Law & Order: Criminal Intent: The Seventh Year '08 - '09 Season

Couldn't wait for the DVDs, so got a legal download. I will order these DVDs as well to add to my 1-6 collection. S7, what can I say? Some may disagree, but I'm really into it. On a shallow note, I find Goren compellingly attractive when he's suffering from personal demons which even affect his appearance and the way he performs the job. And suffer he does.

The key 'Goren/Eames' character development episodes are Amends, Untethered, Purgatory and Frame. I have watched them umpteen times, and never find them less than mesmerizing. Seriously, has there been another actor as committed and original as him on network TV? In between those dramatic ones are some more great episodes (Smile, Kissinger, Depths, the magic tricks in 'Vanishing Act'). Even the less-than-stellar ones still have many scenes worth watching. It is heartbreaking indeed to watch the post-Purgatory tension between the partners. I love watching Erbe/Eames in S7.

As for the Logan episodes, we get a temporary partner 'Falacci' for the first few episodes. Some viewers will love her, and others less so. Personally, I find her a little grating and unrealistic, but I know many do appreciate Alicia Witt's performance. She's better than Bishop at least! The Logan/Falacci episode 'Senseless' is certainly one of the most memorable of the entire S7. 'Last Rites' also a highlight, and it farewells the long-running character of Mike Logan. It left me hoping for something good for his future- too bad he had to leave the show.

Although purists will prefer seasons 1-4 (and 5?), I find the later seasons more emotionally satisfying. If I had to objectively review, of course I won't deny that the earlier seasons are of a much higher quality (especially the writing) and that Goren is quite a different, more quirky and less tortured man. However, despite its unevenness, the show stayed interesting for me even when it moved to USA. This is due to Vincent's commitment to taking the character of Goren to new places. I simply can't take my eyes off the screen when he fills it.

I first started watching Law & Order Criminal Intent in the spring of 2007 when USA use to have nightly mini-marathons of CI and SVU. The series first aired on NBC on September 30, 2001 until May 21, 2007, when it moved to its sister network USA in the fall of 2007 until it finally ended its run on June 26, 2011. NBCUniversal have been extremely slow about releasing Law & Order: CI's ten year run to DVD. Luckily for us fans, Shout! Factory bought the DVD rights, releasing season 7 exactly one year to the date that the series ended.

Just like the previous few seasons, every other episode is split between the detective combo of Goren/Eames and Logan/Wheeler. Actually, Megan Wheeler (played by Julianne Nicholson, who was on maternity leave) is missing for half the season as the character went to Europe to teach a course on American Police Procedure. During this time, Mike Logan (played by Chris Noth) teams up with Detective Nola Falaccia (played by Alicia Witt).

The season starts out with Amends, in which Eames' (played by Kathryn Erbe) late husband's partner is murdered, and Goren must help her find the killer. My favorite episode is Untethered, where Goren (played by Vincent D'Onofrio) goes undercover in a psychiatric ward to help his nephew and must confront his own demons. The season ends with Frame, where Goren's brother is murdered, and the prime suspect could be Goren's nemesis, Nicole Wallace.

The episodes on the five discs are:

Disc One: Amends; Seeds; Smile; and Lonelyville.

Disc Two: Depths; Courtship; Self-Made; and Offense.

Disc Three: Untethered; Senseless: Purgatory; and Contract.

Disc Four: Betrayed; Assassin; Please Note We Are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation From Henry Kissinger; Reunion; and Vanishing Act.

Disc Five: Ten Count; Legacy; Neighborhood Watch; Last Rites; and Frame.

Unlike the box sets of seasons, 4-6, season seven has no box; there is just a slipcover over a typical DVD case. The DVD cover is in the same design style of the previous few seasons as is the discs' design. Season seven aired from October 7, 2007 to June 24, 2008 and not during the '08-'09 Season as stated on the cover and on each discs. Just like the previous seasons, there are no extras in this set.

Despite the '08-09' error and the lack of extras, I am glad that season 7 is finally on DVD to own.

I hated to see Logan's dry toast partner return.
I hated to see Fellucci leave. She added some pep
and some attitude to the Logan episodes.
This series could have gone more seasons if they
had kept Fellucci and if Logan had not been
replaced with Goldblum in season 8.
Actually Goldblum and Fellucci would have been
a good partnership.