"Torch" got a lot of press before and when it first aired, not just for the subject matter (with it being eerily reminiscent of the Cameron Todd Willingham case) but also for it being the first appearance of Sharon Stone as Marlowe. Expectations were mixed, because the subject is an interesting and hard hitting one which is the good thing, and the show and franchise have done "ripped from the headlines" stories very well. The bad thing is that Stone is a long way from a favourite of mine and Marlowe never did it for me as a character.
Despite some good things and there are times where the subject hits hard (how could it not), "Torch" falls far short of the potential it had. Liked the subject, seeing McCoy back and Brad Dourif is always a plus in anything he's in (not to mention the episode has a particularly great guest star playing the accused), but the messy storytelling, Stone and Stabler's character writing really make the potential go up in smoke and a flaming hot disappointment.
Am going to start with "Torch's" good things. Most of the production values are solid, intimate without being too close up or static. The music is not too over-used or melodramatic sounding. The regulars are very good, with the lion's share going to Christopher Meloni on typically steely form.
Kevin Anderson does a great job as the accused, a pretty gut-wrenching turn where one is not sure of the outcome of something so unthinkably awful. Dourif is reliably good value as is Lindsay Crouse.
For those good things, there are a lot of major debits. For one thing, it doesn't feel like a 'Special Victims Unit' episode and is not a sort of case that they would take on as it is not the type of case they do. This would have been much better as an episode of 'Criminal Intent', Goren and Eames would have a perfect pairing for this story, would even have said it wouldn't be too out of place on the original 'Law and Order' but that show was in its final season and nearing the end of it. The story has a truly heart-rending and disturbing subject and one does feel a lot of sadness and anger, but to me it did get lost amongst the unprofessionalism of both Stabler and Marlowe, the truly weak and disorganised prosecution case which made me feel that the case should never have gone to court and that Stabler's loose cannon personality has really run its course.
It is hard to believe too how long it took for them to get to the truth, it is quite anger-inducing that somebody experienced had overlooked something that obvious. Will say though that it did reinforce my feelings of that Willingham not only should not have been executed but that he shouldn't even have been convicted. Stone is completely flat as Marlowe, especially her one-dimensional line delivery, and there is nothing interesting or easy to like about Marlowe. Have always found her annoying, a lot more disrespectful than Paxton and that she acts in a way that makes me wonder how she even got her job. For a team that went a long way back, Stabler and Marlowe are very disconnected and an odd couple as a teaming and also never liked how Marlowe seems to not have much of a problem with Stabler's behaviour.
Moreover, the dialogue is often very awkward (especially between Stabler and Marlowe) and over-heated. Instead of clap hand to the mouth worthy, the first scene seemed rather amateurish. The episode is one that easily could have been longer, it feels rushed, tries to cram in too much (making the latter stages muddled) and the logistics of the crime are all over the place. More could have been done with the ending, where the truth is not delved into enough and came over as revealed too late. While shocking initially, seeing as it was something that should have been considered early on in the investigation it was not that much of a surprise in hindsight.
Overall, disappointing. 4/10.
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