January 02, 2004
Hubris
In this episode (11.9), Briscoe and Green investigate a quadruple homicide at a jewelry store. One of the victims is a six-year-old girl. The perpetrator is caught on tape, but the tape is suppressed after Green inserts a toothpick in a door lock to prevent the suspect from accessing his apartment before the warrant arrives.
The suspect is played by Tim Guinee in one of the better performances in the show's history. He is on camera far more than most defendants on the show, mainly because he chooses to represent himself. As we learn about his criminal past, we see he has a history of charming women and then defrauding or killing them. He is soft-spoken, doe-eyed, and seems to elicit a protective response from women. These qualities lead to a situation I've never seen on the show before: during his trial, he begins subtly flirting with a the jury foreperson, a young, attractive woman who seems fixated on him. It is apparent that is tactic is to get this woman to hang the jury. The situation drives McCoy crazy, but the judge resists his efforts to do something about it.
Although Guinee represents himself, he is assisted by another lawyer, played by Keir Dullea. Dullea, you may recall, is the lead actor, "Dave," in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Posted by adm at January 2, 2004 12:26 AM