Law & Order (TV Series) Skate or Die (2009) User Reviews

The Bipolar Roller

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 8 June 2016]

If you see this Law And Order story for no other reason check it out for the incredible performance of Brian Gant as the schizophrenic skater known as the Bipolar Roller.

It's the murder of three homeless men on Randall's Island and a most expensive pair of skates make Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson think that the Roller might be one of the victims. He was in fact one unusual homeless person in that he had a business as well. But he shows up alive and entertaining over at Columbus Circle.

This story gives us a couple of theories of the crime and has a lot of twists to it. As it turns out Gant is discovered quite by accident to be a serial killer and he's arrested for the deaths. Later on that changes.

Bear in mind all of this is being played out while Sam Waterston is running for election to District Attorney in his own right. As he used to say to his various bosses, you do the politics, I do the law. Now he's doing the politics and discovers there are minefields aplenty out there.

You have to see the bit of manipulation that Linus Roache uses on Gant to get to the truth in court.

But most of all see the outrageous and flamboyant performance that Gant gives.

Fantastic but heartbreaking performance

[cjf-75780 · 10/10 · 17 February 2021]

Law and Order (original) has always impressed me with the quality of peripheral/supporting actors and characters over the years. One of my favorite episodes is this one where the main suspect is suffering from mental illness. Brian Gant should have won whatever awards are given for TV - his performance from the beginning is joyous, believable and captivating. But it's the last scenes of the episode where he is on the stand that broke my heart. His depiction of coming to terms with his illness had me in tears - his grief and remorse was palpable. It makes you really think about how people are living every day feeling exactly as he emoted onscreen - and many, far worse. Any time this episode is on, I stop what I'm doing and watch nonstop. Kudos.

A tour de force

[candyapplegrey · 10/10 · 29 January 2016]

Loved this episode. Brian Gant as Jonah Appelbaum aka the Bipolar Roller, steals every scene he's in with a swift and wicked sleight of hand. Jeremy Sisto thinks he's got a handle on it, blinks and it's gone, folded and put away in the pocket of Jonah's purple striped hoodie. He's totally mesmerising, incredibly believable (if that's not oxymoronic) as the roller-skating, sweetly psychotic anti-hero of this piece, disarming his interrogators and viewers alike. The part is very well written and beautifully realised with a skill so consummate, it seems there's nothing as ordinary as acting involved.

Kudos to whoever plundered the rainbow to create Jonah's outfit, which can only be called an 'ensemble', manifesting such diligent attention to detail, from accessories (the gold lamé scarf and the jewellery), to the aforementioned hoodie, resulting in an effect that perfectly complements Jonah's psychedelic trip of a personality.

Gant invests Jonah with so much idiosyncratic charm, such gusto and unexpected athleticism as he alternates between intense focus and utter distraction, somehow making it all seem so natural that if the plot hadn't worked out the way it did, I would fully expect to see the Bipolar Roller next time I come to New York. Meanwhile, perhaps items from the clothing line will be in the shops soon.

Skating with death

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 5 December 2022]

'Law and Order' was a great show in its prime and there has always been a preference for the earlier seasons over the more commonly aired late-Briscoe and post-Briscoe episodes. Not only love the show for its compelling cases and terrific writing and acting in the Briscoe and pre-Briscoe years. But also its admirable tackling of difficult subjects and themes (the 'Law and Order' franchise at its best was very good at that), their cases often based upon real-life ones and the moral dilemmas raised. There were numerous instances of the latter seasons doing all of that though and extremely well.

"Skate or Die" certainly does all of that absolutely brilliantly in a truly brilliant episode. That is easily among the best episodes of Season 19, a strong contender for the best and even of the later years. It is indeed one of those episodes that is a lot more complex and tense than it seems and sounds at first and is particularly advantaged by the performance of the main guest star. One that left a big impression when first getting into 'Law and Order' via this period, and who still leaves a big impression in a good way.

Production values are fine, have always liked the photography's intimacy and grit and the look of the show has come on a good deal over-time (and it was good to begin with). The music doesn't intrude and has a haunting quality, have not always remembered to say that the theme tune is easy to remember and holds up.

Moreover the script is full of tension, intelligence and tautness. Brian Gant having the best lines, lines that have a wide range of emotions. The character interactions between the characters are some of the best and most riveting in a while. The story is neither too over-easy or hard to follow and especially shines in the second half, that has a good deal of scary tension. While the first half is very intriguing and absorbs, the second half is even better when things become more complex and urgent.

While no issues can be found with the regulars, especially in the second half (also will say that Jeremy Sisto gives one of his better performances of the show), the episode belongs to a chilling and also moving Gant, managing to make a character that could have been one dimensional truly complex to the extent that it is hard to fully hate him.

In conclusion, brilliant. 10/10.