Pro Se

This episode substantiated every promise ever made by this series.

Without detailing, the dénouement of this chapter proves, explodes and shows that great acting is always an ensemble work and that love is underneath of everything.

I would like to commend, in specific, someone and I won't/can't because in this tour de force, sublimity is hit and hence, perfect union of character, script, cast and actor occurs and it's clear, as in actual life that each piece is necessary for the whole.

With a music of talent and opportunity such as this delivers, one sees that art is a fortune one may stumble upon.

Of all the episodes of Season 6, the topic of schizophrenia and what entails when taking medication is stopped is one of the most difficult and any film or television episode that dares tackle it deserves praise for even trying. It is easy to overplay, easy to not go into enough depth with it being such a complex condition and it is easy to portray it from too much of one side. 'Law and Order' often deals with difficult topics so well.

And it does so brilliantly here in one of Season 6's high points "Pro Se", the best episode since "Hot Pursuit" in my view. And this is not by a little, we're talking about a lot as although there were great episodes in the period between the two it was the period when the season became inconsistent. It is an outstanding episode in every way, with a guest star that burns long in the memory and that it managed to make a well balanced and attention grabbing story from a difficult topic and explore it forcefully yet tactfully was truly admirable and to me worthy of a lot of respect.

Everything is superb in "Pro Se". What immediately stands out here is the acting. While all the regulars are excellent, "Pro Se" belongs to David O'Hare". Who really wrenches the gut in a demanding role that demands a lot on a psychological level and O'Hare is both unsettling and nuanced. The character interaction in especially the second half is spot on.

"Pro Se" contains one of the most powerful cases of Season 6. Its portrayal of schizophrenia is both chilling and heart-breaking, being truly scary and devastating to see how not taking medication suddenly does to you. Of the episodes of the 'Law and Order' franchise (it was explored more than once, like in 'Special Victims Unit's' "Noncompliance") to deal with schizophrenia, this is one of the most balanced and in depth ones.

The script is taut, thoughtful and emotionally varied, the tension and emotion (plenty of both here) nicely balanced by some humorous one-liners from Briscoe. The story pulls no punches and is not as obvious as it sounds. It was very surprising to see Schiff speak the way he does here to Kincaid, but it was an incredibly well written exchange and a good example of how difficult prosecuting cases can be.

Expectedly, it's a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key on the whole.

In summation, absolutely brilliant and a fine example of what 'Law and Order' is all about. 10/10

Dennis O'Hare gave a terrific performance as mentioned by other reviewers. But Ann Dowd deserves recognition for her portrayal as O'Hare's sister. It was heartbreaking to watch her try to convince her brother to make the right decision. She gave an amazing performance!

In my opinion this is one of the best L&W episodes ever. Top-notch acting, and there's a certain Flowers for Algernon sense to the storyline. My personal favorite.

I always like the shows with Lenny Briscoe (Jerry Orbach). He manages to come up with the most sarcastic quips in his investigations.

There are two themes running through this episode.

First the diagnosis of schizophrenia and the fact that many with that disease do not take their medication regularly.

Secondly, the overwhelming amount of cases handles by a District Attorney's office and the necessity to plead out to keep the courts from being clogged. That is what led the defendant, James Smith, played admirably by Denis O'Hare (Michael Clayton, A Mighty Heart) to be on the streets.

Jack (Sam Waterston) and Claire (Jill Hennessy) manage to get justice done despite the efforts of the D.A. Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) to just make it all go away.