"Lonelyville" is the second episode to have Logan and Falacci partnered together. The first being "Seeds", which to me was a disappointing episode and a less than promising introduction for the duo. While having always liked Logan a lot, Falacci never really properly did it for me and the chemistry between them likewise. Still re-watched it anyway, in spite of those and also not being a fan of Lola Glaudini, as someone who thinks 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' was a great show in Seasons 1-4 and still has many glimpses of brilliance when it became more uneven.
The good news is that "Lonelyville" is an improvement over the previous Logan and Falacci outing and on the whole it was not a bad episode at all. It also surprised me that the aspect that had low expectations was one of "Lonelyville's" stronger aspects. Having said that, it is regrettable to be the dissenting voice here but to me it had room to be a much better episode than it turned out. Instead of a great episode, for me it was a pretty decent one that started strong and then became over-complicated.
A lot is good here. The production values as ever are slick and with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear with the theme tune still memorable. The episode starts off intriguingly and there are plenty of clever twists and turns that help make the story unpredictable. The script is taut enough and has personality.
Chris Noth carries "Lonelyville" with adept ease, the dry humour, gritty edge and instinct all coming through more than believably. It took me a long time to warm to Ross but he wasn't a problem here. The supporting cast are also very good, while Amanda Detmer plays her conflicted character affectingly the best supporting turn comes from Glaudini in the biggest surprise of the episode. She has the meatiest character and the chilling sleaziness shows that she is capable of good acting, rather than the remote and cold fish type of acting she showed when she was on 'Criminal Minds'.
On the other hand, Alicia Witt still doesn't do it for me. Falacci was always a very hard character to like because her character flaws always seemed overblown in the writing and Witt's acting, and for my tastes Witt fails to bring much subtlety. She and Noth don't gel enough, a case of one character being a lot more interesting than the other and that they are too disconnected and counter-productive as a team.
Did feel too that the ending was very rushed and underdeveloped, so the truth has always come over as rather confusing. In fact, the whole final quarter felt over-complicated and in need of a slowing down. Of the supporting characters, Glaudini's was the only one that came over as complex. The others, no matter how well played they are, are too sketchy with too little learnt about them and their motivations.
In conclusion, decent but not great. 6/10.
The good news is that "Lonelyville" is an improvement over the previous Logan and Falacci outing and on the whole it was not a bad episode at all. It also surprised me that the aspect that had low expectations was one of "Lonelyville's" stronger aspects. Having said that, it is regrettable to be the dissenting voice here but to me it had room to be a much better episode than it turned out. Instead of a great episode, for me it was a pretty decent one that started strong and then became over-complicated.
A lot is good here. The production values as ever are slick and with the right amount of muted grit, the photography doesn't try to do anything too fancy or gimmicky while not being claustrophobic and keeping things simple. The music doesn't overbear with the theme tune still memorable. The episode starts off intriguingly and there are plenty of clever twists and turns that help make the story unpredictable. The script is taut enough and has personality.
Chris Noth carries "Lonelyville" with adept ease, the dry humour, gritty edge and instinct all coming through more than believably. It took me a long time to warm to Ross but he wasn't a problem here. The supporting cast are also very good, while Amanda Detmer plays her conflicted character affectingly the best supporting turn comes from Glaudini in the biggest surprise of the episode. She has the meatiest character and the chilling sleaziness shows that she is capable of good acting, rather than the remote and cold fish type of acting she showed when she was on 'Criminal Minds'.
On the other hand, Alicia Witt still doesn't do it for me. Falacci was always a very hard character to like because her character flaws always seemed overblown in the writing and Witt's acting, and for my tastes Witt fails to bring much subtlety. She and Noth don't gel enough, a case of one character being a lot more interesting than the other and that they are too disconnected and counter-productive as a team.
Did feel too that the ending was very rushed and underdeveloped, so the truth has always come over as rather confusing. In fact, the whole final quarter felt over-complicated and in need of a slowing down. Of the supporting characters, Glaudini's was the only one that came over as complex. The others, no matter how well played they are, are too sketchy with too little learnt about them and their motivations.
In conclusion, decent but not great. 6/10.