Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) Suite Sorrow (2003) User Reviews

Vanity, Greed, Lust, Violent Natures: They're All Here

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 21 December 2006]

An older lady who owns a big hotel in the city is drowned - or it so appears - in her bathtub. Suspects include her daughter, who was getting a hard time from her mom about her boyfriend along worth general threats because "as long as you continue to live under my roof," etc.

However, we also see a number of other possible suspects such as the daughter's finance, who is obviously attracted to her money now that she inherits the hotel; a salon guy who gives Botox injections, an opposing hotel owner who wanted to buy the victim's hotel and could do so if she was out of the way, and even the husband (Hal Linden - good 'ole "Barney Miller"), who doesn't appear to be shaken up over his wife's death.

Her death? Oh, yes.....she died with an injection of botox - to her neck, while she was sound asleep on pills and wine. There is a quick sermon in this episode about vanity.

This episode has some shocking twists near the end and super shocking ending.

Master Manipulator

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 28 December 2014]

When Judith Roberts is killed in her bathtub there are few mourning her. This thinly veiled caricature of Leona Helmsley bragged like Ed Koch that she didn't get ulcers, she gave them to all around her. Most especially her volatile daughter Amy Ryan who inherits the luxury flagship hotel and the chain around it that she inherits.

Vincent Donofrio and Kathryn Erbe go off in a few directions to get the answers. Ryan is a creature of impulse and the murder of her mother shows a bit of planning. Someone set her off, was it her fiancé Michael Hayden or her father Hal Linden or someone else like her hairdresser David Drake who gave her botox which was an ingredient of the crime.

Women do tell the beautician things they never confide to someone else so Drake is a suspect. He gives a nice performance of a hairdresser caught in a jackpot he hadn't the faintest notion about until it happened.

Eventually Ryan is given some consideration in the police effort to get evidence on the mastermind. The scheme gets way out of hand.

How much is what you see this Criminal Intent episode for.

"You spell Junkers with a J, just be happy it wasn't Messerschmitt"

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 26 March 2020]

Season 2 of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' started off really well, cannot rave about "Anti-Thesis" especially enough. Before dipping a little post-"Malignant" and nearly returning to form with "Baggage", which saw the season step in the right direction. Was hoping that "Suite Sorrow" would be even better, despite the story on paper (based again on a real life case ripped from the headlines) being a pretty tried and tested one.

In execution, the story didn't feel tried and tested to me. The ideas are old but they are executed in a fresh and intelligent, as well as hugely enjoyable, way. "Suite Sorrow" for me is an excellent episode, one of the best and most entertaining of Season 2 and the best since "Anti-Thesis". It is also a good example of how good the 'Law and Order' franchise at its best is at their ripped from the headlines-based stories, it didn't matter that the victim is essentially a caricature seeing as the rest of the episode is so good.

My only complaint for "Suite Sorrow" is a minor one. Although the ending is tense and truly unexpected, it also felt slightly rushed.

Other than that, "Suite Sorrow" is great. The usual solid quality of the production values are here, while the music avoids being over-dramatic and the direction going at a pace that lets the drama speak but not letting it wallow too much. The script doesn't ramble and not only is it intelligently written, it also contains some of the season's most hilarious wise-cracks.

The story is thoroughly absorbing and a lot of fun. My feelings on the ending are on the mixed to like side, the shock value of it being what saves it. There is some lovely character interaction though, great to see Goren and Eames' chemistry shine a lot, and the interrogation scene with the botox needles being treated like darts is one of the season's, and show's, best interrogation scenes and classic Goren.

Both Goren and Eames are equally delightful, and the supporting characters are also memorable. This is an episode where the sympathy is actually for the killer, while not condoning their actions, it's the Machiavellian father that one actually hates by the end of the episode. All the acting is strong, Vincent D'Onofrio and Amy Ryan being especially excellent (D'Onofrio throughout, especially in the aforementioned interrogation scene, and Ryan in the latter stages).

In conclusion, great and one of the season's better episodes. 9/10