As of now, "Castoff" is the lowest rated episode of Season 8 and the lowest rated of 'Law and Order' up to this point of the show's run. Which does surprise me because to me on first watch it was a very well done and interesting episode, its points were hardly subtle but the intrigue and truthful factors were very high and really liked too how the issues (difficult ones) were explored. Other episodes fared a lot worse on first watch.
"Castoff" on subsequent rewatches still strikes me as a very well done episode. It is not one of the best episodes of Season 8 or one of the best of 'Law and Order', but it is a good deal better than "Under the Influence" and especially "Blood" (both of which rated higher). While not the most subtle or innovative of episodes and it is yet another case of one half being better than the other, "Castoff" at least had a plausible story (whereas the whole idea of "Blood" was hard to swallow on paper). It is a long way from being one of the worst episodes of 'Law and Order', both up to this point and overall, let alone the worst.
It's not flawless. It's not much special at first and has a very seen it all before vibe, with not a lot standing out.
Did think too that the Alan Derschowitz-like defense lawyer to be a little too over the top for my liking.
So much about "Castoff" is extremely good to brilliant however. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it. The script is intelligent, lean and thoughtful where both sides of the argument this time are understandable. The defense argument sounds iffy at first and sounds too generalised on paper, but it actually when laid out comes over as plausible. Far more ridiculous defense arguments have happened on this show, for example Season 6's "Remand" and it is certainly not one that would be laughed out of court.
The story is a lot more riveting in the second half and while the who aspect of the truth is known well before the rest of it, the truth is not one that is guessable straightaway. Some very interesting questions are raised and well explored, especially what drove the perpetrator to do what they did. The reason provided is truthful, easy to buy and also relevant (more so today), not to mention quite scary, one that never outright generalises or says that everyone that has someone or something strongly influencing them would go and do violent acts. Have seen other episodes of the franchise that go down that route that do it far worse.
Maybe the point is made a little too thickly, but it was very brave to raise this point way back when media influence was, and sadly still is, a big problem. The free will conflict is also well handled and where both sides are buyable, McCoy perhaps sees things in a too black or white way (not uncharacteristic of him) but the attitudes seen in this debate and tense conflict it causes were interesting to see and don't feel dated.
On the whole, very good and underrated here. 8/10.
"Castoff" on subsequent rewatches still strikes me as a very well done episode. It is not one of the best episodes of Season 8 or one of the best of 'Law and Order', but it is a good deal better than "Under the Influence" and especially "Blood" (both of which rated higher). While not the most subtle or innovative of episodes and it is yet another case of one half being better than the other, "Castoff" at least had a plausible story (whereas the whole idea of "Blood" was hard to swallow on paper). It is a long way from being one of the worst episodes of 'Law and Order', both up to this point and overall, let alone the worst.
It's not flawless. It's not much special at first and has a very seen it all before vibe, with not a lot standing out.
Did think too that the Alan Derschowitz-like defense lawyer to be a little too over the top for my liking.
So much about "Castoff" is extremely good to brilliant however. The production values as ever have slickness and grit, with an intimacy without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when it's used but does so without being intrusive, some of it is quite haunting too. The direction is also understated but the tension never slips, the second half being full of it. The script is intelligent, lean and thoughtful where both sides of the argument this time are understandable. The defense argument sounds iffy at first and sounds too generalised on paper, but it actually when laid out comes over as plausible. Far more ridiculous defense arguments have happened on this show, for example Season 6's "Remand" and it is certainly not one that would be laughed out of court.
The story is a lot more riveting in the second half and while the who aspect of the truth is known well before the rest of it, the truth is not one that is guessable straightaway. Some very interesting questions are raised and well explored, especially what drove the perpetrator to do what they did. The reason provided is truthful, easy to buy and also relevant (more so today), not to mention quite scary, one that never outright generalises or says that everyone that has someone or something strongly influencing them would go and do violent acts. Have seen other episodes of the franchise that go down that route that do it far worse.
Maybe the point is made a little too thickly, but it was very brave to raise this point way back when media influence was, and sadly still is, a big problem. The free will conflict is also well handled and where both sides are buyable, McCoy perhaps sees things in a too black or white way (not uncharacteristic of him) but the attitudes seen in this debate and tense conflict it causes were interesting to see and don't feel dated.
On the whole, very good and underrated here. 8/10.
