Law & Order (TV Series) Empire (1999) User Reviews

The plot has more holes than Katrina Ludlow's $550 lingerie

[L_O_Addict · 7/10 · 16 June 2021]

As the earlier review's title states, this episode could be neatly summarized as "The One with Julia Roberts". Roberts brings Hollywood star power to every scene she inhabits. But, just as stars warp spacetime, Roberts's star power warps the script. Elements of the police procedural and the legal system are still present, but they have been thrown into a blender, with all logic removed.

Roberts plays Katrina Ludlow, a high-powered organizer of charity events. She kills Gil Sanderson, a bond analyst with whom she's having a fling, by slipping Viagra into his drink. (Sanderson had a heart condition that made Viagra fatal to him). Ludlow appears to have been told to do this by Wall Street mogul Julian Spector, whose forthcoming bond issue could have been damaged by Sanderson's negative review -- though the script never makes it explicit to what extent Ludlow was working for / conspiring with Spector.

This cunning murder plot goes awry when Ludlow accidentally leaves a very expensive item of underwear in the victim's house (who hasn't left their panties behind after killing someone?) When the police link her to the luxury lingerie, Ludlow decides to turn state's evidence by handing over her "insurance" -- a bottle of Viagra with Spector's fingerprints on it.

In a normal "Law & Order" episode, we would see Ludlow and her lawyer negotiate an immunity deal with the DA in return for the evidence. In "Empire", Ludlow inexplicably decides to hand over the pills during a weekend tryst with Detective Curtis at a seedy motel.

During Spector's trial, Ludlow is exposed as a liar and a fraud. This leads McCoy and Carmichael to look more closely into Ludlow's financials. They discover that she has embezzled $5 million of a supposed $7 million charitable donation by Spector's family foundation.

In her second inexplicable decision of the episode, Ludlow attempts to bargain for her freedom by threatening to "expose" Curtis on the witness stand. She testifies that Curtis violated the chain of custody of the Viagra when he allegedly had sex with her in the motel. Despite this bombshell testimony, Spector is convicted anyway,

At this point, McCoy and Carmichael appear to have an ironclad muder-for-hire case against Ludlow -- she has been paid, her co-conspirator has been convicted, she has handed over the physical evidence, and she has no immunity deal. Not to mention the fact that she made them look like idiots during Spector's trial. Yet, in a further inexplicable plot twist, the DA's office makes no threat or even suggestion of prosecuting her. Instead, the episode closes with a brief (and nonsensical) discussion of the Roman empire between Ludlow and Curtis.

What should we make of "Empire"? It's certainly enjoyable. Roberts lends a frisson to her scenes. Lennie has some great one-liners (my favorite is his suggestion that he would be more than willing to take Curtis's place for the weekend stakeout). Special mention should also be made of Spector's bombastic but brilliant defense attorney, played by Edward Herrmann, whose withering cross-examination of Curtis is perhaps the highlight of the episode.

Ultimately, however, "Empire" bears the same relationship to a regular "Law & Order" episode as a dream does to real life. The faces may be prettier, but nothing makes any sense.

The One With Julia Roberts.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 5 January 2013]

A businessman, a kind of Donald Trump figure, is planning to bring the Giants back to New York City from their muddy habitat in the New Jersey Meadowlands. I admit that I couldn't follow all the Daedalean twists because I'm not good at business. Anyone who doubts it is welcome to peruse my portfolio, what there is of it.

A lot of money depends on his selling bonds that must be highly rated. One of the lesser characters in this big business deal staggers out of the men's room in a fancy Italian restaurant and drops dead of a heart attack. He's had a heart condition for years and knows that meds like Viagra are dangerous, yet the post shows plenty of the demonic drug in his blood. So, if he didn't take it himself, who slipped it to him? Julia Roberts, in a showy role as a fund raiser whose business is to "bring people together," including the victim, who was shtupping her, is immediately attracted to one of the investigating detectives, handsome young Rey Curtis. She claims the accused businessman gave her a box of Viagra, told her it was some sort of herbal enhancement, and advised her to mix it into the victim's drink as a kind of "surprise." But in return for testifying, and for handing over the box of remaining pills, she demands to be kept in a safe place for a few days. The place chosen in a modest motel upstate. But she's terrified and begs Curtis to stay with her. He reluctantly agrees, but only after making it clear that there will be no hanky panky.

At the trial, she turns as slippery as any other self-promoting eel-like creature. She does everything she can to come across as a lying whore who spent a weekend in boff heaven with her stud detective, Curtis, suggesting he had ample opportunity to fiddle with the evidence. The idea is to make Curtis look so patently fake that the businessman gets off. He's convicted, but the appeals will take years, and meanwhile the bonds will get a high rating and he will make millions or unvigintillions of dollars.

What makes the episode interesting, other than Roberts' star power, is that despite her flashy role she's surrounded by some excellent players -- Sam Waterston, for instance, and Edward Hermann, and others who don't seem stunned into apathy by the repetitiousness required of roles in a television series.

It's a showcase for Roberts, naturally, and she's quite good in the role of the perfidious tool of private enterprise. She gets to add an unnecessary philosophical coda to the episode. The performer who stands out as less accomplished is Benjamin Bratt, for whatever reason. When he should be enraged on the witness stand, he seems more annoyed, as if he'd just become aware of a pebble in his shoe.

Witness for the prosecution

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 13 October 2021]

"Empire's" story did sound very interesting, especially concerning the motivations of the star prosecution witness. Other than that and my general love for 'Law and Order', a big interest point was seeing how Julia Roberts would fare in a role that was quite different for her at this stage of her career (where she was best known for her romantic comedy roles). And it is still not the sort of role that she visits an awful lot.

