A new season normally sees the introduction of a new cast member, and this one brings us Ed Green, played by Jesse Martin. He’s a great addition – a cocky, hot-tempered graduate of the school of Mike Logan. He’s also perhaps the best interrogator out of the cops, using techniques to get results like tremendous empathy (at times he seems he’s about to cry), writing down notes all the time during interrogation, lurching from sympathy to hostility in a beat, etc.
This feels less right-wing than season one. The first few episodes have them prosecute gun manufacturers for irresponsible conduct, helping an innocent man, discuss euthanasia, having trouble with rich evil people, criticise conditions of gaols. They even bag the Pinochet regime in the final episode. Angie Harmon is a lot less annoying – she pulls back on spouting her stupid right-wing comments but keep the attack dog stuff; one episode she even pushes to get charges dismissed against someone, then tries to get McCoy to go easy on a killer who has Alzheimer's. She still spends a fair bit of time attacking other women, though.
There’s a lack of truly stand-out episodes, more a trot through social issues (corrupt cops, internet addiction, sex trade, euthanasia, mafia, gun control, etc) along with the usual infidelity and drugs. Some highlights: a crazy ep about a student murder which ended up involving neo-Nazis, porn stars, strip club owners, drug dealer and corrupt businessmen; the one where the wife refused to believe her husband was a killer, despite all evidence to the contrary; a terrifying female serial killer; a great bit where a creepy shrink admits to murder while on a manslaughter charge as a sort of bluff.
Notable guest cast include Richard Masur, John Heard, Carey Lowell returning as Jamie Ross (it’s good to see her – even if they leave her story open-ended), Tom Berenger (great actor, wasted here to be honest), Jane Alexander, the mousy girl off Grey’s Anatomy (terrifically chilling in her ep), Michael Gross, Kevin Smith (yes, the director – he plays a fifty worder and does a very good job), real life husband and wife Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole as husband and wife, John Slattery (who’d been on the show before), Adrienne Shelley (as a porn star – sad to see her because she was murdered in real life, inspiring a Law and Order episode) and Joe Morton.
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