Goren and Eames are called to investigate a child kidnapping case. But promising leads, lead to dead ends.Goren and Eames are called to investigate a child kidnapping case. But promising leads, lead to dead ends.Goren and Eames are called to investigate a child kidnapping case. But promising leads, lead to dead ends.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFolie à deux is French for "madness of two". It is described as a shared psychosis in which symptoms of a delusional belief and/or hallucinations are transmitted from one individual to another.
- GoofsThe length of Vincent D'Onofrio's beard varies back and forth from bushier to shorter throughout the episode.
Featured review
Madness shared by two
Initial memories of "Folie A Deux" were generally positive, one of those 'Law and Order: Criminal Intent', and even the 'Law and Order' franchise, episodes that left me unsure at first but won me over when things got going and the surprises came rolling in. On paper, it doesn't sound particularly exciting and sounds like your standard abduction story that has been seen many times in the franchise before and since and in other shows. Again though, there was potential for the execution to be better.
And the execution of the story in "Folie A Deux" is a lot better than it sounds in concept. My thoughts on the episode on first watch are pretty similar now, still think that it is a bit of a slow starter but also still think that it gets a lot better as it goes on and is a very good episode overall. Not as great as the previous Season 8 Goren and Eames outings, "Identity Crisis" being especially outstanding, but a very worthy episode for the duo and serves 'Criminal Intent' well.
Unlike the spectacular opening of the previous episode "Astoria Helen", "Folie A Deux" starts off in a fairly formulaic fashion and like a standard kidnapping story for the franchise. Not hard to figure out pretty much immediately that there was more to the case than it seems, which has been the case for a vast majority of this type of story the franchise did.
When however more is revealed and when the truth gradually emerges, a large part of me was genuinely shocked and it did hit hard. The truth is not easy to get one's head round and is more complicated plot-wise and psychology-wise (especially with Calista) than one expects. It is very clever and twisty and there is genuine tension.
Particularly evident in the classic Goren interrogation scene, especially Goren's ways of getting to the truth in a way true to character and the psychology of the responsible. The final scene is poignant. The acting is excellent, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe can't be faulted. While Lynn Redgrave is touching and Piper Perabo (had no idea that she had that side to her) unhingedly chills and move. Actually did buy her character and that the weakest character was Andre, who was a bit too one-dimensional and the episode doesn't do an awful lot new with a type of character that has been seen a good deal in the franchise.
Script is intelligent and doesn't have any extraneous fat, while having enough room to breathe. The final portion doesn't get overwrought. Production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud, and the direction gives the drama urgency and breathing space.
Very good on the whole with many great things. 8/10.
And the execution of the story in "Folie A Deux" is a lot better than it sounds in concept. My thoughts on the episode on first watch are pretty similar now, still think that it is a bit of a slow starter but also still think that it gets a lot better as it goes on and is a very good episode overall. Not as great as the previous Season 8 Goren and Eames outings, "Identity Crisis" being especially outstanding, but a very worthy episode for the duo and serves 'Criminal Intent' well.
Unlike the spectacular opening of the previous episode "Astoria Helen", "Folie A Deux" starts off in a fairly formulaic fashion and like a standard kidnapping story for the franchise. Not hard to figure out pretty much immediately that there was more to the case than it seems, which has been the case for a vast majority of this type of story the franchise did.
When however more is revealed and when the truth gradually emerges, a large part of me was genuinely shocked and it did hit hard. The truth is not easy to get one's head round and is more complicated plot-wise and psychology-wise (especially with Calista) than one expects. It is very clever and twisty and there is genuine tension.
Particularly evident in the classic Goren interrogation scene, especially Goren's ways of getting to the truth in a way true to character and the psychology of the responsible. The final scene is poignant. The acting is excellent, Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe can't be faulted. While Lynn Redgrave is touching and Piper Perabo (had no idea that she had that side to her) unhingedly chills and move. Actually did buy her character and that the weakest character was Andre, who was a bit too one-dimensional and the episode doesn't do an awful lot new with a type of character that has been seen a good deal in the franchise.
Script is intelligent and doesn't have any extraneous fat, while having enough room to breathe. The final portion doesn't get overwrought. Production values are slick and professional, not ever resorting to cheap or untested gimmicks or anything. The music is haunting in the right places and isn't constant or too loud, and the direction gives the drama urgency and breathing space.
Very good on the whole with many great things. 8/10.
helpful•101
- TheLittleSongbird
- Jun 24, 2021
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