Law & Order (TV Series) Denial (1997) User Reviews

The most horrible and nauseating of crimes

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 23 February 2018]

That most horrible and nauseating of crimes, the killing of a new born is dealt with in this Law And Order story. Two Kids, the girl who was never given any kind of facts of life talk gave birth to an infant who was killed. Her father Benjamin Hendrickson disposed of the remains. In fact the search for said remains occupies a good deal of the time of Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt.

The most awful thing about it is that the two kids, Zach Chapman and Mags Charnock are so into each other that the baby is somehow seen as an interloper.

James Rebhorn makes one of his appearances as a defense attorney and his job is made easy by the appearance of these two nice and white and white bread suburban kids with no criminal records of any kind who dance to Endless Love after killing their kid. The jury just can't buy them as murderers no matter what evidence Sam Waterston shows them.

Kind of frightening.

Murderous denial

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 9 June 2021]

The subject matter immediately is enough to grab the attention. It is a very sensitive, unpleasant and difficult topic to discuss, and if anybody has doubts about whether the execution would be tactful enough without being ham-handed, one-sided and too heavy that is understandable (those are common traps with this kind of topic and similar). Anybody though that has always admired how 'Law and Order' approached tough subjects and how it did so will be intrigued.

Season 8's second episode "Denial", a "ripped from the headlines" kind of story based on two cases, is a very good one, only two episodes in and already Season 8 shows a lot of promise. It also explores a very heavy-going topic with hard-hitting edge and poignancy, in a way that appropriately makes one feel sad and angry in equal measure. All the usual good things are here, and, while not one of the best 'Law and Order' episodes or quite one of the best of the season, it's a powerful one.

"Denial" isn't perfect, although actually nothing is done inherently wrong. Just that other 'Law and Order' episodes are more consistent. Do agree that the detective scenes are not as good as the second half, where the episode really does come to life and have the full emotional power needed. The detective scenes are still well written and acted, just not my definition of earth-shattering. All the shocks, emotions and complexity are in the legal scenes.

However, so much is done incredibly well. The production values are solid and the intimacy of the photography doesn't get static or too filmed play-like. The music when used is not too over-emphatic and has a melancholic edge that is quite haunting. The direction is sympathetic enough without being leaden, while having enough momentum to make the drama sing in its atmosphere. The performances from all the regulars are great, with tough talking Jerry Orbach and knowing Sam Waterston standing out, while the supporting cast are fine too. James Rebhorn was interesting casting.

Moreover, the script is very thoughtful, and despite having a lot of (thankfully still interesting) talk it doesn't ramble. It is especially good in the more complicated, which are not too hard to follow, parts of the legal scenes and when dealing with the moral dilemmas that come with this tough topic. The story is both harrowing and moving, so a very uncompromising approach to such a hard to watch story while also being tactful and not exploitative or biased. It is truly frightening that cases like this have happened and exist. The ending is one that makes one both very sad and very angry, it was a denouement that did not satisfy me on first viewing and felt wrong but am aware that there are times where verdicts are not what one expects or wants.

In conclusion, very good. 8/10.

Interesting legal episode

[knucklebreather · 8 November 2011]

In "Denial" we find the crew investigating a dead baby in a hotel room. The detective side of the story is pretty unremarkable, with no real detours and nothing too amusing about their trip from crime scene to suspects. However, the legal side of the episode is quite good, exploring what happens when parents go to trial for killing a newborn, one of the most offensive crimes out there.

I thought this was a good episode because these cases crop up every few years and often play out in the ambiguous, frustrating way they do in this story. This episode is a downer and it's supposed to be one, because this is an ugly issue any realistic way you look at it.

A very weak summation

[mloessel · 4/10 · 8 February 2019]

In his summation ADA McCoy asked the jury to imagine two teens dancing to Endless Love at a frat party after they had supposedly strangled and left their new born baby in a towel in the hotel room they were staying. The problem is there was no witness(s) to support that image. McCoy believed that is what happened but in the end they walked. Tsk Tsk McCoy.