Law & Order (TV Series) Corpus Delicti (1996) User Reviews

"We're not the horse police"

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 22 April 2012]

In the first few episodes that Benjamin Bratt did as Detective Rey Curtis on Law And Order he was a bit headstrong for both S. Epatha Merkersen and Jerry Orbach. Case in point is he and Orbach being sent on a call for a dead horse the owner is convinced was murdered. Bratt says loud and long that they're not the horse police, but Orbach given that he likes the sport of kings is intrigued.

Actually it turns out that the horse was murdered and the investigation leads to a horse trainer who calls in a horse hit man to do such services, but Frank Converse as the trainer has that as only part of his persona. You see he's killed a society matron he was romancing, but who caught on to him. Problem is that her friends and neighbors think she's on a long planned for cruise around the world and Converse has disposed of the body.

What to do. Either they try Converse without a body on murder or they try him on some fraud cases and leave him on ice while they build a case. In any event Sam Waterston decides to go for broke. In the end though Converse might just get away with it.

Usually Law And Order episodes are diligently researched, but I think that double jeopardy will attach no matter how it comes down.

Less than concrete

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 11 February 2021]

Really wanted to like "Corpus Delicti" so much more. Love 'Law and Order' (my personal favourite from the 'Law and Order' franchise, am not sure whether that is a popular opinion though), and also 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent' in their early years, and horses are lovely animals. Even if the episode fits in the category of having a subject that is not an area of expertise or one that excites me. Was really hoping that it would be a better episode than the previous two episodes.

Sadly that was not to be. If anything, "Corpus Delicti" was a weaker episode than the two. "Blood Libel" may have been heavy handed and lacking in subtlety, but its good intentions were still appreciated and it had guts. While "Remand" was an episode that started off very well but fell apart with that disaster of a defense argument that undid the episode. "Corpus Delicti" is not bad, it just felt rather bland and didn't feel strong enough in the case somehow.

Lets start with the good. The production values are still slick and suitably gritty (without being too heavy in it). The music is not too melodramatic and is not used too much, even not being too manipulative in revelations. There are thoughtful and entertaining moments in the script. Did love Curtis' horse police line.

It's another episode that starts off intriguingly and shines in the gritty atmosphere and in the banter between Briscoe and Curtis (which had the right amount of amusement and tension). They work very well together now and Curtis is growing. Can't fault any of the regular actors, Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt are great as is Sam Waterston.

"Corpus Delicti" could have been a lot better though. On the whole, the story isn't really all that special and didn't really connect enough for me. The case struck me as one that had too little evidence to make enough of a strong case and what there was was fairly flimsy. It also just felt too simple and too safe with not enough tension, especially after many episodes of Season 6's first half being tension and emotion filled.

The pacing doesn't really come to life, starting off well but the thinner the story became the less taut it was. The script could have been tighter and had more kick. The supporting characters are not very memorable and nobody really stands out in support.

Overall, one of not many early season episodes to not do much for me. 5/10

Some good lines but overall not memorable

[fiftystate · 19 April 2021]

I've spent (not invested*) many many days for the last 11+ years binging on Law & Order. It started out during some major life events and took on a life of its own. Today, early-mid 2021, I'm DVR'ing seasons and methodically watching the setup and denouement of them all while on the lookout for episodes I may have missed or don't remember. With 13 complete seasons reviewed there have been two "pretty darn sure I never saw" episodes, along with several very memorable episodes and some I'm glad to have revisited but was also glad to skip to the end after watching anywhere from when the opening music began to just skipping the closing arguments before watching the denouement.

This one, Corpus Delecti? I remembered Briscoe and Curtis at the firing range and "We're not the horse police." But even now, just a few days after definitely watching it I read the blurb and it took a moment to place the episode, Lenny's wisecrack and a sp**ler being helpful. So yeah, a couple of distinctive moments in a not distinctive episode.

*Invested vs spent: I recommend to someone who recognizes early on they are addicted to this excellent series to buy or rent the series DVD collection and work their way through the series as one form of therapy. It can get in the way of resolving whatever you are experiencing when the TV is off and avoiding when it's on. I saw what I was doing years ago and thought of buying the box set and years later I recognize it was a good idea. It's interesting binging this on DVR because it's on my cable 6 days a week. The first month or so there were so many episodes it was an effort to stay ahead and keep from filling up the DVR, even though I definitely skipped generous portions of most episodes. Now, for me it is no longer "on six days a week," and suddenly "being free" of the task some days emphasizes how valuable the time is.