An arson at an Hispanic social club that killed 53 people is related to a powerful Cuban, an INS agent, and the sale of fake green cards.An arson at an Hispanic social club that killed 53 people is related to a powerful Cuban, an INS agent, and the sale of fake green cards.An arson at an Hispanic social club that killed 53 people is related to a powerful Cuban, an INS agent, and the sale of fake green cards.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis episode appears to be based on several cases/incidents:
- The 1990 Happy Land Social Club Fire caused by Cuban refugee Julio Gonzalez. On March 25, 1990, Gonzalez poured a gallon of gasoline at the only exit to an illegal Bronx social club, which resulted in the deaths of 87 people. The few who survived jumped through the flames, one of whom was the intended victim of the crime--Gonzalez's girlfriend, Lydia Feliciano.
- The 1980 Denmark Place fire in Central London. The fire, caused by arson, killed 37 people] of eight nationalities. Most of the victims were Spanish or Latin Americans, and were patrons of two unlicensed bars in the building.At the time, The Sunday Times said the fire could be "the worst mass murder in British history".
- The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
- The Rudolph Lee case. Winston v. Lee was a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which held that a compelled surgical intrusion into an individual's body for evidence implicates expectations of privacy and security of such magnitude that the intrusion would be "unreasonable" under the Fourth Amendment, even if likely to produce evidence of a crime.
- GoofsWhen Cerreta and Logan enter the crime scene, Cerreta holds a cloth over his mouth and nose. As they are talking to the arson investigator on the stairs, the camera angle switches and Cerreta is no longer holding the cloth.
- Quotes
Captain Donald Cragen: What's less than nothing? Minus zero? Negative bupkis?
- ConnectionsFeatured in Law & Order: The First 3 Years (2004)
Featured review
The cuban godfather
While none of the previous nine Season 2 episodes were bad, all actually ranging from decent to outstanding with not a misfire among them, the quality did start to dip a little between "Misconception" and this. All three episodes in question being solidly executed in most areas if a bit ordinary. Season 2 of 'Law and Order' generally was a good season and hardly a disgrace to the remarkably consistently good first, though not as consistent in quality.
"Heaven" turned out to be a great episode with pretty much everything done very well and almost all of it outstandingly so even. One of the better episodes of Season 2, one of the best of the early seasons and the best easily since "God Bless the Child". If not quite a 'Law and Order' high point, not too far off from that though. It is very tense and tautly written, as well as not being an easy watch and even quite harrowing. Then again, what do you expect from something as gritty as 'Law and Order' that is quite powerful at its best?
As usual, the photography is slick yet opened up enough to not make the action too confined, while being suitably intimate when needed. The music has presence without being over the top and is not constant, allowing the dialogue to speak. As for the dialogue there is a lot of it, but didn't feel overly so in a very taut and thought-provoking script. Where nothing feels out of place, nothing gets over-sentimental, it's never childish and it never gets confused, from personal opinion of course.
The story here has the most tension and intrigue of all the Season 2 episodes up to this point of it. Both are present from the get go, not where it is ordinary to begin with and gets better in the second half like the previous three episodes, and mounts up all the way up to the ending. Where one is so glad of the outcome (one of the season's, and early seasons', most satisfying). The characters are interesting and it was appreciated that the Cubans were not stereotyped in a biased way. With the truly nasty piece of work that is the episode's villain being the most reprehensible one of the second season and one of the most reprehensible of the early seasons full stop.
Cannot fault the performances either, all the leads are on fine form and the villain is played to chillingly cold-blooded effect.
Overall, outstanding. 10/10
"Heaven" turned out to be a great episode with pretty much everything done very well and almost all of it outstandingly so even. One of the better episodes of Season 2, one of the best of the early seasons and the best easily since "God Bless the Child". If not quite a 'Law and Order' high point, not too far off from that though. It is very tense and tautly written, as well as not being an easy watch and even quite harrowing. Then again, what do you expect from something as gritty as 'Law and Order' that is quite powerful at its best?
As usual, the photography is slick yet opened up enough to not make the action too confined, while being suitably intimate when needed. The music has presence without being over the top and is not constant, allowing the dialogue to speak. As for the dialogue there is a lot of it, but didn't feel overly so in a very taut and thought-provoking script. Where nothing feels out of place, nothing gets over-sentimental, it's never childish and it never gets confused, from personal opinion of course.
The story here has the most tension and intrigue of all the Season 2 episodes up to this point of it. Both are present from the get go, not where it is ordinary to begin with and gets better in the second half like the previous three episodes, and mounts up all the way up to the ending. Where one is so glad of the outcome (one of the season's, and early seasons', most satisfying). The characters are interesting and it was appreciated that the Cubans were not stereotyped in a biased way. With the truly nasty piece of work that is the episode's villain being the most reprehensible one of the second season and one of the most reprehensible of the early seasons full stop.
Cannot fault the performances either, all the leads are on fine form and the villain is played to chillingly cold-blooded effect.
Overall, outstanding. 10/10
helpful•72
- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 12, 2020
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content