Inhumane Society

Dick Wolf's "Law and Order" family of series is justly famous for the vast quantity of top acting talent that appeared on a segment, and this one not only introduces Michael B. Jordan in a lead role (playing a boxer) concerning dog fights and mistreatment of dogs, but there's a guest shot in character role for Ralph Macchio. The story is fairly conventional, including a strong enough/clean enough for tv scene of dogs attacking a guy and killing him.

With Jeff Goldblum and his newest partner Saffron Burrows plus Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, it's not an important episode apart from the star casting.

Danny (Michael B. Jordan), a talented, wannabe boxing champion was convicted due to his bonding with two friends from the hood. The crew ran an outlaw dog fighting where one trained the dogs, the second ran the business and the boxer bankrolled all the operation. After spending two years time in jail, he's eager to quit the criminal world in order to start all over again his career, restoring his faith in the process. He trained a lot, under the supervision of his coach, a former champion from the eighties who suffers from severe headache. Both members of his former crew were found dead and detectives begin to collect evidences.

The "killer instinct" is something widespread in boxing related episode. That reminds me Apollo Creed with his famous line: "Eye of a tiger, man". Nichols' knowledge of human body and its concussions helping him to solve the case.

The character of Zach Nichols didn't do much for me in his first two episodes, neither of which doing much for me as episodes. My problem does not lie with Jeff Goldblum but the writing. In the next two though, my opinion on him completely changed and the episodes in question were also much better. Serena Stevens was a bit mixed for me as a character and it did depend on the material, the chemistry between her and Nichols was never non-existent but it didn't ignite in the same way Goren and Eames' did.

Season 9, which had fourteen out of its sixteen episodes having them as the lead characters, did have some good and more episodes. "Inhumane Society" is one of the very good episodes, one of the better episodes of Season 9 and a significant improvement over the major disappointment that was the previous episode "Palimpsest". At least "Inhumane Society" felt like a 'Criminal Intent' episode and had a lot of good things in its own right. Not one of my favourite episodes of the show, but definitely not something to fob off in a hurry.

Not an awful lot wrong here in "Inhumane Society", though the chemistry between Nichols and Stevens again could have done with more spark, it's functional and not non-existent, and there is some progression since their first outing, but it's not on fire. Namely because Nichols' character is a good deal stronger than Stevens'.

Maybe a little over-complicated towards the end too when it tries to cram too much in.

However, so much is done right. There were some Season 9 episodes where the supporting cast were even better than the regulars. "Inhumane Society" is one of those cases, especially in the case of Michael B. Jordan's intense performance. Dan Lauria is also strong. Jeff Goldblum carries the episode very well too and did love how he solves the case and his deductions, quirky but not overdoing it. The supporting character writing has come on a lot since the beginning of the season, that has contributed to why some of the guest turns have been so good this season.

As ever, the photography and such are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way. The writing is smart, taut and thought-provoking and also really liked the darkness and complexity of the story. The initial murder is one of the show's grisliest.

In conclusion, very good. 8/10.

A really grisly death of a man mauled and bitten by fighting dogs brings Major Case with Jeff Goldblum and Saffron Burrows catching it. The victim was connected with a promising fighter played by Michael B. Jordan who did a two year hiatus in prison after being ratted out by the victim for Jordan's part in a dog fighting ring.

Jordan is back on track under the tutelage of Dan Lauria for title shot. Another of Jordan's Homies from the hood who also did a bit in the prison system is also murdered in the same manner.

Forensics tell the tale here, some peculiar non-consistent injuries are what the victims sustain that don't match up to dog attacks.

In the end our detectives get a confession from a man who has satisfied his life ambition.

Jordan and Lauria are outstanding here.

This was a very good episode. Danny Ford goes to prison for running a dog fighting ring. When he comes out, He is trained by a former boxing champion played very well by Dan Lauria. The other 2 guys in the ring end up dead and the detectives must figure out who did it. In the end, they discover that the trainer killed them because he was living his life through Ford's. The last scene shows the Detectives confronting him just as he's about to accompany DF to the ring for his title match. He points at DF and says in a manner of speaking " I trained you and you aren't anything without me". A very compelling episode that showed no sex, very little violence and managed to keep me interested. Everyone should see this one.