Fan Review by Mari

CAUTION: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!

Before you get mad, remember, these are only my opinions, and I am nothing more than a tiny little human being among teeming millions.

The Season 18 opener introduces new cast members Jeremy Sisto as Detective Cyrus Lupo and Linus Roache as EADA Michael Cutter. The departed are Arthur Branch and Detective Nina Cassady, played respectively by Fred Dalton Thompson, and Melena Govich, whose character was considered by many fans to be a misfit from the day she came on board. Whether this is Govich's fault or not I cannot say. I really didn't think she gave a bad performance in last season's closer, where she got up in Harry Hamlin's face. What I can guess is that because of the way she handled said case, Lt. Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson) might have had to let her go. I'm as happy as any Sisto fan that he is doing this show, yet I can't help but to wonder if fans disliked Cassady simply because she was female?

That said, I'm still unimpressed by Alana De La Garza as ADA Connie Rubirosa. De La Garza had a brief role on CSI Miami as Erik Delko's terminally ill sister. To me, she is a bigger misfit on L&O than even Govich. A lot of fans describe her as "hot and sexy" but that's about it. So why she is still around and Govich is not is beyond me. Other than the fact that she dresses nice and looks pretty, what can I say? Not much. I haven't seen her do anything particularly compelling in the courtroom. She just doesn't have a formidable presence. If the show's producer's want to keep cleaning up, they might look at this character next. Why not add a distinguished female character in the same realm as Dianne Weist, who did a great job some seasons back as the DA?

On to the story, for as we know, it's all about the cases, the victims and the stories. We witness a rather handsome young man being discovered dead in a motel room with IV equipment near him and bits of drug evidence on and around him. When Detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) questions the man's wife, who had taken the children over to her mom's, she is so broken up that she can do nothing more than recommend Green speak to the victim's brother Cyrus. It turns out that Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) is an NYPD officer who has been doing international intelligence work overseas. When he returns and learns of his brother Tom's fate, he implores Lt. Van Buren to let him work with Green on the case. Van Buren refuses at first, and then another man is found dead, the circs identical.

Their investigation leads them to a recent parolee, Dr. Lingard (played by great character actor Brad Douriff), who, like Dr. Kevorkian, has served prison time for what he believes is right.

I would take this time to express my feelings about euthanasia, divine rights, government control, matters of ethics, individual tolerances for pain, individual speeds of deterioration and loss of function, dignity, the stockholders of drug companies and health insurance, the exorbitant prices of medications, and the lies and false hopes that healthcare professionals are trained to give out, and the healthcare industry's general practice of allowing existence and then death with much pain and misery...but I had better not (or maybe I have, haha!). I'm sure many of you may agree with me, but many of you may not. Suffice it to say that although I sympathize with Det. Lupo's anger about his brother's death, I do not share his unspoken opinion about Dr. Lingard.

I find Cyrus Lupo a most interesting and compelling character already. I'm glad L&O sort of bent the "no personal stories" rule a little for him. Sisto is such a great character actor that for him not to have at least some "character tidbits" tossed our way would be somewhat intolerable. I thought Detective Green was a little more than a bit harsh when he said, "If you had called your brother to find out what was wrong..." Lupo appears to have some deep seated guilt, along with more tangled and complex feelings towards his sister in law Jenny, whom Cyrus was once engaged to but Tom ended up marrying.

I didn't really like Jenny though. When Lupo asks her to testify in court about her husband's illness and death, she refuses, saying "It's embarrassing." Like Cyrus, she seems to believe that Tom should have come up with a different solution to his pain and suffering. Both of them are so angry at Tom for committing suicide, but neither of them are putting themselves into Tom's shoes and trying to understand why. But anyway, you would think that Jenny would be eager to see those who assisted Tom punished, but her anger and hurt seem self-centered. So she refuses to take the stand.

The detectives are lead to Mila (Maren Ireland), a hospice nurse who shares many of Dr. Lingard's beliefs on suffering, dignity and death and to Bill Nolan (Michael McKean), a television personality who did a show on Dr. Lingard a few years ago. After this Emmy-winning segment, Dr. Lingard had been sent to prison.

As the clues are gathered and witnesses are found, many surprises are in store. Cutter and McCoy (Sam Waterston) are already clashing over the way to do things, and I am really happy that Waterston's role hasn't been reduced to just a few moments at the end of each episode the way Thompson's was. I also like that Merkerson seems to be getting more screentime than usual. I hope it remains this way.

At first I thought Dr. Lingard's "statement" on the stand was a bit overblown and melodramatic, but actually, he was making the statement. Nobody was going to tell him how to live, or how to die. In spite of my opinions about Lingard and his beliefs being popular or unpopular, I think L&O is a show that wants to leave you with the ability to decide for yourself about this. I'm sure the police and the legal community were outraged and frustrated with the outcome, but...

I liked this opening episode. I look forward to the rest of the season, but I already know that I will enjoy it. I think Green and Lupo will be awesome together. I hope to see lots of Cutter, McCoy and Van Buren as well.

I'll give it an A.

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All opinions are solely those of the reviewer. These opinions are not those of any actor, producer, crew-member, or of Lycos Inc.