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In 2003, Law & Order: Criminal Intent returned for a third season. Regular viewers were forced to anticipate a cast change when Kathryn Erbe announced that she was pregnant in the season opener. In the fifth episode, Samantha Buck joins as Detective G. Lynn Bishop, and she stays for seven episodes. There is some built-in tension, as Bishop and Detective Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) learn how the other likes to investigate, but Bishop seems to be able to follow the clues in the same manner that Goren can, and she can sometimes complete his line of questioning with a suspect. This is an interesting dynamic, but Goren clearly misses his partner—and the show does as well. Kathryn Erbe’s return is a welcome event. And while Ms. Buck performs ably, she’s never returned to the show.
In this season, there also seems to be a subtle change in the direction of the episodes. In many episodes, there’s a moment when Goren puts all of the clues together and sees the real motive and perpetrator. Sometimes this is done with him talking through all the clues. At other times, it’s with a close-up shot and some appropriate background music. The show’s creators also seemed to have changed the background music, adding a more dramatic bass rhythm as the criminals are forced to confess. I didn’t notice it much before, but after re-watching the third season on DVD, I could see a definite difference in the show’s style.
Following the revelation in season two that Goren’s mother is mentally ill, I began to notice that he’s protective of those who have a mental illness, and he really sympathizes with them. This is most notable in two episodes: “Gemini” and “The Gift.” Throughout the season, the main characters also provide more background information: Eames’s father was once a police officer; Goren has a brother, and his father has passed away. All of these revelations add to the complexity of the characters.
This is also the season for guest stars, including Bobby Cannavale, Judd Hirsch, Stephen Colbert, and T. R. Knight. Most of them add a lot to the show—especially T. R. Knight, whose character studies Goren and throws appropriate obstacles in the tracks to derail a murder investigation.
The third season DVD set was released on three dual-sided DVDs, so you have to flip the disk over to see all of the episodes. Also included are special features profiling Jamey Sheridan (who plays Captain James Deakins) and Courtney B. Vance (who plays Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver), a feature on Robert Goren, a tour of the set, and an interview with Mike Struk, a private investigator and show consultant.
Season three of Law & Order: Criminal Intent continues to show Goren’s brilliance, but more and more is added to show that he doesn’t operate alone. Instead, he relies on his partner to help his investigations. The introduction of a new detective was also an interesting experiment—one that paves the way for more detectives in future seasons. So if you pick up a copy of the DVD set, you can expect great acting from the main characters, solid guest appearances from other talented actors, and some interesting extras, too.
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