Law & Order si è conclusa
Law & Order ha terminato ieri sera il suo corso, con l’episodio “Rubber Room”, che non era stato previsto come conclusivo della serie perchè la cancellazione è stata comunicata ai produttori dopo la fine delle riprese. E’ possibile che Dick Wolf raggiunga un accordo con la rete TNT per realizzare una stagione 21, ma questo scenario appare poco verosimile. In alternativa, si parla dell’ipotesi di un film tv di 2 ore per dare un addio vero e proprio alla serie, ovvero di una menzione delle sorti di McCoy e compagni nel nuovo spinoff Law & Order: Los Angeles.
Comunque, “Rubber Room” non è il tipico episodio alla Law & Order, in quanto è incentrato sulla figura di Anita Van Buren, a conclusione della lunga storyline dedicata alla sua lotta contro un tumore. E di certo tutti i fan hanno apprezzato il fatto che l’episodio si concludesse con una nota positiva: nel corso di un party organizzato in suo onore dai colleghi, Anita presenta loro il suo fidanzato e scopre di avere sconfitto il cancro.
L’episodio è stato seguito da soli 7.9 milioni di telespettatori con il 1.9 nel demo 18-49: numeri che certo spiegano il motivo della cancellazione. Law & Order ha quindi chiuso il suo ciclo in modo tranquillo, e anche il suo finale è stato in un certo senso ‘oscurato’ dal fatto che tra domenica e lunedì sono andati in onda gli episodi conclusivi di due delle serie che più hanno fatto discutere nell’ultimo decennio, Lost e 24.
Eppure, molti giornalisti e bloggers hanno espresso il loro apprezzamento per il season finale e il loro disappunto per come Law & Order, dopo 20 anni, sia stata cancellata dal palinsesto in modo così brusco e repentino. Vi segnalo alcune di queste reviews, citando i passaggi più significativi; l’elenco verrà aggiornato nei prossimi giorni se ne troverò altre.
Recapping the last episode of Law & Order is bittersweet, particularly since Monday’s episode, “Rubber Room,” was never intended to be the series’ swan song. It was, however, to be S. Epatha Merkerson’s last episode on the series, and as such, it celebrates the show’s unsung hero, Lt. Anita van Buren.
Matt Roush, Tv Guide Magazine:
it’s hardly news that no show lasts forever. There’s no question L&O peaked long ago, and it was never quite the same after Jerry Orbach died. But it deserved better than to fade out with a whimper.
The central plot of last night’s final new episode of Law & Order mattered less than all the stuff going on around it. It was the unexpectedly abrupt conclusion of the series after NBC unveiled its fall schedule last week, and L&O was nowhere to be seen. It gave us some closure to the season-long subplot about the cancer diagnosis for S. Epatha Merkerson’s Lt. Van Buren. …
Beyond the people, it was, as producer Dick Wolf always said, the structure of the show that was the real hook — that, and the gray grit of the New York City backdrop.
That’s why Law & Order in eternal reruns is so comforting. You can enjoy episodes even when you remember the case or the outcome, because you want to immerse yourself in that Law & Order feeling that didn’t insult your intelligence. Not excessively emotional, rarely maudlin, always open to the notion that law and order might not always prevail, this series was crisp and dry in the most nourishing way.
Law & Order wrapped up its record tying 20th season and, at least for now, the episode “Rubber Room” – a place some fans have already gone after hearing the series had been canceled – looks to be their last. With the finale being such an excellent episode, it makes the series’ end even sadder. We can only hope that someone with more sense than NBC will pick up this show and continue on.
“Rubber Room” not only provided and interesting case that for a change was not a murder, it provided a wonderful close for a beloved character, Lt. Anita Van Buren, played by the wonderful S. Epatha Merkerson. I am so thrilled that not only does it appear that she has been given a clean bill of health, but she is now engaged to Frank, who stood by her during the worst times of her illness. Anita deserves to be happy, and since this is also Epatha’s last appearance with the series, we should also wish her much happiness as well. (Thank you Epatha for entertaining us all these years!)
It was about time that we saw Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) completely blow his top, but even more wonderful was at the end when he praises the whole team and they all enjoy the moment – and Anita’s announcement – at the fundraising party. It was a very nice end for the season, and if this does prove to be the end of the series, it will also serves as a nice close to 20 years of wonderful cases, wonderful characters, a great cast, and good producing, writing, directing, etc.
As an episode, this was a pretty good one. It broke from the conventional formula (you know, the “Cutter does something crazy at the last second to spark an unintentional confession” thing), and it was good to see the personal side of our heroes’ lives, especially on a high note. But was it an appropriate series finale? Of course not. And that’s due to one thing: NBC did not give this show the proper sendoff it deserved. It hyped the last episode of ER for weeks, but where was the fanfare for this show? Even last week’s promo just called it a “season finale.” The writers had no time to prepare a proper finale, and that’s shameful for a show that helped to put the network on the map and almost broke a legendary TV record. …
That aside, though, thank you to the cast and crew of Law & Order for two amazing decades. I was a fan from the 1989 pilot and I can’t believe it’s over. You gave us good work for a very long time, and you have my gratitude for every frame of it.
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