Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) Con-Text (2003) User Reviews

Murderous con

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 26 March 2020]

"Con-Text", the tenth episode of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent's' second season, does not have the most extraordinary of plots, and is hardly novel, but it still had on paper more than enough to it to have one want to see the episode. Have always gotten a lot of enjoyment out of 'Criminal Intent', which despite lasting much shorter is just as good as the original and prime-'Special Victims Unit', and despite a slight quality dip after "Malignant" (which in itself was not quite a high point like "Anti-Thesis" was) Season 2 was still solid.

As far as Season 2 episodes go, "Con-Text" continues the post-"Malignant" slight dip in quality. Where all the episodes were still decent to very good, with lots of great things, but contained not so minor flaws and lacked the extra something seen with "Malignant" and most of the episodes prior to that. The whole of the second season overall is well worth seeing, but "Con-Text" falls short of being one of its best. It's good but not mind-blowing.

It does have a seen it all before plot and doesn't do an awful new with it.

Did also think the ending somewhat of a let down. The murderer looking like he was innocent in a youthful way at the end agreed rang completely false, considering what he did, and it felt like the writers were trying to make one feel sorry for him in a thrown in attempt that misfired badly. And then to almost shift the blame on somebody else's shoulders, for being an influence, in an unrealistic move made little sese either.

However, there is a lot that works. Absolutely love the chemistry and the little things. Absolutely love how Goren's mind works and what he does to get results, and how the culprit's mind is gotten into. Goren's mannerisms continue to delight, with a deliciously weird moment with an eyeball. Love his teasing chemistry with Eames, a good well-contrasted match, and appreciated that there was more of it and the teamwork which was missing in some Season 2 episodes.

The script is entertaining and intelligent, while enough of the story intrigues and keeps one on their toes (just not continually guessing or being continually teased, the episode is too obvious for that). Can't find fault with the way "Con-Text" looks, was scored or directed. Slick, not too intrusive or constant and accomodating yet with momentum being good ways to sum them up. It is hard to think of anybody better for Goren than Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe matches him very well. John Benjamin Hickey particularly makes a strong impact.

On the whole, pretty good but for me a lesser episode of Season 2 and not the show at its best either. Needing more inspiration and a better ending but elevated by Goren, the little things and the chemistry. 7/10

Putting Things In 'Context'

[ccthemovieman-1 · 20 December 2006]

Meek little "Dougie Morgan," kind of a momma's boy who needed some "context" in his life, some positive re-enforcement in his personality, kills his father and brother. Money is the big motive as Doug, thanks to the murder, can help finance this psychic take-control-of-your- type New Age positive-thinking-self-help-group.

Goren uses an analogy of the Manson girls, the way they always looked at Charles, after seeing Doug eying someone as as he caught on camera taking big money out of a bank account. A closeup of that video also spots a woman in the background, the one Doug as eying for reassurance. She is one of the two gurus Doug talks to regularly and he is especially enamored with her. Thus, he is more than reluctant to say he knows who she is. Goren and Eames have to go after these "cult" leaders.

The show has their normal agenda, which really becomes obvious when Morgan is shown at the end with this boyishly-innocence. Sad the writers almost forgot that he still murdered two people. The leader of the group was, indeed, a bad man - but so was the kid. To make him look like a misguided Andy Hardy is ridiculous. Also, the leader, in real life, would never have risked going down to the police station at the end for a talk with the kid.

Anyway, it's still 40 minutes of pretty good entertainment and, of note, playing Doug's mother was Karen Black, who I haven't seen since she was star movie actress in the early '70s. However, her resume shows she's been busy ever since, but in a lot TV spots or B-type movies few people have heard about.

Staged forensics

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 24 May 2016]

An Irish Mafia gangster and his son are murdered and the bodies left to look like it was a murder/suicide. But the perpetrators never figure on having a detective like Robert Goren who has a Monk like ability to see through the staged forensics.

The older man had a fugitive warrant on him and reports on him surfaced in all parts of the globe. So it had to be really something for him to come to New York City to risk capture. Try a draining of his hidden loot which law enforcement was also after.

The arrest of Sean Dugan who was the gangster's son by a different marriage and who was using his mother Karen Black's last name was fairly easy for Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe. But the two suspect there's a lot more to the story. Dugan gives up the confession easy enough, but the loot, no way.

It all has to do with a self help guru played by John Benjamin Hickey under whose sway Dugan has fallen. Hickey's got an oily charm about him and Dugan is so frighteningly mousy and ordinary that him committing these homicides of a father and half brother are just not computing. But no doubt he did them.

Some of these cults can really be frightening to what they can do to the human soul.