Law & Order (TV Series) Tabula Rasa (1999) User Reviews

McCoy Buffaloed

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 8 April 2008]

This is a good Law and Order episode in which for one of the few times Sam Waterston is totally buffaloed by the perpetrator in this case, Jay Sanders. This man pushed a woman on a subway track because she recognized him in his previous identity. What had happened was that Sanders had fled New York State after a custody hearing went against him in a dispute with his ex-wife and took their two daughters with him and started a new life with a new identity in Cincinnati. The victim was the college roommate of the ex-wife who of course knew Sanders back in the day.

Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt uncover the story. And it's a scary one. The two daughters are the psychological prisoners of an anal retentive man to the extreme. If the pillows are fluffed wrong, Sanders has a conniption. They so can't imagine a world without dear old Dad that the younger daughter, Tracy Spindler, confesses to the crime in order to save him.

Hence the conundrum for Sam Waterston. He and Angie Harmon decide to stretch the statute and prosecute Sanders for kidnapping instead. It's the only time on Law and Order I ever saw them go for a lesser charge because they can't make the murder case.

The real star of this episode is Anne Bobby who plays Sanders's second wife and stepmother to the girls. It's a frightening portrait of a meek and docile woman who caters to her husband's every whim. She's called by Jack McCoy as his witness and her testimony on the witness stand is a brilliant piece of acting. She's a rebuttal witness that McCoy pulls out at the last minute. Bit by bit he shows her the kind of Stepford existence she's made for herself with this man. In the end she sinks Sanders.

McCoy may have been buffaloed, but I do love Angie Harmon's comment at the end that some cosmic justice will be meted out to someone who likes to control and now will have his every movement controlled for 24/7.

It's one of the best Law and Order episodes.

I Married A Phony.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 4 January 2013]

J. O. Sanders' wife is getting uppity so he takes his two daughters and skips town, establishing a new identity and marrying a more compliant type to provide a mother for his children.

On a business visit to New York City, he runs into his first wife's college roommate. She recognizes him and he evidently pushes her onto the tracks in front of an oncoming subway train.

Briscoe and Curtis manage to track him down and uncover his real identity. At the trial it becomes clear that he's an obsessive personality who must command his environment. The pillows must be folded exactly right. His wife isn't allowed to visit her own family. His two daughters are so browbeaten that "they can't tell where they begin and he leaves off." The younger daughter is so afraid of losing Dad that she lies and claims that she herself killed the woman in the subway. Nice performance by the second wife, as Sam Waterston puts her on the witness stand and brings her to realize finally that her own life has faded away as if by magic.

There is no physical abuse involved, only the imposition of an iron will. That's what makes this episode interesting. Beating the wife and kids would have been too easy, a cop out, so to speak. The father is the king of the castle, and that's that. The new wife and the children are only instruments of his determination to rule the castle. Reminds me a little of my marriage, except there was no king, only la Reine des Guêpes.

There's a nice wisecrack towards the beginning, a Briscoe specialty. A mangled body lies out of sight under the train. The representative of the subway system asks how long before the tracks will be cleared; the system is proud of always being on schedule. When they're about to roll the train back, he asks if Lennie wants to check out the body. "No, thanks. It's all yours, Benito." A lot of people will miss this, so I'll add that when Benito Mussolini ruled Italy in the 1930s, his supporters boasted of him that "he made the trains run on time." It was a common joke.

A criminal mind

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 13 October 2021]

One of the biggest appeals of 'Law and Order' has been the topics it addresses and issues that come with the topics addressed. Also with how they are explored, the execution more often than not was hardly sugar coated or trivialised and was often pull no punches in quality. "Tabula Rasa" (even the title is easy to be drawn in by once one knows its meaning) is no exception and conceptually it is one of the most interesting episodes, because of the character of the perpetrator.

Season 9 was very solid and was at its best outstanding, though the first half in my mind is more consistent than the second. "Tabula Rasa" is not quite one of the very best episodes of the season and there are in my mind better 'Law and Order' episodes overall, but it is very, very good indeed and in the better half with all the ingredients to make it a near-season high point. Thanks to the legal scenes, the performances and character writing primarily.

Will agree that the whole "daughter being so far away with such a controlling father figure" was a bit hard to buy, though there have been premises in the show far harder to swallow (i.e. Season 8's "Blood").

"Tabula Rasa" benefits massively from the performances. Not just from the regulars, all on fine form in particularly the legal portion, but especially the supporting cast. JO Sanders is genuinely frightening and Anne Bobby absolutely kills it emotionally when her character is cross-examined. That scene is a truly powerful piece of writing and acting and one of the season's best.

Photography and such as usual are fully professional, losing none of its slickness. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has nice and at its best (such as towards and at the end) thrilling tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way.

On the writing front, "Tabula Rasa" couldn't be better. The script is scary in its intensity later on and always probes thought. Always have loved Briscoe's wry wisecracks as well. The story is never dull and the moral dilemmas of the case, with a perpetrator that is not an easy one to beat and the whole process of trying to get some conviction despite limited evidence. The final third is eerily suspenseful.

In summary, very, very good. 9/10.

A chilling episode

[Alphotron · 9/10 · 16 November 2023]

All around brilliant performances from the cast aided by good writing. The most I've felt invested in anything L&O for a good while. Just simple, brutal and raw. The only downside is that the detective portion of the story doesn't get as much focus or attention but courtroom drama aspect covers for it. Honestly, I'd love to see this premise getting expanded into something like a feature film, not just because there were some little aspects that can use a bit more refining but also the premise offers some good insights into rather important societal issues concerning familial bonds and structure. The fact that I don't usually yearn for or want to see stuff like this handled in media specifically, kinda works as a tastement about how well pulled off this episode was. I got goosebumps of the worst kind while watching, it was that impactful on me.

Crime dramas must be believable first and foremost

[CrimeDrama1 · 8/10 · 30 July 2023]

This has always been a compelling episode but breaking it down, I see two problems with the story. First, why would a fugitive ever return to his old stomping ground, let alone allow his oldest daughter to go to college there? The only way for this bizarre murder to happen is to add the unbelievable. Second, I believe the older daughter would never forget her mother and not buy into brainwashing. Susan's reaction at the end of the trial is too much. She must know that her mother didn't do anything wrong and that they were all victims of the same man. Also, it would have been better to have one daughter hoping to reconnect with her real mother while the other clings to her dad.

It is dramatic knowing prosecutors can't prove who actually killed the victim. Today, with so many people distracted by their cellphones, it wouldn't surprise me that no one saw who pushed the woman off the subway train platform. As it is with the man, his daughter and the victim on the platform, I doubt it was a low-key conversation. I'd bet she was raising her voice and maybe the man was too. No one noticed that? I don't buy it but having no reliable witnesses is necessary to prevent prosecution of the murder. Ultimately, I'm glad McCoy and company prosecute the man for kidnapping, and win.

Premise doesn't work

[bettye-360-133556 · 5/10 · 8 August 2018]

Good storyline, but the premise wasn't believable for the simple reason that no one as controlling as this father would allow his daughter to go to college so far from home. A major goof on what is usually a pretty realistic show.