Although there are episodes of Season 9 that are a lot better, "Empire" is compelling and very high quality. Not everything works, including one regular character not being written particularly well here and one part of the story that could easily have been written out. But when "Empire" does work, it does so wonderfully. While not a must watch, this is an episode that is well worth seeing (which is true with a lot of the show's run).

Shall start with what doesn't quite come off. While the story of Ludlow and Curtis was interesting, this is another episode where Curtis comes over as over-stubborn and somewhat petulant. It is agreed that his anger on the stand is not particularly buyable which felt forced and too mild, he does come over more as easily irritated.

Do agree too regarding the coda, that was completely pointless and tacked on as well as (uncharacteristically for the show) self-indulgently written. The first quarter or so is on the routine side, it is once Ludlow comes on the scene showing her true colours and the legal portion where "Empire" comes to life.

Coming on now to the many things that are done well, the acting is very good with the slight exception of at times Benjamin Bratt (not enough fire when angry for instance). Sam Waterston is authoritative and ruthless and Jerry Orbach's one-liner delivery always delights. Daniel Hugh Kelly does strong work in a type of role he always played very well and it is great seeing Edward Hermann again. Roberts comes off most memorably, she has a real slippery eel of a character that she plays quite unsettlingly.

Furthermore, "Empire" is a slickly made episode, the editing especially having come on quite a bit from when the show first started (never was it a problem but it got more fluid with each episode up to this stage). The music is sparingly used and never seemed melodramatic, the theme tune easy to remember as usual. The direction is sympathetic enough without being too low key. The episode also has a thoughtful script that like a lot of 'Law and Order' episodes raises interesting questions worthy of debate with somebody. The story is tactful but also pulls no punches, making one feel sad and angry. Nothing is too simple or too complicated and the second half even is riveting. The character writing and interaction are near-on point.

Summing up, good but not great. 7/10.

It looks like a heart attack

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 16 December 2012]

A young mover and shaker in New York town staggers into a restaurant only half dressed and promptly collapses on the floor. Of course the restaurant is concerned with him eating any of their food and the liability issues.

All roads to a solution lead to Daniel Hugh Kelly, a billionaire Donald Trump like figure who might have had Mr. Mover and Shaker's cocktail spiked with Viagra. And the woman he was having an affair with do the rest.

That woman is Julia Roberts and at the time she and Benjamin Bratt were an item. Bratt's character Ray Curtis can occasionally be one self righteous prig and here Roberts finds him easy prey to seduce. On the witness stand Bratt gets taken down a peg by the defense when this is brought out. And Roberts herself has her character and possible guilt brought into the open.

Not the best story except as a vehicle for Julia Roberts and no one could blame Bratt for yielding in this instance.

You're Damaged Goods, Lady.

[refinedsugar · 7/10 · 17 April 2024]

Welcome to that rare L&O episode that most gets remembered for a big named star coming down to lowly cable tv to do a guest spot. Good news is she gives an outstanding performance. One that really amps up a murder investigation with a foray of powerful people and the world they inhabit full of greed & lies. 'Empire' is also a tale that dives into Det. Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) and allows him another chance to shine.

A corporate bigshot stumbles into a chic uptown restaurant sans pants in the midst of a fatal heart attack and dies. Later the ME concludes the cause of death was the sexual enhancement drug Viagra. Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) & Curtis (Bratt) don't have to look very far to find bigtime real estate man Julian Spector (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) who had the most to lose if his bond rating was lowered by the victim. In this social elite circle is also charity organizer Katrina Ludlow (Julia Roberts) who plays the part of "fill in the blank" for the prosecution while having her own angles, agenda.

It doesn't happen a ton, but this is one of the few cases where a leading man gets entailed with a female to almost disastrous results. A seasoned viewer will see the obvious elements developing in real time and not be surprised when it goes down the path they were expecting, but it still remains a lot of fun. There's a devilish moment where Katrina does this quirky smile as a nonverbal "got 'em" & Roberts has to be commended for playing a role typically outside her wheelhouse. Bratt's Rey has been down a bad road before, but when he stands strong and gets to testify to that fact in court is a great moment.

As I said off the top the story being wheeled out here in 'Empire' is typical formula, but the twists 'n turns fueled largely by Roberts is a juggling act and a fun ride. It's not super satisfying as a viewer to not see max pain given out to the guilty at the end, but in some small way that might be a slice of reality. Doubling down on your awfulness with a speech is a masterful piece of villainy too.

Good and bad at the same time.

[m-47826 · 7/10 · 18 January 2024]

But with a great acting overall. It has an interesting premise and conclusion, but it also felt rushed and uneven. The police investigation caught my attention, but the courtroom scenes made McCoy look like a fool. And seeing this clown rejoicing for his tiny conviction, made him (and Carmichael to some extent) even more irrelevant to the story. I wholeheartedly disagree with those stating how bad of an actress Julia Roberts can be, and that she proved it once again in this episode. I thought her character was very charismatic and I was looking forward to seeing her playing the « bad guy ». And she didn't disappoint, mixing the perfect balance of vulnerability and insidious-ness, to show how easily manipulated men can be around her, proved to be a rewarding approach. That thing she told Curtis before leaving, was a great way to sum up why the trial was nothing but a decoy. And why the whole judiciary system fell for it. It is worth a watch.

Yawn

[ShooShooFontana · 1/10 · 20 July 2019]

Only serves to further prove how talentless Julia Roberts is.