Of the first half of the Season 6s of the original 'Law and Order', 'Special Victims Unit' and 'Criminal Intent', 'Criminal Intent's' (the show was also beginning to become very uneven) was easily the worst in my view. The best being 'Special Victims Unit's', where all the episodes were very good and more. 'Law and Order's' was high quality too, but felt less settled with a major character change. 'Criminal Intent's' though was very inconsistent, none of the other two had disappointments on the same level as "Tru Love".
'Criminal Intent's' Season 6 and its first half did have high spots and did have great episodes. The first great episode of the season "Siren Call" was one of them. While it was not perfect (it did take me a while to get used to Ross) or one of my all time favourite episodes of the show, it was truly excellent by Season 6 standards. With the character writing for Goren, the acting of Vincent D'Onofrio and the ending in particular standing out.
"Siren Call" succeeds in almost every way. It is well made, intimately photographed and slick with no signs of under-budget or anything. The music didn't sound melodramatic or too constant and the direction is accomodating while still having pulse. The ending still has big staying power, one of the show's most haunting and one that shocks and moves. It was like that with me on first watch, and on the few re-watches since it's still haunting.
The acting is superb, especially the tour de force performance of Vincent D'Onofrio as a more conflicted and at times more vulnerable Goren while not losing what makes Goren such a great character. "Siren Call" contains some of the best guest support acting, with David Warshofsky being chilling personified. The story is both engrossing and suspenseful, with the highlight of course being the ending.
What really stands out is the brilliant character writing for Goren, showing his usual hard-boiled edge and fierce intelligence but also a compassionate side that he has shown more than once when with children.
Not much at all to criticise, though Ross is still one-dimensional and aggressive and his bias still too blatant.
Overall, great. 9/10