Law & Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) Saving Face (2005) User Reviews

The Good-Or-Not-So-Good Doctor

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 28 July 2008]

Like a number of these episodes over the years, they tend to have an overly-dramatic and too sudden confession at the end to wrap up each case. Of course, a main reason for that is time constraints. You have to wrap up the hour-long program, which usually runs about 40 minutes plus commercials. I only mention it because the bulk of the program is usually far more intelligent with a lot of twists and turns.

The ending here is overdone when the father of the guilty woman makes statements and acts so stupidly, to go along with the story, that it's simply an insult to the viewer's intelligence. Nobody would say the things he said here in the last two minutes! Before that, we get an intriguing story about a surgeon who claims to be doing all of this work in Guatemala, but obviously is doing it in New York. Later, it's questioned whether she's doing it at all, that maybe her lowly assistant is the actual surgeon! Is that possible? Whatever the case, people are being scammed and nice, young woman has died because of all these shenanigans. That's the tragic part of the story, which we witness in the beginning of the show.

Samantha Mathis is interesting as "Dr. Christine Ansel." Mathis is an interesting person, too, according to her bio here and her resume. In her 20-year professional acting career, she did television for the first five, movies for the next five and then back to the TV for the last 10.

Meanwhile, Chris Noth continues to impress as "Det. Logan," with a few good remarks and a nice, no-nonsense approach. Yes, I'd prefer "Det. Goren," but Logan's not bad. The biggest difference with this new team, which substitutes here and there, is the female half of the partnership. "Det. Barack" doesn't seem to have the personality and quick wit of "Det. Eames."

Murderous reconstruction

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 26 November 2020]

The concept for the story of "Saving Face" sounded very interesting, even if not entirely original. While Goren and Eames are the far better characters and their partnership a good deal more entertaining, the very different partnership between Logan and Barek intrigues in its own way. Have actually always liked Logan (who was also in the early seasons of the original 'Law and Order') and Barek, while too low key in some appearances, wasn't too bad either.

"Saving Face" is not one of the best episodes of Season 5 or of 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent'. It is certainly a lot better than "Unchained" but a far cry from the exceptional quality of the "In the Wee Small Hours" two parter or the extremely promising quality of the first three episodes of the season. The story on the most part is well done, Logan is fine as is the chemistry between him and Barek, but "Saving Face's" final act is not near as strong and Barek is a good deal more interesting in other appearances of hers.

For me, "Saving Face" does fall apart in the final 10 minutes or so. Too rushed and very over-heated dramatically, do have to agree too about the perpetrator's father's dialogue and behaviour being truly ridiculous and not realistic. Some of the dialogue this time is overcooked and doesn't always sound natural.

Actually don't dislike Barek at all and actually think she should have had a fairer chance, but she is far too low key here and her involvement is pretty dull this time round, her perceptions are intelligent but they don't entertain in the way Goren's do.

Is "Saving Face" a bad episode? No, not at all. Actually still quite liked it. The production values are slick and have a subtle grit, with an intimacy to the photography without being too claustrophobic. The music isn't used too much and doesn't get too melodramatic. The direction has enough taut urgency when needed while giving the case breathing space. The script is flawed later on but is quite thoughtful and intelligent, with a nice flow, to begin with.

Did like the story on the whole, the final 10 minutes are a letdown but the case is never too simplistic or too convoluted and doesn't feel too ordinary. Other episodes have more tension and emotion, but "Saving Face" is not completely devoid of either. Logan is as gritty and dryly humorous as ever and while his chemistry with Barek is not as playful as one between Goren and Eames it was good to see work more as a team equally and with a little more emphasis on the procedural elements. 'Criminal Intent' had a good record with interesting perpetrators, and "Saving Face" is no exception. Chris Noth commands the screen well and Samantha Mathis proves herself to be a fine guest star.

Overall, pretty good but with a few major reservations. 7/10

I am sick of hearing his name!

[Mrpalli77 · 9/10 · 18 September 2017]

A middle aged cute woman (Samantha Mathis) performs surgeries for poor immigrants. Or, at least, she'd like to do it. Unfortunately she's not able to do that because she doesn't even manage to fit needle in a pencil (not even turning sheets). That's because she's got an eye illness, but she's a first lady in a foundation bearing his family name and she HAS TO be a surgeon. What a pity life, living under his deceased brother's shadow. The truth is not to be uncovered and eventually murdered occurred.

Det. Barek has got outstanding skills, she can figure out difference between Spanish dialect: "You don't know that because you're from Nicaragua. I hear it in your voice". Amazing!

In her brother's shadow

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 26 January 2021]

Chris Noth and Annabella Sciorra catch a case involving the discovery of a dead young woman in a park who looks like she had undergone some major surgery. By recently I'm meaning within hours of her discovery.

The trail leads to Samantha Mathis, a doctor who comes from a rich family who heads a foundation and she travels the western hemisphere performing all kinds of operations mostly on children for nary a dime. All under the auspices of a charity run by her family and named for a child prodigy brother who died as a juvenile.

There's a lot more to it than this and I won't reveal it, but interestingly enough I had a grand uncle who died as a child and was viewed as some kind of prodigy. His siblings, one of whom was my grandmother felt a certain amount of pressure in their lives as did Samantha Mathis here. I could truly identify with her situation.

Noth and Sciorra uncover a lot more than murder in this episode.