episode 4 - Good case, interesting twists in the plot and it flowed well from start to finish. Good episode.

Episode 5 - Awesome exit for Jack. Really great to see him go into court again and he went out in a very fitting manner, beating the odds to get justice one final time and outmaneuvering the mayor. My favorite episode of the season.

Episode 6 - Interesting scenario but very predictable, the great performance by Mehcad Brooks elevated the episode and I liked the callback to when Shaw was profiled and detained last season. The search for the perp was intense and that helped the episode as well. Weird that there was no DA in the episode.

Episode 7 - Baxter’s intro, I liked how they immediately distinguished him from McCoy and made him interesting but I was wary of the conflict he was causing. Decent case overall.

Episode 8 - I was already annoyed at all of the tension Baxter was causing here, seemed like they were trying to put him at odds with everyone in every scene. The two things I liked about this one were the detectives visiting the ME and hearing both sides give closing arguments.

Episode 9 - Strong case, good investigation, and Baxter settled in as DA in this one and his scenes were normal and not tension filled. Maroun was annoying me though.

Episode 10 - Very interesting premise but the plot really stretched credulity - I couldn’t believe the DAs would go to trial with such flimsy evidence and the killer being mistaken for a man was kind of ridiculous. I liked Baxter’s role again and the scene between him and Price near the end was good.

Episode 11 - Nice to see Dixon get a large role and to meet her son. Average case other than that, not a lot to say about it.

Episode 12 - Solid episode, I liked seeing Baxter in court, the legal side had more life to it, and Price was more passionate, I think this kind of marked a turning point in the Baxter/Price relationship.

Episode 13 - Pretty good season finale - good investigation and I liked getting more insight into Baxter, interesting way to end the season with everyone at campaign headquarters.

The only episode I flat out disliked was the season premiere. My favorite episode was Jack’s exit in episode 5, such a great send off for a legend. I liked most of the episodes but some were better than others.

I seem to enjoy the revival more than most, it’s not as good as the original 20 years but it’s still good. I hope they work out the flaws on the legal side and that it flows better next year, and I hope they do a good job with Dixon’s replacement. I do wish they would add in more recurring characters such as MEs/forensics people and especially a new psych expert. The foot chases are annoying and I wish they would go back to the classic openings instead of the openings used in later seasons. It’s a good show overall, I look forward to season 24 in the fall.

 

Edited May 20 by Xeliou66

[Raja]

I think that Detective Shaw was okay but Frank's mentoring young Jalen made for one of the stronger pairings. That old veteran aspect was missing. I can't remember if they leaned into Detective Shaw already being a lawyer and not still a student like Detective Lupo this season.

If I was the first post I would have named that Lennie Briscoe is Not Great, unpopular opinions thread for Jack McCoy. Still I think Mr. Baxter will get some getting used to like Arthur Branch did.

The ADAs, while Ms. Maroun isn't great Mr. Price isn't Ben Stone either. After watching the SVU season finale perhaps another ex Executive ADA can move over and be the Chief of the Special Victims branch.

Fewer foot chases and bring in an ME or reoccurring CSU. With Detective Yee in office I guess no more TARU is needed for the show

[Irlandesa]

I think Price is worse for me because, in general, he has the bigger part than Maroun. 

It's why I like the introduction of Baxter because he takes up more space than McCoy did by the end of the run and he's much stronger than those two put together.

6 minutes ago, Raja said:

I think that Detective Shaw was okay but Frank's mentoring young Jalen made for one of the stronger pairings. That old veteran aspect was missing. I can't remember if they leaned into Detective Shaw already being a lawyer and not still a student like Detective Lupo this season.

Shaw probably wasn't that much younger than Cosgrove but I also preferred their dynamic.  Riley's okay.  And I like Reid Scott.  But I don't think they have the same chemistry and I'm really going to miss Dixon.

[Raja]

7 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Shaw probably wasn't that much younger than Cosgrove but I also preferred their dynamic.

I watched thinking that yes Michael Weston, you used to be a spy. But beyond any age gap, Detective Shaw's getting a late start because of law school and  new to homicide was part of the mentorship.  That Shaw had some off screen work in before his introduction he came off better than Detective Cassidy being handed a gold shield and golden ticket to homicide for winning a gunfight and being figuratively spat upon by her Lieutenant and her partner..

