This is a very good episode. It shows how minorities are treated. It makes you uneasy and also makes you think. It is well written. The only problem I have is Robinette. He comes back as a defense attorney. This is my opinion. He makes you uneasy. I was waiting for him to spit on white people every time he sees one.
6 Reviews
Timely and Relevant
bkoganbing10 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Conflicts over jurisdiction with the federal government is one of two issues dealt with in this Law And Order story. The second is the allegiance of a local Imam from a mosque who is asked to provide an alibi for the man the DA is prosecuting.
With intolerance of Moslem Americans being stoked by one of our major party presidential candidates this story is more relevant now than ever. The murder victim was beheaded and it was made to look like it was the work of white supremacists mocking Jihadists.
The victim turns out to be an informant who never got to inform. The perpetrator is Bernardo Pena who has been radicalized. He's got as his counsel Richard Brooks in what turned out to be his final appearance on Law And Order as former ADA Dale Robinette. Brooks makes a good case for Moslem persecution.
It's Sam Waterston's job to keep the jury's eyes on the issue at hand, the murder. He's helped most reluctantly by Navid Negahban Imam to both victim and perpetrator. It comes at a price.
Nicely written and acted episode.
With intolerance of Moslem Americans being stoked by one of our major party presidential candidates this story is more relevant now than ever. The murder victim was beheaded and it was made to look like it was the work of white supremacists mocking Jihadists.
The victim turns out to be an informant who never got to inform. The perpetrator is Bernardo Pena who has been radicalized. He's got as his counsel Richard Brooks in what turned out to be his final appearance on Law And Order as former ADA Dale Robinette. Brooks makes a good case for Moslem persecution.
It's Sam Waterston's job to keep the jury's eyes on the issue at hand, the murder. He's helped most reluctantly by Navid Negahban Imam to both victim and perpetrator. It comes at a price.
Nicely written and acted episode.
Frightening episode about terrorism and racial profiling
garrard14 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Since that harrowing day in September five years ago, the country has been elevated to a nation of distrust toward Americans of Middle Eastern descent and their traditional religion. "Fear America" tackles that fear in a hard-hitting installment that begins with a gruesomely implied beheading. The perpetrators appear to be "Americans," although their heads are covered.
What results is a riveting indictment of jumping to conclusions before getting all the facts, the inconsistencies of our legal/judicial system, and the prejudices that are inherent in us all.
The final few minutes of the episode, in which one of the guest characters translates a courtroom utterance, are probably the most thought-provoking in the show's seventeen-year history
What results is a riveting indictment of jumping to conclusions before getting all the facts, the inconsistencies of our legal/judicial system, and the prejudices that are inherent in us all.
The final few minutes of the episode, in which one of the guest characters translates a courtroom utterance, are probably the most thought-provoking in the show's seventeen-year history
Fear strikes into the heart
TheLittleSongbird4 September 2022
'Law and Order' was a brilliant show in its prime and overall is actually my favourite of the 'Law and Order' franchise and out of it, 'Special Victims Unit' (the longest running) and 'Criminal Intent'. Despite not feeling the same post-Briscoe. Despite never caring for Cassady and ending disappointingly, Season 17 still turned out to be a solid season and showed that while the show was not the show it used to be quality-wise that it had not lost it.
While liking the previous three Season 17 episodes very much, especially the very nearly excellent "Home Sweet", "Fear America" to me was even better and the first properly great episode of the season. Also thought it was a season high point, and a very powerful episode. It is a scary and relevant subject matter that is being tackled, "Fear America" handles it in a way that is really quite terrifying while not being preachy or distasteful.
Still find Cassady and Milena Govich bland, but that is pretty much it when it comes to foibles.
As expected, "Fear America" looks good, with the usual slickness and subtle grit. Really liked too that the photography was simple and close up but doing so without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when used, and luckily it isn't constant, and when it is used it doesn't feel over-scored. The direction allows the drama to breathe while still giving it momentum as well. The acting is near-faultless, especially in the second half where things get increasingly tense. It was great to see Richard Brooks again and he is very commanding here.
The script is thought probing and never rambles, even though there is a lot of talk, and it's unyielding but doesn't talk down. Robinette has some goosebump inducing moments. The story is a powerful one throughout the whole duration, but especially in the second half. It is very twisty without being over-complicated and doesn't trivialise anything that it covers. It is very easy to resort to prejudicial stereotyping when representing minorities, but "Fear America" writes them in an uncompromising but not over-generalised way.
In conclusion, great. 9/10.
While liking the previous three Season 17 episodes very much, especially the very nearly excellent "Home Sweet", "Fear America" to me was even better and the first properly great episode of the season. Also thought it was a season high point, and a very powerful episode. It is a scary and relevant subject matter that is being tackled, "Fear America" handles it in a way that is really quite terrifying while not being preachy or distasteful.
Still find Cassady and Milena Govich bland, but that is pretty much it when it comes to foibles.
As expected, "Fear America" looks good, with the usual slickness and subtle grit. Really liked too that the photography was simple and close up but doing so without being claustrophobic. The music has presence when used, and luckily it isn't constant, and when it is used it doesn't feel over-scored. The direction allows the drama to breathe while still giving it momentum as well. The acting is near-faultless, especially in the second half where things get increasingly tense. It was great to see Richard Brooks again and he is very commanding here.
The script is thought probing and never rambles, even though there is a lot of talk, and it's unyielding but doesn't talk down. Robinette has some goosebump inducing moments. The story is a powerful one throughout the whole duration, but especially in the second half. It is very twisty without being over-complicated and doesn't trivialise anything that it covers. It is very easy to resort to prejudicial stereotyping when representing minorities, but "Fear America" writes them in an uncompromising but not over-generalised way.
In conclusion, great. 9/10.
Which am I first? A Muslim or an American?
Mrpalli7729 December 2017
Two hooded men shot a video in which they celebrated the white supremacy and their hate for muslims. Then they cut the throat of an Arab man, killing him as a result. Shortly after the video was broadcast by the media and detectives started looking inside the victim's family. He was an attorney and devoted muslim just like his wife (Marjan Neshat) and he had a close bond to a cousin, a waiter in a local restaurant. Thanks to new ways to identify people's voice, police recognized the voice of the killer: he wasn't a white supremacist, but the cousin. He spent time travelling around the world in war zone such as Syria and Afghanistan where he had been radicalized. Paul Robinette offered to defense him, in his last appearance in Law & Order. The key witness was the local imam who feared about followers reaction for telling the truth.
This episode showed us the hardship these kind of minorities have to face, because the leader knows that nearly half of his believers could secretly support terrorists' idea.
This episode showed us the hardship these kind of minorities have to face, because the leader knows that nearly half of his believers could secretly support terrorists' idea.
So many goofs
evony-jwm2 March 2021
Starting Fake Hate crime was Captain Obvious. Devote Muslim wife is not in her Burkina. Islamist Imam comfortable talking with females (detective & da cleavage). NYCPD's anti-terror squad shut down about same time as this show. Also NYPD watching a Mosque? ridiculous. The there's all the Islamist tropes.. and "government" coverups.. Islamist coverups.. A defense lawyer that's former ada,, that apriori knows everything.. a radicalized Islamist Imam that is a "voice" to stop Terrorists (Ben).. and all the Islamists with english/amercan names
Bottom line ; Unbelievable cringe worthy unwatchable
Bottom line ; Unbelievable cringe worthy unwatchable
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