Law & Order season 25, episode 3 review: The NBC show rises with its guest stars
SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Law & Order Season 25, Episode 3.
One of the perks of Law & Order going back to its first season has been the proliferation of theater actors who have graced the NBC show. They’ve given the guest characters color—and in the legendary Jerry Orbach’s case, created one of the series’ best heroes. Law & Order Season 25, Episode 3, “White Lies” is another example of casting making all the difference.
“White Lies” in itself is a fairly good episode. It takes a while to distinguish itself from the plethora of “eat the rich” stories, but it does so by adding a strong emotional layer to the story. The script also largely avoids getting up on its soapbox, which has been a common criticism of the Law & Order revival. There’s one brief speech from ADA Samantha Maroun about good and evil that seems to have forgotten the events of the season premiere. But other than that, the episode isn’t trying to tell the audience what to think or feel. Instead, the guest actors drive the story.
When businessman Tom Hardiman is shoved in front of a taxi, Detective Vincent Riley and Lieutenant Jessica Brady wind up going through a lot of the usual motions about corporate greed and bad business (like the difference between a “corporate raider” and an “activist investor,” if there is one). It’s no surprise that the perpetrator is someone who was determined to stop the victim’s wrongdoing. But “White Lies” clicks because of its cast. Iconic character actor Tom Irwin (The Morning Show) plays Norman Munson, the CEO of WellPoint Therapeutics, a company that the victim was planning to gut. Irwin is folksy, charming and vulnerable—perfect because his character’s health becomes the talking point in the story.
The killer of the week is one of Munson’s researchers, Dr. Kevin Goodall, portrayed by Eric Ladin. It’s fun to see Ladin on the other side of the criminal justice system after his recurring role as reporter Scott Anderson on Bosch. His guilt is not the hook; the motive is. Law & Order unravels a web of people who would be suffering if Hardiman got his way. Goodall is revealed to have a young daughter ill with Batten disease, whose hope for a cure would be dashed by Hardiman’s planned budget cuts. The team also deduces that Munson has dementia, which Hardiman planned to use to force him out, which would in turn pave the way for more disaster. In order to prove that Goodall killed Hardiman, EADA Nolan Price has to reveal Munson’s diagnosis, ending his career and putting all of WellPoint’s good works at risk.
Ladin walks an excellent line as Goodall, vacillating between the anger that proves his guilt and a desperation that keeps the character sympathetic. There’s never any doubt that his proverbial road to hell is paved with good intentions. Tony Award winner Katrina Lenk (The Band’s Visit, Company) makes the most out of her scenes as the defense attorney of the week, picking up where Amanda Warren left off. Between Ladin, Lenk and Irwin, the guest characters in “White Lies” are more interesting than the main characters. That trio of actors is the reason that Law & Order gets the feeling of sadness that the episode wants at the end. Savvy viewers know that of course the show is going to have the scene where Price puts Munson on the stand, after the scene where Maroun tells him not to do it, but that predictability is ameliorated by enjoying the actors at work.
Hugh Dancy follows up a strong performance in “Hindsight” with a good one here. He’s suitably uncomfortable as Price has to make the objectionable choice, but then makes Price’s examination of Munson feel precise and purposeful—switching gears just like Price himself has to. It’s also lovely to have a quick reminder that Price’s relationship is doing well after the events of the previous episode, though somewhat of a head-scratcher that Maroun doesn’t know anything about Price’s girlfriend. Considering that they seem to have a strong friendship, it’s strange that she wouldn’t have at least the basic details.
Director Milena Govich is superb with her choices, which is not at all a surprise since she was a series regular on Law & Order as Detective Nina Cassady and has gone on to direct several Dick Wolf series. Govich is the perfect person to handle a script like “White Lies,” keeping the Law & Order style but also making sure each actor gets a necessary chance to shine. The show has been guilty of not getting the most out of talented folks in recent years (the guest spot of Jack Cutmore-Scott last season being one example). That doesn’t happen here.
Furthermore, this episode could have devolved into overly emotional melodrama, yet in the hands of these veteran actors, it doesn’t. The solid performances are well supported by the acting and a script that puts character over making a point. This may not be new territory, and the plot points might be easy to spot, yet the trip is one worth taking—and further evidence that the Law & Order revival might be finding a new lane.
Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.
Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
