Just as Jerry Orbach was introduced to the series as a regular with a fellow musicals star in a guest part, so too is Woody Allen favourite Sam Waterston introduced in an episode which features another Woody Allen favourite, Tony Roberts. It’s an ep about breast cancer – followed by episodes about battered wives syndrome, and cuckolded wives indicating the show more than ever was keen on upping female viewers. This might explain why Waterston's character is established as a womaniser with a taste for assistant DAs and he is shown to be squabbling with Jill Hennessy from the first episode (although it also establishes he’s more equal to Hennessy than Michael Moriarty who tended to lecture her because he was so senior).
The relationship between Adam Schiff and Moriarty was father to good son; Schiff and Waterston is like father to rebellious teenager (he’s always pushing the law to the limit; in particular he loves to arrest people for things he knows they didn’t do in order to put pressure on them or get things admissible).
Guest stars in this one include Sarah Paulson (Harriet from Studio 60 on Sunset), Laura Linney (terrific), Edward Herrman (crazy abortionist – they tackle this topic again), Edie Falco (as an ex of Waterston’s).
I enjoy the little hints that Hennessy and Waterston are having an affair. Chris Noth is beginning to outstay his welcome – he was getting too old to play the young spunky cop and there wasn’t enough difference with Orbach; they were right to turf him. I liked the way they deal with the ramifications of McCoy’s hard arse attitude to crime every now and then. On the less sunny side whenever they do a “black issue” episode it clunks; they always give black characters unreasonable and silly arguments.
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