# Law & Order "Criminal Intent" takes an ill advised turn **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567 "2004-10-11T03:29:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/1 "2004-10-11T03:29:25Z")
Watched my first “L&O Criminal Intent” of the new season tonight. So the Sherlock wannabe Vincent D’Onofrio plays has to be _more_ edgy now. He has to really, no foolin’, empathize and sympathize with the flesh eating, head drilling nutcases 'cause well… he just barely hanging onto his own sanity by a slender, silken thread. Cheap and exploitative. A disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/2 "2004-10-11T04:19:00Z")
Yeah, they took the most unlikeable character in the L&O universe and made him even worse. But I do like his new hairdo. Does it seem that all the L&Os are showing more explicit gore this season? What, to compete with CSI? Yecch, ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/3 "2004-10-11T04:51:03Z")
Hey! Quit dissin’ my show, I’m the biggest LOCI fan of you lot! Having said that, I agree that this season (so far) has been fairly lackluster–they’d better pull it together soon. Having said _that_, I liked this episode. It was sad, and touching, and they have a nice new format of shooting the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/4 "2004-10-11T05:14:31Z")
Not the best episode tonight, but Eames’ final line was priceless! ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/5 "2004-10-11T05:17:23Z")
I love Vinny D, but he does look a bit haggard this season. I wondered if it was on purpose, for the character of Detective Goren, or if t was how he really looks. Sounds like it’s something they’re doing on purpose for the character…? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/6 "2004-10-11T12:08:04Z")
I thought this was a particularly badly written episode. it seemed to be nothing more than an excuse to have a long scenes where D’onofrio’s character interacts with the bad guy and drags a confession out of him. There wasn’t much suspense as to whether or not they’d catch him, or whether or not they’d have what they needed for a conviction once they did. All in all, meh. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Mr\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/7 "2004-10-11T12:20:42Z")
That was my first time watching LOCI and I was disappointed. I love Vinnie but he was just way over the top, I was almost cringing at times. It gets better right? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/8 "2004-10-11T13:27:58Z")
I don’t see why they couldn’t have been a _bit_ more creative. I knew the guy was going to be beaten to death in prison. Know why? Because that’s how Jefferey Dahmer died. Dahmer also worked at a chocolate factory. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/9 "2004-10-11T13:45:38Z")
> [@Mr Jim](#): > > That was my first time watching LOCI and I was disappointed. I love Vinnie but he was just way over the top, I was almost cringing at times. It gets better right? Nope. I like all the other L&O shows, used to like this one. I tried watching it last night, ended up watching _Desperate Housewives_. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/10 "2004-10-11T13:52:47Z")
I won’t be seeing this one for a while, because of the lag here. Spoilers, please? What happened? What was it about? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/11 "2004-10-11T14:01:24Z")
> [@Heloise](#): > > I won’t be seeing this one for a while, because of the lag here. Spoilers, please? What happened? What was it about? Doogie Howser grew up to be a cannibal with a penchant for do-it-yourself lobotomies. Speaking of which, how did Goren know that he cooked her calf with “potatoes and onions?” ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/12 "2004-10-11T14:05:49Z")
“Do-it-yourself” meaning he would incapacitate women (well, two women, anyway) by drugging their beverages, kidnap them, then drill a hole in their head and pour scalding water in to cause enough brain damage to render them helpless. He wanted a woman who would never leave him, question him, or judge him. Truly one of the most disturbing episodes I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/13 "2004-10-11T16:23:25Z")
Thanks, **chorpler** and **Green Bean**. It could take a few months before this episode gets here, and I’ve always been a big fan of L&O and Cold Case, which isn’t on at all. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/14 "2004-10-11T16:34:10Z")
The new _Law and Order_ won’t get here for ages but for interview techniques check out \*\* The Crime Classification Manual\*\* that the FBI uses. It has a chapter on how to get suspects to confess - the technique is basically to validate the criminal’s view of the world and join him in it. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/15 "2004-10-11T16:34:28Z")
Criminal Intent? They should rename that show what it really is: Law & Vincent D’Affrio Yelling At The Suspect 'Til He Confesses. SVU is still the best of the bunch ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-order-criminal-intent-takes-an-ill-advised-turn/268567/16 "2004-10-11T17:00:44Z")
So they tried to remake Vinny D into Frank Pemberton? There is only one Pemberton, and we see why.