This was one of those 'Law and Order' episodes on first watch that had a number of good things but did feel on the ordinary side and didn't stick in the mind long after. There are episodes of the show and the 'Law and Order' franchise in general that felt like this, but there are many on both counts where that type of episode on first watch fared better on rewatch and were better than remembered seeing it through older eyes.
Season 19's "Sweetie" is one of those episodes, and despite the basic idea of the story not being a novel one it is still quite good, with the good things being many and some great. On paper it sounds fairly standard and is a bit ordinary to begin with, but the execution is more complex than that. When things become meatier and twistier "Sweetie" becomes very intricate and it is one of those episodes that induces more than one strong emotion by its end.
It does start off routine for my tastes.
Also thought that "Sweetie" went a little too far with Janice's naivety, just didn't buy how anybody could be so oblivious to something so blatantly obvious.
However, so much is good in "Sweetie". It is as ever shot with the right amount of intimacy without feeling too up close, even with a reliance of close up camerawork. That the editing has become increasingly tighter over-time is great too. The music isn't over-scored, manipulative or used too much. There is intimacy and tautness in the direction. The rest of the regulars are all fine, particularly Linus Roache who dominates the legal scenes with great authority. Lupo and Bernard have grown as a partnership, even if they are nowhere near Briscoe level.
No issues were had with the supporting performances as well, with Heather Matarrazzo being affecting. Script is intelligent and lean with no signs of fat. The debating intrigues and provokes thought. The story on the whole is securely paced and has some nice edge and grit. The legal scenes are riveting and have tension, where it was easy to care for what the verdict would be.
Overall, very good. 8/10.