A hard-luck executive is accused of murdering his wife and son, and injuring his daughter. Dr. Olivet tells prosecutors that he fits the profile of a "family annihilator," but backs down whe... Read allA hard-luck executive is accused of murdering his wife and son, and injuring his daughter. Dr. Olivet tells prosecutors that he fits the profile of a "family annihilator," but backs down when he refuses to confess on the stand.A hard-luck executive is accused of murdering his wife and son, and injuring his daughter. Dr. Olivet tells prosecutors that he fits the profile of a "family annihilator," but backs down when he refuses to confess on the stand.
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- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on two different crimes of family annihilation cases:
- The 1971/1989 John List (a.k.a. "The Boogeyman of Westfield") case. On November 9, 1971, List killed his wife, mother, and three children at their home in Westfield, New Jersey, then disappeared; he had planned the murders so meticulously that nearly a month passed before anyone suspected that anything was amiss. List became a fugitive from the law and assumed a new identity. He later remarried, and further eluded justice for nearly eighteen years. He was finally apprehended in Virginia on June 1, 1989, after the story of his murders was broadcast on the television program America's Most Wanted. After extradition to New Jersey, he was convicted on five counts of first degree murder and sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment without parole. List gave critical financial problems, as well as his perception that his family members were straying from their religious faith, as his rationale for the murders. He reasoned that killing them would assure their souls a place in Heaven, where he hoped to eventually join them. List died in prison in 2008 at the age of 82.
- The 1976 Bradford Bishop case. One of the most famous family annihilation cases in American history. State Department official Bradford Bishop killed his entire family in 1976 when he didn't receive a promotion. He then vanished. He is still on the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives list, and he has been featured on "America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988)"and "Unsolved Mysteries (1987)." As late as 2010, the FBI believed that he was still alive, likely in Europe, and that he fled the U.S. shortly after the murders using his diplomatic passport.
- Quotes
Lennie Briscoe: [after interviewing Ron Weber] If he loved his kids that much, he'd have been home to tuck them in.
Detective Rey Curtis: Yeah? You tell me **you** never drank too much and blacked out.
Lennie Briscoe: Hey -- I missed the whole Carter administration, but I was always home for breakfast.
- ConnectionsReferences Doctor Zhivago (1965)
"Savior's" subject sounded very interesting and can't think of any 'Law and Order' episode beforehand that tackled it. Was a bit worried that it would be a bit too ordinary, as it did sound formulaic structurally and other Season 6 episodes tackled far bolder and heavier themes. As said a few times in reviews for previous episodes, 'Law and Order' has actually shown more than once that it can do something interesting and at times special with ordinary-sounding premises. The latter is not quite achieved with the latter category, but it succeeds in the former.
The ending for my tastes did try to cram too much in in a too short space of time. Meaning pretty much everything in the last five minutes or so, as has been said already, and with the truth already being quite difficult to get the head round it did feel a little confusing at the end.
However, "Savior" has so many good things and pretty much excels everywhere else. The photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way.
Moreover, the script is thought provoking and smart, thankfully not rambling or too complicated that it makes things confused. A lot of the legal scenes' dialogue really probes thought and pulls no punches, which prime-'Law and Order' often excelled at brilliantly. It's not just non stop seriousness though, there are also humorous moments here and there such as Briscoe's one-liners. The story is an interesting and well paced one that is a lot less ordinary than it sounds.
It has a lot to say about family annihilation, as said a unique topic back then for the show, and it is handled in a balanced and illuminating way. It is also quite creepy in terms of atmosphere. The performances are great all round, can't fault the regulars (especially Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston). Standing out especially is Ellen Pompeo in the latter stages.
Overall, very good. 8/10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 2, 2021
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