Law and Order :Criminal Intent

It's not a blonde joke, we're really being asked to believe that there are criminals out there who intend to do us harm. That was a tough sale for them, don't know if you had a hard time with that or not, but for me it was a real challenge to believe that there could be people in this world that'd blow stuff up, just because they thought they should. Or people who would steal stuff from retail shops, just because it was some points for them? Or people who would create illegal drugs just for money; it was a stretch for me, was it for you?

So part of the depth of this program has to do with the inner, inner police, those who are special beyond special, which brings up the question, are they real? Which brings up the question, who cares; even if they aren't, the shows rock, right? Only if we were to discover they were total fiction, created out of the mind of a master writer that might make a difference, only they aren't, Special Victims Unit's exist in all police departments, and some function out of the Department of Justice. The depth therefore is at least a shade of real that makes it even more intense.

How do the writers get us involved? There are times when we have to feel sorry for the victims, that's the majority of what is taking place, is a vicarious getting of the bad man, the criminal, we get into that, it's important to us. Then there are times when the victim's family is brought into it, and we weep for those who survive. The most wondrous attack upon our senses comes in the rare show where we feel the victim isn't acting right, and we side with the poor detectives who have to put up with that mess. Wow what a range of emotional buy in.

The setup of for this run is male and female partners, staff, people who are around them, and a modern looking setting for them to function in. The captain of the unit is an all understanding guide who only occasionally hollers at the detectives. This soft but steely eyed inner motivated man controls these dynamic and explosive detectives with skill and patience. They are after all, a team, they function together as one against the criminals that they have to bring in. We buy into that scenario, we buy into teams, we buy into the good guys winning.

Then comes round two, the two for one, we get cops, we get courts, all the best that there is in life, cops and lawyers, does it get any better than this? Here is where the series steps out of reality, the courts, they aren't presented as they are, at all. In this series the good guys, the prosecutors, win, almost always, it's rare that they don't win. That isn't like what happens in the real world at all. No wonder we like the show.