Law & Order (TV Series) Camouflage (2022) User Reviews

Episode 22-03

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 14 October 2022]

We saw a very extreme political take in this one, but thankfully there were other areas that the episode went.

Nolan having to face his personal challenges and beliefs about the death penalty was a good thing to tackle. We don't often hear about lawyer's opinion and that is supposed to be the right thing because they have to leave their takes at the door, but this is a special circumstance given someone who works in New York usually doesn't have to face this.

A pretty good episode but so far since the return on NBC we haven't seen too many all time classics from this rebooted series. We used to get multiple ones a year.

The best episode since they brought it back.

[rossdanbruen · 9/10 · 7 October 2022]

Some of the most horrifyingly disturbing scenes put to television, certainly network television, every once and awhile comes from Law and Order. I don't recall the last time I saw the disgusting and visceral reality of a mass shooting aftermath depicted on television.

No beating around the bush, they just went all out with the story. Just like 911 over on Fox doing an earthquake or wildfire disaster, Law and Order can give us the hate crime of a decade. It's a tough watch, but it sadly has happened, and can happen.

That said, where I was truly impressed was how this episode showcased racial profiling of young white men. With a vague facial profile, The first two young white men the detectives come across, they (and the audience) assume this man to be the culprit. An angsty young white man who works at a gun shop? It must be him, only it's not. Then the drug addict who was merely given a bag was being railroaded by the cops and not given the benefit of the doubt because he matched "enough" of the description, being a young white stocky male.

In an episode that, cynically speaking, could be reviled by certain political demographics, I think this was an impeccable writing choice to show racial biases at work against whites in a way that's rarely done. Not that it should matter, but as a black man I really appreciated this subtle and understated positive message in the story. It keeps it from falling into the "liberal propaganda" category in my opinion by presenting complex realities, even within a story that overall is very clear-cut.

Once mighty

[eugedaddy · 3/10 · 12 October 2022]

I have been watch L and O since it started. I've watched every iteration- my fave is UK. I have never been so disappointed. Even the rough years of post Elliot SVU weren't so watered down. We fans deserve a lot better. We are not stupid, we do not need things spelled out, We can follow A plot line and a case. The show has never been so ridiculously juvenile in its dialogue and emotional content. The actors R busting their butts trying to give us something to watch and it is just horrible. The worst moment so far of this once storied franchise is this god-awful episode. Low points include Frank seeing a spent shell casing and saying "Look a spent shell casing." ...Or new Detective Shaw having a ridiculously manipulative moment with fellow detective no name tech person that consisted of her saying "I'm just sick of the hate." And Shaw pats her on the shoulder saying "I know what you mean." WHAT?

Someone tell Hugh Dancy there are more emotions besides exasperated!

I will not go into how stupid the judge was or how easily a confidential informant was forced to testify...This show deserves the plug pulled- now!

About that Insanity Plea

[jjsmith39 · 21 April 2023]

This episode started out memorably with a subway massacre of random Asians.

For this viewer, the episode went completely off the rails once the defendant's lawyer entered a plea of not guilty be reason of insanity because the client comitted a hate crime.

She called to witness for the defense a shrink who testified that the defendant was hate filled to point of wanting to exterminate an entire race. Anybody who wants to exterminate an entire race is obviously mentally ill and not responsible for their actions.

This viewer expected the prosecutor to ask if Adoph Hitler was not responsible for his actions. Nope. The prosecution only argued the defendant's plan was too detailed for him to be insane.

It felt like the writers backed off their own plot point after having an "expert" rationalize a Hitler deciple's actions.

Just So Offensive on So Many Levels

[bkkaz · 2/10 · 7 October 2022]

Okay, American TV has been showing this episode in some form or another for literally decades. Some lunatic/veteran/racist/evildoer decides to attack and/or kill Asian Americans, and it's up to the great White saviors to step in and rescue them. It doesn't matter what the name of the show is; if they're on long enough, they all have this episode.

This Law and Order is the latest version, only it has White and Black saviors because, you know, it's 2022. Nothing to better point out Law and Order's offensive lack of diversity in this regard than not a single -- not one -- major character on the show is Asian American. So, what little discussion about the racism facing Asian Americans there is has to be done by the White and Black characters. Oh, yeah, they do trot out some minor character who has some Asian ancestry -- golly, lucky timing on that.

What makes matters even worse is -- I mean, besides making yet another case that Asian Americans can't take care of themselves and erasing Asian American men, in particular, from the equation -- is the episode quickly loses sight of the issue for Asian Americans and becomes one about the death penalty. That leaves the garden gnome and some pasty bottle blonde to have insipid arguments about how the gnome was once some super liberal or something and now has tossed that all aside in his pursuit of the law.

I guess the seven Asian Americans the killer murdered in cold blood don't matter to these two White characters. Makes sense if the show itself has not seen fit to have any major Asian American regulars.

How diverse is the writer's room for this show, Dicky Wolf? Wait, don't have to tell me. It's pretty obvious.

Here's a question: How come there is no shortage of Jewish characters on Law and Order when there are actually more Asian Americans in NYC? That's right, 1.1 million Jewish Americans and 1.197 million Asian Americans. I'm all for the Jewish characters, but explain to me why a population that is greater in NYC is all but ignored.

Speaking of the obvious, these episodes always end up relying on that old saw -- not guilty by reason of mental defect -- and yet, in the effort to prove the client is so mentally ill they were out of control when they committed the murder, somehow try to argue that means they should be found not guilty of the crime. Wait, what? Let me get this straight. The person is so crazy they committed mass murder . . . And that craziness is the reason they should be put back on the street? Exactly what kind of logic is that?

This was just a trash episode. It promotes the myth that racism against Asian Americans didn't happen until COVID, erasing the long and ugly history of such racism and treating all the victims as though they don't matter until TV shows aimed at White and Black audiences opportunistically decide to use the notion. And that doesn't even count the lumpy writing and poor pacing of this episode. You didn't help either, Derp Donovan (we didn't forget you) and Camryn Manhands!

Ridiculous Rulings by the Judge

[garywholland-91484 · 1/10 · 30 December 2022]

The writers of this episode apparently felt the need to inject ludicrous court rulings to make the story last an hour. All the evidence needed for a conviction was available, yet the judge threatened to dismiss the case if the confidential informant didn't testify in open court. Just before I terminated viewing this story, the judge was threatening to have the jury disregard the murder weapon, because the "confidential informant" was being uncooperative on the witness stand.

The way the story was playing out, perhaps the judge was planning to take the defendant to a Dairy Queen for ice cream.

I know it's fiction, but the L&O team used to do their research

[rundmc1234 · 2/10 · 6 November 2022]

Ripped from the headlines?? I have loved L&O since it first started. Watched every season. I'm catching up on this season and love Donovan on the show but this episode made me throw up in my mouth from the first 5 minutes. Could the writers or producers maybe check all the FBI stats from the last, oh I don't know, decade or so. They would find that white on Asian crime - of all kinds, including hate crimes - is infinitesimally low. Asian on white crime is similarly low. Guess what the FBI's own stats (which are based on national numbers) show with respect to violence against Asian people? I'll give the writers and producers 3 guesses since apparently they don't seem to know. (Although, frankly, I'm sure they do; they just decided to do their own part to contribute to misinformation).