The Law and Order franchise could be uneven, but until the reboot, it never dipped below "good." That's remarkable for a TV series let alone one that ran this long. Most of the episodes are excellent or very good. This is one that is very, very good.
It manages to probe the notion of the law being manipulated by the criminals and then being manipulated the DA to get the criminals. There are, of course, the moral shades of gray inherent in such legal maneuvering.
You can't feel sorry for the criminal, and not just because he's a vile murderer. He's got one of those unlikable, squnity faces. He looks like an older version of Timmy, from the Seinfeld episode where George double dips. I remember the actor from way back in the original Equalizer series -- I'm pretty sure this guy shows up in the montage of the opening credits in the phone booth. He played a wormy husband who's wife steps out on him with, unbeknownst to her, a hired killer. Here, he's the killer.
He thinks he gets one over on McCoy, only for McCoy to turn the tables. The dialogue and performances are all top notch -- you not only understand the legal stakes, but the drama of the moral issue is handled well, too. Well, for the most part.
The one character in this era to the series who was often inconsistent was Ray. Though this was before the term got well known, he often seems to be virtue signaling in his opposition to what either his partner or McCoy are up to. Sometimes Ray is right in that the moral issue outweighs the legal one. Here, though, he just comes across as a self-righteous jerk. When McCoy tells him to stop talking n court but he keeps going anyway it's like a spoiled kid trying to push the adult too far. It wasn't even necessary because the objection could have been made elsewhere.
There's a difference between a Boy Scout and a little smart aleck.
Other than that, the episode is taut and well done -- miles and miles ahead of the dreck that is the reboot.