[ad_1]
As Law & Order returns from its mid-season break of Season 24, it’s a great time to reflect on the show’s enduring legacy. Writer and producer Dick Wolf has built an impressive empire with other enduring successes, like Law & Order: SVU and the FBI franchise, which have produced some of the most moving and memorable episodes in TV history. When it comes to standout episodes, however, one in particular from the flagship series is always the first that comes to mind and when it aired nearly 20 years ago, it changed everything.
The Season 6 episode “Aftershock” aired as the season finale on May 22, 1996, written by Janis Diamond and showrunner at the time, Michael Chernuchin, and was directed by a Law & Order veteran, Martha Mitchell. Even to this day, this episode remains one of the most powerful and heart-wrenching episodes of the show’s 24 seasons. Not only did it mark a pivotal shift in the series after the loss of a beloved character, but it also departed dramatically from the usual formula that Law & Order fans had come to expect.
What Happened in ‘Aftershock?’
For the first time in the show’s history, “Aftershock” broke from Law & Order‘s traditional case-of-the-week formula and focused entirely on the personal lives and inner struggles of its main characters. Instead of a central case, the episode focused on the aftermath of the execution of Mickey Scott (Chris Bauer), a convicted rapist and murderer. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), Claire Kincaid (Jill Hennessy), Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach), and Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt), each involved in convicting Scott, witness the execution, which affects each one of them differently. Although these characters deal with death regularly, as Briscoe points out, by the time the cops and DAs are involved, the death has already occurred. “Aftershock”, however, emphasizes the psychological toll of witnessing a man die before them and forces the characters to grapple with what justice truly means.
Related
The 10 Best ‘Law & Order’ Seasons, Ranked
Will ‘Law & Order’s revival seasons ever measure up to the classics?
As the day unfolds, Curtis has an emotional outburst at work, which leads to a reckless decision involving a student, Jaime, played by a then-newcomer, Jennifer Garner. Briscoe, after a tense reunion with his estranged daughter, breaks his sobriety and orders a drink. Meanwhile, McCoy tries to bury his feelings, until he eventually opens up about the abuse he endured from his father. Kincaid, wrestling with the morality of the death penalty, seeks guidance from Lieutenant Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson), who chooses not to attend the execution. The episode culminates in the shocking death of Kincaid in a car accident, a tragic moment that forever changed the show’s trajectory.
The Break in ‘Law & Order’s Procedural Formula Made “Aftershock” So Iconic
While the death of a beloved character made “Aftershock” a pivotal episode, what makes it truly iconic is how it boldly flipped the focus from the procedural formula to the characters’ struggles. Law & Order was successful in its sixth season, but it certainly wasn’t the powerhouse it is now in its 24th. Its thanks to the actors’ performances up until that point that the writers trusted that audiences would care about the characters enough to stay tuned in without the shootouts, footchases and courtroom theatrics that they had come to expect. Instead, the episode relies on the quiet moments between characters and delivers an emotional punch with deep philosophical questions that has stayed with fans all these years later.
In many ways, “Aftershock” was ahead of its time, offering a powerful, emotionally charged story back in 1996 when shows tended to stick to their procedural roots. The episode is often considered a masterpiece because of the risk it took, especially as a season finale. The move obviously paid off, considering it still remains one of the series’ most revered episodes, nearly 20 years later, and is often cited as one of the best episodes in television history.
While the current iteration of Law & Order has occasionally touched on its characters’ personal lives in recent seasons, there has never been another episode like “Aftershock.” These character-focused episodes are still rare, despite modern audiences’ increasing appetite for serialized storytelling, even in traditionally procedural shows. For now, this episode remains the show’s boldest and most emotionally raw episode, forever changing the trajectory of both its characters and the show itself.
Season 24 of Law & Order airs on Thursdays on NBC. Previous seasons are all available to stream on Hulu.
Law & Order
- Release Date
-
September 13, 1990
- Showrunner
-
Walon Green, Michael S. Chernuchin, René Balcer, William M. Finkelstein, Artuhr Penn, Barry Schindel, Nicholas Wootton, Rick Eid
- Writers
-
Dick Wolf
- Franchise(s)
-
Law and Order
[ad_2]
Source link
