User Reviews

The subject matter immediately is enough to grab the attention. It is a very sensitive and difficult topic to discuss, and if anybody has doubts about whether the execution would be tactful enough without being preachy, 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.

Was very worried that "Grief" would be too sleazy and exploitative, or too confusing and strange considering how difficult the subject is. It turned out to be neither of those things. The story is actually not an unfamiliar one but 'Law and Order' has often been great at making done before and reasonably ordinary premises work and more complex than one would think, and that is what is the case with one of Season 8's best episodes "Grief." The script and second half elevate the episode to a greater level.

"Grief" is a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key.

Furthermore, "Grief" has an absolutely dynamite script that like a lot of 'Law and Order' episodes raises interesting questions worthy of debate with somebody. The tautness and crackling tension are never lost, there is a lot of information to digest but it doesn't feel too much. It especially shines in the conversations between McCoy and Ross. The story is always riveting and unlike some Season 8 episodes it is not a case of one half being better than the other. It is indeed bizarre but it doesn't become overly so.

And even when the turns in the plot become even more complicated the episode never becomes incoherent. The first half always intrigues and doesn't feel stale or rehashed. It is the second half though, where the material has more complexity and meat, that makes "Grief" even better and quite special. The suspense and the different points of view presented really grab the attention. The performances all round are excellent.

In conclusion, brilliant. 10/10.