[Theli11]

4 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Episode 5 - Awesome exit for Jack. Really great to see him go into court again and he went out in a very fitting manner, beating the odds to get justice one final time and outmaneuvering the mayor. My favorite episode of the season.

 

This might be an episode I have to rewatch but god I think this one was a tough one. The only thing I remember being poignant is the final scene. Seeing Jack in court was rough.. 

 

3 hours ago, Raja said:

Fewer foot chases and bring in an ME or reoccurring CSU. With Detective Yee in office I guess no more TARU is needed for the show

If they're gonna have her in every episode.. It's not like her character is a new thing for Law & Order either. There's always other in-house detectives and officers who help them follow up on different leads and such like Profacci, Cordova but they usualy had one scene per episode and wouldn't be every episode. Detective Yee has only missed 2 episode so far. (I am going hard for this but if they are so persistant with her they might as well go all the way. 

I do hope this new commanding officer is a good fit for the cast and gets more stuff done than Dixon did. She was a good presence but god they failed to give her actually things to do.

[wknt3]

On 5/19/2024 at 9:46 PM, Raja said:

Fewer foot chases and bring in an ME or reoccurring CSU. With Detective Yee in office I guess no more TARU is needed for the show

From your lips to NBCUniversal's ears regarding the chases every episode! And yes we do need some more regularly recurring characters in the auxiliary investigative support roles.
 

On 5/20/2024 at 1:35 AM, Theli11 said:

If they're gonna have her in every episode.. It's not like her character is a new thing for Law & Order either. There's always other in-house detectives and officers who help them follow up on different leads and such like Profacci, Cordova but they usualy had one scene per episode and wouldn't be every episode. Detective Yee has only missed 2 episode so far. (I am going hard for this but if they are so persistant with her they might as well go all the way.

I can see where you are coming from. As I said before it's probably not going to happen. She is a good actor and someone is needed in the role since I don't see them moving away from using video footage to save money on speaking roles for witnesses and more location shoots. It also does reflect reality in some ways - my work is law enforcement adjacent at times (more often than I would like) and I find that investigators do actually seem to be prioritizing video - it's easier and generally more reliable than dealing with people. But the same reason they use her so much is the same reason they won't bump her up - it saves money to have her under contract, but not main cast. If they are going to promote her - reveal she has been going to law school at night and have her replace Maroun...

[TakomaSnark]

On 5/19/2024 at 6:46 PM, Theli11 said:

What are your thoughts about this season?

It would be nice to have them investigate crimes that don't involve as victims, principal witnesses or suspects the 1%. This show seems to have forgotten that 'regular' people exist in New York City.

[Theli11]

6 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

It would be nice to have them investigate crimes that don't involve as victims, principal witnesses or suspects the 1%. This show seems to have forgotten that 'regular' people exist in New York City.

Yeah I did forget about this haha. Every episode the detectives recognize who the person is. They never get the odd homeless murder anymore, or drug addict or nursing home death. I don’t think we even had a victim or perpetrator under the age of 18. 

[ML89]

On 5/21/2024 at 8:07 PM, wknt3 said:

From your lips to NBCUniversal's ears regarding the chases every episode! And yes we do need some more regularly recurring characters in the auxiliary investigative support roles.

There's an X-Files ep which played off on Mulder ALWAYS losing his gun by him finally having a backup gun and him actually saying that. They need to have an episode where Shaw and Riley just trip a suspect or something and one of them says that they are sick of chasing people.

I'm definitely going to miss Dixon, and Detective Yee needs a credit. Along those lines, we need a Rogers or Olivet or Skoda, or some of the CSI folks.

Maroun is the weak link but Price isn't much better. I do like that Baxter has some messiness to him. He came in almost villain-y and I wish they had leaned into it, but you'd need a Ben, Jack or Cutter as the lead ADA, someone who could believably fight back. Price and Maroun are so bad, I was really worried when Baxter assigned them to the case of the guy trying to kill him.

But while I'm not fond of Maroun or Price, I am going to put much of that squarely on the writers. The legal side is a mess. They come off looking like idiots a lot of the time by missing basic trial prep.

 

 

Edited May 26 by ML89
Bad word choice!