A hip-hop star goes on trial for the murder of a nightclub patron who accused him of being a sellout.A hip-hop star goes on trial for the murder of a nightclub patron who accused him of being a sellout.A hip-hop star goes on trial for the murder of a nightclub patron who accused him of being a sellout.
Photos
- Mack
- (as Khaz B)
- Ernie Salerno
- (as Chris Payne)
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"3 Dog Night" is the name of an American rock band originally formed in 1967.
- GoofsThe bodyguard has a Taurus PT92, which the detectives suspect is the murder weapon from a night club. Turns out there's a Glock 9mm involved, which is the actual murder weapon. Taurus' have a traditional "land and groove" rifling to the barrel. (Imparts spin to the bullet.) Glocks have a spiral hex shaped bore which compresses the bullet. Had the victim been shot with a Glock, the cops would have known immediately the bodyguard's Smith couldn't be the murder weapon.
- Quotes
[last lines]
D.A. Nora Lewin: Have we set a grand jury date for Ms. Lawrence?
Jack McCoy: And call what witnesses? The only ones we can find are two men who'd rather go to jail than tell the truth.
D.A. Nora Lewin: So we indict Collins for perjury.
Jack McCoy: We can't prove he lied.
D.A. Nora Lewin: Lawrence and Collins both walk?
Jack McCoy: We got dissed. Apparently two careers are worth more than a person's life.
A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn: In a weird way, the dismissal hurt Collins more than the indictment. When his fans found out he wasn't the killer, his CD dropped ten places on the charts.
Jack McCoy: At this rate, he might have to go out and actually shoot somebody.
- ConnectionsReferences Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001)
"3 Dawg Night" was a very good episode on first viewing and it still is a few re-watches later. After the big disappointment that was the previous episode "The Fire this Time", 'Law and Order' is back on track if not quite on pitch perfect form with "3 Dawg Night". It is not a perfect instalment by all means, none of the previous Season 12 episodes are and the same goes with the season overall, but it does succeed a lot more than it fails.
It is a little on the ordinary side to begin with and the ending felt rushed and too much of a cop-out, really do have to agree with the verdict not ringing true (am aware that there are always verdicts that one doesn't agree with that happen most days in real life, but this one was one that was too much of a cheat.
Elisabeth Rohm shows once again why Southerlyn deserves her reputation of the most maligned 'Law and Order' regular character, despite being the longest serving prosecuting assistant. The character has very little personality and Rohm is just so robotic.
However, so much is good. It is as ever shot with the right amount of intimacy without feeling too up close, even with a reliance of close up camerawork. That the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time is great too. The music isn't over-scored, manipulative or used too much. There is intimacy and tautness in the direction. The rest of the regulars are all fine, particularly Sam Waterston who dominates the legal scenes with great authority, while Briscoe and Green are such a great pairing. Cyrus Farmer and Kerry Washington are strong in support, particularly Farmer.
Script is intelligent and lean with no signs of fat. It also has intensity, emotional impact and even the odd sprinkle of humour with Briscoe's one liners. The debating intrigues and provokes thought. The story on the whole is securely paced and has some nice edge and grit. The legal scenes are riveting and have tension, where it was easy to care for what the verdict would be. The music setting is made good use of, although it is a style of music that is not my cup of tea.
Concluding, very good. 8/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- May 24, 2022