Law & Order: "Excalibur" (spoilers)

[The Nth Doctor]

I have to say I didn't really care for this episode, but then I didn't expect considering the obvious set up in last week's episode. Both the murder case with the prostitution ring and the governor's indiscretions didn't interest me at all. I'd hope to see some interesting moments from Jack, but even that wasn't all that extraordinary, just paint by the numbers. Lastly, I'm a huge fan of Len Cariou and he was mostly wasted here. Not much of a season finale.

 

[Christopher]

It's kind of interesting the way they went against expectations -- instead of the scandal bringing the governor down as in real life, it was successfully covered up. They do that a lot on this show -- start out with something that appears to be "ripped from the headlines" and then take it in a different direction altogether.

What I have trouble believing is, if this governor is such a Macchiavellian, backstabbing jerk, what did Jack ever see in him that made him respect the guy? Maybe they should've made him more sympathetic.

 

[DanCPA]

I honestly didn't like the ending. It seemed to be missing an extra half hour of story.
I wanted to see the Governor go down!

 

[Christopher]

^^I got the impression they were setting up the "Jack makes an enemy of the governor" thing to be a recurring story element next season, no doubt tying into the issue of Jack's decision whether to run for re-election. On the one hand, if Waterston decided to bow out of the series (not that I have any reason to believe he's considering it, just hypothetically), it would give the writers an easy way to explain his departure. On the other hand, if he decided to stay, then the story of Jack running for re-election is more interesting, his struggle more heroic, if he's fighting against resistance from the state house rather than having the governor making it easy for him.

 

[DanCPA]

Well, they might be doing that
But lets face it, "John McCoy" [that was good] can leave the show and very little if any explanation is given.
Arthur left to... I don't remember the on-screen reason why
Serena was lesbian all of the sudden

And lets not get started on the cops Milena, such a shame she left

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Arthur didn't get an explanation. Most of the cops have gotten explanation, as have the ADAs. Most of the characters do have some reason for their departure.

 

[DanCPA]

Some of them do get an explanation... but I don't recall a character getting an arc of episodes over which their character led... The good bye episodes are usually one and done.

 

[Christopher]

As I said, I have no reason to believe they're even considering Waterston's departure. More likely, the governor plotline was set up to create complications for Jack next season. It just occurred to me that, if for some reason Waterston decided to leave, this plot development could handily serve to explain his departure.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Some of them do get an explanation... but I don't recall a character getting an arc of episodes over which their character led... The good bye episodes are usually one and done.

That is true. Most of them got just one episode, although Curtis Reyes' departure was slowly built up to (leaving to take care of his wife), in a way, so was Jamie Ross'.

 

[Christopher]

^^That's Rey(naldo) Curtis.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, I just realized and I was about to correct the post.