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'Law and Order: Criminal Intent' series finale: Case closed for Vincent D'Onofrio?
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As finales go, "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" Sunday (June 26) series closer was downright unemotional. Instead of spending the last hour closing the loop on detectives Robert Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Alexanra Eames (Kathryn Erbe), the show was -- well -- an hour-long procedural cop drama. Which is maybe why we liked this show so much in the first place. Sure, D'Onofrio as the eccentric detective Goren was endlessly entertaining, but when it comes right down to it "Law and Order: [Insert franchise here]" is all about the crime -- and so "Criminal Intent's" last outing stuck with the formula that kept us watching each week for (most of) the past decade.
The final case we see Goren and Eames solve together was not only ripped from the headlines, but ripped from the script -- the story of a hip social networking entrepreneur and rich twin brothers suing her for copyright infringement was almost a carbon copy of "The Social Network." Except in "The Social Network" the purported thief was a guy and no one got killed. Also, Vincent D'Onofrio didn't swan around delivering lines like, "I"m a concerned citizen with a badge."
"The Social Network" didn't have James Van Der Beek, either, who guest-starred as total jerk Rex Tamlyn, the social networking genius' business partner who does his best to emulate Justin Timberlake's "Social Network" character, Sean Parker.
Beyond the step-by-step as we follow Goren and Eames through the clues, there isn't much in the way of hints that this is -- hey -- a series finale. There are some scenes between D'Onofrio and Julia Ormond as a police detective who has apparently successfully helped him battle his multiple demons and made him understand that he's meant to be a cop on the job.
And that's how the show ends, with D'Onofrio's Goren ready to jump back in to work. Too bad there won't be a season 11 so we can tag along.
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Photo/Video credit: USA
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Was this the first (and last) time he called Eames, Alex ?
The warming to trust and the somewhat will they kiss tension was well done.
So glad they did whatever necessary to get the originals back for a well done swan song.
Haven't seen it yet (its a week behind in Canada) but I'm glad it ended that way according to the article. I hoped for a "my name is alex p keaton"-ish moment for Goren at the end of the episode (the HOT shrink had barely mentioned Goren's family, his biological father, his professor or Nicole). But after seeing him walk out on the shrink after 'Cadaver' I worried they would make sure the show ended by Goren eating his gun.
I thought Julia Ormond was a therapist
I am going to miss this show. Once of the few real shows on tv
Well, as a series finale it was too tame. As she was expecting him to get into her vehicle, I was hoping that he would turn and walk away brushing his hand as if 'I have had enough, no more' kind of attitude. Or as they drove off a bomb went off in their car, something that would be a true finale.
I love both of their characters and will miss it immensely. The both of them truly made this show.
Just like SVU, I got into CI due to reruns. Thanks to Netflix, I can watch almost every episode from the beginning. Must I must say, CI is my fave of all the Law and Orders. After watching SVU INCESSENTLY, thanks to USA Network, I felt I had to give D'Onofrio a chance, and he won me over. The entire series did. I'm sad to see it end and the network, which puts out so many good cop dramas just let the show end after 8 episodes with it's original stars. I think if they were smart, they would make a new deal and bring the show back for a few more seasons. It seems the stars would like to continue on w/their characters. Us fans need more!!
Total let down of a finale (and season).
No resolving of how or why Goren & Eames got their jobs back, nor who the heck the new captain is. As RyJay mentioned, the shrink omitted way too many of Goren's issues.
I agree with several comments posted here (RyJay, SM in SF).
I guess I personally felt like they transformed Goren into a somewhat less rounded character than he was in the first season.
I know many fans will likely disagree with me. People seem split on whether they liked the ending or not.
Longtime viewers will recall that Goren had a life outside of work in the first season.
The writers used to touch more upon his hobbies (ie. cooking, dancing, playing poker on weekends) and even his former romantic relationships. We'd get fed little tidbits here and there.
Then, somewhere along the line, the writers just decided to focus upon his horrific past and make him sort of a workaholic.
I felt the success of these brief shrink sessions we saw went by too fast.
One episode, Bobby is spazzing and walking out angrily, next thing we know he's got "closure" as D'Onofrio put it in last night's fan chat.
There are too many contradictory messages here.
Vincent D'Onofrio made clear in several chats, including last night's, that Goren and Eames are just friends.
Ok. So what about the jealousy we occasionally saw between them?
And people are even speculating that Goren had fallen for his shrink, which is just silly.
Det Logan and Dr Olivet slept together in the original Law & Order. I think it would be lame to now have another patient and shrink get involved.
Just my opinion anyway.
It was boring,and not like the others this season.
Icarus was much better.
Very tame ending. I dont think Ill watch it again.
The final season was a big disappointment. The scripts were sloppy and confusing and some of them downright cheesy in the execution. Looked very last moment overall. The best parts were the Goren and therapist scenes but the rest was forgettable. Out with a whimper