Guardian

The finding of a dead junkie behind a dumpster usually isn't considered murder and if this were some ordinary uptown junkie no one would give this a second look. But it turns out that the woman found was from a rich family, a trust fund baby from the family of a man who ran for US Senate once. The widowed mother Joan McIntosh has disowned her daughter and the world of low lives she now hangs out with.

The charge of her daughter and son Dallas Roberts rests with the Jon Cypher who is the executor of her husband's estate. In a crime of neglect or what the Catholics call the sin of omission she dies of an overdose and Cypher is charged.

He's guilty, but I can kind of understand the man. I knew many people with drugs habits and a lot of them died by a sin of omission as they resolutely refused to get help. Sounds like this victim was one of them and in fact her mother disowned her. Something in Cypher snapped and he just wasn't going to clean up the family messes any more. People that I knew also resolutely refused to grow up and that's part of the problem as well.

Still Cypher winds up paying worse than he thought.

This one felt, to me, like a rich folks' version of the season 3 episode "Mother Love." That episode also dealt with a wayward, drug-addicted female child whose repeat offenses tested the patience of the those around her - family included. But while the family in that story was working or middle class, these folks are private school-educated and born with spoons in their mouths.

"Used to be South Bronx, Alphabet City. Now these junkies have trust funds," Detective Logan muses about 15 minutes in.

"Hey, 10 years ago they were tooting coke through $100 bills. Maybe they've heard needles are chic this year," Detective Briscoe replies.

The episode is ultimately a bit bland, though there are some decent performances. Dallas Roberts is here in a very early role as the victim's brother; he would later go on to star in the brilliant but short-lived "Rubicon" and co-star in a few seasons of "The Walking Dead." And Gerry Bamman is good as a competent, refreshingly non-slimy defense attorney.

I do have to ding this one for some wooden acting on the part of José Serrano as the judge, however; he's apparently a real-life Congressman from New York, and he sounds like he is reading from a script.

This one isn't bad, just forgettable.

A large part of me had a very strong feeling that "Guardian" would be at least decent, and was really intrigued in seeing what the episode would do with such a harrowing and relevant topic that is hardly out of date now. It was not original territory for 'Law and Order', Season 3's "Mother Love" did it too and did it better, but it is a subject that is always worth addressing. Another reason for anybody expecting a lot is if they are long-term admirers of the franchise's guts in exploring hard-hitting themes and how it did it.

Part of me though was somewhat disappointed in "Guardian". In no way is it a bad episode, the opposite and it handles the subject quite well. It did strike me though as somewhat bland, especially when following on from an episode as great as "House Counsel" was and because there was more potential to do more with the theme if the plotting had more distinction. As said, as has been said above and in a previous review "Mother Love" handles this subject better.

"Guardian" does have a lot of good things. The photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way. The script is thought-provoking and doesn't ramble.

Enough of the story does intrigue and nothing comes over as ridiculous or confused. The moral dilemmas of the subject are handled very tactfully. Kammen is a very interesting character. The acting from all is very good, with the regulars being without complaint, Jon Cypher giving what could have been a standard character some complexity and Gerry Bamman plays an attorney that refreshingly doesn't make one irritated.

However, "Guardian" did feel rather derivative and there is not much that surprises, the guilty party is too obvious too early for instance. As a result, and because it could have afforded to be more pull no punches, it feels on the bland side at times.

Do agree that Jose Serrano looks ill at ease and goes through the motions. Also that Kammen's indignant attitude at one critical point comes too out of nowhere.

In conclusion, not bad at all but could have been more. 7/10