Paul Sorvino is a great actor but he’s not quite right as George Dzunda’s replacement (Dzunda is killed off in long shot in episode one). His energy is a bit too low and laid back, which is great for his villainous roles but he simply doesn’t work here. Chris Noth is fine as long as he’s being a smug prick, but he struggles when he has to express some other emotion, like indignation or anguish. I really like Michael Moriarty’s sort of intense laid-backness – if that makes sense. Richard Brooks again mostly sighs instead of acting, but Carolyn McCormack is always good value as a shrink and I love the ballistics expert who adores her job.
Incredibly tense episode about a killer mother. I love the legal twists of the severance episode, the chilling teenage killer, the evil slum lords. Actually all of them were good – although I was surprised William Macy get convicted for rape in his one because surely he could just deny he ever threatened the girl to go out on the street.
As in season one there is great joy from watching future stars in guest appearances, including Jerry Orbach (soon to become a regular), a young and pretty Maura Tierney, Tony Roberts, the governor from Benson (as a judge – you keep expecting him to do something comic), Luis Guzman, Colonel Klink, Alison Janey (a very small role), William Macey, the grandma out of the Sopranos (playing another matriarch), the female nurse out of Scrubs, Sam Rockwell, Jerry Stiller, George Costanza’s mother out of Seinfeld, Eli Wallach.
Love special feature about the cast, which in true Law and Order style doesn’t pull any punches about the cast. You think the actors would be happy being on such a good show, but no – full of primma donnas and antics. Dann Florek is obviously lovely; George Dzunda quit because he hated New York and wanted to make movies; Paul Sorvino had trouble accepting the limitations of his role (not in the whole thing, not getting the ending, the emphasis on procedural dialogue as opposed to character; he would warm up singing opera). Jerry Orbach was clearly a nice guy – but Chris Noth whined because he wanted to have a younger partner. (They don’t talk about the challenges of working with Michael Moriarty – maybe that comes in a later on.)
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