“The Collar” (Season 12)
By Hank74
Lennie-10/10
Ed-10/10
Van Buren-7/10
Jack-10/10
Serena-10/10
Nora-10/10
Supporting Cast-9/10
Plot-9/10
Performance-10/10
Value-10/10
Total Grade-95/100
Notes:
You definitely have more of a sense this was shot after 9/11 with the National
Guard troops outside of the courthouse and some more references.
This episode was based on the real life case in NYC involving a priest who hid
a secret for a few years due to a similar conflict involving his conscience.
The issue of privilege has been mentioned many times before on L&O, but not
to this extent. We all know the four privileges which do exist; spousal,
attorney/client, doctor/patient, priest/parishoner. The closest thing we had in
terms of priest/parishoner privilege before this was in "Thrill" when
the confession one of the shooters made was thrown out since his uncle visiting
him at Rikers was a priest.
In any case, even though this ep went a slower pace compared to most eps, I
found this acceptable since it addressed serious issues which were only touched
upon in "Thrill" and other eps. Usually, I don't like it when things
get rather slow, tedious, and too serious, yet it was necccessary and
appropriate to spell out the facts and the arguments for and against the priest
to testifying. The way this was handled from start to finish was first rate and
first class. I especially liked how the "Order" part handled this
sensitive issue without it overwhelming them. But you have to feel the anguish
on Jack's face knowing that he had a hard choice, go against his religious
upbringing or go against the requirements of his job. To me, the eventual plea
bargain arranged in court was fair and the best outcome for everyone.
Nice to see more argument between Serena and Nora and Jack on this. I get the
sense that she is a conservative in the sense that goverment shouldn't
interfere in the internal matters of any religion or its congregation. I hope
there will be more philosophical debates between the "Order" part
because it was losing steam in the last year while the "Law" part was
gaining ground.
The only thing which could have been added was for this matter to be taken up
in federal court or have more political pressure brought on Nora by elected
officials, especially those who are Catholic.
One thing I hope this show will do in the future though is in regards to doing
something about religion, they won't just focus everything on the Catholic
church. I mean with "Bad Faith," "Thrill," and this one. I
mention this because some viewers might perceive this show as having an
anti-Catholic bias.
Great ep though from start to finish. Liked the early twists and turns and then
the big theological debate.